Namibian Safaris - Safaris in Namibia

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Namibia is a huge country, about 4 times the size of the United Kingdom and 27 times the size of Belgium. Situated along the Atlantic seaboard on the south-western coast of Africa. Namibia borders South Africa in the south and south-east, Botswana in the east, Angola and Zambia in the north and Zimbabwe at the eastern extremity of the Caprivi.

Namibia Holidays and Namibia Safari destinations

Namibia has several areas of interest to visitors. Explore places as vastly different as the Namib Desert and Caprivi Strip, a water-rich riverine swampland. There are the cultures of the Herero and Bushman tribes the wildlife is incredible including the Namib desert elephants, large populations of cheetah and rhino.

Namibia also offers a nice variety of different safari options you can select from luxury or budget camping safaris, lodge and game drive safaris, luxury fly-in safaris, overland camping safaris, birding and walking safaris.

Track Cheetahs on Foot

AfriCat, a non-profit organisation that conserves and protects threatened cheetahs, leopards, and other wild cats of Namibia. The AfriCat foundation located within the Okonjima reserve gives you the unique chance to track cheetahs on foot.

Etosha National Park in Namibia

Etosha, means "Great White Place" because it is dominated by a massive mineral pan which is part of the Kalahari Basin, the floor of which was formed around 1000 million years ago. The Etosha National Park was declared a national park in 1907 and coves an area of 22 270 square km. There are over 100 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and, incredibly for such an arid enviroment, one species of fish!

The best time to visit Etosha for game viewing is from May to September. You can expect to see many buck species, elephant, giraffe, rhino and lions. More fortunate visitors will see leopard and cheetah. Etosha is well known for its endemic species of impala, the black faced Impala and is said to have the tallest elephants in Africa, measuring up to 4m at the shoulder and is of the last wild sanctuaries of the endangered black rhino.

Despite the massive size of Etosha, only the southern edge of the pan is accessible to casual visitors. There is a network of roads linking the three campsites within the park at Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni. The road network also links the campsites with over 30 water holes in the central and eastern region, these make perfect places to sit and wait it out for game.

Etosha Highlights

Ongava Game Reserve: A private reserve at Andersson gate on the southern boundary where you can go on night drives, game walks and they have a good population of whte rhinos.

Klein Namutoni waterhole: Probably the best place to see the black-faced impala.

Okaukuejo: The site of the Etosha Research Station and a good place for black rhino.

Fischer's Pan: Near Namutoni is a good place to view springbok and wildebeest and also a great place to go birdwatching.

Caprivi Strip in Namibia

The Caprivi Strip is one of the more eccentric legacies of 19th Century colonial rule in Africa. It is named after Chancellor Bismark's successor, Leo Graf von Caprivi, the strip was ceded to colonial Germany by the British.

Namibia's Caprivi Strip is a long narrow extension of land, running about 450 km from the north-east corner of the main body of the country to the flood-plains and islands of the Zambezi River.

The wildlife in the Caprivi has not yet fully recovered from years of poaching but its superb conservation areas may one day in the future rival Etosha. What it is really known for is it's birds. With more than 450 bird species recorded in this small area the Caprivi Strip is one of southern Africa's top birding spots. For birders in pursuit of Okavango specials, such as Slaty Egret and Coppery-tailed Coucal.

West Caprivi Game Park: This reserve covers most of the Kaprivi strip from the Kavango to Kwando Rivers and is transversed by the infamous "Golden Highway" named because of a dirt road which accounts for many a vehicle during the rainy season. It was heavily poached out in the past but thankfully is showing signs of recovery.

Mahango Game Reserve: 12km south of Popa Falls, this is a small but diverse reserve with areas of grassland, woodland, floodplain, riverine forests and reed beds which support over 60 mammal and nearly 350 bird species. It is only accessible by 4WD vehicles and is an excellent place for elephants during the dry season. Worth nating that this is the only Namibian Park in which visitors are allowed to walk unaccompanied by a guide or scout. There is no accommodation in the park but several private lodges are located in the area.

Mudumu National Park: The Kwando River runs through this National Park and benefiting much by the wetlands of the Kwando-Mashi-Linyanti-Chobe river system Mudumu is an excellent birding area and is also well known for its fishing. Water-loving mammals including buffalo, elephant, hippo, crocodiles, sitatunga, red lechwe and the Cape clawless otter are abundant.

There is one private lodge within its boundaries – Lianshulu Lodge – which offers guided walks, nature drives, boating and bird watching and are several other lodges in the surroundings, such as Namushasha Lodge where you can stay.

Mamili National Park: This area is only suitable for the hardiest guests and at times can be an almost inaccessible wetland. Mamili is and should only be tackled between September and April in 4x4 convoy fashion. This is a good area for lechwe, sitatunga, puku and spotted-necked otters. Note: You canalso visit the similar habitat on the Botswana side in the Selinda Reserve which is easier to get to. Mamili National Park is a good area for buffalo, wild dog, lechwe, sitatunga, puku and spotted-necked otters. Wattled cranes have been recorded breeding here.