Kuiseb Delta Adventures Walvis Bay |
The prehistoric Kuiseb River is older than the Namib Desert (the oldest
desert in the world) and therefore the tour by Kuiseb Delta Adventures
promises to be filled with interesting sights and facts, allowing visitors the
ability to enjoy the tranquility of being in a desert dune region. The tour
highlights and includes:
• Details on how the delta came into being, why the delta developed, what the
area was like before the “Sea of Sand” succeeded to cross the river and why
the river and the dunes are the reasons for existence for the underground
fresh water aquifer.
• Details on the formation of Sandwich Harbour and Walvis Bay.
• Scientific information on the underground fresh water aquifer and why it is
endangered by modern man.
• Visiting different kind of dunes that exist in the delta and detailed
explanations of how the different shapes are formed, how much they move in a
given time and what the gradient of a slip face is and why it never differs.
• Details and evidence of why the dunes have different colours.
• Evidence of five different stages as a dune moves over a tree as well as
over a Narra plant.
• Examining the desert fruit, the !Nara and the Sirub, explaining how the
plants adapted to this particularly harsh environment, sampling what the fruit
tastes like (in season) and how it is harvested and used by the Topnaars
(ancient local inhabitants claiming to be a tribe of the Khoi-Khoin) as well
as by the animals.
• Details about the present animals (jackal, elephant shrew, oryx), birds
(pale chanting goshawk, dune lark (endemic) & Damara tern (endemic)), reptiles
(snakes & lizards) and some of the insects that live in the delta. Sometimes
we are able to show them some of these living creatures.
• Visit and explore the different intact Topnaar middens (old living places).
• View what these ancient inhabitants of Namibia ate, used as tools/implements
and as body
ornaments.
• Show physical evidence of petrified tracks of the Topnaars and their goats.
• Show centuries-old ostrich eggshells that was used by the Topnaars to keep
water in and was
preserved being covered by dune sand all the time.
• We also show them numerous petrified tracks of almost all the present land
animals of Namibia e.g.
Elephant, rhino, buffalo, eland, oryx, kudu, giraffe, baboon, cheetah,
steenbok, etc.
• Lastly, visitors are shown amazing evidence why the Namibian coast is called
the “Skeleton Coast”
The tour is an unforgettable experience that will certainly make visitors realize that there is life in the desert regions. Do not miss this wonderful opportunity and do not forget your camera to immortalize this wonderful experience.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
General Information
The three hour tour is done on fully automatic quad bikes and is suitable for
the rider with no previous experience, even for children and healthy elderly
people. Although this quad tour differs vastly from the “dune bashing tours”
offered by all other quad bike operators at the Namibian coast, it gives the
riders lots of fun to drive their own quads in the dunes and to safely play a
little, if they so wish. The wearing of safety helmets is compulsory. The
tours are done usually in the mornings only, because of prevailing winds, but
the weather permitting, tours are also done in the afternoons. Soft drinks are
included.
Energetic Quad Run (4 hours)
This tour incorporates some sites of the Historian Dune Tour, but is for the more energetic. This tour is not suitable for children or older people as it is more challenging and more difficult than the 3 hour tour. It entails a lot of hard driving! This longer tour drives up to and crosses the main Kuiseb River, at the place where it broke through the dunes in the year 2000. This tour reaches the edge of the Sea of Sand, where it turns around and follows a different route back.
Like the Historian Dune Tour, the Energetic Quad Run includes:
• Details on how the delta came into being, why the delta developed, what
the area was like before the “Sea of Sand” succeeded to cross the river and
why the river and the dunes are the reasons for existence for the underground
fresh water aquifer.
• Details on the formation of Sandwich Harbour and Walvis Bay.
• Scientific information on the underground fresh water aquifer and why it is
endangered by modern man.
• Visiting different kind of dunes that exist in the delta and detailed
explanations of how the different shapes are formed, how much they move in a
given time and what the gradient of a slip face is and why it never differs.
• Details and evidence of why the dunes have different colours.
• Evidence of five different stages as a dune moves over a tree as well as
over a Nara plant.
• Examining the desert fruit, the !Nara, explaining how the
plants adapted to this particularly harsh environment, sampling what the fruit
tastes like (in season) and how it is harvested and used by the Topnaars
(ancient local inhabitants and a tribe of the Khoi-Khoin) as well as by the
animals.
• Details about the present animals (jackal, elephant shrew, Oryx), birds
(pale chanting goshawk, dune lark (endemic) & Damara tern (endemic)), reptiles
(snakes & lizards) and some of the insects that live in the delta. Sometimes
we are able to show them some of these living creatures.
• Visit and explore the different intact Topnaar middens (old living places).
• View what these ancient inhabitants of Namibia ate, used as tools/implements
and as body ornaments.
• Show physical evidence of petrified tracks of the Topnaars and their goats.
• Show centuries-old ostrich eggshells that was used by the Topnaars to keep
water in and was preserved being covered by dune sand all the time.
