Namibia, and in particular Swakopmund, is a memorable and diverse destination for a family holiday. These were some of the most amazing few days I have spent with my family in a long time!

We arrived at Windhoek Airport (Hosea Kutako International Airport) and I could not believe how organised and friendly the staff at this small airport were.

It is an approximately 4 hour drive, but it felt like only two as we watched the desert pass us by and chatted about what we were going to do on our holiday. We stopped for some arts and crafts next to the road and bargained with the locals for some of their souvenirs.

We arrived in Swakopmund and booked into our lovely Guesthouse, Stay@Swakop (who by the way makes a very delicious breakfast), where we would be based for the remainder of the holiday.

We hadn’t prebooked any day tours or activities before we arrived as we wanted to do this as a family and it would require a lot of discussion. My family is really diverse so we had to put our negotiating skills into action again!

The first tour that we decided on was The Living Desert Tour and this was an amazing start to our week. They collected us in a 4×4 vehicle and took us on an adventure drive through the dunes just outside Swakopmund. It was completely exhilarating and quite an adrenalin rush.

The dunes are spectacular but our guide Tommy showed us a lot more than just sand. We learnt about the hidden life in the Namib Desert and we were astounded by the amount of all the living creatures surviving in those harsh conditions. One of my favourite creatures was the little sand diving lizard dancing around on the hot sand. Tommy showed us a little trick with this small lizard and he made it grab onto my ear, wow, it had such a strong grip I’m sure it would have made a lovely pair of earrings had its friend come along to join us.

We had bottomless opportunities for adventure in Swakopmund so the next day we went on a quad bike ride through the dunes. This adventure is definitely not for the feint hearted. I gave it my best for the first twenty minutes but I must admit I was defeated and the guide was kind enough to give me a lift for the rest of the Tour. It was the most fun I had had in a long time as we raced up and down through the sand dunes. Whoop Whoop! Going with the guide definitely made my day as he was scared of nothing!

After all that action, it was time for a day of relaxing and shopping and that was exactly what we did. We explored all the shops and restaurants in town and admired the arts and crafts of the extremely talented locals.

On our last day we decided to go on the Moon Landscape Tour and we learnt more about the nature that is found in Namibia. We drove through the Welwitchia , Moon Landscape and Swakop River Canyon, passing through breathtaking rock formations and where we could see the historical Welwitchia plant. The landscape changed so quickly from desert to rock to sea, I was astounded by the beauty of it all and the wide open spaces.

It was time for our holiday in Swakopmund came to an end and I have to say, we enjoyed every single moment of it. I can highly recommend travelling to this wonderful destination, you will not be disappointed!

Now that I have ticked Swakopmund off my bucket list, the next trip I do will be to head South from Swakopmund to Cape Town! I have always wanted to see more of the Namib Naukluft Park and the ancient desserts of Namibia. There is a huge variety of activities on this section of the tour too! One day I’ll be climbing Dune 45 to watch the sunrise, the next I’ll be standing on the edge of the second largest natural canyon in the world, The Fish River Canyon (can you believe it is over 500 million years old?!), and the next I’ll be running rapids on the Orange River which forms the border between Namibia and South Africa! So watch this space for my next blog!

If you would like to discover Namibia with Nomad, contact me on nomad@nomadtours.co.za and chat to me about my time in Namibia, I’ll tell you more about our tours that visit these areas!

Delta and Chobe Trail (This is the Southbound camping option, but we also do this tour in the opposite direction and in an accomodated option)

Desert Explorer (This is the Southbound camping option, but we also do this tour in the opposite direction and in an accomodated option)

Best of Namibia (This is the Southbound camping option, but we also do this tour in the opposite direction and in an accomodated option)

Desert and Delta (This is the Southbound camping option, but we also do this tour in the opposite direction and in an accomodated option)

Victoria Falls to Cape Town (This is the Southbound camping option)

Cape Town to Victoria Falls (This tour is also available in an accommodated option)