Namibia
Western Namibia (Namib-Naukluft National Park)
National Park
Canyon 1km long, 30m deep
Heritage
A PROLOGUE
Sesriem is the entrance to the Sossusvlei dune fields within Namib-Naukluft National Park, and for most visitors to Namibia it is where the desert properly begins. The name is Afrikaans for ‘six thongs’, a reference to the six lengths of ox-hide that early travellers had to knot together to lower a bucket into the canyon and reach water below.
That canyon is the settlement’s own attraction: roughly a kilometre long and thirty metres deep, carved by the ephemeral Tsauchab River through layers of conglomerate laid down over millions of years, and cool enough at the base to walk in comfortably at midday. Sesriem is also a gate in the literal sense — it controls access to Sossusvlei, and only guests staying inside the boundary may pass through before sunrise or remain after closing. That distinction shapes almost every itinerary in the region, since the dunes are at their most photogenic in the first and last light of day.
Canyon Length
Canyon Depth
To Sossusvlei
Accommodations
South Africa
Inyati Game Lodge occupies a private concession on the banks of the Sand River in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, one of the older and more personal operations in a reserve now dominated by large groups.
The riverine forest here is prime leopard habitat, and the concession’s traversing rights permit off-road driving and night drives that are not allowed inside Kruger itself. Game drives are run by a ranger and tracker working as a pair, with the tracker reading spoor from a seat mounted ahead of the bonnet.
Botswana
Macatoo Camp sits on a private concession in the western Okavango Delta and is built entirely around riding. Guests explore the floodplains on horseback, moving at a pace and silence no vehicle can manage, and often getting far closer to plains game as a result.
The riding is genuinely demanding — guests need to be competent and comfortable at a canter, since the ability to move quickly matters around big game. For non-riders and rest days the camp also runs mokoro trips, walking safaris and conventional game drives.
South Africa
The Peermont Mondior sits within the Emperors Palace complex at Kempton Park, a few minutes from OR Tambo International Airport, and exists primarily to solve the problem of Johannesburg’s long-haul connections.
A 24-hour shuttle runs to the terminals, and the surrounding resort holds restaurants, a casino, a theatre and a spa, which makes an enforced overnight considerably less tedious than it would otherwise be. Rooms are quiet despite the proximity to the runways.
South Africa
Lekkerwater Beach Lodge sits directly on the shoreline within De Hoop Nature Reserve, on a stretch of coast that was formerly a private presidential retreat and is now the only accommodation of its kind inside the reserve boundary.
Seven rooms face the Indian Ocean across dune and fynbos, close enough that southern right whales can be watched from the beds between June and November. The surrounding marine protected area is regarded as the finest land-based whale watching anywhere in the world.
South Africa
The Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront occupies a position on the Atlantic shoreline at Granger Bay, immediately alongside the V&A Waterfront, with most rooms facing directly onto the sea.
It is a full-service hotel rather than a boutique one, with an infinity pool set at the water’s edge, several dining options and reliable business facilities. The location works particularly well for travellers wanting Waterfront access without staying inside the shopping precinct itself.
Sanctuary Sussi & Chuma sits on the banks of the Zambezi inside Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, upstream of Victoria Falls, with twelve stilted treehouse suites linked by raised timber walkways through ebony forest.
The lodge takes its name from David Livingstone’s two companions, who carried his body to the coast after his death. Two private houses sit alongside the main camp, and the river frontage draws elephant, hippo and prolific birdlife within view of the decks.
South Africa
The Silo Hotel occupies the upper floors of a 1920s grain elevator on Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, converted by Thomas Heatherwick in the same project that carved the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa out of the storage tubes below.
Its defining feature is the glazing: bulging, pillowed windows cut into the concrete grid, each pane bowed outward so the rooms catch Table Mountain, the harbour and the Atlantic from different angles. Interiors are deliberately maximalist against the industrial shell, and the rooftop pool and bar look straight across the working docks.
Seychelles
The Kempinski Seychelles Resort occupies a hillside above Baie Lazare on Mahé’s quieter south-western coast, with landscaped grounds running down to a sheltered stretch of beach.
It is a larger, full-service property than most Seychelles accommodation, with several restaurants, a substantial spa and a children’s club, which makes it one of the more practical choices on Mahé for families and multi-generational groups.
Tanzania
The Mount Meru Hotel sits in landscaped grounds in Arusha, the town that functions as the staging post for Tanzania’s entire northern safari circuit, with the slopes of Mount Meru rising behind it on clear mornings.
It is a full-service city hotel rather than a lodge, with conference facilities, a large pool and several restaurants, and its role for most travellers is a comfortable first or last night either side of the drive or flight into the parks.
Tanzania
Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge sits along a ridge in the central Serengeti, its rooms built as clustered rondavels in a style drawn from traditional African village architecture, each looking out across the plains below.
The central location places it within reach of the Seronera valley, the most reliably game-rich area of the park year-round and particularly strong for lion, leopard and cheetah. An infinity pool on the ridge edge looks straight out over the grassland.
Location
Most nationalities receive South African entry on arrival; Zimbabwe issues an e-visa or visa on arrival. We confirm requirements for your passport.
Low-risk malaria areas — anti-malarials advised. No mandatory vaccinations from most countries; consult your travel clinic before departure.
South African Rand; US Dollars are widely used around Victoria Falls. Cards are accepted in cities; carry small USD for tips.
