Compare Discover Namibia - Lodges by Exodus Travels vs Namibia Photo Safari by Want Expeditions

Day 1 Start Windhoek

The tour starts at Arebbusch Lodge in Windhoek. The afternoon can be spent exploring or relaxing, perhaps taking a dip in the pool or watching the many native birds that swoop overhead. There will be a welcome briefing in the evening to discuss the adventures to come. Accommodation: Arebbusch Lodge (or similar)

Day 2 Drive through Namib Nuakluft to Sesriem

Today we head southwest through the spectacular scenery of the Namib-Naukluft Park towards the Sesriem/Solitaire area. This national park, one of the largest in the world, is home to one of the driest and oldest deserts on Earth. It also has towering, jagged rock formations and an incredible lunar landscape, so be prepared for great photo stops. Driving: 186mi-217mi (300km-350km); seven hours Accommodation: Weltevrede Guest Farm (or similar)

Day 3 Sossusvlei and the Namib Carnivore Conservation Centre

Today we spend much of our time in the Namib Desert. Rising early, we visit the tallest dunes in the world and climb one of them in the early morning light for spectacular views. We can either walk to Hiddenvlei or catch a transfer (optional extra) to Deadvlei, where ancient acacia trees form an eerie desert scene. If we’re lucky, we may see gemsbok or ostrich among the dunes. In the afternoon, we visit Sesriem Canyon before joining a guide to see the cheetahs at the Namib Carnivore Conservation Centre (please see Responsible Travel section); depending on time, we may go tomorrow morning. Driving: 124mi (200km); three hours Accommodation: Weltevrede Guest Farm (or similar)

Day 4 To Swakopmund via Walvis Bay

We take a long but very scenic drive through the Namib-Naukluft Park to Swakopmund. En route, we visit Walvis Bay for lunch and to see flamingos. Swakopmund is a small German colonial resort town with quaint cake shops and coffee houses and a centre for adrenaline activities. Driving: 186mi (300km); 5hr 30min Accommodation: Prost Hotel (or similar)

Day 5 Free day for optional activities

Today is free to enjoy one of the many optional activities here. On the water, go deep-sea fishing; in the desert, try sandboarding and quad-biking; and in the sky, fly over the Skeleton Coast. Or spend the day enjoying the fantastic local Viennese-style cakes, walk along the beach or nearby dunes, or just watch the world pass in this town which seems strangely out of place in Africa. Accommodation: Prost Hotel (or similar)

Day 6 Brandberg

After a relaxing start, we leave the cool breeze of the Atlantic Ocean behind and head inland towards Brandberg, the highest mountain in Namibia, in Damaraland. The Damaraland area is best-known as being home to desert elephants that roam in the Ugab River. Stargazing is normally spectacular from this remote area. Driving: 149mi (240km); 3hr 30min Accommodation: Brandberg White Lady Lodge campsite (or similar)

Day 7 White Lady Painting and Vingerklip

We begin our day with a short drive to Brandberg, where we enjoy a walk through Valley 45 for approximately 90 minutes. Along the way, we view beautiful, granite formations and a variety of birdlife. The valley takes us to the White Lady rock painting which, along with several other small paintings and engravings, are thought to have been left by San hunter-gatherers at least 2,000 years ago (please note that if elephants walk into this area then it might be too dangerous to do the walk- in this case we will typically go on a game drive looking for elephants). After, we drive towards the Khorixas area, where we should pass various Himba and Herero women selling crafts from the roadside. We may also spot desert elephants and meerkats on the way. In the afternoon, we can view Vingerklip, a striking pinnacle of rock balancing vertically on its own. Driving: 155mi (250km); 4hr 30min Accommodation: Damara Mopane Lodge (or similar)

Day 8 To Etosha National Park

We begin with a short drive to Etosha, a huge national park of mixed forest and grassland centred around a large salt pan. We should arrive in time for a late afternoon game drive before reaching our accommodation for the night. The itinerary allows plenty of time to really enjoy this fabulous game park. Driving: 125mi (200km); three hours Accommodation: Okaukuejo Lodge (or similar)

