We’ve led multiple tours to Namibia over recent years and for this tour we’ve decided to to give people an experience of Namibia completely different from anything we’ve done before, taking people to parts of the country that are very rarely visited but no less awe-inspiring and photogenic. We’ll cover different facets of photography, taking in landscapes, aerial photography, wildlife and cultural portraiture as we cross Northern Namibia to some of the most remote and untouched parts of this incredible land.

We’ll start in Swakopmund where we’ll spend three days focusing on aerial photography in an included helicopter flight above the flamingo-filled estuary and dunes of Sandwich Harbor, as well as spending time on the local coastal desert wildlife. We’ll then move onto a private nature reserve adjacent to Etosha National Park where alongside game drives we’ll have exclusive access to a photographic hide allowing for stunning and intimate captures of the local wildlife including elephant, leopard, lion, cheetah, giraffe, springbok, and zebra. Finally we’ll head to one of the most remote corners of Namibia, Serra Cafema with it’s stunning landscapes and one of the few places where we can find Himba people who haven’t integrated into modern society.

Transport between each of the destinations is in privately charted small aircraft cutting out long, dusty, bumpy drives, and accommodation is in luxurious and exclusive lodges that are among the best in the country. The extreme Namibian heat starts fading during April and by May and the climate is cooler with longer nights, making an already luxurious experience into a more relaxing one as well.

As usual with my Namibia workshops, I’m delighted to be partnering with Hougaard Malan, one of South Africa’s finest photographers and experienced Namibia photography guides, along with leading Namibia travel and photography guide Jandre Germishuizen, for this really special trip. With more than a decade’s experience of photographing and leading tours here they’ll be guiding us as we visit Namibia’s most stunning landscapes.

This tour is limited to 10 participants with 3 guides, and like all my workshops is designed to ensure that you can focus on photography while we take care of everything else. This is a tour that will overload your senses with a vast range of of incredible subjects to photograph, from the aerial abstract patterns of Namibia's coastal estuaries, to the Himba crossing the dunes in their local habitat. From the large African classics like the white elephants of Etosha to the small wildlife like Palmato's gecko and the sand. We use all our experience and knowledge to help you get the best out of these incredible places and in the field we’re on hand to provide as much support as you need. A strong focus on all my workshops is on the quality of experience. From the accommodations and food to the photographic support, we want you to go home felling that not only has the trip helped you grow photographically, but has also created memories you’ll keep forever, as well as some great friends.

 Itinerary Breakdown

Swakopmund | 3 Nights

The workshop starts in Swakopmund and ends in Windhoek.

The closest arrival airport is Walvis Bay, which is a short drive away, but Windhoek (5 hour drive away) is also an option. Either way, you will be received at the airport by a driver with a name sign and transferred to our accommodation in Swakopmund, an attractive costal town on the edge of the Skeleton Coast. Between the photography there will be freshly roasted coffee, great restuarants and several presentations to brief you on the days to come. The first key part of our photographic focus here will be aerial photography. Included in the tour is a 90-minute helicopter flight in a Bell 206 to seek out the abstract patterns and colours of Namibia's arid coastline, as well as the estuary of sandwich harbor with it’s millions of flamingos.

(There will be an option to do a second flight if anyone wants to - not included in the price)

The second part of our photographic focus is the famous micro-wildlife of Dorob National Park. There are two animals in particular that are as photogenic as the famous red-eyed tree frog - Palmato's Gecko and Peringuey's Adder. The first has translucent skin, oversized eyes and a beautiful pastel colour palette that makes for stunning photos. The second burrows under the sand to reveal only it's eyes in one of nature's most astonishing shows of camouflage. We'll be doing a privately guided trip with an expert guide to photograph these elusive animals.

For those who haven't been to the Skeleton coast on one of our previous tours, there is also the option of a sunset outing to Sandwich harbour or a cruise in Walvis Bay to photograph flamingoes.

Accommodation at The Delight Hotel

Etosha | 4 Nights

On the 4th day of the trip we will board a charter flight of approximately 75 minutes from Swakopmund Airport to Etosha National Park where we’ll spend four nights.

Etosha NP is one of the largest wildlife parks in the world at just under 23000sqkm, which is larger than many countries. It is famous for it's gigantic white pan and white dust-covered elephants. It has a phenomenal diversity and quantity of wildlife; elephant, rhino, all the big cats, infinite antelope and amazing bird life. It also has breathtaking skies in late summer, when we'll be visiting. Combined with a perfectly flat landscape, it offers the opportunity for stunning photos of animals in the landscape with emotive skies above; the African classic.

