Our Namibia Roadtrip & How to Plan Yours

In March 2023 we travelled through Namibia. This hidden gem required quite a bit or research and preparation, but no doubt worth the effort. Let us know in the comments if there’s anything we missed!

23 min readJun 11, 2023

Highlights

⭐️ Spitzkoppe — a uniquely shaped, dark red-hued mountain towering over the flat, golden grasslands with Zebras and antelope grazing and running around. A description you may recognize as the opening scene of the Lion King, this is a real place, with human settlements dating back at least 3000 years and breathtaking views as a reward for a short but grueling hike.

⭐️ Sossusvlei — The Namib is the driest desert in the world, and this spectacular point is a unique way to access to the otherwise inhospitable desert. Under a never-ending blue sky, red sand dunes will surround you as you travel towards a bright white salt pan with black, dead camelthorn trees, and out-of-this world contrasting colors.

⭐️ Swakopmund & Walvis Bay — one of the few accessible stretches of Namibia’s extensive but harsh coast line, these towns boast great maritime activities, delicious seafood and cute little shops. Swakopmund is a particularly is a picturesque town, blending German turn-of-the-century architecture with African colors.

⭐️ Kalahari Desert — full of life in various forms, the Kalahari’s expansive savannah is a dream come true for nature lovers, its reserves and parks bustling with the Big Five and herds of several different antelope species.

Why Namibia?

Huge expanses of multi-colored desert that you may recognize from desktop backgrounds
Meet dozens of types of antelopes, deer, zebras across the desert as well as bigger animals in nature reserves
Stay at community-run lodges in remote natural sites, and get first hand explanations from bushmen and tribespeople about their culture and heritage as they show you century-old rock paintings, poisonous plants, and guide you on hikes up the mountain
Eat fresh, export-grade oysters while observing hundreds of seals on a boat tour of the Atlantic
Hike up epic peaks and dunes, with very few other tourists around

🙅 You might want to skip Namibia, if you are -

A picky eater, a vegan or vegetarian connoisseur — the food is fine, but not very diverse. To truly enjoy the food in Namibia, you’ll be eating steak (game, mostly) inland and seafood or fish on the coast. It’s pretty easy to get beef and chicken, and vegetables are imported from South Africa and easily found in the supermarket, but not really used in traditional cooking, and therefore it requires going to quite upscale places in order to have reasonable options. The bread wasn’t great, the side dishes are primarily chips, and they really haven’t figured out dessert. Also, most places worth visiting are pretty remote, so your food is either self-cooking or eating at the lodge.
Not keen on driving — getting around on a 4x4 is the best way to truly enjoy the country. The country is huge, and even most of the “highways” are actually gravel roads, and sometimes sand (however, they are well marked and maintained). However, if you’re coming for a shorter trip and you’re going to upscale places, they can arrange transportation for you, but it will heavily limit your possibilities.

10-day Itinerary

Day 1: Flying to Windhoek and getting settled

Renting a 4x4 takes some time (from a rental agency in the city specializing in off-road cars, rather than the international agencies available at the airport) and driving after dark isn’t an option (more on driving below), hence we stayed in Windhoek for the night. There weren’t many options both outside the city and also close enough that were helpful in terms of driving, and we weren’t certain we’d be able to make it in time. If your flight lands in the morning, it may be worth considering booking something outside of Windhoek and getting a head start on driving.

Day 2: Driving to Spitzkoppe

This was the most urban drive, with industria, suburbs and small towns covering most of the drive. Not as scenic as some of the next drives, but very convenient with plenty of roadside stops for coffee and petrol.

We arrived in Spitzkoppe in time to arrange a last-minute sunset walk with a local guide from the nearby tribe. He took us to see the 2000-year old rock paintings and also explained all about the fauna and flora of the area, including poisonous plants used by his ancestors to hunt huge mammals.

Sunset drive into Spitzkoppe national park

Day 3: Hiking in Spitzkoppe, driving to Swakopmund & Cape Cross

We joined another local guide who was provided for us by the lodge for a sunrise hike up one of the two peaks in Spitzkoppe national park. The hike was quite difficult — the ascent is quite sharp, and takes 1–2 hours each way, with a large segment practically rock climbing. The scenic view from above was magnificent, and there are also interesting plants and colorful minerals along the way, which the guide pointed out. You can still hike after sunrise, but the way down will be hot as you’ll be exposed to scorching sunlight.