Day 9 - 10 Two days game viewing in Etosha

Etosha is home to a great variety of species, which are generally easy to find as the animals congregate at different times around the waterholes. Wildebeest, zebras, impalas, springbucks, kudus, elephants, giraffes, lions and even rhinos are all common sights here. Bring plenty of camera memory and patience and you will be rewarded by one of the greatest game spectacles in southern Africa. Etosha is also a good place to spot birds, with plenty of water birds on the lakes (when filled with water), and weaverbirds and hornbills in the trees. In Etosha, we typically stay within the park on some or all the nights (subject to availability) and some of these are next to waterholes. These accommodations also offer optional night drives, which you can book and pay for on arrival. Accommodation: Namutoni Lodge (or similar) Meals included: Breakfast (x2), Lunch (x1)

Day 11 On to the Waterberg Plateau. Optional 4x4 game drive

Leaving Etosha behind, we head towards the Waterberg Plateau. This 656ft (200m) high plateau topped by bushveld is one of the most fertile areas in Namibia. There are several walking trails, including one leading to a spectacular viewpoint near the top of the plateau. You can also take an optional 4x4 game drive. Driving: 186mi (300km); five hours Accommodation: Waterberg Lodge (or similar)

Day 12 Waterberg Plateau and on to Windhoek

We have free time this morning to relax or explore the Waterberg Plateau a little further. Later, we head back to Windhoek stopping at a crafts market on the way. Driving: 199mi (320km); 4hr 30min Accommodation: Arebbusch Lodge (or similar)

Day 13 End Windhoek

The trip ends after breakfast. Free time before your flight can be spent relaxing at the accommodation or exploring Windhoek, where there are museums and shops. Alternatively, arrange a township tour of Windhoek or visit the nearby Daan Viljoen game reserve (see Optional Excursions section).

Day 1: Arrive to Windhoek

Accommodation: Luxury hotel

Your special photography safari of Namibia commences upon international arrival at Windhoek airport. After you collect your baggage and exit the airport, you will be greeted upon arrival by our driver, and transferred to our beautiful hotel. To make sure you have time to relax and unwind, our official program doesn't begin until 7 PM, when you will gather in the hotel's gourmet restaurant for a welcome dinner and chance to discuss your photography objectives with your guide.

Day 2: Windhoek/Waterberg Plateau National Park

Accommodation: Luxury safari lodge

From Windhoek, we head north to the Waterberg Plateau National Park – our first nature stop and great introduction to African wildlife on this itinerary. Due to the distance we have to cover today, and the exciting opportunities that await, we'll have very few stops enroute, but your guide will take advantage of the time to discuss equipment, light conditions and photography techniques you can expect to utilize on this trip. With its 800 million years old rock formations and thick dry forest cover, Waterberg Plateau sticks out of the surrounding Acacia savannah, and provides safe breeding grounds for dozens of rare antelope and other mammal species, as well as over 200 varieties of birds. It's unique location is perfect for our first opportunity at night photography, so be sure to unpack those tripods.

Day 3: Waterberg Plateau NP/Kalahari Desert

Accommodation: Comfortable country lodge

Perhaps the most important component of wildlife photography, is taking advantage of the morning and evening lights. Not only is this critical for capturing golden hues, but wildlife is most active during these times, so expect an early wake-up for your first safari in the Namibian bush. Waterberg is home to giraffes, rare Roan and Sable Antelopes, but most excitingly, the White Rhino. We'll spend the morning focusing on subjects as they slowly move about the park and along the sides of this steep mountain plateau. Following a quick lunch, we'll get back on the road, and continue in a northerly direction to one of the most remote corners of Namibia -a vast area, home to the gentle, nomadic San Bushman people, to where very few dedicated travelers ever venture. We enjoy lunch at a lodge close to Grootfontein, and then travel along a wide, comfortable gravel road directly east. This road will take us almost all the way to the Botswana border, into the heartland of the endless Kalahari dry bush, where several San Bushmen villages exist in their traditional forms and lifestyles. We plan to reach our lodge just before the sun sets, so that we can enjoy the evening with a drink in our hands under the tall thatched roof of the restaurant area, followed by dinner and an early bed time.

