Here’s what you can expect…*

*always subject to change based on weather and other circumstances

Day 1, June 7 – Windhoek 

Fly into Windhoek’s International Hosea Kutako Airport (WDH) — usually connecting through Frankfurt or Johannesburg — and check into our safari lodge.

Most flights leave the U.S. on June 5 and arrive in the morning of the 7th (two days later) so this day is a built-in rest day. You don’t need to arrive any earlier than this.

Naankuse is a safari lodge with lots of activities. It’s a private ranch so the animals aren’t free like they are in Tanzania or some other African countries. But if you’re new to safari experiences, you might use this time to book something that interests you.

Dinner is included and will be set for 7:00 together in the dining hall.

After dinner, you’ll get a much-needed night of rest.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch on this day (if you arrive in time) are on your own.

Day 2, June 8 – Cheetah experience at Naankuse 

Technically, this is another rest day for bags and people to arrive. You might find yourself rising early due to jet lag so you might consider booking the early meerkat experience that starts at 6am and costs apx $40-$45USD.

We’ve scheduled a cheetah photo shoot later on this day to break up the time and try something new (a bonus). You’ll be the first Focused Escapes group to try this opportunity in this location.

Feel free to book anything else you want from their list of other services, too. Or just rest up and go through your cheetah photos from the shoot.

You’ll enjoy dinner together as a group before heading to your room for a good night’s sleep. 

Meals included: Breakfast and Dinner. Lunch is on your own.

Day 3, June 9 - Windhoek to the Kalahari Desert

After breakfast, we’ll make our way out of Windhoek traveling south into the Kalahari Desert for about 3 hours where we’ll arrive at our first stop in the Kalahari Desert.

After lunch and settling into our rooms, we’ll head out for our second cheetah photo shoot.

Anything you missed (or want to improve) after the first time, can be corrected here ensuring you come home with images you’re proud of.

Note: Some groups have been allowed into the enclosures and others haven’t been allowed in. These are wild animals and must be respected. If the guards feel it’s unsafe to enter, we won’t enter. Or if it’s only safe by car, then we’ll go by car.

We won’t do anything we’re not guided to do by the team on the ground.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4, June 10 – Kalahari Desert to Lüderitz

Today is going to be a long day.

Before our nearly six hour drive to Luderitz, we’ll rise early and go for a photography walk with Kalahari bushman who will share their fascinating stories about living in the desert.

This tribe is one of the last-known tribes in the world to speak a click language which many believe will be extinct by the end of their next generation. The time to see, photograph and hear their stories is now! Plus, the walk is incredibly photogenic and the stories are fantastic.

From here, we’ll make our way south and west to the coastal city of Lüderitz. It’s a long drive so about halfway we will stop for lunch at the Quiver Tree Forest where we’ll explore a large stand of these exotic “trees” which are actually more closely related to aloe plants.

Quiver trees (or kokerboom) are a Namibian icon—tall, with thick round trunks topped by spiny branches, once used by Bushmen as spines for hunting.  

From there, we’ll drive onward to the coast, stopping along the way to capture images of feral horses and an abandoned railway station reclaimed by the desert sands. 

We’ll check into our hotel, enjoy a leisurely dinner together and then drift off to sleep. 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included

Day 5, June 11 – Kolmanskop, full day photography

We’ll spend the entire day here at Kolmanskop — Namibia’s most famous diamond mining ghost town, and the desert dunes that engulf it.

Until 2008, this area was forbidden to visitors. But we have special permits to photograph this eerie town at both sunrise and sunset.

It opens for tourists in between and you’ll use that touristy time to break for lunch then return when the light is right in the evening when the tourists are gone — again, ensuring you get images you’re proud of.

The history of this place starts in 1908 when a railway worker found a sparkling stone… and inadvertently discovered one of the world’s richest diamond deposits. 

The discovery could not be kept quiet, and soon a diamond rush ensued.

The newly rich German inhabitants filled this town with grand mansions and plenty of entertainment and culture. There’s a hospital, opulent homes, a school, a bakery and more.  

By the 1950s it was abandoned for richer mines in the south and the sand took over.  Now it’s a photographer’s dream with plenty to shoot all day.

You’ll have time to freely explore and photograph the town on your own but our strength here is our local photography guide who knows all the best places to go. He’ll give you some direction and walk you to the best rooms to maximize your time.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6, June 12 – Boat tour, Halifax Island

We start this day on a powered catamaran and cruise to Halifax Island, home to a large colony of African penguins.

We’ll pass the old whaling station at Stromvogelbucht, and cruise through Shearwater Bay and around Diaz Point. On the trip, you can expect to see a host of marine wildlife including heaviside dolphins, cape fur seals, many varieties of sea birds and on occasion, whales. 

After we return to port, we’ll begin our journey back up to the north. It’s a long drive so we’ll stop half way for overnight rest. You’ll want your gloves and beanie on this boat.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

Day 7, June 13 – Namib Desert

This morning we’ll continue our journey further north to Sossusvlei with plenty of scenic stops along the way arriving in time for a sunset..