• We also show them numerous petrified tracks of almost all the present land
animals of Namibia e.g. Elephant, rhino, buffalo, eland, oryx, kudu, giraffe,
baboon, cheetah, steenbok, etc.
• Lastly, visitors are shown amazing evidence why the Namibian coast is called
the “Skeleton Coast”.
The tour is an unforgettable experience that will certainly make visitors realize that there is life in the desert regions. Do not miss this wonderful opportunity and do not forget your camera to immortalize this wonderful experience.
General Information
The wearing of safety helmets and the signing of an indemnity are compulsory.
The tours are done usually in the mornings only, because of prevailing winds,
but the weather permitting, tours are also done in the afternoons. Soft drinks
are included.
One Day Dune Quad Tour
Kuiseb Delta Adventures is extending their famous Historian tour by offering an exciting one day quad tour into the red dunes of the Sea of Sand as well as through the yellow dunes of the Kuiseb delta. Prior to entering the dunes, advanced training will be given to enable you to drive the quad bikes with confidence through the dunes.
The tour departs in the early morning from Rooibank, 35 kilometers from Walvis Bay, where after you will visit a Topnaar settlement, cross the Kuiseb river (which is normally a dry river bed) and enter the gigantic RED DUNES, which reach up to 1000 feet, into the southern border of the SEA OF SAND. The change in the landscape is extremely dramatic. The dunes are GIGANTIC and RED. There is no vegetation in this barren, lonely desert. One very seldom sees any sign of civilization, except for a borehole rusted almost to extinction. The area is very deserted and except for your fellow riders you will not see any other signs of human habitation. Peace and tranquility. It is fantastic – no people, no noise, no pollution – only you and your group navigating by GPS through these fantastic sea of dunes.
The tour visit old elephant tracks between the dunes, where after it proceeds deeper into the Sea of Sand on a long circular route through the dunes until you reach and cross the Kuiseb river again and enter the delta. Once again, you marvel at the sudden change of the scenery and the different colour of the dunes that are now yellow.
During stops your tour leader will enthral you with various talks and
information on interesting topics such as:
- The history of the Kuiseb River
- The underground fresh water Aquifer of the Kuiseb delta
- The indigenous people of the Kuiseb, the Topnaars (claiming to be a tribe of
the Khoi Khoin or also called Hottentotte)
- The different shapes and names of the wandering dunes
- The edible desert fruit, the Nara
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
General Information:
A person taking part in this tour, must obtain and provide proof of insurance
which insurance includes medical evacuation by air, if necessary.
Bookings must be done well in advance.
The wearing of safety helmets and the signing of an indemnity are compulsory.
A group must consist of a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 10 people.
The following persons will unfortunately not be able to partake in the
tour:
Persons under 16 years of age
Persons with a fear of heights
Pregnant women
Persons with back problems
Persons with health problems
Elderly people
Persons who are afraid
Overnight Dune Quad Tour
We have extended our famous Historian tour by offering an exciting overnight quad tour into the red dunes of the sea of sand. The tour departs from Lagoon Chalets in Walvis Bay in the early morning and proceeds to the yellow dunes of the Kuiseb Delta. It follows the route of the Historian tour until it proceeds to and crosses the main branch of the Kuiseb river, eventually entering the 1000 feet RED DUNES on the southern border of the SEA OF SAND.
The tour continues through the Sea of Sand to the overnight base camp at Rooibank on the Kuiseb River. Rooibank will serve as the base from where the tour proceeds to the Topnaar settlements as well as a late afternoon photographic excursion into the SEA OF SAND.
DAY ONE
The tour departures from Walvis Bay and prior to entering the dunes, advanced
training will be given to enable you to drive the quad bikes with confidence
in the dunes. Thereafter the tour enters into the magnificent world of the
dunes and your tour leader will enthral you with various talks and
information on interesting topics such as:
The history of the Kuiseb River
The underground fresh water Aquifer
The indigenous people of the Kuiseb delta, the Topnaars (claiming to be tribe
of the Khoi-Khoin or also called Hottentotte)
The different wandering dunes of the Kuiseb Delta
The edible desert fruit, the !Nara and the Sirub
MEET ANCIENT TOPNAAR PEOPLE
After reaching the most southerly point of the famous Historian tour, the tour continues south to the Kuiseb River and upon crossing the river (which is normally a dry river bed) enters into the Red Dunes.
The change in landscape is extremely dramatic. The dunes are GIGANTIC and RED. There is no vegetation in this barren, lonely desert. One very seldom sees any signs of civilization except for a Borehole rusted almost to extinction. You visit fossil elephant tracks in an old riverbed between these high dunes. The area is totally deserted and besides other members on the tour, you will not see any other forms of human inhabitants. Peace and tranquility. It is fantastic- no people, no noise, no pollution- only you and your quad train navigating by GPS through these fantastic dunes. The tour arrives at the base camp destination at about midday where you can hop into a bath or shower to wash off the desert sand and enjoy a light meal. Afterwards you can relax in house, sleep or sun tan (even during winter!!).
