Grab the kids and head to the desert for a Namibian family adventure!
Namibia’s vast landscapes and remote, otherwordly beauty are legendary and attract travellers from across the world looking for the solitude and unique sense of desolation it’s renowned for. However, there’s a whole different side to this desert nation, especially if you are looking for a family adventure with a difference…
That’s right, Namibia offers an incredible variety of unique and fabulously fun experiences for mums, dads AND kids, making it one of the best destinations for families with children, and their cousins, and friends! In fact ‐ the more the merrier!
For a start, Namibia is home to some really weird wildlife ‐ from the dancing white lady spider that rolls down dunes to escape danger to the shovel‐ snouted lizard that literally swims through sand. Add in ground squirrels, barking geckos, meerkats and the ubiquitous gemsbok that can stand in the desert’s midday sun without frying its brains, and you know you’ve got the small people hooked.
Strange desert animals apart, the mainstream wildlife species are also present and correct, all suitably adapted to the desert conditions making them unique and, well, really “cool”. From black rhino and elephant to lion and cheetah ‐ the game viewing is never boring.
Then there’s the landscapes… These are vast, impressive and begging for exploration, and no matter whether it’s Sossusvlei’s towering red dunes, the ancient, organ pipe‐like rock formations and petrified forests of Damaraland or the barren beaches of the Skeleton Coast, running wild in the big outdoors is the order of the day.
There’s also plenty of wow factors to blow small minds ‐ fragile eco‐systems filled with fascinating life that’s evolved to survive in one of the most challenging climates on earth, primordial plants that have weathered the ages, ancient cultures who have adapted to living where no other humans could, shipwrecks that litter the coast, battered to pieces by the cold Atlantic, deserted ghost towns, fairy circles and the world’s oldest desert… All in one country!
You can do so much together too. From a marine safari out on the seas off the historic coastal town of Swakopmund where you learn all about pelagic birds, cape fur seals and the marine ecosystems of the cold Benguela current to quad biking through the dunes. Toss in sand‐boarding, hot‐air ballooning, tracking desert elephant and desert rhino, horse riding, dune climbing, exploring the ancient San rock engravings of Twyfelfontein and a 4×4 dune safari and you know you’re not going to run out of options.
Of course, you’ll be staying in some of the best, family friendly lodges. We really love NATURAL SELECTION’S lodges – from Kwessi Dunes in the beautiful NamibRand reserve, close to Sossusvlei and the Namib Naukluft to Hoanib Valley Camp in the breathtaking Kaokaveld region further north and also Etosha Mountain House on the edge of the Etosh National Park. And then on the spectacular Skeleton Coast, the unique Shipwreck Lodge is the perfect base from which to explore, taking in the incredible vistas of one of the world’s most desolate coastlines.
What are you waiting for… Chat to us today about putting together a fabulous family adventure to Namibia!
All the amazing family photos in this post are by Natural Selections’ James Ramsay.