Of Roaring Dunes & Thundering Shores - 12 Days Namibia Honeymoon Fly In Safari

Explore the rugged area on a morning or afternoon game drive learning about its remarkable flora and fauna including the giraffe research that is conducted in this area.

With your guide you can track the elusive desert-adapted black rhino on foot. Available to children aged 12 and over.

Spend time with the local Himba and Herero communities, understanding their unique cultures. In the case of the Himbas, they represent one of the last true nomadic tribes of Africa

Enjoy a walk with one of our experet guides as you discover the surrounding area on foot.

The dangerous beauty of Skeleton Coast
.

Either on your way to the lodge from Möwe Bay or returning from the lodge, you will see what is left of the victims of this treacherous coastline: Decaying ships, the remains of a Ventura Bomber and the abandoned Westies Diamond Mine bear witness to the unforgiving nature of this arid landscape. You will also visit the seal colony.

The music of the Namib.


Embark on a sundowner drive to the Roaring Dunes where the desert’s voice can be heard.


Or watch the sun disappear into the Atlantic Ocean.

All along the river… Spend your morning exploring the Hoarusib River. Visit the Clay Castles, a striking geological formation. You might even spot the elusive desert-adapted elephants, brown hyenas and lions.

Seaside lunch
...

Weather permitting, enjoy a scrumptious lunch on the vast empty beach.
Feel the crisp sea-breeze tousle your hair and ponder the meaning of life
 as the ocean washes onto the pristine sand in its unending ebb and flow.

Join one of our guides on a scenic drive over the Roaring Dunes . This excursion will only be conducted in an area specifically allocated for the purpose by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to minimise the effects on the environment.
The tour takes approximately 1.5 hours and is for one guest per quad. As a safety precaution the minimum age is 16 years.

For the more adventurous at heart, join us for dune boarding.

This is done by lying down on a polished board while you slide down the dune headfirst. Speeds of up to 80km/h can be reached.

When you reach this ultra-remote location, you’ll be rewarded with a fascinating landscape. Visit some of the world’s most unusual and picturesque locations, such as the red dunes or the Moon Valley. You can also visit the mysterious fairy circles, perfectly rounded shapes of desert sand in otherwise lush fields. The fascinating circles inspire speculation – were they created by gods, aliens, wild animals… or something else?

You can visit an authentic Himba village and meet the tribespeople, to get a taste of their lives and culture. See how they have adapted to desert life, including their unusual skincare routine. They use ochre pigment for protection from the harsh desert climate, giving their skin and hair a distinctive reddish hue. We’re grateful to have a close and respectful relationship with the local Himba people.

Get a croc’s-eye-view of the scenery with a cruise along the Kunene in a small pontoon boat. You’ll spot plenty of crocodiles, as well as native birds and plant life. The river forms part of the border with Angola, and you may be able to stop for a peaceful sundowner on the Angolan side of the riverbank. (The boat cruise is not always available from September-November, depending on rainfall)

Walking puts the scale of this epic landscape in perspective. Enjoy a magical early-morning trek along one of the mountain chains that enclose and protect the Marienfluss Valley. Witness the morning rituals of birds and wildlife. A sundown climb is another must, and your effort will be rewarded with exquisite mountaintop views.

The camp features 6 state-of-the-art e-bikes for you to use and explore the surrounding landscapes. Each bicycle is equipped with a helmet, a spare battery for longer journeys and panier bags on the sides to store your belongings. These bicycles can be used at any time, however we recommend you start early in the morning with a 3-kilometre guided ride to the boat station followed by an early morning boat cruise on the Kunene River.

The Dream Cruiser is Onguma's newest and most unique under the stars sleep-out experience.

Arriving in time to enjoy sundowners and take a tour of your overnight accommodation, this sleep out in the wilderness of the reserve is on our custom built Land Cruiser, featuring a full bathroom on the lower deck and a bedroom with lounge area on the upper deck.

A night on the Dream Cruiser calls for al fresco picnic-style dining is delivered by our chef for you to enjoy as the evening turns to night and the stars dance in all their glory.
A ranger is on call via a two-way radio, so make the most of this time and relax in the safety and complete comfort of this unique space.

After a good night's rest, you can enjoy morning tea/coffee with homemade rusks before being collected for breakfast at the lodge.

Onguma's fabulous new water-level hide affords guests a great opportunity to calmly sit and enjoy nature unobserved. Amateur and professional photographers alike love the angles and light from this equipped hide.

There is a small ablution facility nearby, benches from which to view the surroundings and lots of windows and vantage points for creative camera angles.

Onguma Nature Reserve consists of 34 000 hectares of Namibian wilderness & is home to numerous plains game, more than 300 bird species ​and even 4 of the Big 5. ​The Reserve boasts over thirty different animal species. Plains game roam freely on the Reserve and predators although not always easy to spot, are nevertheless common residents of the area. Lions and Cheetahs are frequently seen and often heard. There is a healthy black rhino and leopard population and hyenas are also often seen and heard.

Etosha is a 22 750km² wildlife sanctuary in Namibia – one of Africa’s most stable and accessible countries. Etosha, meaning ‘place of dry water’, and refers to a flat calcrete depression (or pan) of about 5 000km². The ‘Pan’ (overlooked by the Onguma Reserve) provides a great, parched, silver-white backdrop of shimmering mirages to an area of semi-arid savannah grassland and thorn scrub. The pan itself contains water only after very good rains and sometimes for only a few days each year, but is enough to stimulate the growth of a blue-green algae which lures thousands of flamingos.

Africa takes on a new perspective when you experience it on foot as the first explorers did. A bush walk is a unique physical, mental and spiritual adventure through nature. Experience the sights, smells and sounds of the Namibian bush by conducting an early morning leisurely walk accompanied by one of our experienced armed rangers.