We’ll be staying at Onguma, an adjacent private nature reserve, which shares a massive border with Etosha that the animals freely cross. This offers us the best of Etosha with luxurious accommodation and food, well maintained game-drive vehicles and the best of all; Namibia's brand new photographic hides which allow us intimate access to the animals while they are oblivious to our presence.

As the hide has a limited capacity the group will be split in two, rotating between time in the hide, drives on Onguma’s reserve and drives into Etosha NP. We will have private game drive vehicles, with only one person per row of seats, ensuring that you get the best possible opportunities to capture Etosha. For those who haven't been on serious wildlife photography trips before, it is usually slightly more relaxed than landscape trips. After a morning drive or hide session, there will be time to download, cull and do some preliminary edits. Then lunch and an afternoon nap, before heading out to shoot again.

We’ll stay there for four nights as Etosha is a destination that doesn't reveal its secrets easily. It requires time, familiarisation with the animals and their movements and a lot of patience. As you're travelling haflway around the world to capture it's iconic scenes, we want to ensure that you have an authentic, engaging time there to connect to the place and get a feeling for what we are trying to capture.

Accommodation at The Fort, Onguma

Serra Cafema (Hartmann's Valley) | 4 Nights

On the 9th day of the tour, we'll get back on our plane and head for one of the most remote places in the world - Hartmann's Valley. Imagine the deserts of Sossusvlei with massive geometric mountains and a wide perennial river meandering through it and just a few hundred tourists per year.

Hartmann's Valley is situated in the very North-western corner of Namibia on the banks of the Kunene - Namibia's only perennial river. It is the home to the untouched, nomadic Himba tribes. To the west lies 50km of dunes and then the atlantic, in all other directions lie formidable mountain ranges and uninhabitable desert. We encourage you to take a look on google maps/earth - it truly is one of the most remote parts of our planet.

However the remoteness doesn’t mean we won’t stay there in comfort. Our accommodation is Wilderness Safaris' Serra Cafema lodge. The Wilderness group is the pioneer of bringing luxury to the middle of nowhere and doing so sustainably, in support of the indigenous people.

We’re not just staying here for the luxurious lodge though - Hartmann's Valley offers an incredibly unique landscape that will burn itself into your memory. That landscape also offers unique photographic opportunities with wildlife, but the highlight of this destination is the Himba people as it’s one of the few remaining place where they can be seen in their authentic natural habitat rather than having integrated into modern culture.

During our time here we’ll explore the local area for landscape and wildlife opportunities and have some time to photograph the Himba people in their natural environment.

Accommodation at Serra Cafema

Windhoek | 1 Night

On the second last day of our tour, we'll take a flight back to Windhoek (with a refuel stop) and check into the Weinberg hotel, we're we'll unwind, do some editing and have a final group dinner.

Accommodation at The Weinberg, Windhoek

End of Tour

If you would prefer to spend another night in Windhoek to remove the stress of catching your flight, we would be more than happy to arrange it for you

WHAT WE DO (AND WHAT WE WANT YOU TO GET FROM this WORKSHOP)

Our aim is to take you to beautiful locations and give you every opportunity to get great images while improving your technique over the course of the workshop.  We direct out time to being outdoors and we limit the number of participants on our workshop to just ten which gives us plenty of time with everyone in the field, meaning either myself, Hougaard or Jandre will be close at hand to give you any advice or help you need, from composition to whether to use a filter. From the beginning of your time with us we can identify your photographic level and what you’d like to focus on, and then tailor the sessions accordingly.  

We carefully select the dates of our workshops to try and make sure we are in each location at the best time of year.  In Namibia, May means cooler temperatures and a respite from the searing desert heat, as well as earlier sunsets which means we have the opportunity to shoot Namibia’s incredible dark skies without having to stay awake till the middle of the night.

2025 will be Hougaard’s 13th year running photo tours to Namibia and the recipe is constantly being fine-tuned to ensure that guests have the best possible experience. Every single restaurant, lodge and shoot is meticulously planned on the back of nearly a decade of experience.

Finally, we want to share with you our passion for nature and landscape photography in this incredible place. Travelling in such small groups means we can quickly build a great learning environment where people feel comfortable together and at ease with asking questions and making the absolute most of the trip. We aim to make your experience here in the beautiful landscapes of Namibia a memorable one and a trip from which, as well as getting some great images from amazing locations, you’ll also go home having had a true adventure with great company in a very special place.