Namibia Birding Tours

Our Namibia birding tours offer range-restricted bird specials, charismatic wildlife and fantastic open vistas which are sure to leave any outdoor enthusiast fully satisfied. Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a wonderfully unique southern African country. Located along the continent’s south-western coast, Namibia is perhaps best known for the similarly-named large desert that occupies much of this arid country – the Namib Desert. The country’s vast diamond reserves, its increasingly popular (and very tasty) oysters, and its superb wildlife-viewing all feature prominently in this country’s definite ‘must-visit’ appeal. With its sparsely populated interior, friendly people, and ease of traveling Namibia truly epitomizes the saying ‘don’t let appearances deceive you’ (with its mostly arid land deceptively harboring next-to-nothing to the first-time onlooker), and all of these factors and more make it one of the most rewarding and enjoyable destinations to travel throughout Africa and arguably even the world.

Namibia has close ties with neighboring South Africa, so much so that the South African Currency (ZAR – Rand) is legal tender in addition to the Namibian Dollar, and is an excellent ‘value-for-your-money’ destination. Namibia is also bordered by AngolaZambiaBotswana and the Atlantic Ocean. Although it is the most arid country in sub-Saharan Africa, Namibia boasts a vast collection of nature reserves and protected areas that harbor a wide array of wildlife, including all of southern Africa’s big game mammals. Etosha National Park, truly one of Africa’s great game parks, is one of the country’s most prominent reserves and draws guests from far and wide with its superb game viewing –which you’d be hard-pressed to beat anywhere in the world. Birdwatching in Namibia is equally excellent; despite the country having only one true endemic it has a great many near-endemics shared with either South Africa, Botswana, or Angola. The dry nature of the country makes for very easy birding, and our Namibia birding tours are a long-time favorite among our clients and guides alike!

Read More About Namibia

In addition to the incredible Etosha National Park Namibia has a great many other sites that are widely known for excellent bird-watching. These include the likes of the vast mudflats and salt flats of Walvis Bay and the mighty Spitzkoppe that rises out of the arid plains for all to see from an incredible distance. The Brandberg and Erongo Mountains host some of the best ‘desert-birding’ in the country, while the moister Waterberg Plateau hosts a similar suite of exciting species.  Large rivers form much of the country’s northern borders, with prime examples being the Kunene, Okavango, and Zambezi Rivers – all of which play a vital role in the life of the many birds and other wildlife that call this country home. The moist tropical-deciduous woodlands of the peculiar Caprivi Strip host an entirely different suite of birds and are an excellent supplement to the fantastic dry-country birding to be had elsewhere in Namibia.

Although a bird-watching tour to Namibia will not see you getting as many species as some of its neighboring countries, like South Africa (although it is not far removed), the many restricted and highly sought-after birds available in Namibia easily make up for this. Some of the specials which we are likely to see on our Namibian birding tours range from the desert-loving Rüppell’s Korhaan, Burchell’s Courser, Herero Chat, and both Gray’s and Dune Larks to the dry-woodland-restricted Rüppell’s Parrot, Monteiro’s Hornbill, Carp’s Tit, and Bare-cheeked Babbler. Rocky areas and the many mountainous zones hold the much-desired Hartlaub’s Spurfowl, Rockrunner, and Angolan Cave Chat, while the Kunene River to the north hosts the highly prized Cinderella Waxbill among others. The more tropical Caprivi Strip sees more-widespread species but still offers a number of prized specials such as Racket-tailed Roller, Souza’s Shrike, Sharp-tailed Starling, and a great many others. Ephemeral waterbodies in these areas offer further excellent tropical species, which include Wattled Crane, Dwarf Bittern, Allen’s Gallinule, Lesser Moorhen, and even the almost unknown Striped Crake. A visit to this southern African country is a must for any bird watcher and nature traveler alike.

Download Namibia Itineraries

Namibia & Botswana Birding & Photo Tour - From Desert to Delta September 2024/2025

Namibia, Okavango & Victoria Falls November 2024/2025

Owls of Southern Africa

Quintessential Namibia Birding & Wildlife Photo Tour September 2024/2025

Namibia Gallery

Testimonials from our Namibia birding tours

335 species of birds is a good start for highlights. Loved traveling across the county of Namibia to Botswana, birding tours are a great way to experience the many types of environments of the country.

Birding Ecotours provided an outstanding experience, from pre-trip communications, recommended air travel assistance, accommodations and most of all finding the birds.

Dominic Rollinson's first priority was to get everyone on the bird; only after everyone had gotten on the bird did he help folks who wanted a photo. His extensive knowledge as to where to find species and his tenacity in finding target species made this a very successful trip. Dom managed the trip seamlessly allowing participants to focus on enjoying the trip. I particularly appreciated his willingness to call out species we've seen throughout the trip as it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of birds being seen.

Mitch - On Dom and Namibia

I really enjoyed this tour in Namibia, which was full of many wonderful moments. We had great views of most of the over 400 bird species that we encountered, as well as all the animals. The scenery in the desert was awesome, and we had three spectacular sunsets at waterholes in the north of the country – quite the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen.

Pat - On Namibia

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