Namibia is a big, big place with vast distances to cover to get from one highlight to the next. For some, long journeys by road between destinations are all part of the experience. For others, it’s all about getting from A to B as quickly as possible. It’s for these people that fly-in safaris are designed.
Swapping hours on the road for spending a fraction of the time in the air gives fly-in safari enthusiasts more time to enjoy spotting wildlife or relaxing in camp. (For the record, an hour spent flying covers the same distance as 6 hours of driving.) But with this speed comes extra expense - price being the trade-off you have to accept when choosing to fly-in rather than drive.
If you’re travelling in a group that can fill a 10 to 12 seater plane, chartering flights for your Namibia experience is likely to be worth it. Smaller groups as well as couples and solo travellers can book seats on scheduled flights.
Either way, if you’re planning a long safari of 10 days +, you might want to consider combining fly-ins with self-drives and private guided tours, so you get the full Namibia experience - with the added bonus of seeing the country’s vast deserts, rugged mountains and remote wilderness laid out beneath you from the air.
Not sure this is the right fit? You may also want to explore a Namibia self-drive safari or private guided safari.
Travel light – Expect strict limits to be placed on the weight of the luggage you can take aboard any chartered or scheduled flight. The aircraft you’ll be travelling on will likely be small, light, and propellor driven with a luggage limit of around 10kg per passenger. Such limits are in place because, being a hot country, Namibia has thin air, so it’s important for planes not to be overloaded.
Charter flights – Travelling in a big group? You might want to consider chartering a private aeroplane for your fly-ins if there are enough of you to fill all the seats (aircraft are usually 10 to 12 seaters).
Expect delays – An elephant on the runway probably isn’t something you’ve encountered before in airports in your home country. But wildlife can wander onto airstrips in Namibia, causing delays. It’s why pilots will always fly-by the strip to check everything’s clear before coming into land. The weather can also affect flights especially during the wet season, but if you accept these potential delays as part of the experience, you’ll enjoy yourselves all the more.
Bring binoculars – The views through a plane’s portholes are even more spectacular when enjoyed through a pair of binoculars. They’ll get you closer to the action on the ground, whether the focus of attention is a herd of elephant, giraffe or zebra, or a lone hunting lion.
Our fly-in itineraries are shaped by what you tell us you want from your experience. Helpful questions include:
From the information you give us, we’ll create your perfect itinerary with fly-ins built in to your schedule. We’ll pick the places to stay that have private airstrips nearby where you can land and catch a transfer by road to camp. All flights will be provided by well-established and highly trusted local aviation companies who comply with strict aircraft maintenance and flight safety standards.
For the best views of wildlife and the landscape from the aeroplane window, visiting during the dry season is recommended. This runs from May/June to October. Other times of year are classed as the wet season, so there’s more greenery and more rain which can affect visibility and can cause flight delays. More info about when to visit Namibia.
Flying between destinations gives you scope to do and see more in less time. That said, we still recommend you devote as much time as you can to your Namibia safari experience.
You can see plenty on a short fly-in safari to Namibia. You could choose to fly in to two or three camps and sites during the course of the week, or visit multiple sites to ensure you see as much of the country as possible.
Expect to be able to visit at least 5 different locations in Namibia when you have this much time for your safari. One of our pre-organised fly-in tours gives people a chance to visit NamibRand, Sossusvlei, Skeleton Coast, Kaokoland and Etosha in 11 days, spending two days and nights in each location before heading to the capital Windhoek for the flight home.
With this much time on your side, your itinerary can be comprehensive, and you might like to mix it up a bit with some self-drives and private guided tours as well as your fly-ins.
Contact us to tailor-make a 2-3 week fly-in or combo trip just for you.
What guarantee do I have that on arrival, everything is sorted and arranged as per the planned itinerary?
What are the luggage restrictions?
Which company do you use for charter flights?
Whether you want a safari full of fly-ins, or a trip that includes some self-drive days and/or a private guided tour or two, we can help.
We’ve been creating Namibia safari itineraries for travellers for over 35 years, so we know what questions to ask you when preparing your plan, and the best places to stay and things to do while you’re here.
Contact our friendly team today to get the ball rolling on your visit to Namibia. We’re ready to help ensure your trip to this wonderful country becomes the experience of a lifetime you’ve always dreamed of.
"A dream come true"
We had the most amazing family holiday, everything worked so perfectly, the arrangements and accommodation was spectacular!
"Unforgettable trip to Namibia – Thank you Namibia Tours & Safaris!"
We are a group of four from Romania and spent 3 unforgettable weeks in Namibia. We can't recommend them enough, and for any future travels in Namibia or other parts of Africa, we will definitely use their services again.
"We had a great experience"
From the time we put the key in the ignition till we boarded the plane in Windhoek nothing went wrong.
"Unforgettable bird photography trip in Namibia"
It was a fantastic experience, everything was very well organised, went smooth and according to expectations. It was our first self drive in Africa and it was a great, unforgettable time.