We were back at the lodge in time for a late breakfast, a short dip in the plunge pool, and a hot shower too. It’s a pretty casual place so they weren’t concerned with checkout time. We settled the bill and headed off towards Swakopmund, and stopped at Cape Cross on the way.

Before entering the National Park with the seal colony, we stopped for lunch at the restaurant of the hotel close by, which boasted a rich menu of fresh seafood — and a view of a dozen dolphins jumping in the waves a few meters from the terrace when we entered. What a welcome!

Cape Cross has a colony of thousands of seals and is quite the experience: walk across a narrow bridge on the beach while you’re totally surrounded by seals and can observe them in their natural habitat: Wobbling across the beach, diving into the sea to fish, barking at each other, baby seals seeking their mothers.

ℹ️ There’s a fee to get into the national park (per person, per car), the entire area reeks of wet fur (and worse…), so keep in mind that everything you wear will need a wash and wear closed shoes!

👀 On the way from Cape Cross to Swakopmund, you’ll be driving along the Skeleton Coast, and you can stop to see famous shipwrecks along the way.

Hiking terrain and plants on the way down from the peak

Day 4–5: Swakopmund sea activities

Swakopmund is a cute town with everything one needs to relax and resupply for the days ahead. It has a cool scene of craft breweries and cafés, and beautiful sights like the Moon Valley just outside the city. We spent some time enjoying sundowners on the promenade overlooking the Atlantic, and shopping in the small pedestrian area of the historic center of the town.

Walvis Bay, a 40-minute drive down the coast from Swakopmund, has an active commercial port, with some tourist activities too. There are a few sea activity companies that can be found online and booked ahead, but if you’re coming for more than one day — you can just get the information from wherever you’re staying and they can help you book. We booked a combo tour, including a boat tour in the morning and a jeep tour in the dunes in the afternoon, with a short break at the pier in between.

On the boat tour we saw seals and pelicans by sea, and were fed oysters and champagne too. The jeep tour included 4x4 driving that was well beyond our self-driving abilities: driving up and down dunes and on the wet beach sand with the waves breaking around us, as well as flamingos and different types of antelopes.

We went all the way down to Sandwich Harbor, deep in the nature reserve which is only accessible with a permit and a guided tour. The unique sight of desert dunes hitting the ocean was spectacular, and the knowledgeable guides were capable of finding wonders of nature hidden in the sand.

Day 6: Drive to Sossusvlei

Day 7: Sossusvlei & Deadvlei — climb the dunes & drive to Namib desert

Breathtaking and vast, the dunes and Deadvlei are each a sight that cannot be missed. The fact that they are adjacent makes them a must-have part of any trip to Namibia, despite the distances.

Sossusvlei is a vast national park with dunes as far as the eye can see. As you enter the park, you’ll drive on an impeccable tar road and pass Dune 45 (which is 45km from the park entrance). Continue straight until you hit the main parking lot, where you’ll meet the shuttles to the Big Daddy Dune (the higgest dune in the world!) and Deadvlei. Once you go up one of the dunes, you’ll observe the entire national park from above and see a sea of sand mounds that’s only comparable to seeing the ocean from a low-flying plane.

Deadvlei is a 1000-year old forest that dried up rather than decaying because of a sudden break from its water source caused by dune movement combined with the extreme dry air and lack of rain in the area. The trees, now entirely blackened and surrounded by scorched, cracked earth, are “a monument to their own destruction”.

ℹ️ Getting here requires some intentionality:

Leave as early as you can to avoid the glaring desert sun, you’ll have a 30-minute drive within the national park minimum, and an additional drive up to the dunes.
Drive to the carpark and then use the shuttle service to get all the way to big daddy dune and Deadvlei. Shuttles run continuously, so once you’re done, just find a driver that has started loading passengers and join him. It’s about 180NAD per person for the round trip.
Consider packing breakfast or lunch, there’s a shaded area with picnic tables at the drop-off point for the dunes, so you could stop there on your way back as you wait for a ride to the carpark, rather than hangrily waiting for the driver to just get you out of there.
Do not attempt to use your own car to drive through the dunes. You’re likely to get stuck in the sand, and getting bailed out will cost you real money (2000NAD) and several hours.

