Looking for a new adventure in Africa with the family? Today Ana Corel from Family Corel Adventures shares one of her favorite destinations to help you plan your trip to Namibia.
If you enjoy unspoiled nature, want to see African animals in the wild on one of the most affordable safaris in Africa and to take a glimpse in the traditional tribal life, then Namibia is the destination for you! Beautiful landscapes and rich wildlife are available to enjoy, but the real treasure of this country are its people. They simply give your visit a very special touch.
Is Namibia safe to travel with young kids? Definitely. As for every other family trip in a foreign country you need to do some preparation.
In my quick travel guide to Namibia you can find some useful information, advice and travel tips to help you organize a trip to this amazing country. You can also check my Namibia itinerary to have an idea how much time we spent on a specific place.
These are the best places to visit in Namibia with kids. If you are traveling solo, in a group or as a couple.
1. SOSSUVLEI
Sossusvlei might be the most photographed place in Namibia. It’s definitely the most photographed desert in the world. This landscape is just so special - the red sand dunes are one of the tallest dunes in the world. When you pass Sossusvlei and the road turns into sandy path, there is a bizarre and very beautiful place, Deadvlei. From the end of sand path it takes half an hour walk to get to these salt pans between dunes with hundreds of years old tree skeletons, It’ so photogenic you should add it to your bucket list now!
We stayed 2 days in the Sesriem Rest Camp. It's a great place to stay if you want to see the famous dunes of Sossusvlei at sunrise and not spend a fortune. The campsite is basic but well maintained. At night you can get visits of oryx and springboks during the day.
2. ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK
Etosha is the largest game reserve in Namibia and the best thing about it is that you can see it from your own vehicle. You get a map of the park with the water holes where animals gather to drink and then you can explore the park by yourself. You can find all kind of African wildlife species, including some of the rarest ones like the endangered black rhino, the largest elephants in Africa and leopards.
We stayed 2 days and camped in three main campsites in Etosha – Halali, Namutoni and Okaukuejo, depend of what part of the park we were visiting. Each camp has tourist facilities such as a restaurant, a shop, a motor garage for fuel and basic repairs.
3. SPITZKOPPE
Spitzkoppe is a dramatic place with its granite peaks that rise from the dry flat plains, amazing views over the stunning landscape and caves with petroglyphs made by ancient San people (Bushmen) that lived in them. You can discover arches, natural pools and wander among the rock formations by day, and by night, there will be a million stars sky that you can observe above you.
We stayed 2 days at Spitzkoppe campsites, very basic, but with stunning atmosphere and views and very easy to reach attractions.
4. KOLMANSKOP – A PLACE FROZEN IN TIME
Kolmanskop is a ghost town in the heart of Namib desert. It was abandoned by its German inhabitants 60 years ago, when the diamond mine nearby ran out of diamonds. After that, nature did it’s job properly - broke the windows and the door frames and let the sand go inside. These incredible, once rich houses are now sunken into sand, and available for visitors to explore.
We took a couple of hours to visit Kolmanskop and stayed in Luderitz at The Shark Island Rest Camp. The Camp has a great location, on the peninsula just by the ocean - we could watch dolphins playing around from our tent!
5. RANCHES OF SOUTHERN NAMIBIA
Many visitors of Namibia just skip the southern part - we are not sure why, because it’s very interesting.
There are huge private ranches that are typical for this part of the country. The vast, incredibly dry landscape and unbelievable views are all around. The roads that lead to the ranches are dusty, with mountains on both sides. You can spot oryx or ostriches running along the road. But once you reach the ranch, there is a green oasis waiting for you, with all kind of animals everywhere.
We stayed 2 days at the lovely Ranch Koiimasis, a picturesque place placed among granite rocks on the edge of Namib desert. There were bunch of horses, guinea fowls, ostriches, geese and ducks between reception and our campsite.
6. SEA LIONS AT CAPE CROSS
Cape Cross is home to one of the largest colony of seals in the world. It’s a protected area with over 100.00 seals, which makes a spectacular view. You can get very close to them and watch them hanging on the beach, swimming, barking, crawling into the sea, puppies playing.
We spent a couple of hours here.
7. GET CLOSE TO ENDANGERED CHEETAH
On some ranches in Namibia visitors have the opportunity to interact with tamed animals that have their homes on ranches and farms. The scheduled cheetah feedings or game drives to view wild cheetah are the highlights of visiting.
We spent 1 day at Quivertree Forest Rest Camp, a working farm just outside Keetmashoop. Near the camp are the Quivertree Forest and Giants Playground that are well worth a visit as well.
8. EPUPA FALLS IN KAOKOLAND
Epupa Falls are situated on the border of Angola and Namibia, where Kunene river falls 35 m deep. The setting is spectacular. There is a viewpoint nearby at the Epupa Falls Lodge and Campsite where you can view the beauty of the falls and baobabs on the edge of the cliffs. Even if some people say that bathing in the natural pools of the river is OK, we were told that on this part of the river crocodiles kill around 30 people per year.
We stayed 2 days at Epupa Falls Lodge and Campsite that has a great location among the tall palm trees on the banks of Kunene river and beautiful views over the falls from the restaurant.
9. THE OKAVANGO RIVER
The upper reaches of the Okavango Delta are totally different than any other part of Namibia. There is a lot of water and vegetation everywhere. You can spot crocs and hippos and if you take a boat you can get a little bit close to them. In the dry season you can see also other big animals on the river banks.
We stayed 2 days at Ngepi Camp, situated on the banks of Okavango river. It has amazing and award winning camping spots and fascinating outdoor toilets and showers. There is a crock pool too - a floating swimming pool in the river and the world’s first “croc and hippo cage dive”.
10. TRIBES OF NAMIBIA
There are many tribes in Namibia, each different than the other. Depending of the environment they live in, they have different ways of life, ways of dressing and hairstyles. We loved having authentic interaction with local people and tribal people of Namibia. They were great to talk to and it was great to see their everyday life. We visited villages of the San, Himba and Hakaone people. Those were the moments and experiences that we will never forget.
We suggest to stay 2 days at a tribal village. It’s so different than spending only an hour - you get closerto the villagers. We visited the Himba tribes near Purros and near Epupa Falls. The Hakaone tribe we visited on our way from Epupa Falls to Opuvo. The San people we visited near Tsumkwe.
