Namibia Luxury Private Fly-In Safari

At a glance

Sossusvlei, Damaraland, Kunene and Etosha

On this luxury fly-in safari, you can look forward to rugged landscapes with astonishing contrast, a wide variety of wildlife, beaches littered with shipwrecks and some of the highest dunes in the world. A magical sunrise hot air balloon flight at Sossusvlei and an immersive Himba tribe experience, to name a few. Experience all this while staying at the most luxurious lodges Namibia offers.

Flying between camps turns the travelling days into part of the safari: an hour over the dunes or the escarpment instead of a day on gravel, and more time where it matters. Every flight, transfer and activity is arranged; you simply arrive.

Sossusvlei

Nights 1 to 2 · Kwessi Dunes Lodge

Damaraland

Nights 3 to 4 · Desert Rhino Camp

Kunene

Nights 5 to 6 · Serra Cafema

Etosha South

Nights 7 to 8 · Little Ongava Lodge

Travel dates

Travel any time · best from May to October

The dry season, May to October, brings cool clear mornings, thin bush and animals concentrated at the waterholes; it is also the busiest, so the lodges book out early. November to April is hotter and greener, with dramatic skies and far fewer vehicles at the waterholes.

Travel dates are yours to choose. Tell us roughly when, and we check availability at every property and on every flight before anything is held.

When to go

May to October is the classic season: dry, cool at night, and the best game viewing in Etosha as the waterholes draw everything in. Desert mornings can be close to freezing in June and July, so pack a warm layer for early starts. November to April is the green season, hot inland with short afternoon storms that clear quickly, newborn antelope and, in a good year, water on the pan. Swakopmund is cool and often foggy in the mornings whatever the month; the fog burns off by late morning.

What is decided: the shape of the trip: the areas, the order, the properties and the number of nights in each. It is the version we would build first for most travellers.

What we confirm together: your dates, who is travelling, room categories and any extensions before or after. Every safari is tailored from here, and nothing is held until you ask us to.

The route

Four camps linked by light aircraft

The loop runs from Windhoek through Sossusvlei, Damaraland, Kunene and Etosha South and back to Windhoek. Each leg is a scheduled light-aircraft flight of roughly one to two hours, with the camps handling every airstrip transfer. The only driving is in the game vehicles.

SossusvleiLight aircraft from Windhoek
DamaralandLight aircraft from Sossusvlei
KuneneLight aircraft from Damaraland
Etosha SouthLight aircraft from Kunene

Flight times are approximate and schedules are confirmed the evening before. Luggage on light aircraft is limited to about 20 kg per person in soft bags.

Press play to follow the route. Dashed legs are flights, solid legs are by road. Drag to explore, scroll to zoom.

Day by day

Nine days, four properties

01-02

Windhoek → Sossusvlei

Arrival, Sossusvlei

This morning you will be collected from your guesthouse or hotel in Windhoek and taken to Eros Airport for your scheduled flight to the Sossusvlei area. The flight will take you over the central highlands of Namibia before descending after the escarpment and over the Namib Desert to land at the Sossusvlei Airstrip. Upon arrival, you will be met by your lodge guide, who will transfer you to your lodge; the afternoon can be spent enjoying many of the activities offered by the lodge.

The following day, you will rise early for a magical hot air balloon flight in the Namib Naukluft National Park. This area boasts some of the highest free-standing dunes in the world. After the balloon flight, you will visit Deadvlei, Dune 45 and Sesriem canyon before returning to the lodge. Once back there, you can spend the rest of the day relaxing or participating in some more activities offered by the lodge.

Included at the lodge: Hot Air Ballooning, Scenic Drives, Nature Walks, Stargazing, Skybed Experience, Quad Biking
Optional: Desert Horses, Scenic Flight, Spa Treatments

Overnight · Kwessi Dunes Lodge · all inclusive · 2 nights

03-04

Sossusvlei → Damaraland

Damaraland

Cherish the chance to track one of Africa’s largest free-ranging populations of Critically Endangered desert-adapted black rhino. On foot or by vehicle, led by seasoned Save the Rhino Trust monitors, follow these majestic creatures across the rocky plains, finding other wildlife along the way.

On game drives, look for desert-adapted lions, elephants, zebras, spotted hyaenas, giraffes, and antelopes such as oryx and springbok. Critical species for birding enthusiasts include Rüppell’s korhaan, Benguela long-billed lark, Herero chat, and Verreaux’s eagle.

dJoin a guided nature walk and better understand how life survives in this arid land. Welcome the night, sitting around the campfire sharing stories; marvel at the magic of the impossibly starry sky.

Included at the lodge: Game Drives, Nocturnal Game Drive, Nature Walks

Overnight · Desert Rhino Camp · all inclusive · 2 nights

05-06

Damaraland → Kunene

Kunene

Tune in to one of the most untouched places on Earth, along a rushing river amidst an ochre desert that is one of the world’s oldest. Respectfully engage with a community of Himba, Namibia’s last semi-nomads still living traditionally, and local custodians.

Hear their stories, and share yours. When water levels permit, boat on the Kunene, with Angola’s craggy mountains in the distance and plenty of Nile crocs on the banks and in the water, explore the dunes on foot and in game vehicles, perhaps spotting oryxes, springbok, Hartmann’s mountain zebras, or tiny desert chameleons. Along specially allocated, low-impact pathways, quad bike across the untamed lunar landscape.