Day 8: Namib desert & horseback riding; drive to Lüderitz

We drove down D707, one of the most breathtaking roads of Namibia, leading through a mountain ridge with the Namib desert to your side. Staying at the Ka’naan Lodge, a beautiful, eco-friendly place with an incredible view of a waterhole from the terrace of your room, we could watch all kinds of different animals gather harmoniously in the morning to start their day.

Oryx gather at the watering hole; Wild horses in the stable

Day 9: Lüderitz

The town itself is pretty boring (although that may change in the next few years, as oil was recently discovered off the coast, and foreign development is imminent), but there are some activities to chose from:

Boat ride: A couple of local companies offer boat rides to see penguins and dolphins, they leave around 8 or 9am. Dress warmly, the city is cold and the winds at sea are very sharp.
Kolmanskop: A German city built as part of a diamond rush in the early 1900s, due to the windy, dry, and salty conditions, Kolmanskop has remained both entirely deserted and almost fully-intact. Visit an old civilization from 100 years ago, with old-style German houses, complete with wooden interior, colorful walls and signs indicating the utility of each building, today “reclaimed” by the desert, with small sand dunes protruding through windows and doors. A site for history buffs and Instagrammers, a cute stop along the way for everyone else. There’s also a decent café and a nice giftshop. Located about 20-mins outside of Lüderitz, the site closes at 1pm. Get your tickets in giftshops/tourist information stops within the city to skip the line.
Shark Island: You can also visit Shark Island (by foot or car). Formerly known as “Death Island”, the island was used as a brutal concentration camp by the Germans from 1904 to 1908. There are a few monuments and plaques commemorating the atrocities. The Island is quite small and there’s a somewhat drivable path around it, with some parking too. Through the official website you can also book camping or a stay at the lighthouse on the Island, however it’s incredibly windy and in general inhospitable weather conditions, as well as eerily deserted.

Day 10: Drive to Kalahari

Find a nice lodge to stop at for lunch — call ahead to make sure you don’t miss lunch hours (or to make sure they are still open).

Day 11: Windhoek & home

Eating

Namibia is not a foodie destination. There are two local delicacies: game steaks and oysters. Other than that, the food you’ll eat will get pretty repetitive. You won’t go hungry, and there are options, but it’s really hard to make the trip about food.

What to eat

🥩 Game steaks — the delicacy at lodges, hunted on their own grounds as part of the ecosystem preservation, this is the freshest meat you’ll get, and even if the menu boasts western food, you can always ask if they have any fresh game.

🍖 Chicken and beef — broadly available, farmed locally and sold commercially

🍤 Fish & sea food — the pride of the coastline. Oysters are the proud export, and in addition to seeing them on menus, you might get them as a treat on a boat ride or jeep tour.

🍟 Side dishes — chips are your safe bet. Salad, rice or potatoes may be on the menu, but they usually won’t be very good.

🥗 Vegetables — imported from the neighboring South Africa, you’ll find a nice selection in city supermarkets. However, they are less common in local cuisine, so you may not see as much in smaller stores and in some of the simpler places to stay or eat.

Snacks —

A nice selection of crisps, crackers, nuts, snack packs, granola bars, chocolates are available in supermarkets, gas stations, and “curio” shops in lodges. South African and sometimes German brands for sweet and savory snacks.
Biltong (dried meat) is a typical Southern African snack, providing you with protein that will last even in the hot sun. You can get commercial or locally produced biltong in supermarkets, curios or gas stations.
Home-made cookies can be purchased at many of the curios, and they can be great!

Drinks —

🍺 Beer — always a solid choice, ask for local beers available on tap

🍹Shandy — lemonade mixed with soda, or with beer, is another Southern-African speciality. The menu will usually specify 2–3 varieties, which could be mixed at the bar, or straight from a pre-mixed can.

🍹G&T — there are a few local gins and several interesting, artisanal tonics. If you want to mix it up, ask for a Gin-Soda or Gin-Lemon (which comes with dry lemon/bitter lemon, a sparkling not-so-sweet lemonade).

Visit the Stillhouse Distillery in Swakopmund, it’s next-door to Two Beards Coffee.

❌ Wine — not the best choice, unless you’re somewhere really fancy, it’s likely to be old and possibly bad, as well as imported and overpriced.

Where to eat

This section is quite short, as we had most of our meals where we stayed or at other lodges along the way. However, we did find a few noteworthy spots in the cities we passed through.

