Stargazing In Namibia

When you arrive in Windhoek, drive to the capital. With 450,000 inhabitants, Windhoek is the country’s largest city and the political, economic and cultural center. The city lies at an altitude of 1 650 meters, nestled between the Auas ​​Mountains in the south, the Eros Mountains in the northeast and the Khomas Highlands in the west.

After checking in at Hotel Thule, you have the opportunity to explore the city. Alternatively, you could book a city tour, where you will certainly learn a lot about Windhoek, Namibia and its history. The city tour visits the Christ Church, the Alte Feste, the gardens of the Ink Palace and the Klein Windhoek district and, as a contrast, the district of the Bantu-speaking population group – Katutura. You can also drive along Windhoek’s “boulevard”, Independence Avenue (formerly Kaiserstraße).

The rest of the day is at your disposal.

Breakfast and Overnight – Hotel Thule

After a leisurely breakfast, you leave the capital and head south. Your first stop is the Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch, which is located on the edge of the Kalahari Desert. This desert forms a large part of eastern Namibia and extends for about 500 kilometers from north to south. The Kalahari is commonly referred to as a desert because of its porous and sandy soil, which does not allow water to be absorbed. But, in reality, it is a very busy wilderness and huge herds of antelopes and other animals graze on its sparsely vegetated grassy plains.

After check-in and room occupancy, you have the opportunity to explore the area. There are several excellent hiking trails (self-guided). Alternatively, you could go on a sundowner game drive.

Once the sun has set and the stars are out, you will head over to the observatory where the local astronomer will show you the planets, the moon, star clusters and far away galaxies. The observatory has a state-of-the-art computer controlled telescope which will certainly bring the sky of the southern hemisphere within arms reach – or so it would seem.

Dinner, Bed and Breakfast – Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch

After enjoying breakfast at the Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch you continue via Maltahöhe, which was established in 1900. This small town lies 111 kilometers west of Mariental and was named after Malta van Burgsdorff, the wife of the Commander of the Garrison at Gibeon. More than 40 graves of the German “Schutztruppe”, who died in numerous battles against Hendrik Witbooi and in the Nama rebellion, can be seen at the graveyard to the east of the town.

Proceed to the luxurious &beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, which is situated only 35 kilometers from the entrance gate to the Sossusvlei. Numerous activities are included during your stay at this beautiful lodge, including a Sossusvlei excursion, star gazing and e-biking and hiking trails.

Fully Inclusive – Sossusvlei Desert Lodge

Early in the morning you depart from the lodge on a guided excursion of the Sossusvlei.

The Sossusvlei is a dune wonderland, with towering dunes reaching up to 300 meters high, surrounding a huge, dried-up pan. Dunes extend as far as the eye can see and their rich tints vary from pale apricot to vivid reds and oranges. During a good rainy season, the Tsauchab River flows into the pan and creates a heaven for water birds. Even during the dry season, oryx, springbok and ostriches can be seen feeding off the sparse vegetation along the water course.

You can also visit the Sesriem Canyon, which lies at the entrance to Sossusvlei lies the Sesriem Canyon, where centuries of erosion have incised a narrow gorge about 1 kilometer in length. At the foot of the gorge, which plunges down for 30 to 40 meters, are deep pools of water which become replenished after good rains. Sesriem derives its name from the time when early pioneers tied six lengths of rawhide thongs together to draw water from these pools.

Fully Inclusive – Sossusvlei Desert Lodge

On your way to Swakopmund, it is worth stopping at Solitaire to check out the delicacies of the bakery. The bakery is known nationwide and even in South Africa for its apple strudel. Then continue via the Gaub and Kuisebpass to the coastal town of Swakopmund. Following the check-in at the Hansa Hotel, the rest of the day is at your disposal.

Swakopmund, a small, neat coastal town, has many beautiful buildings from the German colonial era. You will see the Hohenzollernhaus, the Woermannturm, the landing stage, the pier with the lighthouse and the naval monument as well as other Art Nouveau buildings. Many residents speak German and numerous promenades, palm alleys and parks give the small coastal town a quiet, relaxed atmosphere. Enjoy a stroll along the kilometer-long, secluded Atlantic beach or stroll through the wood carving market near the lighthouse. Optionally, you could visit the interesting local history museum, the maritime museum or the crystal gallery.

Bed and Breakfast – Hansa Hotel

There are numerous activities in and around Swakopmund and Walvis Bay that you can take part in as an option. These include boat trips on the Walvis Bay lagoon, quad bike rides in the dunes, and kayak tours in Walvis Bay or the very interesting Living Desert Tour.

