Namib Desert Safari

Arrive at Windhoek International Airport. A shuttle service will collect you from the airport to River Crossing Lodge where you’ll spend your first night. Meet your fellow riders and guide Andrew Gillies for sundowners and dinner. Andrew will give you a briefing about your adventure.

After an early breakfast you’ll be transferred to the first camp where you will meet your horses and the support crew. After a delicious lunch you get the opportunity to visit de Sossusvlei and climb Dune 45 for expansive views of the vast Namib Sans Sea, UNESCO World Heritage Site. You’ll return to camp at sunset for dinner.

Mornings begin at sunrise with coffee and a nourishing breakfast by the fire. Your first day of riding starts in the Naukluft mountains. The pace changes with the terrain, from steady climbs and winding valleys to long stretches along dry riverbeds where faster paces are possible. Lunch stops are taken out in the open wilderness, followed by more riding in the afternoon. Daily distances range between 20 and 60 km, making this an active and rewarding ride for confident riders. Evenings are spent in remote camps, sharing stories around the fire while wildlife quietly passes by and the Milky Way lights up the night sky.

Although Namibia’s westward-flowing rivers are usually dry, they have carved deep canyons over thousands of years, shaped during a time when the climate was wetter and sea levels were lower. During the ride, you cross two impressive river gorges on your way towards the Namib plains: the Gaub Canyon and the larger Kuiseb Canyon. The route follows tracks of Mountain Zebra along the canyon slopes. Certain sections require you to dismount and carefully walk or scramble into and out of the canyon, making a good level of general fitness important. Sheltered by steep canyon walls, these riverbeds often hold precious water year-round, attracting a variety of desert wildlife. Emerging onto the wide plains of the central Namib, the landscape opens up and the pace increases, allowing for long, flowing canters across the desert.

Good riding conditions allow the pace to increase as you travel across the wide open plains of the Namib. Dry riverbeds cut through the landscape, often marked by long lines of acacia trees that provide shade and shelter for desert-adapted wildlife such as giraffe, springbok, oryx, zebra and ostrich. As the desert becomes drier, mirages appear on the horizon and ancient plants like the Welwitschia emerge - showing how this land has been shaped over time.

Leaving the open plains behind, the route descends through the striking Moon Valley into the Swakop River basin, an area renowned for its exceptionally ancient geology, estimated to be over 600 million years old. The surrounding hills are sculpted into unusual forms, with dark dolerite ridges creating distinctive whale-back shapes that give the landscape an almost otherworldly feel.

On your final day in the saddle, you follow the Swakop River towards the coast, where the Atlantic Ocean comes into view: your first sign of civilization in days!

The journey ends in unforgettable style, with a final canter along the white sands of the beach - a fitting end to your desert-to-sea adventure.

After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to Windhoek for your departing flight (after 15:00). The drive takes just over five hours, offering one last chance to soak in the Namibian landscapes as they roll past. If your schedule allows, consider extending your stay to explore more of Namibia’s wonders- wander among dunes of Sossusvlei, encounter the incredible wildlife of Etosha National Park or continue your journey south to South Africa or Botswana for even more adventure.