In April 2027, we will be leading a group to the Namib desert in Namibia, Africa. This time we're doing things differently. Instead of our usual style, we're going full overland adventure! That means total freedom to stop whenever we spot something incredible and shoot to our hearts' content. We’ve designed this trip to hit that sweet spot: maximum photographic opportunities, plenty of flexibility, and still really comfortable places to crash at night. And the best part? We can haul as much camera gear as we want — so bring everything you need. No holding back.

This part of Namibia is straight-up magical. Imagine mountains and valleys completely carpeted in pale, ivory-colored grass, ancient riverbeds weaving through the landscape, and beautiful acacia trees scattered everywhere. Then, just to blow your mind, massive snake-like dunes rise up out of the grasslands like they’re the rooftops of some hidden underground world.

These wild, dramatic landscapes are stunning in real life… but when you freeze them in a photo — those sweeping meadows, rugged mountains, and fiery blood-red dunes — you’ll quickly see why photographers get totally addicted to this place.

The Namib is believed to be the oldest desert on Earth, and the Namib-Naukluft Park is packed with five epic regions: Namib, Sandvis, Naukluft, Sesriem, and Sossusvlei. Those famous apricot-colored dunes at Sossusvlei? They’re ridiculously beautiful. Plus, you’ll see herds of mountain zebra, gemsbok (desert oryx), springbok, and ostriches roaming around like they own the place.

TRIP Highlights

Private overland safari with a relaxed, fun pace while hitting all the best spots in Namibia
We’re visiting four incredible destinations: the iconic Sossusvlei, the stunning Namib Rand, the eerie abandoned mining town of Kolmanskop, and the ancient quiver tree forest near Keetmanshoop
Plenty of quality shooting time at every location — we’re not rushing through anything
Photograph the towering, mind-blowing dunes of Sossusvlei, including the famous Dead Vlei
Super small group — only 5 participants max

The Schedule

April 4, 2027
Windhoek, Namibia

On arrival at Windhoek you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

April 5, 2025 - Windhoek to Keetmanshoop

A 5-hour drive south of Windhoek brings us to the small town of Keetmanshoop. We will arrive in time to settle in to the guesthouse and then head straight out into the town’s main attraction: the Quiver tree forest for which this area is quite famous. These ancient trees are in a protected reserve where you are able to walk freely amongst them, photographing their intricate forms from every angle. There will be opportunity to photograph the trees at night, crating beautiful silhouettes against the night sky. This a perfect location for star trail photography.

April 6, 2027 - Keetmanshoop to Lüderitz

We will be early for another early morning session in the quiver trees. After breakfast we will head off towards Lüderitz, visiting the wild horses along the way. Drive time is 4 hours. We plan on having lunch in the small town of Aus after our time with the wild horses. When we arrive in Lüderitz we will stay at the Nest hotel, situated perfectly on the edge of the ocean. There is good landscape photography right in front of the hotel and also the architecturally styled town. The main reason for our visit is to photograph the deserted mining town of Kolmanskop.

April 7, 2027 - Lüderitz / Kolmanskop

Early morning shoot at Kolmanskop, as well as an afternoon shoot. Today the ghost town's crumbling ruins bear little resemblance to its former glory. The former stately homes, their grandeur now scoured and demolished by the wind, are gradually being enveloped by the encroaching sand dunes. These scenes make for wonderful photography. Expect soft lines, old ruins, ripples in the sand, light shafts and scenes of a time gone by. We will have special photographic permits to enable you to be in at sunrise before regular visitors. The same applies for the afternoon where we will be allowed to stay until sunset.

April 8, 2027 - Lüderitz to Namib Rand

Early morning shoot at Kolmanskop, followed by a short drive to Aus for lunch. We will drive to the Namib Rand Reserve and to Wolwedans. Drive time is approximately 5 hours. Namib Rand Nature Reserve has earned the reserve high honors with the International Dark-Sky Association, which acknowledges the NamibRand Nature Reserve as an International Dark Sky Reserve. The group will be spending 2 nights in the heart of the Namib rand amongst the dunes, grass and camelthorn trees for 4 twilight shoots and some nighttime light painting below a milky way so bright that it casts a shadow below the African trees. Here we have full freedom of movement. With the reserve being exceptionally photogenic you will be led to some of its most scenic locations to capture truly classic desert scenes.

The open grasslands are stunning for photographs. Use the mountains as backgrounds, or one of the large camelthorn trees that seem to dot the plains in an almost always-picturesque spot. These provide perfect subjects in amongst the grass fields, especially if you have a dramatic sky behind them. Due to the heat of the desert land, rain often falls from the sky but does not make it onto land, getting caught in updrafts of heated air. This often happens once a storm’s intensity has just passed or the following morning when most of the storm has dissipated but there is still rain in the atmosphere. The phenomenon that occurs is called “ghost rain” and happens when the sunlight catches the rain in the air, painting it beautiful colors of pink and orange. Coupled with this, it almost guarantees a rainbow in the sky. During the rainy season ghost rain and rainbows a regularly seen after storms and are quite a climatic feature of the area. Photographically this is like winning the lotto and you need only “place a subject in your frame” in such instances to make a stunning image.