Included at the lodge: Game Drives, Nocturnal Game Drive, Boating Safari, Quad Biking, Cultural Experience, Photographic Hide
Optional: Spa Treatments

Overnight · Serra Cafema · all inclusive · 2 nights

07-08

Kunene → Etosha South

Etosha South

Designed for privacy, luxury and intimacy with the land, Little Ongava is arguably Namibia’s most luxurious accommodation, with pristine views across the Ongava plains.

Little Ongava is perched on the crest of a hill commanding magnificent vistas of the plains stretching for miles to the horizon, offering an extraordinary experience as the focal point of an Etosha journey.

Included at the lodge: Birding, Game Drives, Nature Walks, Rhino Approaching, Photographic Hide

Overnight · Little Ongava Lodge · all inclusive · 2 nights

Etosha South → Windhoek

Departure

Today marks the end of your amazing luxury safari. After breakfast you will catch your flight back to Windhoek where you can either book an extra night’s accommodation or make your way to the Airport in time for your flight back home.

Overnight · Departure day

Where you stay

Where you sleep

Nights 1 to 2 · Sossusvlei

Kwessi Dunes Lodge

Kwessi Dunes Lodge, your base in Sossusvlei for two nights, on a all inclusive basis.

+ Read more

Visit website

SettingSossusvlei

BasisAll inclusive

Included activitiesHot Air Ballooning, Scenic Drives, Nature Walks, Stargazing, Skybed Experience, Quad Biking

OptionalDesert Horses, Scenic Flight, Spa Treatments

Nights 3 to 4 · Damaraland

Desert Rhino Camp

Desert Rhino Camp, your base in Damaraland for two nights, on a all inclusive basis.

+ Read more

Visit website

SettingDamaraland

BasisAll inclusive

Included activitiesGame Drives, Nocturnal Game Drive, Nature Walks

Nights 5 to 6 · Kunene

Serra Cafema

Serra Cafema, your base in Kunene for two nights, on a all inclusive basis.

+ Read more

Visit website

SettingKunene

BasisAll inclusive

Included activitiesGame Drives, Nocturnal Game Drive, Boating Safari, Quad Biking, Cultural Experience, Photographic Hide

OptionalSpa Treatments

Nights 7 to 8 · Etosha South

Little Ongava Lodge

Designed for privacy, luxury and intimacy with the land, Little Ongava is arguably Namibia’s most luxurious accommodation, with pristine views across the Ongava plains.

+ Read more

Little Ongava is perched on the crest of a hill commanding magnificent vistas of the plains stretching for miles to the horizon, offering an extraordinary experience as the focal point of an Etosha journey.

Visit website

SettingEtosha South

BasisAll inclusive

Included activitiesBirding, Game Drives, Nature Walks, Rhino Approaching, Photographic Hide

The practical side

Good to know

The flights: Light aircraft link the camps, usually a Cessna Caravan or similar, flown by the charter operators we have used for years. Flights are scheduled the evening before; the camps hand you over at the airstrip and collect you at the other end.
Luggage: Light aircraft have a strict limit of about 20 kg per person, including hand luggage, in soft bags without wheels or frames. Hard cases can be stored in Windhoek for the duration of the safari.
Meals and activities: The safari camps are fully inclusive: all meals, most drinks and two guided activities a day with the camp's own guides. Town hotels are on a bed and breakfast basis, with the restaurants a short walk away.
Optional activities: Hot-air ballooning at Sossusvlei, scenic flights, dolphin cruises and desert excursions on the coast, and specialist experiences such as rhino tracking are bookable in advance and paid locally or added to your itinerary.
Connectivity: A local SIM card is available at the airport on arrival. Most camps have Wi-Fi in the main area only, and some of the remoter ones have none at all. It is part of the appeal.
What to pack: Layers: desert mornings in winter are cold, afternoons hot. A warm jacket for open-vehicle game drives, a hat, good sun protection, closed shoes for walking, binoculars, and soft bags rather than hard cases.

Next steps

From this sample to your own safari

Tell us what appeals.Use the enquiry button on this page, or write to hello@secretnamibia.com, with rough dates, who is travelling and anything you would change: more nights, a different lodge, a few days somewhere else at the end.
We tailor it.Within a day or two you have a version built around you, the same shape if you like it or a different one, with a firm quote for your dates and party.
We hold the rooms.Once the shape is right we place provisional holds at every property and on the flights, at no cost and with no obligation, usually for a week or two.
Deposit and confirmation.A deposit turns the holds into confirmed bookings. The balance is due before travel, and we look after everything from there until you are home again.

This page is a sample itinerary, not a quote, and nothing on it is booked or held. If it suits someone you know, send them the link; we are just as happy to start from scratch for them.

Namibia Luxury Private,
Fly-In Safari

Sossusvlei, Damaraland, Kunene and Etosha

When to go

Four camps linked by light aircraft

Nine days, four properties

Arrival, Sossusvlei

Damaraland

Kunene

Etosha South

Departure

Where you sleep

Kwessi Dunes Lodge

Desert Rhino Camp

Serra Cafema

Little Ongava Lodge

Good to know

Your journey includes

Please budget separately for

From this sample to your own safari

Shall we plan your version?

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