Southern Namibia Photo Tour

After your arrival at Windhoek airport and once you have completed entry formalities, you are picked up and taken to Elegant Guesthouse, where, after checking in, you have time to rest a little and freshen up.

In the afternoon, you get to know Christuskirche, the Tintenpalast and the former Kaiserstrasse on a short city tour.

This is followed by a shared dinner (optional and not included in the tour price).

You stay overnight at Elegant Guesthouse.

From Windhoek, you set off with your guide south towards Mariental. Already on the way, you experience the vastness of Namibia, endless horizons and the special light that constantly changes the landscape.

Your destination is Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch, a charming lodge that lies like a green oasis on the edge of the red Kalahari dunes. Here peace, vastness and intense colours merge into a unique backdrop.

The Kalahari shows its most beautiful side especially in the late afternoon: the warm evening light bathes the dunes in glowing red and gold, while the long shadows draw fascinating textures – ideal conditions for impressive shots. And an enchanting first stop on your photo tour through southern Namibia.

With your guide, you continue your photo tour south and cross the land of the Nama to Keetmanshoop. In the late afternoon, you visit the famous Quiver Tree Forest and Giant's Playground, a true paradise for photographers.

The bizarre silhouettes of the prehistoric succulents look especially impressive in the warm light: the golden, shiny bark glows, while the extraordinary shapes of the branches and fruiting bodies cast long shadows on the ground.

In the setting sun, an almost magical mood arises, promising unforgettable shots.

After dinner, you return to the Quiver Tree Forest and have the chance to take unique shots of the Namibian starry sky and the Milky Way.

Via Naute Dam, your trip continues to the Fish River Canyon, the second-largest canyon in the world, whose immense cliffs drop up to 550 metres. A highlight of your Southern Namibia Photo Tour!

Together you head into Gondwana Canyon Park and visit the most beautiful viewpoints on the eastern rim.

From there, a breathtaking view from different perspectives opens up into the canyon, 160 kilometres long and up to 27 kilometres wide – a perfect place for impressive landscape shots.

After this grand photo stop, you continue to the atmospheric Canyon Roadhouse, which with its lovingly arranged historic vehicles also holds numerous extraordinary subjects.

On the way through the varied landscapes of the south, you have a good chance of repeatedly spotting wildlife by the roadside – moments that are perfect to capture on camera.

Finally, you reach your destination for the day: Klein-Aus-Vista. The lodge lies at an altitude of 1,400 metres and offers a wide view across the Aus Mountains to the seemingly endless desert that gently merges with the horizon.

The changing light in particular gives this scenery a fascinating mood that inspires photographers. You stay in the cosy rooms of the Desert Horse Inn.

Our tip: Don't miss capturing the spectacular sunset on your memory cards from the terrace of your accommodation.

With a little luck, you can watch and photograph the famous wild horses of Garub with your guide.

You then reach the coastal town of Lüderitz, which immediately catches the eye with its colourful buildings. Historic witnesses of the German colonial era such as the Felsenkirche, Goerke House, the railway station or the post office form an impressive, almost intact ensemble – ideal subjects for architecture and landscape photography.

A detour to Shark Island with its striking lighthouse also offers exciting photographic perspectives on the coast.

In the late afternoon, you explore the ghost town of Kolmanskop with your guide, which from 1908 to 1930 was home and workplace to many Germans in diamond mining. Little by little the “town” was swallowed by the desert, and the sand relentlessly covers the buildings. It is precisely this scenery that offers unique photo subjects – only your camera can capture the impressive “devastation” for a moment.

You then return to Lüderitz, where you spend the night at Nest Hotel.

After breakfast, you set off for the picturesque region of the Tiras Mountains.

You drive along the D707 road, regarded by many as the most beautiful route in Namibia. Time and again, the fascinating desert landscape invites photo stops.

The journey continues along NamibRand Nature Reserve to At Kronenhof Lodge, which lies on a private farm and invites you to explore the surroundings. On a special 4x4 track, you explore the rugged terrain with your guide and enjoy the breathtaking landscape.

You can then either put your feet up and relax or lace up your (hiking) boots and stretch your legs on one of the hiking trails.

Our tip: After dinner, unpack your camera and document the unique starry sky in spectacular pictures.

Along Namib-Naukluft Park and NamibRand Nature Reserve, today's stage takes you to Sesriem, the gateway to Sesriem Canyon and the world-famous dune landscapes of Sossusvlei.

In the late afternoon, you go on an excursion with your guide to Elim Dune and Sesriem Canyon, where the Tsauchab River has cut deep into the rock over millions of years. At the end of the gorge, the narrow ravine opens into a wide valley leading into the endless sea of sand – a place full of exciting perspectives and photographic details.

