Living Dunes Experience From Swakopmund

Dont under estimate the little guys. John our guide was incredible. He kept it interesting and educational. His knowledge and understanding of the little guys was wonderful. He was honest about what we would, and would not see. So there was no disappointment during the trip. We even got an extra special viewing of a jackal in the dunes. Was easy to book and communicate with the tour company. We saw 4 of the 5 little 5 and a bonus 2.

Wonderful trip we found lots of desert creatures. Our guides were well trained and gave us plenty of information about each one we found. He was also funny which kept us interested.

Very interesting Fantastic Guides with passion Thanks to Johnny and emanuel

If you think that looking for little creatures in the desert might be boring, think again!! This was one of the highlights of our Namibia tour. Emanuel, with his vast experience, was able to track tiny lizards, chameleons, snakes and beetles who live under the sand and who are invisible to the rest of us. Bjorn Anderson was a very knowledeable and highly entertaining guide, telling us fascinating stories about these little creatures and about his colourful life. I have only one complaint and that was about the pickup - we were picked up 3/4 hour later than we were told, which led to us wondering whether we would be picked up at all - Charly's you can do better than that!

Just back from this tour and it was amazing - very professional with the two driver/guides showing real love for the desert and its creatures. I have some mobility issues so was worried about how much walking there'd be. However you go from site to site in a land rover and then walk short distances with the vehicle always near enough to get back to if you need to sit. The guides obviously love what they do and, despite being ecologists, showed us things we'd have never seen on our own. Snouted lizards, burrowing skink, chameleon, beetles and a snake. They were disappointed not to find the gecko on the first few tries but we stayed a bit longer till they found one. Fantastic trip.

The Living Desert Tour was a great experience. Scout Johnny was perfekt in tracking the little animals in and beyond the sand. Björn has magnificient knowledge about the Namibian nature and a very humorous way of presentig it. We were very impressed by seeing these little animals .

Fantastic opportunity to experience this very special but endangered habitat of unique creatures. Bjorn is both knowledgeable and entertaining and the ability of his partner to find these creature is something to witness!

Fascinating tour where you learn a lot about life in the desert. The guides are excellent.

The tour we did with Bjorn and Johnny was excellent. They were well informed about the area and the animals and provided much interesting information as well as being patient and ensuring all participants were involved. Their skills complimented each other. Well worth doing and we both thought it was an excellent tour and well worth the money.

A heartfelt thank you to Immanuel & Ernst for an amazing day out. You showed us the true wonder of nature; absolutely breathtaking and unforgettable. Truly amazing!

Great experience, learning about animals in the desert, insects, lizards, snakes, birds etc. Guide was fun and knowledgable.

What a fantastic day with Ernst and Bjorn. This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to see what lives in the sand in the dunes. Bjorn is incredibly knowledgable and Ernst tracking abilities are legendary.

Great tour guide, friendly, engaging and informative. Very considerate of tourists. Drinks provided. Take sunscreen and a hat.

We loved this tour, finding all this creatures in the middle of nothing but sand, was magical. At the end of the tour, they drove through the dunes, which was a wonderful experience.

A unique experience. The guide was experienced in the little creatures and the dunes. The scenery was breathtaking and the 4x4 vehicle was suited for the tour

Absolutely amazing experience. I learned so much in 4 hours about the desert and the dunes, plus saw wonderful desert dwellers (and got pictures!). Highly recommend the Living Dunes tour. In addition to the animals, the guides provided excellent information about the geology and the geography of Namibia and the dunes.

We had an exciting morning in the dunes with Erns and John. They were knowledgeable guides with a genuine love for the environment they work in. Although we didn't see all 5 small animals, we managed to see 4. How Erns and John found the small side wonder snake was unbelievable. An amazing drive through the dunes. Thank you so much.

This was a truly wonderful experience. Nick and Johnny took us on a magical adventure and showed us the most fascinating creatures that we would have overlooked.

We did this tour from a cruise ship (headlined as The Living Namib Desert) and delivered by Charly's Desert Tours. The tour was a highlight and the staff were fabulous. Shoutout to Ernst, Nick, and Bjorn! Really well organised, and we got to know the desert, its inhabitants, and the area. If it lived in the sand, Ernst could find it — and he kept everything moving along well. Nick gave a wonderful overview of the desert and its place in Namibia, and kept up a very informative spiel throughout the tour. Bjorn was very helpful and always at hand to find an animal track or offer insights. The equipment, organisation, and staff are a credit to Charly's Tours.

The most amazing trip. So wonderful to see the Little 5 up close and great to see the care the guide showed for conservation. The ride over the dunes was also great fun!

Thank you so much for an amazing and very informative experience! Ernst was a very knowledgeable guide. I can really recommend the trip.

Excellent tour of the dunes, saw many amazing creatures we otherwise would have missed thanks to the expert eyes of our guides Emanuel and Jonny. The information was delivered in an engaging and enthusiastic way, we learnt many things about the incredible dunes of Namibia, strongly recommend!

A worthwhile excursion with knowledgeable guides who showed that the desert is indeed living. We enjoyed the dune ride .

Amazing time in the sand dunes. Breathtaking views and an adrenaline filled 4by4 drive. A worthwhile vacation to take.

