Discover Namibia - Lodges

Name: Discover Namibia - Lodges
Brand: Exodus
Rating: 4.7 (38 reviews)

38 reviews

Activity

Culture

Overview

Safari in Etosha, climb desert dunes, and track rhinos in Africa’s most underrated destination

Vast, spectacular, diverse, Namibia is the best of Africa and more. The wildlife rivals any: spend two days spotting safari animals in Etosha National Park, track rhinos, and watch water holes for any welcome visitors. You’ll also climb a desert dune, hike to the ancient White Lady rock painting, and gaze into the Milky Way at night. Better yet, you’ll be joined by one of our expert tour leaders, eager to share their Namibia.

Key Information

Trip Code: AZNP
Ways to Travel: Guided Group
Countries: Namibia
Carbon Footprint: 21kg CO2e per person per day

What's Included

All accommodation: 12 Classic nights (lodges, chalets or hotels)
All breakfasts, two lunches, four dinners
Immersive itinerary with all transport and listed activities
Expert tour leader to enhance your adventure
Arrival and departure transfers

Don't Forget To

Request a single room if required, purchase travel insurance and arrange any visas and vaccinations.

Highlights

Join our much-loved tour leaders to discover the best of Namibia
Spend two full days on safari in Etosha National Park
Climb the highest dunes in the world in the early morning light
Track rhinos with the help of an expert local guide
Hike to the ancient White Lady rock painting, created by San people
Watch over water holes and stargaze from our welcoming lodges

Itinerary

First Destination: Windhoek
Next Destination: Windhoek

Meals included:Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:None

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast

First Destination: Windhoek
Next Destination: Windhoek

Begin your adventure at Arebbusch Lodge in Windhoek. Spend the afternoon exploring or relaxing, perhaps taking a dip in the pool or watching the many native birds that swoop overhead.

Around 6pm, say hello to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead.

Your tour leader then ensures a big Namibian welcome by arranging a group dinner.

Accommodation: Arebbusch Lodge (or similar)

Want more time in Windhoek? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

Meals included:Dinner

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)

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

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 then either walk to Hiddenvlei as a group (a round journey of 1hr 45min) or catch a 4×4 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, join a guide to see the cheetahs at the Namib Carnivore Conservation Centre; depending on time, we may go tomorrow morning.

Driving: 124mi (200km); three hours

Accommodation: Weltevrede Guest Farm (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

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)

Meals included:Breakfast

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)

Meals included:Breakfast

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. Depending on our arrival time, there may be the option of a 4×4 game drive looking for desert elephants.

In the evening, we can normally enjoy spectacular stargazing.

Driving: 149mi (240km); 3hr 30min

Accommodation: Brandberg White Lady Lodge campsite (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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.

Driving: 155mi (250km); 4hr 30min

Accommodation: Damara Mopane Lodge (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

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: Lodge in/near Etosha (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

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 the camps are next to waterholes. These accommodations also offer optional night drives, which you can book and pay for on arrival.

Accommodation: Camps in/near Etosha (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast (x2), Lunch (x1), Dinner (x2)

Leaving Etosha, we head to Otjiwa Safari Lodge, which is ideally placed for our rhino-tracking tomorrow.

Today, you have several optional activities you can join at Otjiwa, including cycling, a night drive, cooking and spa.

Driving: 205mi (330km); 3hr 30min

Accommodation: Otjiwa Safari Lodge (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast

Start early today to see rhinos up close! We’re led by a well-trained guide who tracks the rhinos by vehicle; once they’re spotted, we carefully get closer to the rhinos on foot. This is an incredible experience, allowing the group to admire rhinos from a safe distance. Later, we head back to Windhoek, stopping at a crafts market on the way.

Driving: 135mi (220km); three hours

Accommodation: Arebbusch Lodge (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast

You’ve camped under the Namibian sky, spotted iconic safari animals and seen the largest dunes in the world; but today, the trip ends after breakfast. Spend any free time before your flight relaxing at the accommodation or exploring Windhoek, where there are museums and shops. Additionally you can add on a township tour of Windhoek or visit the nearby Daan Viljoen game reserve (see Optional Excursions section).

