It is not yet time to reveal our new afternoon excursion, but the following two statements are true:

This tour will be departing Swakopmund with a minimum of 2 guests at 14h00.

We will operate this tour Mondays to Friday’s and not on weekends. (You see, it is already different to all the other tours that go out every day J )

Until we can tell you more, have a cold beer, the sun is shining in Swakopmund.

For decades the Swakopmund day tour / activity market has been dominated by a handful of choices. Some are water based like the Seal & Dolphin Cruises or Kayaking, some are based on the dunes like the Sandwich Harbour Tours and the Living Desert Tours, some explore the hinterland like the Welwitschia plains and the Kuiseb River with the Topnaar community. Some even go to Cape Cross, some fly over the desert and some stay in town like City Tours or Township Tours. All of these come in different shapes and sizes. Different timings, durations, prices, bigger groups, smaller groups, older vehicles, newer vehicles.... Most if these activities are great and totally worthwhile experiences, offered by passionate operators and guides. 

But it is time for something new! Something different!

Sometime in mid-September hopefully, Charly's Desert Tours will start a fresh new half day tour called........................................... (Ha, we will not give it away yet).

All I can say at this moment, our new tour will depart in the afternoon at 14h00. Oh, the afternoon winds we typically experience here at the coast will not bother us.

So, when you are back from your Kayaking trips and Dolphin cruises, your Living Dunes Experiences and your late morning Quadbike trip, you will be in time to join us in small groups of up to 10 guests on the ................(almost gave it away).

Oh, something else I can say. The duration will be about 4 hours.

We will reveal more information sometime next week...until then, enjoy a good cup of coffee, maybe it can help with the cold weather.

With the ever growing phenomena of Airbnb, we as a local day tour / activity supplier are faced with the ever-growing frustration of not finding guests booked on our tours. As the overwhelming majority of Airbnb’s are private home and apartments with no branding, we are having real trouble finding guests booked on our activities. So, Charly’s Desert Tours will no longer pick up guests from Airbnb’s and private homes, but rather meet guests at an agreed upon location, like our offices or a central public parking area.

Other guests have to wait for long times, or drive around aimlessly with our guides in search of unmarked houses, often with not even a telephone number.

Should you be staying with friends or at an Airbnb, please let us guide you to a mutual meeting place.

Our country called for action and we answered. Namibia's first National Clean-up Day was held last Friday. Although it was a busy day for our guides and our office, we entered a small team to do our bit. Even my 9 year old son joined in. The young man was very eager and thinks it was a great idea to clean up the environment. Although it felt good collecting so much garbage, we are saddened by the fact that there was this much garbage in the first place.

We will soon have a trial month where we will not issue single use plastic water bottles. I have mixed feelings as to how our clients will respond to this, but let’s at least try. More on this will follow soon.

Yesterday the Cruise-liner season for Namibia came to an end on a high note with a call of the Queen Elizabeth. We had an early start and the harbour was still nice and quiet. Some of the guests had the opportunity to go "Safari for the little animals" as one of our guests called our Living Dunes Experience  yesterday.

Our fleet of 4x4 vehicles looks so small next to this majestic ship. We would have to make 38 trips in our fleet if we had to take all of the 2092 guests the ship can accommodate on tour. If we were to do two tours a day, this would keep us busy for 19 days. Unfortunately these cruise-liners arrive in the morning and set sail again the same day.

Typically I don't share recipes, but I have to share this today. Last night I learned something while celebrating a friend’s birthday at the Old Steamer Restaurant here in Swakopmund.

The best accompaniment to a Fillet steak with a pepper sauce is to enjoy it with another steak with Garlic butter! Who needs salads an all the other fancy stuff if chef Albi serves you his best cut of beef?

Find the Old Steamer at the Alte Brücke Resort in Swakopmund. The service is great, the décor is nice, the food is fantastic, and the price is pretty reasonable.

Finally our Sand & Rock Combo is just a click away. We have managed to make this combo tour available online, and have even managed to add the delicious Crayfish lunch for those who want to be pampered.

Where our full day Namib Desert Tour is available only for a minimum of 4 guests, we offer the Sand & Rock tour with a minimum of 2 guests, as we are essentially combining the popular Living Dunes Experience and the half day Namib Desert Tour.

This combination shows the desert from all sides, what a wat to spend the day!

Swakopmund is modernizing. One activity at a time. We are excited to be able to have our customers book their Swakopmund Fat Bike experience directly from our website. Availability is live and bookings are easy to make online. Book Now

We had the pleasure of welcoming a number of guests from the Queen Mary 2, one of the world’s largest cruise liners. With tours in the morning and in the afternoon, we treated a number of guests to see and experience the beauty of the Namib Desert. Our 3 hour tour in the dunes introduced the guests to the wealth of life in the desert. Plenty of exceptional photo opportunities and a glass of bubbly on the beach made for a fun and educational eco tour in our custom built Safari vehicles.

Charly's Desert Tours will be closed for 25 and 26 December 2017 and operate normally during the rest of the holidays. Just 1 January we will be closed for New Years Day.

We wish all a Merry Chistmas and safe traveles wherever you are!