Gabriele’s Italian Pizza (Swakopmund)— a proper Italian restaurant in Swakopmund, where you can take a break from local food and eat excellent pizza, pasta, wine and great Italian deserts too.
Brewer & Butcher (Swakopmund) — a big brewery with a bar and restaurant. The menu is expansive, the food is good and the beer is great, the service was painfully slow. TIA.
Solitaire lodge — you’ll likely drive by anyhow, as it’s the only stop on the long road to Seisriem. The apple cake is good, but it’s only so well regarded because it’s such a rarity to find dessert in Namibia.
The Portugese Fisherman (Lüderitz) — a great seafood and fish restaurant in Lüderitz. As it’s a tiny town with not many options, this place also offers meat and sushi (in addition to an expansive seafood menu), so you can bring your picky eaters, it’s a solid choice.
The Desert Deli (Lüderitz) — a lovely café and curio with great breakfast, hipster coffee, deserts and good snacks for the road too.
Diaz Coffee Shop (Lüderitz) — for a drink with a vibe: despite the name, seems like this place livens up at night. Unique design reminiscent of old maritime style.

Coffee

While not a local good of Namibia, there is a small coffee culture with beans from neighboring countries and roasting & hosting etiquette from hipster cafés in South Africa.

Two Beards — the best we had. Proper roaster that provides coffee for cafés, restaurants and lodges across the country. They source beans from around the world, and operate a roasters with a café in the outskirts of Swakopmund. If you’re remotely close, stop by and stock up on their freshly bottled cold brew for the dry days.
Slowtown — more commercialized, this brand has a few branches in Windhoek and Swakopmund. You’ll also see their coffee at other cafés and restaurants. Also quite good.

Where to stay

🏨 Hotels & Resorts — you can find several heavily westernized 3-star hotels (in the city) and resorts (in nature) that are large and child-friendly, paved, and overstaffed. There will be a buffet of mediocre food and the payments and check-in will smooth. Staying here you’ll likely miss out on both proximity to nature as well as the authentic experience, and you’ll also be disappointed if measuring your stay by western standards.
🛖 Glamping and lodges — this is the way to go in Namibia. Prime locations and a view for miles from the private balcony of your hut (featuring a private bathroom and shower too), alongside a small ice-cold plunge pool and some wildlife. These will typically have the best proximity to nature and will offer morning or sunset drives and sometimes hikes or visits to the local tribal villages. Amenities, food and professionalism as well as the tent/structure will vary and is usually pretty clear from the communications, website and booking process. As the lodges and sites are pretty remote, they typically include both self-catering facilities (a BBQ is basic, sometimes there’s more) and a lodge restaurant, and some places are half-board for this reason too.
🏕 Camping — not something we tried, but very popular and well set-up. Most of the lodges/glamping sites offer a very reduced fare for camping, where you get a private spot to set up your tent, your own BBQ and access to private or shared showers and bathrooms. Many people also rent a 4X4 with a rooftop tent, as well as a fridge.
🏩 Luxury stays — there are some truly unique upscale lodges and resorts across the country. You‘ll see the improvement in the food, the level of service, and you may also get access to private grounds which could include unique wildlife, as well as better guides that will drive you across the property and/or to the nearby sites. The prices may seem really high, but are likely to be full-board, and possibly also all-inclusive: meaning they include all the activities as well.

Namib Desert

🛖Kanaan Lodge —the best glamping setup we experienced, your private fully-modernized tent overlooks an expansive desert valley, where you can watch the wildlife walk for many kilometers to the watering hole. The lodge is a part of a larger project for protecting the wildlife in the area, and volunteers stay there to assist with animal tracking and de-fencing to restore the ecosystem. Their sustainable approach to the wildlife is apparent by how close the animals will come: as you swim in the ice-cold plunge pool, you can observe oryx or meerkats stop just a few meters from you and gaze at you with curiosity. Activities offered include horseback tours and scenic sunrise or sunset drives; the food was also quite good.

🛖Desert Quiver Camp (Sossusvlei) —this was one of our favorites. The individual units are actually small stone houses, designed for self-catering with a full outdoor kitchen and BBQ; if you want to use it, make sure to order a BBQ care-package in the early afternoon before you check in. Very private with expansive views, and a lovely plunge-pool overlooking wildlife and desert scenes. In the shared area there’s also a nice bar, and the neighboring Desert Lodge is just a 5-minute drive away; you can pay extra to have meals there (excellent live-BBQ buffet for dinner, and a good breakfast buffet as well) rather than self-cater.