Day 4: Kalahari Desert

Accommodation: Comfortable country lodge

Due to their gentle, nomadic nature, coupled with the discovery of diamonds in their ancestral lands, the indigenous San Bushman people have become one of the most endangered and exploited tribes of Africa. However, thanks to public awareness, and conceited efforts by the Living Culture Foundation of Namibia, we have a special opportunity to support conservation of their traditional culture, while experiencing genuine, authentic interactions with these charismatic peoples. As a living museum, we are welcomed as guests into their "homes," and will spend the morning photographing them as they go about their daily lives. While photography is our focus, we encourage your to put your cameras down and accept their invitation to partake in their daily on goings, like foraging for water sources, to preparing traditional hunting weapons, including snares, bows, and arrows, as well as making traditional jewelry from carved ostrich shells and various seed pods. From their traditional clothing, or lack thereof, their ability to survive in such a harsh environment, while maintaining a unbelievably friendly welcoming nature. An afternoon with the San Bushmen is not soon forgotten, and your photos will serve as souvenir for life. We plan to be back to our lodge for dinner, and depending on sky conditions, we'll have another opportunity for night sky photography.

Day 5: Kalahari Desert /Etosha National Park

Accommodation: Halali Park Lodge

Despite the desert landscape, our lodge is an oasis for a multitude of birds, especially sunbirds, fluttering from flower to flower, gathering nectar to power them through their day. For those of you that would like to practice your bird photography, we encourage you to wake at sunrise, and venture through the grounds to capture these beautiful birds with their elegant sickle bills contrasting against the morning sky. After breakfast, we drive to the Eastern most gates of Etosha National Park. One of the most unique features of the park is its impressive pan that stretches 130km wide and 50 km long. This flat, endless, pan provides an incredible set to capture Africa's most iconic wildlife. In addition to the pan, Etosha offers rich yellowish scrub, and dusty grey/blue skies, which create glowing orange sunsets with iconic silhouettes of the park's inhabitants like giraffe. Few people know, that Etosha is one of the best places in the world for night photography, but visitors can only take advantage of this by staying at the park lodges. For this reason, following dinner, we'll head to our lodge's waterhole to watch a theatrical wildlife performance that calls to mind The Carnival of Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns, as Elephants, Rhinos, Hyenas, and the occasional Leopard enter and exit, as if on cue, throughout the night and just meters away.

Day 6: Etosha National Park

Accommodation: Okaukeujo Park Lodge

Staying inside the park provides two critical advantages: access to the waterholes at night, and game drives that start before sunrise. Driving through the park during this period of times allows us the chance to observe and photograph nocturnal animals, particularly predators, as they move about in search of their next meal. We'll return to the lodge for breakfast, check out, then make our way further west, checking in to our next lodge for lunch and a short siesta, before starting our afternoon drive. Centrally located, our lodge gives us access in both Eastern and Western directions, and its waterhole provides the best opportunity to photograph the endangered black rhino.

Day 7: Etosha National Park

Accommodation: Okaukeujo Park Lodge

Wildlife photography is as much about patience, understanding, and anticipation of movement, as it is about good camera techniques. Today we'll dive deeper into more sophisticated methods of shooting, and for those ready to take the leap, it is a great day to practice shooting on manual following instruction from your guide. We'll spend a full day driving, returning to the lodge for lunch and siesta, followed by an afternoon drive, then dinner, and another opportunity at Okaukeujo's floodlit waterhole after sundown.

Day 8: Etosha NP/Grootberg

Accommodation: Luxury Eco-lodge

From Okaukeujo, we head towards the western most portion of the park. Along the way, we'll stop at multiple waterholes that are action packed as bachelor herds of Oryx, Springbox, Zebra, and Wildebeest spare on the dusty plains to prepare themselves for competition once mating season begins. At any given waterhole, it's not unusual to see all of these species gathering, along with Lions, Jackal, Ostrich, and many other species coming and going from this precious liquid resource. Be sure to pack extra memory cards, and bring your long lens. By noon, we'll reach Dolomite lodge, which is set atop a massive granite foundation, and is our last stop for lunch before exiting the park. Upon exiting the park, we head to Grootberg, and check-in to our eco-lodge which is perched on a plateau, and overlooks one of the most stunning valleys in Namibia. We've chosen this special place, not just because of the incredible view, and wonderful food, but Grootberg lodge focuses directly on community based eco-conservation, by working directly to protect the culture of the Himba people and the wildlife that surround their lands. Tonight we invite you to enjoy a sundowner as we gaze upon the beautiful valley below us.

