Private Namibia
The oldest desert on the planet; a sea of red sand along the Atlantic coastline. Blue skies, sun-drenched weather and star-filled nights.
Signature Guided Safaris® Journeys
Private Namibia
Experience the haunting beauty of the Namib Desert in the dunes of Sossusvlei, known as ‘The Living Desert’ – a world of vast space, endless horizons, dramatic desert-scapes and jagged mountain heights. Led by Guided Safaris® expert rangers and naturalists, explore this unique desert by quad, open 4x4 cruisers – and even, floating silently above by hot-air balloon. Excursions to the famous Sossusvlei dunes, the highest in the world, and even deeper along the wild Skeleton Coast to meet the ancient Himba people, adds to this unforgettable desert safari experience. Highly-experienced professional guides to lead your safari.
Safari Diaries
Desert experience
Different from other African regions, the unique grandeur of Namibia is the quietly captivating beauty of its scenery, changing from expansive plains to billowing waves of dunes, jagged canyons with towering volcanic rock and faraway sierra. Scenic drives on 4x4s offer encounters with a variety of desert-adapted species such as gemsbok, zebra, springbok, bat-eared fox, aardwolf, caracal and jackal. Excursions to the highest dunes in the world at Sossusvlei provides photographers with a plethora of visual inspiration. Our unique location offers private access into the Sossusvlei so that come dawn, we are the first to reach the big dunes and have near exclusive reign of the desert wilderness before people and heat set in.
Safari Films
The wild dunes
of Namibia
An astonishing world of contrasts awaits on the stark shores of the Skeleton Coast with ancient shipwrecks, seal colonies and endemic birds. The scenery is reminiscent of a Jurassic age. The Hoanib region has one of the greatest concentrations of desert-adapted Elephant and unique Desert Lions.
Your Private Journey
This journey can be completely customized to your specifications
Sossusvlei
Guided Safaris® journeys enter the dunes to Sossusvlei through a private gateway exclusive to our guests. Guided treks through the timeless and fragile desert setting, going further afield into the Dead Vlei. Take respite in your beautiful private in-suite pool with surrounding dune vistas and freshen up for a safari style dinner. Walk along the eons-old Sesriem Canyon; a geographical formation carved over millions of years by water flow. Quadbiking in our private reserve offers an incredible adventure with our expert guides; the nutritious grasslands unique to this area draw specialist plains game with desert predators in pursuit. Birders can revel in endemic sightings of the rare Dune Lark, and for the intrepid explorers we offer night walks under fluorescent light to seek out nocturnal residents of the Namib.
Out here in the desert, everything can be a mirage. In this place of constant danger, everlasting hunger and thirst, and inevitable suffering, somewhere over the dunes is a hidden oasis...
Desert Lions
Intensive research on the Desert lions of Namibia by scientist Dr Philip Stander based in our concessions over the course of 20 years, has provided incredible understanding on the survival of these rare Desert lions, leading to better conservation strategies, forming a most valuable asset for the country.
The Skeleton Coast
THE STARK BEAUTY of the Kaokoveld is defined by a topography of ancient desert valleys, ephemeral rivers and rugged peaks that stretch out toward the desolate shores of the Skeleton Coast. Phenomenal encounters with desert adapted species bring you close to Elephant, Giraffe, Brown Hyena, Hartmann’s Zebra and the extremely rare Desert Lions of Hoanib, the subject of an award-winning documentary, The Vanishing Kings, filmed on location. Our Signature lodge offers panoramic views over the wild, rugged valley sloping out toward the dry Hoanib River.
The most exclusive experience in the ancient Damaraland with a million acres of private desert wilderness all to ourselves. Guided Safaris® offer a special scenic flight to explore the wild Skeleton Coast with shipwrecks and noisy colonies of Cape fur seals. Visit the Klein Oasis for a stark contrast of the desert. In the evenings, under the clearest of skies, enjoy wine or hot chocolate with our astronomy guides.