Spitzkoppe

🛖 ️Spitzkoppe Mountain Tented Suites — It’s old and simple, but the location is unparalleled. There are only three places to stay around Spitzkoppe that are close enough to truly experience the national park (below). With those two options in mind, we opted for the one in-between: the tented suites mean you can roll up with a car and get a tent-like structure on a wooden platform, with a private bathroom and shower under the stars, as well as a shared plunge pool and a restaurant with cheap (albeit not amazing) food. Tours are offered by guides from the local tribe: sunrise hike up the mountains or a sunset drive (you’ll be driving your car and bringing a guide with you).

🛖 Spitzkoppe Lodge — which is gorgeous but also overpriced as it’s the only one around however, the views are unparalleled, so it may be worth the splurge.

⛺️ The Spitzkoppe Rest Camp — the best location of the three, you get your own little camping area within the national park, but only suitable for camping (you’ll need to bring all the gear, other than a BBQ which is provided) and there are very limited amenities compared to other campsites affiliated with lodges we’ve seen. Also, it’s community-run so all of the proceeds go to the local tribes, and the proximity and price give you prime access to the hikes: you don’t need to queue up at 7am to pay to enter the national park — you’re already inside (your park-pass is included with accommodation).

Swakopmund & the Area

🛖 ️Goanikontes Oasis Rest Camp (Moon Valley) — only 45-mins drive from Swakopmund, the scenery changes entirely. You’ll drive down into the Moon Valley, a crater with purple rocks and unique forna. The lodge is expansive and sprawled right in the middle of the valley. There are many activities offered, and they also host an annual marathon in March (hence we didn’t stay there), but we can still attest to good vibes and bites for lunch. Moon Valley is worth a full day, but it’s also a good option if you want to stay in nature while checking out activities in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.

🏩 Pelican Point Lodge (Near Walvis Bay) It’s ludicrously expensive, but also includes all the activities, and instead of staying in the city you’ll get your own private peninsula with a picturesque view of the Atlantic and a seal colony, while sleeping in a converted historic lighthouse.

🛏 Secret Garden Guesthouse (Swakopmund) Simple, quiet and serene place well located within the center of Swakopmund, great value for money. Well maintained, staffed by helpful and lovely locals, good breakfast (and that’s all you need in the city) and all the conveniences you might need.

🏨 The Delight Swakopmund the rooms are lovely and the breakfast was great (featuring oysters and champagne), but your room might be overlooking a large public parking lot. Also, an odd lack of power outlets (their own hairdryer didn’t have a suitable outlet).

Lüderitz & the South

🛖 & 🏨 ️Klein Aus Vista — A great location right outside Aus, family-run ranch-style lodge with expansive grounds, well-mapped hiking and mountain biking trails. The place offers two distinct types of accommodation: the suites are like a 3-star resort, sprawled but quite close to the main building, while the Eagle’s Nest Chalet’s are more like mountain cabins, a 15-mins drive in the grounds to secluded stone houses built into the mountains. The accommodation was truly commendable, with proper facilities and amenities that were missing from most other places, as well as the best food we had in all of Namibia, including home-baked bread and great desserts. We stayed here because it was on the way, but looking back, it’s a great starting point for excursions to Kolmanskop and Lüderitz, rather than staying in the town.

🛏 Lüderitz: Wildhorses B&B Simple, but beautifully renovated, self-catered units (breakfast available upon request), lovely manager and well located.

Kalahari Desert

🏩 Habitas — the lux end to our trip, however value for money here is subjective. A private reserve with a 360-view of the bush from a well-designed veranda with a pool and vintage-style furniture, and from the private rooms: Huge tented structures built on wooden decks that lean into the view. Extensive wild life and twice-daily game drives; healthy, varied three-course meal (which isn’t fine dining in global terms but is definitely well above the level we had in most other places), yoga classes and massages are also available for extra charge.

🏨 ️Burgsdorf Guest Farm — formerly a colonial police station and now a private reserve and wildlife rehabilitation center, with simple rooms (which used to be stables) and brand-new suites overlooking a dam which animals visit to hydrate. A cheetah and other big animals come to visit for TLC before going back into the wild, and other animals can be seen on hikes or game drives offered by the resort. We only stopped for lunch, which was excellent.