Warm days and cool mornings on safari in the dry season. Pack layers — early game drives can be cold even when afternoons are hot.
Neutral, breathable clothing, a warm layer, sun protection and binoculars. Soft bags are required on light aircraft, with strict weight limits.
Wi-Fi at all hotels and lodges, though deliberately gentle in the bush. Power is 230V; bring a universal adaptor.
The practical Guide
A sunrise run to the dunes at Sossusvlei and Deadvlei, with the canyon walk in the cooler late afternoon.
Per Person
Repeat sunrise visits to different dunes, the canyon, Elim Dune, and time to explore the wider Namib-Naukluft.
Per Person
An extended desert stay pairing the dune fields with hot-air ballooning, scenic flights and the NamibRand reserve.
Per Person
Sesriem is the entrance to the Sossusvlei dune fields within Namib-Naukluft National Park, and for most visitors to Namibia it is where the desert properly begins. The name is Afrikaans for ‘six thongs’, a reference to the six lengths of ox-hide that early travellers had to knot together to lower a bucket into the canyon and reach water below.
That canyon is the settlement’s own attraction: roughly a kilometre long and thirty metres deep, carved by the ephemeral Tsauchab River through layers of conglomerate laid down over millions of years, and cool enough at the base to walk in comfortably at midday. Sesriem is also a gate in the literal sense — it controls access to Sossusvlei, and only guests staying inside the boundary may pass through before sunrise or remain after closing. That distinction shapes almost every itinerary in the region, since the dunes are at their most photogenic in the first and last light of day.
Sossusvlei is a large salt and clay pan set deep within the dunes of the Namib Desert, inside Namib-Naukluft National Park. The pan formed where the ephemeral Tsauchab River once flowed before being blocked by encroaching dunes, leaving behind a stark white clay floor surrounded by some of the tallest sand dunes on Earth.
Some of the surrounding dunes, including the aptly named ‘Big Daddy’, rise more than 300 metres, their colour shifting from orange to deep red depending on the time of day. Nearby, Deadvlei’s blackened, centuries-old camel thorn trees stand in stark contrast against the white pan and red dunes, making the area one of the most photographed landscapes in Africa.
Stretching along Namibia’s Atlantic coastline, the Namib Desert is widely considered the oldest desert on Earth, with arid conditions persisting for at least 55 million years. Much of the desert falls within Namib-Naukluft National Park, one of the largest protected areas in Africa, encompassing gravel plains, towering dune fields, and rocky mountain outcrops.
The desert’s towering red dunes, some among the tallest in the world, are formed by wind-blown sand accumulated over millennia. Despite extreme aridity, the Namib supports a remarkable range of specially adapted wildlife, including oryx, ostrich, and Hartmann’s mountain zebra, alongside unique plant life such as the ancient welwitschia.
The Skeleton Coast stretches along Namibia’s northern Atlantic seaboard, protected within Skeleton Coast National Park. Named by early sailors for the many ships wrecked along its fog-shrouded shore and the whale and seal bones once scattered across its beaches, it remains one of the most remote and inhospitable coastlines in the world.
Cold Atlantic currents meet the Namib Desert here, creating a landscape of towering dunes, gravel plains, and rocky outcrops shaped by near-constant fog. Despite the harsh conditions, the Skeleton Coast supports desert-adapted elephant, brown hyena, and oryx, along with seasonal seal colonies and scattered shipwrecks that draw visitors into one of Africa’s least-visited wilderness areas.
Etosha National Park covers around 22,270 square kilometers in northern Namibia, centred on the Etosha Pan, a vast, flat expanse of salt desert so large it is visible from orbit. Proclaimed a game reserve in 1907 and a national park in 1958, Etosha is one of Namibia’s oldest and most significant protected areas.
During the dry season, wildlife concentrates around the park’s floodlit waterholes, making Etosha one of the most reliable self-drive safari destinations in Africa. The park is a stronghold for black rhino conservation and supports large populations of elephant, lion, giraffe, zebra and a range of desert-adapted antelope, alongside over 340 recorded bird species.
TOURS & SAFARIS
How it works
01
Share where you long to go and what would make it unforgettable .
02
A tailor-made itinerary matched to the right camps and seasons.
03
We shape every detail until the journey feels entirely your own.
04
A dedicated team is with you from landing to homecoming.
GUEST REVIEWS
answers
It is Afrikaans for ‘six thongs’. Early travellers knotted together six lengths of ox-hide to lower a bucket into the canyon and draw water from the pools at its base.
Only guests accommodated within the park boundary may pass through Sesriem gate before sunrise or stay after it closes. Since the dunes are most striking at first and last light, that access is the single biggest decision in planning a Sossusvlei visit.
Roughly 60 kilometres on a tarred road, with the final five kilometres crossing soft sand that requires a 4×4 or the park shuttle from the 2×4 car park.
Yes, and it works well in the middle of the day when the dunes are too hot to climb. The narrow walls hold shade and pools of water persist at the base long after rain.
It is around a five-hour drive south-west from Windhoek on a mix of tarred and gravel roads, or a short scheduled flight to the Sesriem airstrip.
The cooler months from May to September are most comfortable for dune climbing. Summer brings intense heat but also dramatic cloud and, occasionally, water in the Tsauchab.
Sun protection, far more water than you expect to drink, and shoes you do not mind filling with sand. Nights in the desert are cold year-round, so bring a warm layer.