In the late afternoon you can travel up the Kuiseb River towards the Topnaar settlements where you will meet the descendants of these ancient people and experience how they live today with their herds of goats and basic means of raising crops to be able to feed themselves or alternatively you can stay at the base camp and just relax. From the Topnaar settlements you travel into the Red Dunes where the shades on the slip faces of the dunes in the late afternoon offer excellent photographic opportunities. On returning to the base camp, everyone can relax around an outdoor fire and partake in a traditional African barbeque. The stars are so clear in this unpolluted desert sky that stargazing and counting the satellites going by is a perfect way to end a day of amazing sights in the sea of sand, prior to retiring for the night all snugly in a nice clean bed, tired from the sun and fresh dry unpolluted air.
DAY TWO
After a hearty breakfast the quad tour crosses the river on a long trip into
the Sea of Sand on a long circular route in the direction of the Kuiseb River,
which you cross, continuing through the Delta until you reach Walvis Bay about
midday, tired from the BEST QUAD BIKE EXCURSION IN THE WORLD.
General Information
Bookings for this tour must be done well in advance.
A group must consist of a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 10 people.
The wearing of safety helmets and the signing of an indemnity is compulsory.
A person taking part in this tour, must obtain and provide proof of insurance
which insurance includes medical evacuation by air, if necessary.
The following persons will unfortunately not be able to partake in the
tour:
Persons under 16 years of age
Persons with a fear of heights, Pregnant women
Persons with back problems
Persons with health problems, and Elderly people
Custom - made Activity / Accommodation Package
Along with our regular tours, we also offer tailor-made tour packages which are put together according to your exact requirements, catering for your every need.
Among the activities that can be included in such tours/excursions are:
- 4x4 Sandwich Harbour Tours
- 4x4 Desert Excursions
- Dolphin Cruises
- Guided Quad bike excursions into the high dunes on your own bikes during off
-season.
- Self-catering cottage accommodation in the Kuiseb River on the edge of the
Sea of Sand.
- Self-catering/catered rustic camp accommodation in the Kuiseb river on the
edge of the Sea of sand.
- Other accommodation in and around Walvis Bay.
Please contact us for more information.
SANDWICH HARBOUR DAY TOUR
This tour is done with all-wheel drive vehicles with expert off-road
drivers/tour guides, and start in Walvis Bay where we will stop at the lagoon
to view the abundance of bird life, especially the abundance of flamingo’s.
From there the tour proceed to the salt works where visitors can photograph
this massive salt mountain that looks like an ice berg. We will drive through
the vegetated plains of the Kuiseb delta where we sometimes see some of the
animals of the delta, like springbok, ostriches or jackal, until we reached a
dune with a view over the salt plains area of the delta. We proceed over these
plains until we reach the beginning of the “Sea of Sand”, where it borders on
the Atlantic Ocean.
Now we continue southwards, on the beach, if the tide allow us, or through the
dunes until we reach a point where no vehicle are allowed to cross. The
visitors can proceed on foot southwards on the beach towards the lagoon of
Sandwich Harbour or they can climb a high dune from where the will have a
beautiful view over the sea, the dunes, the beach as well as the lagoon. Lunch
will be served and out guests can relax or swim in the sea, the weather
prevailing. After lunch, we drive for a while on the high dunes on the edge of
the ocean with breathtaking views over the high dunes, the beach, and the
ocean. This place is really spectacular and one of the tourism highlights of
Namibia. A photographers dream! From the dunes we drive on a different route
through the delta, back to Walvis Bay.
Before we reach Walvis Bay, we drive onto a dune with a spectacular view over
the salt pans in the receding rays of the sun. We take a last look over the
delta, tired, but satisfied after an exciting and full day in a wonderful
part of nature.
|
![]() |
|
Rates per person: on request
Historian Dune and Living Desert Quad Tour (Main product): Soft drinks included. Minimum 2 pax - maximum 15 pax |
|
3 Hours Historian dune quad bike tour | - |
4 Hours Historian dune quad bike tour | - |
5 Hours Historian dune quad bike tour | - |
Sandwich Harbour/Topnaar Off-road 4X4 Dune Desert Day Tour, min 3 persons: soft drinks/lunch, excluding entrance fees | - |
Contact & reservations:
E-mail: info@namibweb.com
To book:
1) you can e-mail us requesting information and/or rates
Reservations are only accepted in writing: by fax or via e-mail.
Final availability confirmation: in writing: by fax or via e-mail.
Terms & conditions,
Payment options and
Cancellation
policy
Related:
Page created and serviced by
www.namibweb.com
Copyright © 1998-2022
namibweb.com - The online guide
to Namibia
All rights reserved |
JOIN
|
VIDEO PORTFOLIO
|
VIDEO/PHOTO COLLECTION
Page is sponsored by ETS &
Exploring Namibia TV
Disclaimer: no matter how often this page is updated and its accuracy is checked
www.namibweb.com and ETS
will not be held
responsible for any change in opinion, information, facilities, services,
conditions, etc. offered by
establishment/operator/service/information provider or any third party
Description & pictures: Copyright © Kuiseb Delta Adventures