If you’d like to extend your adventure, perhaps even adding a visiting to Cape Town, speak to your sales representative who can go through our range of extensions with you.

Meals included:Breakfast

Dates & Prices

Skip the hassle: We’ll handle your trip from start to finish, with competitive flight prices, deposit-only payments, and full ATOL protection available.

Call us on 0203 733 5948

Your Group, Your Adventure

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Accommodation

Guesthouses and lodges

Throughout this adventure in Namibia, we mostly stay in two- and three-star lodges and occasionally in permanent tented camps. Most properties have swimming pools, so don’t forget your swimwear.

Below are a few of the standout accommodations.

Arebbusch Lodge

Discover Namibia – Lodges

Our guesthouse is only a 10-minute drive from the city centre yet is spacious with two swimming pools and one of the best pizzerias in the capital. It also has a beautiful garden enlivened with indigenous trees, which provide a habitat for a wealth of birdlife, including black-throated canaries, laughing doves and red-headed finches.

Brandberg White Lady Lodge

Discover Namibia – Lodges

Our Brandberg stay is in the middle of nowhere. From the viewpoint, you will not see another property, just the ruggedly beautiful landscape of Damaraland and possibly some desert elephants in the distance. There’s a dining area, well-stocked bar, lounge, and two swimming pools.

Lodges in/near Etosha National Park

Discover Namibia – Lodges

In Etosha, some departures stay within the national park itself. The lodges we use, either Okaukuejo or Namutoni, are government run and are more basic. Each has a restaurant, swimming pool and bar, but the highlights are the flood-lit waterholes where the wildlife regularly stops to drink. Other departures stay just outside the park in Etosha Safari Camp. This is a quirky property themed on a ‘shebeen’, a much-loved informal bar with local colour and bric-a-brac feel.

Worth knowing

Wifi is available in several properties but not everywhere, notably not in Sesriem or Etosha.
Our rooms in Etosha are the only accommodation where mosquito nets are provided, as the park is in a low-risk malaria area.
Additional game drives may be available at the Etosha sites, which can be booked on arrival for an extra cost.

Extend Your Trip

Exclusive Add-ons

Cape Town Hotels

With its iconic Table Mountain backdrop, world-class food scene and vibrant waterfront, additional nights in Cape Town can make your adventure feel even more extraordinary. Here are a few of our favourite hotels to inspire your stay:

Bay Hotel: Set along the palm-lined shores of Camps Bay, this stylish beachfront hotel offers elegant rooms with stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean. With multiple pools, a relaxed coastal atmosphere and easy access to cafés and restaurants, it’s perfect for unwinding after your tour.

V&A Hotel by Newmark: Located in the lively V&A Waterfront, this contemporary hotel blends historic charm with modern comfort. Spacious rooms, harbour views and direct access to shops, dining and attractions make it an ideal base for exploring Cape Town.

Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel: A luxury retreat at the foot of Table Mountain, the Mount Nelson offers lush gardens, refined rooms and classic afternoon tea on its iconic pink terraces. Its serene setting, exceptional service and rich heritage make it one of Cape Town’s most memorable places to stay.

This is just a glimpse of what’s possible. Speak to your sales representative, who can guide you through the options and arrange everything for you.

Essential Information

This trip has been rated Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings, visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip, please contact us.

Most walks are of a Moderate difficulty, such as climbing Dune 45 and visiting the White Lady rock painting at Brandberg.

Travel: Transport is in a specially modified safari truck with 10 to 12 seats for group members. There is plenty of legroom and packing space plus a reference library, fridge and/or icebox. Smaller groups may be in a Toyota Hilux/Land Cruiser. By keeping the group size small, we maximise the exposure to the great African wilderness.

