NAMIBIA OVERLAND ADVENTURE JUNE 2027

Namibia Overland – World Discovery Photo Safari 2027

Destination summary

I’ve ran four previously sold out Namibia Photo Tour trips. If you’d like to participate in the next  adventure to Namibian drop me a line now. The next scheduled trip is June 2027.

This incredible Namibian World Discovery Photo Safari  is an overland  journey exploring a variety of  photography locations and African wildlife.  With a maximum of only 3 photography guests on each trip, this guarantees you get the most of each location, maximum help and advice when required.

The  Namib Desert is the world’s oldest and plays host to some of the planet’s highest and most dramatic sand dunes. Further north Etosha National Park, is a vast salt pan with the surrounding plain home to a vast array of wildlife that’s adapted to Namibia’s dry desert conditions. We’ll expect to see Elephant, Rhino, Springbok, Zebra, Giraffe and big cats if we’re lucky.

This Namibia Photo Tour will leave a lasting impression on your memory and one that is  well suited to photo safari exploration.

Spitzkoppe in south Damaraland  is a range of high granite peaks that light up at dawn and dusk, Swakopmund with its German colonial past sits where the desert meets the sea and Skeleton coast.

The World Heritage Namib Sand Sea features two of the trip highlights in  Sossusvlei and Deadvlei and these will offer you an abundance of creative  photo opportunities. There is also the option of taking to the air in a small fixed wing aircraft to grasp the sheer scale of it all.

To the south The Namib Rand is an incredibly scenic area and Dark Sky Reserve that will offer you a sense of wonder, isolation and peace as you gaze across endless plains and soft dunes dotted with Oryx and Springbok.  To the east the Naukluft mountains rise up, their jagged peaks silhouetted below the starry night sky. Sessions here include Desert landscapes at dawn and dusk  and star trails and the Milky Way at night.

Ludertiz and the sand consumed diamond mining town of Kolmanskop are a mixture of the historic, bizarre and muted colour.  Pastel painted walls and doorways that have been left to the elements juxtaposed against windswept sand dunes. Over the years the town has been consumed with the encroaching desert sand which  creates some unique, abstract compositions. After our morning session we can enjoy a cooked breakfast on site and take in its fascinating history in its museum and a historic tour.

Making our way back to Windhoek our final night on your Namibia photo tour takes place at the Quiver Tree forest.  This is where the soft warm dusky light makes these iconic African trees come alive with vivid colour and texture.

This is a photographic journey that’s bursting with amazing locations and experiences.

Namibia Photo Tour – On Location

Namibia ( formally South West Africa ) was a German colony from 1884 until 1915 when it was “passed on” to South Africa. It fought for its independence for over 20 years, finally achieving it 1990. This mix of history, culture and amazing geography creates a fascinating experience.

Etosha National Park

First stop is Etosha National Park and Namibia’s premier wildlife Park. It is without doubt one of the best places in Africa to view and photograph Rhino, Elephant, Giraffe, Lion and Zebra. We can observe and photograph them as they congregate around water holes during the dry winter season. Springbok, Wildebeest and Namibia’s iconic Oryx  also roam the park and the Kalahari and Namib deserts.

Spitzkoppe, Damaraland

Spitzkoppe is  a group of granite peaks in the Namib desert formed over 100 million years ago. The high domes reach into the cobalt blue sky in winter but its at dusk and dawn that we’ll capture these majestic mountains when the warm sunrise and sunset brings them to life. Camping out under the clear skies we’ll also photograph the night sky.. the Milky way seems within touching distance as the air is so clear.

From Spitzkoppe we’ll travel to the town of Swapkopmund on edge of the Namib desert at the southern end of the Skeleton coast. Here we’ll re-stock, get a few shots of the Germanic architecture and catch a sunset from the beach water side Tiger bar. In the morning we’ll have a short session in nearby Walvis bay photographing the local flock of Flamingos.