Many of the rocky mountains and hills are very dark brown/black in color. This contrasts very nicely against the color of the grass. You can either photograph these from the grasslands themselves, or walk up onto the hills to get some perspective over the whole area. Either way, the color contrast works very well.

One of the highlights of the area is the large camelthorn trees. These often grow along the water drainage lines, but sometimes are free standing. Their large form and graphic shape make them excellent photographic subjects-either as the main interest in a photo or just as part of a scene. Being in a reserve where you can stay out at night these trees, due to their graphic and well-defined branches also become perfect subjects for night-time star images. You can either ‘paint’ the trees with a flashlight to bring out the detail in the tree or photograph them as a straight silhouette against the night sky. Night skies here can only be described as remarkable. If no moon is out you will not see better stars anywhere else in the world. With subjects such as acacia and quiver trees to use as subjects, you have a great ability to capture the beauty of the night skies in all their splendor.

April 9, 2027 - Namib Rand

All day of shooting in the Namib Rand Reserve.

April 10, 2027 - Namib Rand to Sossusvlei

Morning outing in the Namib Rand, followed by a short drive to Sossusvlei and the towering sand dunes.

The Namib-Naukluft Park covers 19,215 square miles (50,000 km2) of desert savannah grasslands, gypsum and quartz plains, granite mountains, an estuarine lagoon, a canyon and huge, drifting dunes. The five main regions of the park are the Namib, Sandvis, Naukluft, Sesriem and Sossusvlei areas.

The Kuiseb River runs through the center of the park from east to west and acts as a natural boundary separating the northern grayish-white gravel plains from the southern deserts. Herds of mountain zebra, gemsbok, springbok and flocks of ostrich roam the region. Many small, fascinating creatures have uniquely adapted to this environment and help make this one of the most interesting deserts in the world. The dunes are home to numerous unique creatures, such as the translucent Palmato gecko, shovel-nosed lizard and Namib golden mole.

Sossusvlei, in the southern region, has the highest sand dunes in the world, exceeding 1,000 feet (300 m). The base of the second highest sand dune in the world can be closely approached by vehicle. The hike along the knife-edge rim to the top is strenuous, requiring 60–90 minutes of taking two steps up and sliding one step down. The view from the top into other valleys and of the mountains beyond is marvelous. Even up there, colorful beetles, ants and other desert critters roam about. Sunrise on these magnificent and colorful dunes is spectacular. Afternoon outing to photograph the towering dunes, as the long shadows set in with the waning sun.

April 11, 2027 - Sossusvlei / Dead Vlei

Today we will rise out of bed early and head towards one of our favorite shooting locations in Namibia, Dead Vlei. The camelthorn trees contained within the dry lake bed of Dead Vlei are reported to be more than 800 years old, and they make for fantastic photographic subjects in the early morning light. As the sun rises in the sky the shadow from the towering sand dunes rake across the desert floor. The photographic drama is always a highlight of a Namibia trip! In the afternoon we will continue our photography amongst the tallest sand dunes on our planet.

April 12, 2027 - Sossusvlei / Dead Vlei

Today the group will either return to Dead Vlei for a second attempt, or spend time amongst the gigantic sand dunes that line the valley floor.

April 13 - Sossusvlei to Windhoek

After a morning shoot and a breakfast we head back to the town of Windhoek and onwards to the hotel for a farewell dinner. Additional nights can easily be arranged if you would like to fly home at a later time. This is unfortunately the end of a fantastic landscape safari.

April 14 - Flight back home

The Cost

The cost of this all-inclusive safari is $14,750 per person. The same rate applies for each participant regardless of whether they are doing photography or not. This fee includes everything from when you arrive in Namibia until you leave.

Due to the limited number of spaces available, with a maximum of 5, if a solo guest is willing to share a room and we can match with another guest of the same gender, we will do so. If a solo guest is unwilling to share, then a single supplement of $1,800 will be charged.

What Do I Do Next?
Our groups are small, so space is limited. If this exciting trip has your name on it; if you're excited by the thought of becoming a member of this trip, then now is the time to register. Remember, there will be limited space available for this workshop. When they're spoken for, that's it. If you have any questions before registering, send us an e-mail with any inquiries to hello@andybiggs.com.

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Namibia Overland Photographic Small Group Journey, April 2027

TRIP Highlights

The Schedule

The Cost

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