Road conditions: Eighty percent of Namibian roads are good gravel roads. However, road conditions are dependent on maintenance, so can be poor on occasions. This can have an impact on journey times and comfort and can be punishing on the vehicles. Drive times on this trip are moderate, and we normally arrive at our destination in the afternoon. The total distance covered is about 1,740mi (2,800km). Drive times below are approximations and do vary according to road conditions and the number of stops. We rarely exceed six hours of driving in one day.

Difficulty: There are some days where we have to get up before sunrise, but this allows us to get the most from our activities (for example, the game drives in Etosha where we are more likely to see wildlife in the early mornings before it gets too hot).

Key information

Start hotel: Arebbusch Lodge, Corner of Golf & Auas Rd, Olympia, Windhoek, Namibia
Phone: +264 61 252 255
Recommended arrival time: You can arrive at any time today. There will be a welcome briefing around 6pm in the evening.
Airport: Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH)

Getting to the start hotel

The start hotel is approximately 45 minutes’ drive from the airport. Exodus provides free arrival transfers to the start hotel from the airport for all customers.

Catching your return flight

Exodus provides free departure transfers for all customers to Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) from the end hotel.

Please note, unless specified otherwise, the transfers will be to the start (or pre-tour) hotel and from the end (or post-tour) hotel and will be on the date on which the tour starts/ends; transfers to other hotels in the same city and/or on different dates may attract an extra charge. Transfers should be booked with your sales representative at least two weeks before the tour starts.

Namibia

Travellers from the UK, US, Canada, and some EU states need a visa to enter Namibia (see the full list here).

Visas can be obtained online (https://eservices.mhaiss.gov.na/) and you should apply for the Visa on Arrival option. Please check all visa requirements.

Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/africa/namibia
Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/namibia
United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/namibia/entry-requirements
USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Namibia.html

If you are transiting through South Africa and are a non-UK passport holder you may require a transit visa. Please check before travelling. Please note that if flying via South Africa you will probably have to pass immigration there.

Passports: To enter Namibia, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least six months after the date you arrive. It must also have at least one blank page. If you’re travelling to South Africa, you will need an additional two blank pages.

Travelling with children: In addition to valid passports, parents travelling with children (under 18) should always carry the original or certified copy of the unabridged birth certificate (listing the child’s and both parents’ details). Adults travelling with children where they are not the biological or legal guardians of those children, should be in possession of an affidavit statement from the child’s parents giving consent for their travel. If a child is travelling with only one parent, the other parent should give consent for travel in the form of an affidavit.

For meals not included, allow approximately 250-350 Namibian dollars (US$15-US$20) per person for dinner and 250 Namibian dollars (US$15) for lunch. Meals are in restaurants or at the lodges.

Meat plays a big part in Namibian cuisine. However, lodges/restaurants can cater for vegetarians if notified in advance. Please make let us know before departure if you have any dietary requests.

June to August: Clear and warm during the day, but temperatures can near freezing point at night.
September to May: Considerably warmer; October to March is the hottest, reaching the high 30Cs (around 100F). However, it is always a dry heat and the temperature drops at night. The wet season is between November and February, but this is not a bad time to go as the desert blooms after rainfall, there is plenty of birdlife to see and it never rains for very long.

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.

You’ll also find Thriving Nature, Thriving People moments across our trips. These experiences are often a highlight of your adventure, while also benefiting the natural world or local communities.

On this trip, we:

Spot cheetahs in the Namib Carnivore Conservation Centre, a research and educational project that works to return rescued animals to the wild
Track wild rhinos on foot with an expert guide who teaches you about the vital rhino conservation efforts and anti-poaching initiatives
Can join an optional township tour in Windhoek for an educational insight into the daily lives of the residents

I cannot rate our Group Leader Shane Katjirua more highly. He was extremely knowledgeable and shared so much of his expertise with us all. He was highly efficient in all his planning and organisation and was extremely helpful to all members of the group with any particular queries/questions they might have had. He was simply amazing in his ability to spot things of interest from afar, be it animals or birds and without his ‘eagle eye’ we would have missed so many things. During our time at Etosha he always seemed to have our vehicle at the right waterhole at the right time, thus enabling us to get the most enjoyment from our game drives and see so much varied wildlife. His driving, on the lengthy journeys and varying Namibian road surfaces was superb. He was always smiling and cheerful and he was particularly helpful to us with his efforts in trying to get to the root of a problem that occurred towards the end of the holiday. This involved our onward transportation, which we had paid for, in advance of the trip but which the company in Namibia, with whom we were taking the onward travel had, it seemed, not received payment for. Our guide spent some considerable time on our behalf trying to sort all this out.