World Heritage Sand Sea Desert – Sossusvlei 

The drive to Sossusvlei takes us across the Namib Naukluft National Park which extends all the way south to the South African border. Our base here for 2 nights is Sesreim, as close as we can get to the giant dunes and salt / clay pans. Dune 45 sits  close to our base and we’ll scale its heights to photograph a sunset over the surrounding desert.

Deadvlei is one of the star attractions for photographers from all over the world. Its dramatic  dead camel thorn trees are a stark contrast against the morning shadows and warm hues of the dunes. We’ll tackle this location in post sunrise light so we can make use the shadows rising up the sand walls. The giant red dunes around Sossusvlei are said to be the highest in the world. We’ll walk up one of the smaller dunes (optional) making a circuit to capture the surrounding landscape from above. After a bush breakfast at the foot of Sossusvlei dune we’ll head back to our base. Later that afternoon if we still feel energised we’ll explore nearby Sesreim canyon.

At dawn the following morning there will be the option of a 1 hour fixed wing aerial session over Sossusvlei. With our knowledgable pilot taking us on the best flight path over the red dunes, Deadvlei, fairy circles and any wildlife that may be wandering the desert.

Namib Rand Reserve

From Sossusvlei, we head south on gravel roads to the privately owned Namib Rand Reserve. With just a handful of visitors this is one of the unexpected highlights to Namibia. A mixture of open plains, surrounding mountains, wildlife and some of the darkest skies your ever likely to see. From our remote and *private camp we’ll capture the area at dusk and dawn, make a drive through the dunes and breathe in the awesome beauty of this special place. The night sky will again offer the chance to create some magical Milky Way imagery.

Luderitz and Kolmanskop

Luderitz, a small port town Luderitz again has a weird mix of Germanic colonial architecture and isolation. Nearby is the slightly weird and wonderful deserted mining town of Kolmanskop.  Now long since deserted the sand has slowly taken its toll on the derelict ruins, creating interest and fantastic photography. Ever changing patterns of sand against pastel shades of colour and worn textures are great to experiment with. Windows, doors and shafts of light all combine to create hours of rich photography.

The Quiver Tree Forest 

Stopping on the western edges of the Kalahari desert the iconic forest will provide our final location. The Quiver tree is seen all over Namibia, but here near the town of Keetmanshoop, they’re  concentrated and surrounded with rocky terrain and various critters. A colourful subject at dawn and dusk.

From here we make our way  back to the capital Windhoek and the end of our Namibian photo adventure. We’ll enjoy a final dinner at either Joe’s Beer House ( outdoor BBQ restaurant) or the Stellanbosch winery restaurant.

Trip Information

Start date Early June TBA –  meet up @ 4pm at the Olive Grove Guest House in Windhoek and enjoy a dinner together. We depart the following morning for Etosha at 08:30.

Tour Ends TBA at 16:00hrs in Windhoek where you’ll have a final night and group dinner  together. You can depart on the TBA  to your onward destination.

You may wish to leave at any point on the final day after returning to Windhoek.

What to expect – please ensure this trip is suitable for you . 

This Namibia Photo Journey is an overland photo adventure that travels an anti clockwise route from the capital Windhoek by 4 wheel drive vehicle. It’s   fully equipped with comfortable twin share roof tents for 6 nights of camping close to our locations. The remaining 6 nights are at comfortable guest house and park lodge accommodation.

The vehicle is equipped with fridge, water and all the supplies we need to travel overland.
We will be covering around 3400km over 12 days mostly on gravel roads and some sandy tracks. Some days will have minimal distances and some longer days up to 500km (5-6hrs) You will see the landscape first hand as we make our way to each location, stopping when we like, where we like.

Accommodation is a mixture of guest houses, lodges and twin share roof top safari tents (with mattresses and all bedding provided) this allows us to be closer to some of our locations offering more flexible photo opportunities.

Accommodation 

Lodges are very comfortable single occupancy rooms and vehicle safari tents are twin share. So if you’re comfortable in a camping environment with camp fire under the stars then this is for your. But please do bear this in mind before booking. All bedding required for camp is provided.

