Namib-Wüstenlandschaftstour

This is a tour like nothing else. It takes you to middle of the Namibia desert where the expanse of desert is vast. We didn't see another car for hours and Leon's knowledge of the area was brilliant. We expected to see more wildlife but that's the chance you take. Saw Springboks, Chameleon, Vultures and Ground Squirrels. A fantastic experience.

Unusual and great experience in the world’s oldest desert. Our guide Leon gave us insight into this vast place. He opened my eyes to the different types of deserts and what made everything look the way it does. It was great to stop in several places and really feel the ground and the atmosphere. Lunch and snack were excellent. We saw ostriches, ground squirrels and springbok. It’s a truly unique day.

We were on a cruise and in Namibia for a day and a half and booked this tour outside of the cruise-provided excursions. I'm glad we did as reports from those who used the cruise excursions were uninspiring compared to our own. Our guide was Leon, driving a comfortable 4x4 with only ourselves as passengers, a good arrangement as we could divert and influence the locations within the constraints of the day. Leon was very knowledgable about Namibian culture, history and the wildlife, transporting us to a waterhole, weaverbird nests and some interesting geological formations, and providing a tasty picnic midday. At the end of the day he took us a an interesting detour to look at a local town and some unique geological phenomena nearby. All told, the excursion occupied about 8 hours and we learned a lot about Namibia, as well as seeing some interesting wildlife (Springbok, a father Ostrich with a dozen 'babies', several spectacular reptiles, and (of course) some of the strange and unique Namib plants. Given that we are the only passengers and that we covered a lot of ground (well over 250 km I suspect) these kinds of trips are never going to be cheap but, in terms of value, I am sure we fared far, far better than those on the cruise who chose one of the shorter, shallower excursions with no personalisation possible. So, highly recommended!

Leon drove us on a private tour to see the charming seaside town of Swakopmund where we admired the German influenced character of this town with its wide streets and beerstube, and cafés. Then out to the stony desert to the enigmatic moon landscape and a little oasis in the heart of it. Amazing rock formations. Finally the special Welwitschia banks, just small scattered areas with these ancient withered plants surviving thousands of years in this inhospitable climate. Growing up in Swakopmund Leon showed a profound love and knowledge of this desert area, imparting his information on different dune types, rock types and his environment. A very satisfying tour.

We had already done the dunes the previous day so Leon took us on a tour of the desert - we saw a herd of springboks and 7 ostriches - delightful day - Frank & Linda Jamieson

Excellent day out knowledgeable guide. Amazing sights and sounds. Easy meet and greet from the cruise ship, good quality transport

A super nice trip - highly recommended!!! With Leon you had a very expert guide who conveyed a lot of impressions. An all-round brilliant day in the desert with delicious lunch...

MC Tours was easy to work with via email. We were met at our pickup site by Leon, and we told him what we had already seen and what we hoped to do and see with him. Leon was very responsive, and as we drove throughout the day, his knowledge of the region was on full display. A really good day trip into the magnificent Namib Desert.

We started very early in the morning, at 7 AM. Our driver checked out what was our previous knowledge about the Namib desert and decided to adjust the itinerary accordingly so that we would get the most of our day - the management gave an OK and off we went into the desert. First we encountered thick fog on the road to Windhoek, which slowly dissipated and we could admire the Namib desert. Recently there was a heavy rain (as to Namibian standards) and desert started to bloom. A lot of sites were covered with little grass sprouts blooming and catching the moment to produce seeds for the next generations. We took refuge in a covered hut among the granite boulders to have our breakfast - homemade muffins with coffee, cappuccino or tea - a nice surprise! Continued further if maybe we encounter some animals and indeed we did meet some groups of springbok. Our driver/guide is a volunteer of a group that once a year go and tag the vulture babies. He showed the trees where vultures nest and the place where the volunteers camp. In the vicinity we found animals we did not even know they existed - the underground squirrels. Super interesting to see the mother teaching the baby about the neighborhood and how to survive there :) Further on, we explored the bird nests (a huge nest with about 2 meters in diameter) and were warned about the snakes which may prey on the eggs and little birds there. It was time for our lunch and in a shade of a desert refuge we had a sip of sparkling wine first. All in all it was our wedding anniversary so thank you for the unexpected bottle :) The rest of the lunch was consumed in scorching heat of the desert and was a really unique experience ... Further we went to visit the water-feeding site powered by wind pump. The animals visiting the site are caught on two cameras and a very visited place this is - considered by different species of poo found on the ground around - a poo safari we could call the expedition :) After seeing many different birds and discovering some unusual flora we proceeded to Swakopmund where the day before we could not visit the Kristall Gallerie. It hosts the largest cluster of quartz crystals ever discovered plus two slightly lesser clusters (14 tons to 11 tons, incredible). They have reproducted the mine shaft where the crystals were found, a workshop shows how the different crystals are cut and polished, plus there is an extensive display of Namibian crystals of all kinds. One last beer we took on the beach at the Swakopmund Jetty and off we went to Walvis bay. Last visit was the colony of Greater Ibises and from there back to the ship. I would recommend this tour to any nature lover as Namibian desert is really unique and the guide did everything possible for us to get as much information as possible.

Korbic of Shifting Sands was our driver and guide on a fantastic full day tour of the Namibia Desert Landscape. His knowledge was excellent and was always concerned that we were comfortable, safe and enjoying the tour. He was realistic and made the tour a great day by adjusting things to suit our interests. We booked as a private shore excursion and he was always conscious that he needed to get us back on time Highly recommend