Advice for Potential Travellers

On looking into various options for holidays in Namibia, I received advice from various holiday companies. Many suggested that the option to fly from camp to camp was advisable since, because of the huge distances to cover, more time could be usefully spent in the camps rather than long days travelling. I had initially thought that this sounded good advice. However, we ultimately chose Exodus and this Lodge holiday because, we have enjoyed excellent holidays with Exodus before and the timing of this trip suited us absolutely perfectly, tying in with another commitment we had in Namibia and which followed on from the ‘Discover Namibia’ group trip. I would say, that although some of the driving days were lengthy, had we opted to fly from lodge to lodge as suggested by other companies, we would have missed so much of this wonderful country. We would not have seen so much wildlife as we travelled along the road, along with scenes of local African life in general and our experience of the country would certainly have been the poorer for that. There was just so much to see as we travelled along the road. The varying contrasts and impressive scenery would have been lost to us.

Suggestions

After a slight initial hiccup at the start of the booking process of our holiday in the UK, the organisation of the trip was very efficiently handled, especially as we had an extra requirement for the holiday that had to be factored in. This request, whilst being handled by the Senior Consultant who was dealing with our booking, all proceeded in a professional way. Having finalised the booking and paid for the holiday, we were then handed over to a “Customer Operations Executive’, whose initial email of introduction advised me he was there for anything I might need. I sent two emails with requests for information, to which, after some time, he replied. The answer to the third query relating to baggage allowance did not reach me until we were already well into our flights to Namibia. However, unfortunately , the most troubling issue related to a transfer we had paid for, on settlement of our final account. On discussing this onward transfer half way through the holiday with our Guide, he ascertained that although the bus company had our names down for the ongoing transfer back to Swakopmund, they had not received any payment. Not only was this most worrying, since we absolutely had to be back in Swakopmund on a particular evening but it was extremely embarrassing knowing we had paid and that no ongoing payment had been forthcoming. This resulted in our Guide having extra work to do on top of his schedule as well as myself having to send emails back to the UK, in the middle of our holiday, in order to try and find out exactly what the situation was. I feel that perhaps a bit more attention might have been given to the emails together with ensuring that all details relating to the booking were finalised and complete.

Neil Baker

Very professional , funny and ensured we had a great trip

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make the most of each day, as it’s a fast paced trip through different environments.

Suggestions

Pre booking some of the activities would be beneficial as they are often sold out by the time you get a chance to book with the tour leader. E. G. Skeleton coast flights

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£ 3399

13 Days Excluding Flights

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Discover Namibia - Lodges

Activity Level

Comfort Level

Activity

Overview

Safari in Etosha, climb desert dunes, and track rhinos in Africa’s most underrated destination

Key Information

What's Included

Don't Forget To

Highlights

Itinerary

Dates & Prices

Skip the hassle: We’ll handle your trip from start to finish, with competitive flight prices, deposit-only payments, and full ATOL protection available.

Your Group, Your Adventure

Accommodation

Guesthouses and lodges

Extend Your Trip

Cape Town Hotels

Essential Information

Key information

Getting to the start hotel

Catching your return flight

Namibia

Reviews

Best trip ever!

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

A country of stunning diverse landscapes

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Great trip to a fascinating country

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Stunning scenery and Amazing Wildlife

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Amazing Holiday

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

An excellent and most fascinating holiday

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Suggestions

Amazing Namibia!

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Suggestions

Fabulous Namibian Adventure

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Suggestions

Beautiful Scenery and Fantastic Wildlife

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Fantastic trip

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Suggestions

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