Windhoek 1 night – single occupancy room Olive Grove Guest House

Etosha National Park – 2 nights:  1 single occupancy double room and 1 night Camp ( options to upgrade motel style room)

Spitzkoppe – 1 night twin share safari roof tent

Swakopmund  1 night – single occupancy room Namib Guest House  

Sossusvlei 2 nights – inside park gates  – Safari roof tent camping

Namib Rand 1 night – twin share safari roof tent camping

Luderitz  2 nights – single occupancy Cormorant Guest house

Quiver Tree Forest 1 night – twin share Safari roof tent camp

Windhoek 1 night  – single occupancy Olive Grove Guest house

This a photography journey  full of stunning world class locations with the added experience of camping out under the African night sky by camp fire, sharing a drink or two and discussing the days events.

Please read the testimonial by a previous client for a participant perspective.

Meals 

These will be either buffet style meals, national park restaurants or at local pubs.

Spitzkoppe, Namib Rand and the Quiver Tree forest will be self catered with meals prepared by ourselves by the camp fire and your more than welcome to offer up suggestions to suit preferences.

As mentioned, this  photo journey covers a large part of Namibia by road in a 4×4 vehicle. You’ll have the opportunity to see the landscape and terrain change through the journey. Through the  Kalahari, salt pans, giant sand  dunes, seascapes along the skeleton coast  and mountain ranges that all combine to make this an incredible adventure.

Remote camping with limited facilities at some camps is also part of the itinerary, this enables us to access some of the best locations in Namibia under on our own terms and schedule. Basic toilets and shower facilities are available at all the camps and towels are provided as are sleeping bags. It’s can be tiring with long days, dusty and warm / cold temperatures. 

Sossusvlei – our camp is inside the main gate for accessing the park which means we can reach Deadvlei before many of the other travellers and tourists.

Please ensure that this trip meets your requirements, comfort levels and abilities before booking, if you would like to discuss any of the logistical factors involved please just get in touch.

At the moment  there is a maximum of only 3 participants with an emphasis on creating a intimate group dynamic while on location. This makes shooting at locations more manageable which helps you get the shots you want. At camp  it’s all hands on deck and guests are asked to participate in meal preparations and maintaining the camp while we are in remote areas. Toilets, showers and clean running water is available at every camp.

When you arrive in Namibia’s capital Windhoek you’ll make the 40 minute drive from the airport by shuttle / taxi to our guesthouse where I will meet you. This is the day before we depart.

What to expect

It’s winter in June in the southern hemisphere but the days are settled and sunny, temperatures range from mid to high 20s to 2 or 6 degrees during the night (centigrade). So it can feel pretty warm during the day and cooler at night the further south we go. It very rarely rains.

Namibia has good infrastructure / wifi at lodges but not much outside of towns. This is Africa but Namibia’s parks and reserves are well organised as long as you stick to the rules. Wildlife is plentiful but patience is still needed to wait and spot each animal if and when they decide to make an appearance. Its random but always an exciting event when they appear.

Fitness – mostly short walks with the exception of two dune accents but nothing too strenuous.

Recommended Equipment 

Only bring what you need and will use.

DSLR or Mirrorless camera with wide angle 16-35 / 50 or 24 -70 / 70 -200mm / a 150 – 600mm long telephoto or similar, I use this lens as much as any other to get up close for wildlife.
Nikon, Fujifilm, Sony, Sigma or Canon are all good options, contact me for advice.

Camera  bag dust / waterproof cover / lens wipes and cloths

Once booked a fact sheet of what to bring will be available.

Luggage

Space in the vehicle is limited.

Please limit your luggage to 2 pieces only.
One luggage bag and one camera bag.
I travel with and recommend a soft shell 90 litre ( or smaller )  Osprey rolling duffel bag. These are ideal for adventure travel .

Suitcases are bulky and impractical for  storage in the rear of the vehicle canopy so please keep this in mind.

There will be an opportunity to wash some clothes during our trip.