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Discover Namibia - Travel Ideas for Your Time in Namibia

One of the best things about competing in RacingThePlanet ultramarathons is the exciting locations where they are held. Namibia is a country with spectacular scenery, culture and wildlife in one of the safest places to travel in Africa. At the race you will see Namibia in a different way to most visitors – seeing areas that you can’t normally get to, up close and personal on foot and as part of a community with like-minded racers, volunteers and our local team. However, you will only see a portion of this vast country. If you can, it is a great opportunity to take advantage of your time in Namibia by adding on a tour or trip before or after your race experience.

Whether you have a few hours, a few days or more than a week, there are many options to explore more.

The number one recommendation, if you have a few days, is to visit Etosha National Park for a wildlife safari. Below are our key picks with details of what there is to see and the time to get there.

HIGHLIGHTS OF NAMIBIA

1. Swakopmund itself is a highlight

This is also the host town for the race and there is enough to keep you busy for a few days before or after the race. It is a German‑influenced seaside town and is a base for dune boarding, quad biking, skydiving and ocean trips. Some specific things to do, which only take a few hours or one day, are:

  • Swakopmund town and jetty. 

Stroll the seafront promenade, walk out along the jetty for views of the Atlantic, and take in landmarks like the lighthouse and old railway station (which is the hotel for the race!), plus great coffee, cake and local delicacies in one of the German‑influenced cafés or local Namibian restaurants. Or take time to explore the artisan shops and locally crafted souvenirs.

  • Coastal dunes near Swakopmund.

Visit the dune belt just outside town to see the meeting point of Atlantic fog and desert, watch the light change on the sand during late afternoon. You join a tour to do some sandboarding, fishing, or see the “small creatures” that thrive in the dunes, or simply walk through the dunes. Less than 2km / 1.2 miles from the race hotel and you are in the dunes!

  • Living desert and dune life.

There is a company that specialises in tracking life that thrives in the dunes including small reptiles, beetles and plants that harvest fog—framed as a way to understand how the Namib’s ecosystem works in just a few hours.

See a different side of life beyond the seafront and colonial architecture. RacingThePlanet offers an option to see this as part of the “Sandwich Tour”. One of our regular volunteers started by using his tips from his job in a restaurant to provide meals to the children of DRC - the “slum” area of Swakopmund. He then got visitors involved to help to buy the food, make the lunches, and give them out the children.

  • This will be open to RacingThePlanet participants on one day before and one day after the race.
  • The full experience is about 5 hours and the cost is a contribution to the transport and the food that is purchased.
  • You are also encouraged to bring items from home to give out – notebooks, pens, sports equipment and clothing are all gratefully received. They do not need to be new, but should be in a usable state.

2. Soussusvlei

This is where you see the iconic red dunes (Big Daddy, Dune 45), ancient camelthorn trees at Deadvlei. It is famous for it’s sunrise visits, but you can contrast the busy sunrise viewpoints with the solitude a few ridgelines away, and Sesriem Canyon.

  • It is 5 hours drive south of Swakopmund.
  • This is best seen as a 2-day trip with an overnight stay in a lodge nearby.

3. Etosha National Park

One of Africa’s great wildlife stages, famous for it’s abundant wildlife. You can expect to see elephants, giraffe, lions, rhino, leopard, antelope and many more species which are daily visitors to the waterholes. You can drive around the national park spotting wildlife and then sit by the waterhole at a lodge and watch the wildlife come to you at sunset. It is common to do self-drive safaris but can you also arrange a tour.

  • 5 hours drive north of Swakopmund
  • 3 days minimum recommended
  • If you have more time then you could do a circle route and take in some other sites along the way along the Skeleton Coast including shipwrecks and seal colonies at Cape Cross and Spitzkoffe on the way back. Or start in Windhoek and finish in Swakopmund.

4. Skeleton Coast

Stark, otherworldly shoreline scattered with shipwrecks and bleached bones. Seal colonies and immense emptiness emphasise solitude and the feeling of travelling to the edge of the map rather than ticking off “sights”.

  • Well worth going through if you are enroute to Etosha.

5. Spitzkoppe

Famous for it’s granite dome which is popular with climbers. The area has rugged mountains, desert-adapted elephants (although they are not commonly seen) and ancient rock engravings at Twyfelfontein. It is a good option for a relaxing stay in the desert where you will see geology, sand rock art, and traditional communities such as Damaraland.

6. Fish River Canyon (south)

One of the largest canyons in the world, which is best seen by doing a multi-day hike, the rim viewpoints and lodges will give you a feel for the canyon.

7. Lüderitz and Kolmanskop

This is famous for diamond mining in years gone by and is now a windswept coastal town surrounded by deserted ghost towns swallowed by sand and wild horses that were released and have thrived on their own. From a distance it looks like a town, but when you get close you can see the desert slowly taking it over.

  • If you are going to Fish River Canyon, it is worth planning some stops along the way to take in this area.

8. Day Trips from Swakopmund

  • Walvis Bay Lagoon, Pelican Point & Lighthouse

This is a long sand spit protecting the bay with a lighthouse, a big Cape fur seal colony, jackals on the beach, and great views back over the bay. You can visit the area by car or take a boat or kayak to travel among the birds and wildlife – which can include dolphins.

  • Sandwich Harbour Dunes

If you want to see more of Namibia’s dunes meeting the ocean, you can travel about 70km south of Swakopmund to a remote section of Namibia’s Atlantic coast where the huge dunes of the Namib Desert run straight into the ocean, creating one of the country’s most dramatic landscapes. It also includes part of the Walvis Bay Wetlands, a Ramsar-listed wetland of international importance. You may find it easiest to do a half- or full-day tour to see these.

9. Windhoek

Windhoek is the capital of Namibia. It is a calm city, but I would not recommend making trip here unless you fly into Windhoek and have some time to spare. It blends history, culture, and easy nature escapes, with most highlights clustered around the compact city centre. Visitors can admire the sandstone Christuskirche, the landmark German Lutheran church from the early 1900s, then explore the Independence Memorial Museum opposite which focuses on Namibia’s struggle for independence and offers panoramic city views. Nearby, the old German fort Alte Feste and the Parliament Gardens provide a sense of the colonial era and a green spot to pause. There are other museums as well as craft markets, independent cafés, and more.

  • Only plan to visit Windhoek if your travel requires you stop here.
  • If you do need to stay here you will have an enjoyable half-day or so finding out about Namibia’s history.

HOW TO TRAVEL IN NAMIBIA

There are many different options, routes and ways to see the country. One of the best is to hire a self-drive 4WD car and stay at the many lodges dotted around the most popular areas with accommodation from budget to the more luxury end of the market.

RECOMMENDED COMPANIES

Here are some companies that help you decide and plan a trip.

The Namibia Safari

This companies specialises in organising your bespoke trip – either self-drive or with a guide. They can tell where you want to go or how long you have and they will make suggestions.

www.thenamibiasafari.com

Epic Journeys Namibia

Mainly has tours with a guide – either private or in a group. On their website you can see what options there are based on the amount of time you have: half-day, full-day, combination sites or multi-day.

https://www.epicjourneynam.com/

Living Desert Tours

This is a 4-5 hour group tour from Swakopmund. At first glance, the dunes of the Namib Desert look empty — but spend a few hours with an experienced guide and a whole hidden world comes alive. The Living Desert Tour is a relaxed, fascinating experience just outside Swakopmund, where you’ll learn how animals have adapted to survive in one of the world’s oldest and harshest deserts.

https://livingdeserttours.com.na/