Day 9: Grootberg/Damaraland

Accommodation: Luxury safari lodge

Much like the San Bushmen, The Himba people are one of the last nomadic tribes of Africa, and with their unique beauty regiment, they are easily the most beautiful to photograph. Each day, the women spend hours grinding clumps of ochre, collected from the harsh landscape, and combine it with butterfat. This lotion-like substance is then rubbed onto their skin, and elaborately braided hair. The mixture, known as otjize, serves not just as a symbol of beauty, but also a sun and insect repellent. Finding ways to meld with the arid environment, rather than a traditional water bath, Himba women perfume and deodorizes themselves with a herbal scented smoke that gives off a pleasant smell, and gives a photographer the opportunity to focus on tiny details in their beaded calfskin garments. We’ll spend the majority of the morning here before heading southeast into an area full of impressive sandstone formations that make a perfect backdrop to capture the evening lights and beautiful sunset.

Day 10: Damaraland/Skeleton Coast/Swakopmund

Accommodation: Beautiful city hotel

After breakfast, we start the morning with a visit to Twyfelfontein world heritage site, where bushman communities engraved and painted over 2500 pictures some 6000 years ago. Then, less than 15 minutes away, we will pay a visit at the Damara Living Museum. Much like our experience with the San Bushmen, this living museum provides genuine cultural interactions, while serving to protect and empower one of Namibia's native tribes. Its a quick drive back to our lodge for lunch, before heading southwest to cross the desolate ‘gravel plains’ of the Namib Desert before reaching the ‘Skeleton Coast.’ The Skeleton Coast derives its name from the various shipwrecks that dot its coastline. As we head south towards our evening's destination, Swakopmund, we'll stop to photograph the decrepit, rusting, ghost ships being slowly consumed by the ocean and sea air. As a winter resort-like destination for German nationals, Swakopmund is almost a shock to the senses with its quaint downtown, after traveling through Namibia's vast and unpopulated territory. Our goal is to reach here mid-afternoon to allow time to relax and unwind while strolling the city's streets, then we'll gather at a restaurant for good German brew's and traditional food.

Day 11: Namib Desert/Sossusvlei

Accommodation: Lodge

By now, any visitor will have a serious appreciation for Namibia's changing landscape, and how spectacular life thrives despite harsh conditions, and the Namib desert is no exception. Our morning focus will be photographing the fauna and flora that have adapted to survive in this harsh, but beautiful environment. Highlights include: snakes like, Side-winders and Horned Adders, scorpions, Namaqua Chameleons, Reticulated Lizards, legless skink, and Palmato Gecko. From here we drive straight to Sossusvlei hoping to catch the sun disappearing behind the horizon, painting the surrounding sand dunes flaming red. A nice dinner and an early bed time will endure that we have enough energies for the early start tomorrow.

Day 12: Sossusvlei

Accommodation: Lodge

Perhaps there is no other more impressive sight, and must visit for photographer's than Sossusvlei. With it's massively sweeping dunes shifting in the morning lights, we will set out to capture the dramatic contrast of shadows as the sun rises into the sky. The occasional Acacia tree or Oryx, and dune climber, serve as the perfect contrast to capture the scale of this impressive landscape. We will explore throughout the day here, and be sure to visit the famous Dead Vlei, where red dunes provide a breathtaking backdrop to centuries old, dry trees standing in a dry desert pan. For a more dramatic effect, serves as an exciting opportunity to practice black and white photography, as well as learning how to capture a single subject in an incredible landscape. Tonight we've arranged a special dinner in the bush, and will utilize the vast, clear night sky to practice night photography.

Day 13: Sossusvlei/Windhoek

Accommodation: Luxury Hotel

To photograph the Sossusvlei by land is one thing, but to really appreciate how vast and beautiful this landscape is, we've included an unforgettable hot air balloon ride for a different perspective. Well before sunrise, we head into the park where handlers are preparing hot air balloons on which we will ascend into the sky, and noiselessly drift through the park and across ancient riverbeds. From this angle, the morning lights give us the opportunity to play with scale and creativity, as animals, our balloon and the dunes themselves cast shadows at irregular angles. After touching down, we'll enjoy a delicious champagne breakfast, before heading to our vehicles for our return to Windhoek. Our hotel this evening is perched high over the city, and we can enjoy one last sundowner, while capturing the city lights, before gathering for our farewell dinner.

Day 14: Windhoek/Departure

After a relaxing breakfast you will be transferred to Windhoek International Airport for the first leg of your journey back home. This is the official end of our voyage, thank you for joining us and have a safe flight home, or a safe onward journey if you are continuing with us to Botswana.