The Charly's Team

It is long overdue, many of our agents and prospective clients have asked for it in the past. Well finally here it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0JSdXko6Cs

Just beyond the coastal fog line, Gecko Ridge rarely suffers the damp misty mornings often experienced in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, and instead mostly enjoys radiant blue skies and beautiful sun all day long, making it eminently suitable for those who just want to get away from it all, or wish to arrange a private function or a year-end celebration. In this quiet location, an outdoor Lapa and a number of bedrooms overlook a large, partially enclosed swimming pool. Beautiful wooden sun decks overhanging ponds of running water allow for a well-deserved sundowner to be enjoyed in idyllic surroundings, while taking in the amazing sunset over the Namib Desert and the famous 'moon landscape'.

For more information and bookings follow this link

Luxury, comfort, tranquillity, hospitality and attention to detail; these are attributes which ring true at Swakopmund Sands. Treat yourself and make your experience one to remember. The hotel’s location, on the platinum mile, is within walking distance along the beach leading directly into town. And for peace of mind, 24-hour secure parking is available. The Swakopmund Sands presents you with a choice of 25-rooms, ranging from luxury rooms, to single and family rooms.

For more information and bookings follow this link

Organic Square Guesthouse provides luxury modern living, with spacious, private rooms each with their own little garden. Beautifully renovated, this guesthouse is located in the heart of historical Swakopmund. After a peaceful night in your comfortable room you’ll be treated to a wonderful healthy organic breakfast before venturing out to discover the unique surrounding landscapes and history of the area. At Organic Square Guesthouse, we provide our guests with modern luxury accommodation and we go out of our way to provide the highest level of customer satisfaction – to ensure a memorable stay in Swakopmund.

With a variety of rooms available, we’re sure to find the right living space to accommodate our guests.

For more information and bookings follow this link.

The Secret Garden Guesthouse in Swakopmund, Namibia’s Premier Holiday & Tourist Destination on the famous ’Skeleton Coast’ offers you all the comforts of your own home at reasonable prices. All our 6 double en-suite bedrooms and 3 ’Comfort’ double en-suite bedrooms face onto a secluded courtyard. There are also 2 Luxury suites with private balcony. Breakfast is included.

Part of the Secret Garden is our Bistro where you can enjoy ”Meal of the Day” and delicious Pizzas.

Situated in the heart of ”Old Swakopmund” you can explore the town and amenities on foot.

We have a secure parking area. Children and dogs are welcome.

For more information and bookings please follow this link.   

As part of the recently launched Swakopmund accomodation online booking service, we do weekly features of the participating establishments.  

Cornerstone Guesthouse is a small, private and peaceful bed and breakfast. We are an easy walk to the seafront and the town centre of Swakopmund on Namibia's fascinating Skeleton Coast.

Occupying a quiet corner of Swakopmund's old town near The Marine Museum and The Old Brewery, Cornerstone Guesthouse offers the charm and intimacy of a family-run B&B combined with the modern amenities of a luxury hotel.

Within a few minutes from the guest house you can walk to beaches, cafés, restaurants, lively pubs, Swakopmund's tourist attractions and a variety of interesting shops and markets in the town.

For more information and bookings please follow this link.

In April 2016 we introduced live availability and online bookings for our popular day tours and activities. Today we are excited to extend the same easy way of online bookings to a growing number of Swakopmund accommodation establishments. Visitors to our website can now book their accommodation in Swakopmund online, directly with the hotel or guesthouse of their choice. Simply enter your preferred dates and choose one of the available establishments, book and pay. Visa and Master Cards accepted. Now your stay in Swakopmund is only a few clicks away, and while you are booking your accommodation, simply navigate to the activity page to finalize your arrangements.

Quick, convenient and direct.

A recent short visit at the Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust (NaDEET) has taught us the fine art of solar cooking. A delicious Shepard's Pie was prepared in a solar oven. Cooked to perfection using nothing but the sun's direct energy. A tour of the NaDEET centre rounded off the short visit. Well done the Victoria and Andreas Keding for building an amazing project and a wonderful education centre to teach Namibian communities and school groups to live better with less recourses.

Anybody interested in supporting this truly amazing non-profit, please contact Victoria at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Welche verschiedenen Facetten Namibia aufweist – das erfahren 60 Reisebüromitarbeiter während ihres Aufenthalts im südlichen Afrika. Als Teilnehmer von Campus Live, dem Schulungsprogramm von DER Touristik, erkunden sie das Land. Und sind begeistert. »So schön und sauber hatte ich mir Namibia nicht vorgestellt«, sagt Silvana Bannert.

Charly's Desert Tours war dabei. Wir haben ca. 30 Teilnehmer in die Dünen geführt und unsere "Living Dunes Experience" vorgestellt. Lesen Sie den bericht von Petra Hirschel.

Book nowBook nowSlowly but surely the next century is arriving. Another friend and supplier is introducing online bookings and we are delighted to partner with GroundRush Adventures to facilitate online bookings. So, from today onwards our clients can book their Tandem Skydiving experience directly from our website, and of course via our office in Swakopmund. The GroundRush Crew is standing by to take you on an experience of a lifetime. Qualified and highly professional Tandem Masters will ensure your Tandem Skydiving experience will be a lasting experience with plenty of fun and exitement. Choose to document your jump with either the handycam video or have it filmed and photographed by a professional videographer jumping at the same time as you. Book online now.