At sunset, you enjoy an impressive play of light and shadow: the nearby dunes glow in intense shades of red and gold and offer ideal conditions for atmospheric shots.

You spend two nights at Sossusvlei Lodge.

At sunrise, you set off with your guide for the overwhelming dunes around Sossusvlei. The endless sea of sand of the Namib gives Namibia's largest National Park its unmistakable character. Another highlight of your photo tour in southern Namibia.

You climb a dune – around you thousands of square kilometres of solitude, beneath your feet nothing but fine, reddish sand. The low morning sun lights the desert at a slant and divides the sand mountains into two halves: mysterious shadows on one side and magical shades of red on the other. For the eye as well as the camera, this creates unique compositions.

This is also where the Tsauchab River ends – it rarely carries water and long ago lost its battle against the masses of sand. Its seeping away gave rise over time to spectacular salt pans – the so-called “vleis” – which are now among the most impressive natural wonders of the Namib.

After a varied exploration, you return to Sossusvlei Lodge.

Your trip takes you on to Barkhan Dune Retreat, the gateway to an almost untouched desert landscape where silence, vastness and the interplay of light and shadow shape the surroundings.

On a walk around the camp, you can take your first shots of the dunes in the evening sun, when the warm light brings out the gentle curves and textures of the sand even more strongly.

In the late afternoon, there is also the opportunity to explore the surroundings on a short hike, during which your guide shows you the best photo spots and gives tips on composition.

You end the day in a relaxed way, as the colours of the sunset slowly give way to the cool night.

Our tip: If you wish, you can experience the sunrise in a very special way – on an optional balloon flight over the endless expanse of the Namib Desert.

You travel with your guide through Namibia's vast, impressive landscapes towards Walvis Bay on the Atlantic coast.

Along the way, you make repeated photo stops, for example at Kuiseb Canyon, where the deeply cut gorge and the surrounding sand and rock formations are superb to photograph.

In the late afternoon, the next highlight awaits: a guided tour to Sandwich Harbour. In a 4x4 vehicle, you drive right along the beach to the Sandwich Harbour lagoon, one of the most species-rich wetlands in southern Africa.

Should the tide make the beach impassable, you reach the lagoon instead via a spectacular viewpoint that opens up a grand panorama and invites a short walk. There is plenty of time for photo stops along the way.

After capturing the sunset in countless spectacular photos, you stop for a snack and cold drinks before returning to Walvis Bay at around 8 pm.

There you climb back into your tour vehicle and drive to Swakopmund, where you check in to Secret Garden Guesthouse for the next three nights.

After yesterday's excursion to the sea, today it's back to the desert – you take part in a guided “Living Dunes” tour. With a local guide, you explore the coastal dune belt just outside Swakopmund.

To the untrained eye, the dunes are just a heap of sand, but the trained and experienced guides will show you an abundance of living creatures.

Look out for palmato geckos, sand-diving lizards, the famous fog-basking beetle, snakes, spiders, scorpions and chameleons, and don't miss the chance for close-ups of these extraordinary creatures.

The 3-hour tour is rounded off with a short dune drive before you are taken back to the guesthouse.

The afternoon is free at your leisure. Enjoy a slice of Black Forest cake in one of the nice cafés or stop for a hearty meal in one of the many restaurants.

In the evening, you meet for dinner together (at your own expense) before heading out for a night photography session in the streets of Swakopmund and on the Atlantic coast, to capture the special mood of light and architecture.

After a leisurely breakfast, there is time to pick up your camera: the rugged Atlantic coast with its often mystical fog, the fishing boats and countless gulls offers exciting first subjects.

Alternatively, you can take part in an optional boat tour in Walvis Bay, where seal colonies, pelicans and, with a little luck, dolphins can be photographed up close. Scenic flights can also be booked and offer a unique opportunity for aerial shots of the coast.

In the afternoon, you immerse yourself with your guide in the atmosphere of the historic colonial town and learn about its history. You round off the evening with a shared dinner (at your own expense).

After breakfast, you make the return journey to Windhoek, the starting point of your tour. Look back once more over the unforgettable experiences of the past days – from the endless dunes of the Namib and the spectacular salt pans of Sossusvlei and Deadvlei to the fascinating coastal landscapes around Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.

The trip offered numerous opportunities for impressive photo subjects, encounters with animals in the wild and unique natural spectacles that will be remembered for a long time.

Here your photo tour through southern Namibia ends, rich in impressions, stories and unforgettable moments from Namibia.

Depending on your individual onward travel plans, a transfer driver takes you back to Windhoek Airport today. Totsiens and until next time!