Sand, safari, and stars: best things to do in Namibia

The multitude of attractions in Namibia range from tracking rhino on foot and climbing red dunes at sunrise to sandboarding, hiking, and ending the day under a sky full of stars. From a quirky rest stop with the continent’s most famous slice of apple pie to millennia-old rock paintings and epic safaris, Namibia is a destination for travellers who crave wide open spaces and the slightly unusual.

Namibia is a country that lets you stretch your mind and your sense of adventure, whether spotting wildlife in Etosha, scrambling up dunes in Sossusvlei, or simply sitting by a campfire in the desert gazing at the stars. The variety of things to do in Namibia is part of its draw. Here you get adventure, culture, solitude, and surprise all in one fascinating African overland journey.

We've rounded up the top things to do in Namibia, from exciting game drives in Etosha National Park and the iconic dunes of Sossusvlei to learning about the Indigenous Himba people and the less-visited corners of Damaraland and the Caprivi Strip. Consider this your ultimate guide to adventure travel in Namibia.

Climb the Sossusvlei dunes

The dunes at Sossusvlei are surreal in their scale and ruddy colour. Climbing the famous Big Daddy dune is a test of patience and leg muscles, but the view down into Deadvlei and out across the Namib Desert is worth every step. With its centuries-old skeleton trees, the ancient pan at the bottom, known as Deadvlei, is highly photogenic with ancient dead trees scorched by the killer sun. Even if you don’t want to climb Big Daddy, it’s a gentle walk over a sand track right to Deadvlei, easy for almost every visitor.

Experience it for yourself on: Cape & Dunes Discoverer

Go on a game drive in Etosha National Park

Etosha National Park is Namibia’s classic safari destination, a scrubby savanna with salt pans formed from dry, mineral-encrusted depressions, which become vital wildlife habitats during and after the wet season. Life gathers around every waterhole: elephants, giraffes, rhinos, lions, and countless birds. There are few better places to understand just how rich the wildlife in Namibia really is.

Experience it for yourself on: Namibia to Cape Town Overland Safari

See ancient engravings in Damaraland

Damaraland in Namibia’s northwest is wild and rugged, with landscapes that shift from open plains to rocky outcrops and down into dry river valleys. The rock engravings at Twyfelfontein were carved by the San, an Indigenous community of hunter-gatherers. The carvings are believed to be between 2,000 and 10,000 years old. Visiting this place means you also add the chance of spotting the area’s rare desert-adapted elephants, which have remarkable endurance and special broad feet for enduring life in this harsh climate.

Explore the Skeleton Coast

The Skeleton Coast is a haunting, desolate stretch of shoreline in northwest Namibia known for its treacherous Atlantic waters, vast ship graveyards, and the scattered remains of whales and seals. Rusted shipwrecks, colonies of seals, and eerie fog rolling in over the dunes from the ocean all create a setting that’s dramatic and unforgettable.

Experience it for yourself on: Ultimate Active Southern Africa

Visit Namib-Naukluft National Park

A visit to Namib-Naukluft National Park, which covers a huge stretch of desert and mountains, is less about ticking off sights and more about enjoying the scenery and feeling yourself relax into the silence. Your nervous system really has a chance to reset here, with the sound of the wind, the play of light on the dunes, and the sense of time stretching out. Sit on the deck of your lodge for long enough, and you might even spot an elusive brown hyena.

Experience it for yourself on: Journeys: Wonders of Namibia

Go on an adventure in Swakopmund

The capital of adventure travel in Namibia is the coastal town of Swakopmund. It’s the best place to get the adrenaline pumping, with sandboarding, quad biking, sea kayaking, and even skydiving on offer, all set against a memorable backdrop of German-style architecture and desert sands. After daytime adventures, Swakopmund is a good spot to hang out, with beach walks, bars, and cafés that are always abuzz with travellers swapping stories from the long road through the desert.

Experience it for yourself on: Cape and Namibia Adventure

Go on safari in the Caprivi Strip

In Namibia’s far northeast, the Caprivi Strip is a narrow ribbon of land between Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana that runs right up to Victoria Falls. The landscape here is lusher and defined by the rivers that wind through its floodplains, with hippos grunting in the water. A safari often feels slower and more intimate than in many of Africa's better-known parks, and the greenery is a welcome respite from Namibia’s otherwise arid landscapes.

Hike Fish River Canyon

Fish River Canyon is one of the largest canyons in the world, second only to the Grand Canyon in the United States. Its striking geology was created by a combination of tectonic activity and river erosion by a seasonal river, carving it over millions of years. Numerous kinds of plants and animals thrive in these harsh conditions, including the iconic quiver trees. The best way to take it all in is standing on the rim at dusk with a sundowner in hand.

Experience it for yourself on: Cape Town to Victoria Falls Adventure

Take a Windhoek city tour

Windhoek may not be the reason people come to Namibia, but you’ll almost always transit through, and the city itself is a relaxing place to be. It has traditional wet markets, German-style beer halls, and a mix of architectural styles that all give the city texture. You also have an opportunity to visit Katutura, a township created during the apartheid era, where you can now meet with and support a community of disadvantaged women who are developing new livelihoods through handicraft workshops and a café.

Experience it for yourself on: Journeys: Discover Namibia & Victoria Falls

Meet the Indigenous Himba people

In northern Namibia, you can get to know the Indigenous Himba people, who are a semi-nomadic community that maintains a traditional way of life in the bush. Visitors can learn about the Himba’s daily life practices, rituals, pastoral methods, and the roles of family and community. G Adventures' guides ensure that these visits are respectful and mutually beneficial, and you have the opportunity to purchase arts and crafts from some of the Himba artisans. Taking time to listen and learn offers a meaningful perspective on Namibia’s cultural diversity.

Experience it for yourself on: Southern Africa Northbound: Dunes, Deltas & Falls

10 more epic things to do in Namibia

– Stargaze in the Namib Desert, where the low levels of light pollution ensure a starry night sky.
– Explore Kolmanskop, a ghost town that is being slowly reclaimed by sand.
– Watch flamingos gather in shallow lagoons at the south end of Walvis Bay.
– Take a scenic flight over the Sossusvlei dunes to get a sense of their truly vast scale.
– Visit Okonjima Nature Reserve, known for its conservation work with big cats.
– Sip a cold drink as the sun dips below the horizon in the Kalahari Desert.
– Try local food in Windhoek, such as game meat steak, Namibian olives, or the cuisine of the Owambo culture.
– Camp beneath the granite shadow of Spitzkoppe, the "Matterhorn of Namibia."
– Support wildlife at the Cheetah Conservation Fund, a global field research facility.
– Hike around the trails and cliffs of the Waterberg Plateau.