Tour the desert for a full day, seeing Moon Landscape, Welwitschia, Blutkoppe, Ganab and Vogelvederberg
Experience the harsh beauty of the Namib desert for a day. Enjoy this full day private tour through the arid Namibian desert. You will see the Welwitchia, Blutkoppe, Ganab and Vogelvederberg. Each of these has their own attraction, each as pretty as the next!
Quiver tree 
Ground Squirrel 
Vogelvederberg
Your adventure to Ganab starts at your accommodation. Picking you up at your address in Walvis Bay with the tour vehicle, free of charge. You will be shown the scenic route to Ganab, across the vast desert gravel plains, stopping at the interesting places along the way.
Pickup time is not fixed, but agreed upon during the booking process. If arriving on a cruise liner, we will gladly come collect you from the ship inside the harbor gates. Enjoy the pictures below and imagine yourself on this fantastic tour of the desert as you read the descriptions of each spectacular place.
Dune 7 and the Dune Belt
South of the Kuiseb river there is a Dune sea stretching all the way to Luderitz and Sossusvlei. The Kuiseb river changes the landscape dramatically, dividing the landscape into dunes and gravel plains. At the mouth of the Kuiseb river the dunes are generally contained in the banks of the river. North of the C14 highway leaving Walvis Bay, the dunes are stretched out in a thin strip called the “Dune Belt”. This “Dune belt” stretches all the way to the Swakop river, and then there are no more dunes.
Leaving Walvis Bay the landscape changes from beach to desert. On the way to Dune 7 you will have the opportunity to see the “Bird Paradise”. The fresh water lakes at the paradise is formed by the waste water of Walvis Bay being pumped into the desert. The Flamingo love it, and there are a few good photo opportunities of the landscape with contrast between the green reeds and the surrounding dunes. Along the C14 is the railway track as well as the power lines supplying Walvis Bay.
Dune 7 is by far the most popular dune in this belt, with a nice picnic area maintained by Dune 7 Adventures. Dune 7 Adventures makes some pretty good coffee and have tidy toilet facilities. At Dune 7 you can climb the dune to take in the surrounding landscape. Your guide will gladly accompany you, and point out some of the landmarks from the vantage point of the top of the dune.
Leaving Dune 7 you can see a few untouched dunes for some real “Lawrence of Arabia” type of photos along the dune belt. This belt has served as location for a few movies like 10,000 BC and Flight of the Phoenix, among many others. For the most part you can watch the dunes go by as the landscape unfolds on the very nice tarred road to the Swakop river. At the Swakop river the dune belt is left behind, and the landscape changes to gravel plains.
Welwitschia Plains
The Welwitschia Miriabilis likes to hang out in places that are quite remote, and dry. This plant is a true ancient, lacking many of the features of modern plants. On the road to Blutkoppe there is an opportunity to view these ancient dwellers of the driest bits of the Namib.
The nicest specimens lie north of the impressive Swakop river canyon. Unfortunately, the road there is usually badly corrugated, like many of the roads in Namibia. Sit back and enjoy the “Namibian massage” while the landscape unfolds from canyon to flat gravel plains again. It’s only 23 km to the Welwitschia plains.
At the Welwitschia plains you can view these plants up close, and read up on all the interesting information on display. Once you have marveled at these natural wonders, we turn back to the road to Blutkoppe and eventually Ganab.
Blutkoppe
Blutkoppe is a fine example of an inselberg that are common in this area. You can access a more complete description of Blutkoppe here. Suffice it to say that this is a really scenic place. As this is already in the high desert, it gets pretty warm in the winter, and quite a lot hotter in the summer! So, make sure you have light clothes and a good hat.
You will have plenty of opportunity to stretch your legs here, and can walk up the side of the mountain for a better view of the surrounding desert. On this adventure to Ganab, this is usually a good spot to find some shade for setting up lunch.
Tinkas and Rock Arch
Tinkas is the name of the river that passes East of Blutkoppe. In wetter years, there might even be a little water in the dam. You will leave the nicely prepared roads and enjoy a little slow driving over rough terrain to the dam and natural rock arch. Along this road there are quite a few interesting sites to see, and plenty of opportunity to stop for photos. The landscape is rugged, varied in both texture and color, and makes for epic landscapes.
Ganab
The road to Ganab is usually badly corrugated. Same as the road to the Welwitschia, the vehicle can handle this sort of thing, but it’s noisy. You will be provided with some earplugs if you need them.
Ganab has a watering hole, camp sites and a base station of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism close by. Also at Ganab is a secret camp site that has truly incredible views. The watering hole attracts all sorts of wildlife, and it is only after a few years of drought that this area is abandoned by wildlife.
Always present at Ganab is a small colony of ground squirrel. We come here for the wildlife, and will spend as long as you want to photograph them.
The road back from Ganab
In an effort not to bore you with driving the same road that you came with, the road past Vogelvederberg is shorter. From Ganab to Vogelvederberg the road has some corrugated patches, it’s best to just sit back and enjoy the “Namibian massage” one more time while watching the landscape unfold. 50 km away from Walvis Bay is the Vogelvederberg. After stretching our legs at Vogelvederberg the road is perfect, and the landscape down to the coast unfolds quite nicely in relative silence.
The rolling gravel plains slowly give way to sand…
Details
- Duration: 10 hours
- Activity level: Moderate/relaxed
Inclusions
- Cool bottled mineral water, still & sparkling
- Free pickup in Walvis Bay or Swakopmund
- Private, air conditioned transport
- Local guide
Optional Extras
- Special or alcoholic beverages
- Food for lunch on the tour
- Pickup in the port, at your cruise liner
Pickup Services
- Free in Walvis Bay or Swakopmund:
- Your adventure starts at your accommodation because your private tour guide will pick you up with the tour vehicle.
- Time:
- Contact us for free help in picking the best time. As this is an all day long tour, earlier is better.
- Your pickup is fixed during the booking process.
- Cruise liners:
- If you are arriving on a cruise liner, you have the option of being collected you from the ship, inside the harbor gates.
Booking – Email
If you are interested in this tour, you are welcome to contact us for some human interaction. The booking will be made for you with the information from our chat. We love hearing from you, so even if you do not want to book the tour, and just want some more information, you are still welcome to drop us an email.
Alternatively, drop us a line on the contact form below and we will come back to you!