Bed and Breakfast – Hansa Hotel

After a few days on the coast, we are heading inland again today. However, you still drive along the coast to Henties Bay, and from there to Uis. From Uis on to Camp Kipwe, located in Damaraland. The Damaraland and Kaokoveld in the dry north-west of Namibia form parts of the mosaic of ethnically diverse regions that make Namibia so varied and interesting. Until recently, Damaraland was a secluded region in which the lives of the people living here have hardly changed over the centuries. It is an area with strong contrasts: high mountains, grasslands and steppe. Those who are willing to accept the high temperatures and bad roads will be richly rewarded in this hostile area. On the one hand there is the Brandberg, Namibia’s highest point, on the other hand there are numerous rock paintings, such as the famous White Lady. Another open-air gallery can be visited in Twyfelfontein. It is one of the largest collections of rock carvings in Africa.

In the afternoon you can participate in an optional excursion to visit the rock engravings at Twyfelfontein. The name means “doubtful fountain”. It resembles a large, open-air art gallery. This treasure house of rock engravings left by stone-age artists is regarded as one of the richest collections in Africa.

Dinner, Bed and Breakfast – Camp Kipwe

After breakfast you leave Camp Kipwe and drive to the southern border of the Etosha National Park today. Here you will spend the night in the interesting Toshari Lodge. In the afternoon you can do your first self-guided drive in this national park, or you can chose to spend the remaining day relaxing in the beautiful gardens of the Toshari Lodge.

Dinner, Bed and Breakfast – Toshari Lodge

Today you can visit the Etosha National Park. This park in northern Namibia is one of the most beautiful nature reserves in Africa. As early as 1907, Governor von Lindequist had declared Etosha a nature reserve on an area five times larger than today’s national park. The current size of the Etosha National Park is 22 270km². Large herds of springboks, impalas, zebras and wildebeests can be found in the national park, as well as elephants, giraffes, lions, leopards, cheetahs and black rhinos as well as various species of birds and reptiles.

In the afternoon you depart from the Von Lindequist Gate of the Etosha National Park, which is situated near Namutoni. You continue on to the Mushara Lodge.

Dinner, Bed and Breakfast – Mushara Lodge

Another day is free to you to spend at leisure in the Etosha National Park. You can do self-guided drives, or you can choose from either the AM or PM game drives offered by the Mushara Lodge.

Dinner, Bed and Breakfast – Mushara Lodge

Your destination for today is the Okonjima Nature Reserve. This reserve is home to the AfriCat Foundation.

Founded in 1991, The AfriCat Foundation is based on Okonjima Nature Reserve, a private reserve dedicated to conserving wildlife. AfriCat is perfectly situated to conduct ecological research focusing on a variety of rare and endangered species. As Okonjima is an enclosed nature reserve, one component of AfriCat’s research focuses on understanding the ecology of leopard and brown hyaenas living within Okonjima, with the ultimate aim of producing informed, sustainable metapopulation management guidelines for these species.

Dinner, Bed and Breakfast – Okonjima Plains Camp

The highlight of your visit to Namibia will be the 2-night stay at the Hakos Guestfarm, home to the H.E.S.S telescopes. The farm is located in mountainous terrain between the Central Highlands and the Namib Desert, dominated by the 2 000 meter high Hakos Mountain range. The rugged mountains invite hikers to explore the folded rock bands and formations. From here, the extensive views into the Namib Desert reveal the vastness of this land.

H.E.S.S stands for High Energy Stereoscopic System and also pays homage to Mr Victor Hess, who received a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1936 for his discovery of cosmic radiation. This system of telescopes investigates cosmic gamma rays. There are five telescopes which went into operation from 2002 to July 2012. The observatory is operated by more than 260 scientists from 13 different countries including Namibia, South Africa, Germany, France, the UK, Ireland, Austria, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Armenia, Japan and Australia.

Dinner, Bed and Breakfast – Hakos Guestfarm

The Guestfarm offers a variety of activities, such as 4×4 Farm Tours as well as hiking tours. A star-gazing tour is included.

During this tour you will be shown the most striking objects in the southern sky by means of a powerful telescope. Depending on visibility, you will be amazed by the gas planet Jupiter with its moons, the rings of Saturn or the bizarre crater landscape of our moon. There are three observatories on Hakos. The International Amateur Observatory (IAS) has a base on Hakos which gives amateur astronomers access to the magnificent night sky in one of the best places in the southern hemisphere, free from distracting stray light.

Dinner, Bed and Breakfast – Hakos Guestfarm

After a leisurely breakfast you will depart from Farm Hakos to the Hosea Kutako International Airport for your flight home.

Yes, you can stop at Solitaire for its famous apple strudel and enjoy scenic drives through the Gaub and Kuiseb Passes.

Okonjima is home to the AfriCat Foundation, which is dedicated to the conservation of leopards, hyenas, and other wildlife species.

The farm has powerful telescopes for viewing objects like Jupiter’s moons, Saturn’s rings, and distant galaxies under a pristine night sky.

You can enjoy guided Sossusvlei excursions, hiking, e-biking, and stargazing at the lodge’s observatory.

The city tour typically lasts 2–3 hours and covers key sites like Christ Church, Alte Feste, and Katutura.