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

Day 8, June 14 — Deadvlei

Deadvlei (Dead Marsh) is known for its towering red dunes reaching 1,312 feet in height… it’s white clay pans… and the skeletal remains of 900-year-old trees.

Again, our local guide is our strength here because he knows just where to go and can bypass all the tourists.

We’ll spend all day here with time to climb the biggest dune (Big Daddy) if you’re physically fit (about an hour up and an hour down plus 30 minutes walking in and out if you’re capable). Or you can climb one of the smaller dunes and still feel quite accomplished.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

Day 9, June 15– Transfer to Swakopmund

Our visit to Swakopmund provides another opportunity to visit a coastal colonial city on the Atlantic Ocean. It’s here where you’ll find the most souvenirs and interaction with multiple tribes like the Himbas and Herero who sell their crafts in the craft market by the water.

This area is also known for salt pans. These pans can be white, pink or red depending on the time of year resulting in incredible images.

We will visit an area with a massive accumulation of flamingos- you will be mesmerized watching hundreds of them hunt for food, preen and then take off and gracefully circle around before landing back on the bank of the marsh.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

Day 10, June 16– Zeila Shipwreck

The Skeleton Coast National Park nearby got it’s name for previously being known for all the whale and seal skeletons that lined up along the coast.

More than 1,000 ships met their end here, too, because of the mist and fog that sometimes rolls in. The Zeila shipwreck is one of these ships. It’s an old fishing trawler that ran aground in 2008 and since then, it’s been taken over by an enormous population of birds. It’s one of the few shipwrecks that can be photographed from the shore.

This will be a full day trip that also includes a stop at Cape Cross where we may see brown hyena and jackal.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

Day 11, June 17– Return to Windhoek

After breakfast and last minute shopping with the Himbas and Hereros, we’ll begin our journey back towards Windhoek (a 4-hour drive).

You’ll overnight in Windhoek and your flight can be anytime on June 18.

Day 12, June 18 — Departure Day.

Meals: Only breakfast included on this day.

Note: Schedule and guides are subject to changeNote: On previous trips we included two helicopters flights over the dunes. These were one of our favorite experiences and were saddened when it was announced they are closed until further notice. If they resume operation before this tour, we have the flexibility to add them back at an additional cost.

Pricing and what’s included 

Namibia has a wide variety of accommodations. We’ll stay in luxury when the location gives us access to something we can’t get anywhere else. But sometimes, it’s not the luxury properties that are the best located.

You’ll see that we’ve added more days in several areas so we can revisit certain places more than once as well as have time to rest and explore the local shops.

In these areas, we drop down a little in luxury. But it’s a mix we would book ourselves if we were traveling alone.

Typical tourists spend more time driving than anything else. Cheaper tours include camping and rustic accommodations. This isn’t that either.

You’ll be comfortable every night (no camping or dirty hotels).

We added extra days to ensure we get the photos we want without being rushed. And we skip the touristy museums and stuff that just fills time. You won’t be disappointed.

Using the power of a group and a mix of hotel options, we got what is generally an $11,000 tour, down to two thirds the price. And we still include your gratuities and single supplement fees.

We eliminated A LOT of driving and have arranged our itinerary for multiple nights at most locations to ensure we get good photos and really get to “see” the place. We won’t waste your time going to un-photogenic areas or set-up-for-tourists spots.  

We shaved more than $3,000 off the cost of our tour and you can save a lot more by registering early so we can benefit from maximum book-ahead deals and lock in great rates at the upscale accommodations. 

It’s a great price for a 12-day tour.

Full Price: $6,999   

• All tips, gratuities and single supplement fees included. You won’t find a trip and instruction of this caliber for this price ANYWHERE!

Your registration includes: 

• Almost everything including your food and gratuities

• 11 days of shooting out and about in the wild and wonderful landscape of Namibia

• 12 nights’ accommodation in lodges, mid-range tent camps and hotels of Marriott quality or higher

• All your single supplement fees so you don’t need to share a room with a stranger

• A catamaran cruise

• Photographic drives, walks and hikes, many of which will be on private reserves with limited access, where we’ll have an uncrowded, authentic experience

• Breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, tea, water daily except where noted

• All activity and park entry fees and photography permits

• Gratuities for your lodge and hotel staff

• Gratuities for your guide 

• All in-country transportation  

• Pre-trip guidance including what to expect, what to pack travel tips, and more 

• Several opportunities to photograph at sunrise and sunset in all the best places

• Time to rest when other tours run you ragged, wasting your time on boring tourist stuff

• Airport transfers are included if you stick to the itinerary but if you arrive early or stay late, you’ll need to arrange your own transfers through the hotel. We can help you with this. 

Your registration does NOT include: 

• Your roundtrip flight to Namibia (Windhoek airport code: WDH)- we recommend connecting through Frankfurt or Johannesburg.

• Equipment—you must bring your own camera and accessories (e.g., memory cards, tripod, etc.)

• Alcoholic beverages

• Travel insurance (highly recommended)

• Covid-related expenses

• Laundry