​Johan, our resident therapist, is a professional massage therapist with over 15 years experience, having lived and worked at renowned Wellness Centres in Asia and Africa. His passion for and dedication to massage therapy originated in the East, where he was trained and educated from the best teachers in their respective fields. Having the opportunity to spend considerable time with monks in Thailand, has also led him to incorporate focused awareness into his massage therapies.

We offer:
- Therapeutic Full Body Massage - 60 min – N$ 850 / 90 min
- Lymphatic Drainage Massage - 60 min
- Back Neck & Shoulder Massage - 45 min – N$ 600 / 60 min
- Head & Face Massage - 45 min
- Thai Foot Massage - 45 min
- Unique Combination of Therapeutic Massage & Thai Yoga Massage - 90 min

Morning or Afternoon Boat Cruises take you drifting down the unspoilt Kwando River. You may opt for morning or afternoon boat cruises.

You may wish to enjoy your breakfast on the boat while meandering down the Kwando.

The early morning suns rays reflect off the waters edge, the soothing sound of the water as it is gently broken by the bow of the boat cutting through the waters surface. Our guides steer the boats past varied landscapes of papyrus islands and reed floodplains and get within respectful distances of hippos, crocodiles, other mammals and the varied bird species this area is known for. An informative, yet soulful experience on waterways similar to that of the Okavango Delta.

Morning or afternoon Game Drives within the Bwabwata National Park.

As dawn breaks or the afternoon shadows lengthen our game drives depart to discover the unknown behind every bend within the Bwabwata National Park, uniquely located within the largest Conservation area in the World.
Our guides find the perfect stop to disembark and setup the morning coffee or sundowner refreshment in true legendary African style.

Duration: 3 hours

"As the midday sun retreats and the afternoon shadows lengthen we depart on a journey, an adventure to discover the unknown behind every bend. Observing every branch for a rare endemic bird, to be rewarded instead by an elusive leopard. The silence broken by the deep low rumble vibrating through the bush, which could only belong to a large herd of elephants. Out of nowhere they appear with a focused determination towards the life-giving water up ahead. Knuckles white, as I grip the seat of the game viewer, relishing the moment as a highlight of my journey through Africa."

Walking Safaris are an incredible way to experience the bush in a more personal and energetic way.

Our local guides take great delight in sharing their ancestral repertoire of medicinal uses of the flora along the way and their tales of the wild and their upbringing in this area. It is an experience, which connects and grounds any participant to our Earth.

As we are in a truly natural environment with lion, buffalo, elephants, leopard and other wildlife roaming these plains freely, we discourage guests under the age of 12.

An exclusive evening drive to view the nocturnal wildlife after your sundowner stop back to the Lodge.

A Boat cruise from the Lodge to Sijwa Island, where the Sijwa host will meet our guests and guide them through the project which was established by African Monarch Lodges as part of its endeavor to be sustainable and give back to the community and conservation by protecting the natural resources and developing the local community through a biodiverse economy. It is here where guests will be entertained and be enriched with local culture as they partake in a visit to the cultural village. A walk through the permaculture plants, recycling workshops where waste such as plastic, glass and cans are turned into beautiful artefacts for sale. Guests can buy and plant trees from our indigenous tree nursery to offset their carbon emissions at the project.

The Sijwa Project has a broad vision of empowering the local community by creating jobs, preserving traditional knowledge, teaching skills and conserving the surrounding environment through a variety of proposed activities. With the highest rate of unemployment in Namibia found in the Zambezi Region, the owners of African Monarch Lodges, carefully structured a project that will address some of these problems through a holistic approach. This bold project is multi-faceted and in the end self-sufficient. The Sijwa Project is the re-purposing and re-inventing of all recyclable waste from the African Monarch Lodges and from the local community, into exquisite saleable craft and art. It’s an organic permaculture nursery to supply food for local people and lodge guests (mitigating the air and road miles lodge food usually travels). It’s also a cultural village, artisanal skills training center, a beehive project, a free-range egg scheme and a junior ranger-training venue. Plus, it’s an indigenous tree nursery for visitors to buy and plant a tree to offset their carbon footprint, looked after by a local ‘tree guardian’.

We set a magical bush brunch on a private island under majestic trees which creates an authentic African Experience. Our Chef prepares eggs and bacon on the fire and an elaborate continental buffet is served.

Our management and staff take great pleasure in setting up these special experiences in the bush for our guests who are on honeymoon or celebrating a Birthday or Anniversary as well as for private parties or families travelling together.

For those specials occasions or celebrations we create the perfect experience at sunset at a prime location inside the park.

The famous Horseshoe Lagoon, with its vast herds of elephants is the most sought after spot for a sundowner and fresh homemade healthy snacks after an afternoon’s game drive. The evening’s warm starter is served whilst sitting barefoot in the sand soaking up the breathtaking sunsets together with hippos and large herds of elephants silhouetted over the water. An exclusive night drive, while viewing the nocturnal wildlife, takes you back home where a delicious meal awaits your guest.

Nothing tops a secluded personalized picnic under the canopy of majestic trees in the wild. A bottle of sparkling wine and a freshly prepared organic spread from our kitchen will set the scene for a truly spectacular vintage picnic safari.

Whether you are curious to explore ways to live a more mindful life, whether you would like to compliment your travels with time to rest and rejuvenate or you are a well-practised Yogi seeking to further your own practice - take part in one of our yoga retreats in the heart of the world's largest conservation area, exclusively hosted at Nambwa Tented Lodge. Please contact us to receive a complete itinerary of yoga retreats on offer.