Six days, one desert, six different faces.
Drive the Namib Desert in your own 4×4 and experience desert wildlife, spectacular scenery, untouched beaches, abandoned mining settlements, miles of sand-driving and shipwrecks like nowhere else on earth.
After an overnight at Tsauchab and a short re-fuelling stop at Solitaire, travel in a westerly direction towards the Namib Desert, leaving behind the noise of the world. No cell phone signal, no shortcuts – just you and the beauty of the desert for the next few days.
In convoy style, accompanied by experienced guides, cross through the Kuiseb River Canyon, Conception Bay and Langewand to Walvis Bay. From novices to experienced drivers, our guides will help you successfully conquer some of the world’s highest dunes.
From early morning coffee as the sun rises over the dunes, to well-prepared dinners, each day brings new challenges and scenery. New friendships are forged around the campfire under the clear Namib stars.
Highlights
- Kuiseb Canyon
- Welwitschia mirabilis plants, found nowhere else on earth
- Camping among dune straits over 150 metres high
- The wrecks of the Eduard Bohlen and Shawnee
- Ghost towns from the old diamond-mining era
- The “roller coaster”, a run of massive slip faces from Conception Bay into Walvis Bay
Six days, east to west.
Rendezvous at Tsauchab River Camp
Assemble at Tsauchab River Lodge. Here, you will meet the guide team and fellow travellers for a briefing on what to expect the next few days. Dinner is for the client’s own account. Should you want to upgrade to a room, please ask your Live the Journey consultant to assist. The upgrade will be for the client’s own account.
Solitaire to Kuiseb Canyon
Depart from Tsauchab River Camp and travel to the entrance of the Namib Nauklüft Park via Solitaire for a fuel stop. Crossing the Namib plains, travel on the same ox-wagon route followed by early settlers, to the Kuiseb River. The landscape gradually changes from the typical Namib plains into a colourful landscape of red dunes, grassy plains, pitch-black rock formations and the green of the overgrown riverbed. Proceed westwards along the edge of the Kuiseb Canyon and ‘slip’ into the riverbed where we set up camp for the evening.
Desert crossing
After breakfast, we head southwest into the ‘sand sea’. On the way to the coast and Conception Bay, we negotiate massive dunes. The ever-changing scenery and beautiful landscapes take your breath away, and drivers’ skills are bound to improve as the dunes offer greater and greater challenges. In the late afternoon, camp is set up amongst the dunes for an evening under the Namib skies.
Conception Bay and the ghost towns
This stretch belongs to the diamond rush. Between Conception Bay and Meob Bay sits the ruined settlements of Holsazia, Charlottenfelder and Grillenberger, built when the only way in was by ship or the cutter Viking. Visit the wreck of the Eduard Bohlen, stranded here in 1909 and now sitting well inland as the coastline has shifted. Expect seal colonies, big flocks of birds, and the kind of quiet that makes you understand why people call this place haunted.
Langewand to Walvis Bay
From Conception Bay the trail drops onto the beach itself. Pass the wreck of the Shawnee on the way to Langewand, where the dunes run straight down into the Atlantic, a sight found in only four places on the planet, and only at the right tide. From there it’s back into the dunes around the salt pans of Sandwich Harbour, and into what our guides call the roller coaster, a run of steep, roaring slip faces with the harbour laid out below. We roll into Walvis Bay by early afternoon (tide dependent), where the tour ends upon arrival.
Everything you need. Nothing you don’t.
Included
- Breakfast and dinner (coffee, tea and juice included), except where noted below
- Camping at Tsauchab River Lodge, night one
- Experienced guides, each in their own vehicle
- Two-way radios for every vehicle
- Camping fees
- Concession fees and levies
- Recovery equipment and on-site recovery
- Communal camping gear: braai grid, cooking equipment, tables
- Wind shelter, communal shower and chemical toilet at camp
- A support vehicle carrying extra logistics
Excluded
- Dinner and breakfast at Tsauchab River Camp
- Your own 4×4 vehicle and its running costs
- Fuel
- Lunch, snacks and drinks
- Camping gear (tent, mattress, sleeping bag, chair)
- Travel insurance and vehicle insurance
- Items of a personal nature
A few honest notes
- Clients need to take out their own travel insurance and emergency evacuation cover in case of a motor vehicle accident, heart attack or any other medical emergency. Please supply details of this information so that we know whom to contact in case of an emergency.
- Own 4×4 vehicle required with front/back recovery points for this self-drive guided tour
- Each vehicle carries its own fuel (220 litres in total), 60 litres of water and 2 bags of wood
- Wild camping in the Namib desert requires pitching and taking down your own tent
Book your dates.
Rates valid 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027.
Scheduled departures need a minimum of 16 adults booked to go ahead. Ask your Live the Journey consultant for the current minimum on your preferred date. Private departures on other dates can be arranged on their own terms.
Tour cost, SADC residents
Valid from 01 November 2026 – 31 October 2027
Tour cost, non-SADC (foreign) residents
Valid from 01 November 2026 – 31 October 2027
Single supplement: R1,750, both categories. Applies only if you’re the sole adult in your vehicle.
Prices for concession fees, taxes, park fees and fuel may be changed without prior notice. This is beyond our control, and any increase levied will be communicated accordingly and is for your account.
Use a currency converter for an approximate figure in your local currency, noting that the final cost is determined by the exchange rate at the time of confirmation and payment.
Optional add-ons
- Room upgrade at Tsauchab River Camp: from R1,170 per adult, per night
- Lagoon Chalets, Walvis Bay: from R800 per adult, per night
- Amjicaja, Walvis Bay: from R895 per adult, per night
- De Baken, Walvis Bay: from R1,045 per adult, per night
- Sundowner cruise: from R780 per adult
- Dolphin cruise: from R1,450 per adult
For more information or to book your accommodation, meals and/or cruise, please contact your Live the Journey consultant. We can also book other accommodation and excursions.