OFF THE GRID
Serra Cafema
THE HIMBA are the world’s last remaining semi-nomadic people, seemingly living on the edge of time.
Immerse yourself in the ancient culture of the Himba and learn their traditions. At this point in the journey, those with the luxury of extra time will be in for the rarest treat as we board our scenic flight to the private Marienfluss conservancy, primarily owned by the Himba people - important stakeholders in our community efforts. Complete privacy in a spectacular and serene setting, the high-thrill adventures of Hartmann Valley coupled with engaging visits with the Himba make for a unique safari.
ENJOY Guided quadbiking through the desert to find clusters of desert adapted antelope and rare brown hyena. One of the remotest camps in all of Southern Africa overlooking the Kunene River with large Nile Crocodile and goliath herons, deep in the desert. Our chefs welcome you to camp for tea with delectable cakes, pastries and home-made confectionery.
Black Rhino
In the early morning light or just before the sun dips below the horizon, a game drive through the wild, guided by an expert hand, becomes a memory etched forever in your heart. At Ongava, a private game reserve with vast lands to roam, every drive offers a chance to witness wildlife in all its untamed beauty.
No two drives are ever alike, and each journey holds the promise of surprise as your guide weaves through savannah, woodland, and waterhole fringes. Perhaps you’ll glimpse an elephant matriarch leading her young through the bush, or a pride of lions resting in the shade, preparing for the hunt. You may spot a family of rhino, a graceful herd of springbok, or even a solitary jackal gliding across the scrub. But one thing is certain at Ongava—this is an experience you will never forget.
The Butterfly-Leaf Tree. Mopane (Colophospermum mopane) shapes the dry woodlands around Etosha and across northern Namibia; its paired leaflets fold together against the midday heat and turn copper before they fall. The black rhino is a browser rather than a grazer — it is through cover of this kind that the rhino of this country feed and move.
These are the darkest measured skies on Earth — NamibRand, Africa’s first International Dark Sky Reserve. The Firebird — Phoenix, charted here for the journey that keeps the Sacred Fire: Okuruwo. On spring evenings the firebird stands almost overhead — Ankaa, its brightest, named for the bird reborn from its own fire. Below it blue-white Achernar marks the end of the sky’s great river, as the Kunene closes the desert’s own. Look up from the fire: the ember is written overhead.
Guided Safaris®
A Day on Safari
Private Namibia Safari
As the evening draws to a close, the fire on the deck lounge invites guests to gather, serving as a visual reminder of on this critical element to Himba society; fire is not just for cooking and cleansing, but also their Sacred Fire is where milestones are celebrated and a connection with one’s ancestors is maintained.
Your Luxury Safari
Experience a Grand Southern African journey with Guided Safaris: Fly over Victoria Falls and vast deserts of Namibia, set out on luxury safari in renowned private areas of Botswana, ending with a relaxing getaway in Cape Town. With over 500 species of birds in the Okavango Delta alone. We also have private options for families seeking exclusive accommodations and jet charters. Get in touch to customize your safari.
Discover the Private Journey
Guided Safaris®
How we host you
Our Signature Private Jet Journeys are tried-and-tested experiences approved by Guided Safaris® experts over three decades of industry-leading specialization in Private African safaris for the most discerning guest list. Offering comprehensive knowledge on animal behavior and local habitat, seasoned safari travelers will agree that the expertise of our Chief Designers and Professional Guides is undisputed in helping us ensure that our guests obtain the best sightings and an unmatched safari experience on ground.
What you'll love
Guided Victoria Falls & sunset cruise on the Zambezi,
Cape fur seals at Skeleton Coast & Goliath Herons,
Explore wetland birding in Botswana’s Okavango Delta,
Discover the Cape of Good Hope and its Penguin colonies.
An Owambo basket of coiled makalani palm, dressed in its net of small stars — hand-cut metal beads knotted at every crossing of the leather cords, and one ohumba shell, the desert’s own pearl, swinging at the tip