🏨 Kalahari Anib Lodge — commercialized, concrete and grass sprawl that seemed to pave over the unique nature around it, the (buffet) food was quite good, the service was professional and the rooms were nice, and Kalahari game drives are offered to guests.

Getting Around

🛻 Driving

Left side of the road. However, with rural dirt roads you’re likely to be driving on the whole road to avoid rocks and sand mounds anyhow.
Gravel roads. While most of the roads are dirt roads, they are well-marked and well maintained. However, do factor this into the driving time you’re planning (we recommend adding 20% to whatever drive time Google Maps estimates).
No driving after dark. The roads aren’t lit and the animals like to come and sleep on the road so rental agencies won’t even allow it. In the so-called cities it’s fine. Very important to factor this in when planning your itinerary.
Navigating: we used Google maps’ offline maps feature, which was key — as despite our local sim cards, we lost reception for long stretches in the desert.
Parking: easy to find, not always safe to leave your belongings in the backseat, but usually ok to leave them hidden or in the trunk.

✈️ Flights

Windhoek is the capital and the largest airport with direct flights from a few destinations, but you’re most likely to connect via Addis Ababa or Frankfurt. Ethiopian flights are very efficient, albeit not very comfortable.
Fly directly to Swakopmund or Lüderitz, primarily from South Africa

Other useful information

Payments — cards are accepted in hospitality, in the cities as well as petrol stations and curios. However for things like local guides you’ll need to pay in cash, local currency (around 200–500 NAD). You’re also expected to tip: 1–2 NAD for “parking guards” and 10 NAD for petrol station attendants.
Water — tap water is ok in Windhoek and Swakopmund, and some lodges have their own filtering system. Ask about the water quality wherever you go, and buy 5-liter bottles of water in petrol stations for refilling smaller bottles.
Weather — while the desert areas are as hot as expected with blazing sun during the day, it can be chilly in the morning and evening, when you’re likely to be quite active (many activities happen before sunrise). The coast is very overcast and windy, so it’s mild during the day and chilly at night.

What to pack

A hat. Sun is blazing
A reusable water bottle — you’ll refill it from 5-liter bottles (tap water isn’t drinkable in most areas)
A swimsuit for all the plunge pools
Whatever medication you may need, don’t count on getting it there
Hiking boots — even if you’re not planning on serious hikes, they’re still the better choice for the rocky terrain. Sport shoes will do fine too.
Mosquito repellent— we didn’t really encounter them, but if you travel to the greener areas or come during the wet season, they’re likely to be around. It may also be worth looking into Malaria medication for those areas.
Plenty of shorts and T-shirts, but also layers to avoid the hot sun (e.g. long linen shirt or trousers), and to stay warm in the harsh wind and cooler evenings (a sweatshirt, a windbreaker and long leggings)
Charger for the car, including the USB adaptor (which for some reason wasn’t included in the rental)
Audiobooks/pre-downloaded podcasts, as Cell Service and WiFi are patchy
Binoculars for game drives and observing wildlife from your balcony.

Bonus: Unique ways to visit Namibia

South-African style upscale camping & BBQ: most of the lodges (both the cheap and expensive ones) offer a private campgrounds, complete with your own BBQ facilities, and private or shared showers/bathrooms. Coming here means you’ll get the same views for a fraction of the price, and you can still enjoy the local cuisine — much of which is based on freshly roasted game, which you can buy in supermarkets, and likely from the lodgee itself too. Some of the lodges even offer a self-catering supply basket with vegetables and meat delivered to your spot daily. All you need to do is upgrade your 4X4 with a rooftop tent and a fridge rather than a freezerbox, and you’re set.
Join the Moon Valley Marathon — the landscape is like nothing else, and the temperatures are surprisingly hospitable, every year in March the Moon Valley Marathon takes place in this purple crater, just a 45-min drive from Swakopmund, attracting participants from all over the world.
Volunteer in wildlife/ecosystem preservation — another cheap way to experience Namibia is by volunteering. Some of the preservation-focused lodges offer the option to stay at the lodge, experience the nature and some of the facilities, in return for volunteering. For example, Kanaan has weekly groups of volunteers assisting with the de-fencing and counting of the animals (so not nessarily dealing with poop, which is what you may have imagined).