Very knowledgeable guides and a great way to see some of the local desert wildlife aka: "Little Five" that are unique to this region! After hunting for (and hopefully finding) several creatures the guides then take you on a fun scenic drive through the dunes! Must do when visiting Swakopmund!

My husband and I went on this tour with about 8 other people from our tour group. PJ was our guide and he was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about sharing information about what lives in the Namib desert. He also described how the sand is composed of many minerals. We saw the following: Palmetto Chameleon, FitzSimmons Legless Skink (lizard), Namaque Chameleon, Shovelsnouted Lizard, Sidewinder Snake. We spent 3 hours driving and walking thru the desert. I highly recommend this tour.

Good tour but I set my expectations too high after my friend recommended the Living Desert Tour in Swakopmund to see chameleons. On booking, we were told we would definitely see a chameleon. However, when we were picked up in the morning we were told that this company hadn't seen chameleons for 3 months. But just one week before we did this tour, my friend had seen a chameleon through Tommy's Desert Living tour. Was definitely great to see the geckos and snakes, but I do wish we had booked Tommy's Living Desert.

We had a great tour with Ernst, he was fascinating to listen to and he found a surprising range of critters in the dunes. We highly recommend Charley's Desert Tours. They were pleasant to deal with and responsive to our emails.

We were astounded by our guide's ability to find the Tiny 5 of Africa using the most subtle of tracks. This was definitely a "pinch me moment", seeing the Plamato gecko, Sand-diving lizard; Sidewinding Snake and Namaqua Chameleon. We felt like we were in a David Attenborough documentary. These tiny creatures can only be seen with the services of a skilled guide and we felt privileged to witness them. Highly recommended.

The team really works hard to show the little 5 in the desert and share all the knowledge related to the creature. They also take you on a short ride of the sand dunes. The tour highlights the life of the creatures thriving in desert and their survival techniques.

Wonderful guide , jurgen , shared his knowledge of nature and life in the dunes . Respectful of the environment unlike other operators (sandwich harbour) who tore up the dunes in their 4x4’s . Jurgen made sure to teach us about the delicate wild life . We loved every single moment

From collection to drop off this was an excellent trip. Saw some fascinating animals, sidewinder, chameleon, gecko's and more. The guide Bawden was very knowledgeable about the creatures and the desert. Wine and cheese on the beach was a lovely way to end the trip before returning to the ship.

It was a very interesting and educational excursion. We saw several animals that are normally difficult or even impossible to spot. Big thanks!

Initially dubious as we sat waiting for the guide to turn up but once we were on the move a very informative trip in to the dunes with lots of small creatures of the desert to see and lots of information about each creature. A great way to see the smaller creatures of Namibia.

After about three days of "getting to know the sea" by staying in a close proximity from the town's waterfront (at a place in one of the streets branching from the Strand Ave. along the waterfront), there came the time for me to "get to know the desert" which really is also my suggestion for every visitor to this small town (which nonetheless is "naturally blessed" with proximities to both the sea & the desert); and yes this one just being a half-day tour at the site "right outside" the town, I would say, is a good way to getting the "desert experience" before going out on longer tours (in my case just one which is an all-day tour to the Skeleton Coast National Park which I did two days after this). In any case, to break it down into its "5 stops" after entering the Dorob Desert from near the place like a "camel farm" just on the outskirts of this small town, there were: the 1st stop which mainly was a walk-around on the desert (with a nice luck of spotting about two small "sidewinder snakes", each in a different location, although yes not just by luck alone but also by skill of our guide with his stick to remove the sand layers where apart from those snakes were also some other tiny creatures found such as chameleons & beetles); the 2nd stop on the top of what was likely the "highest dune" of the desert from which was a pretty nice view of the "rolling landscape" of the many smaller dunes all around; the 3rd stop as in like the opposite nature to the 2nd stop was on the bottom of a dune where yes I discovered that it was "much easier said than done" trying to go up those dunes with just quite a strenuous task of lifting your foot for each step (although one guy from our group almost made it to the top of that dune!); the 4th stop above a dune with a shallow bottom & like an easy slope for some "sand play" & such (sliding down the slope as seen being done by some from another group that arrived before us) and where there was also something like a small "long-shaped salt pan" seen looking down to another side from that stop; and finally the 5th stop also above a dune but which was kind of unique in a way where you could look to the distance and see both "the desert & the sea beyond" while standing at like right on an edge of the dune where you could also look down to its some "considerable depth". So a nice break from the sea view on the previous days (although also including a day for the town's sites of the Swakopmund Museum & Woermannhaus), this was an enjoyable half-day tour for just about 3 hours in a small group of 5 people including myself with Charly's Tour (as written on the vehicle but my booking done by my hostel as the Living Dunes tour), and yes also much thanks are to the gentleman who was both our guide & driver (for showing those hard-to-see tiny creatures & also for his driving skill taking us on some "thrilling rides" going up & down the dunes).

Picked up on time - informative guides but WAY too many people for one tour. 23 adults cramming round a tiny desert creature just didn’t work - we could hardly see. Unless you were prepared to push in front of people (which we weren’t) it was easier to stand back. One women smoked 3 times and left her butts in the sand…..if the main purpose of this tour is education to conserve this should not have been allowed

This is a great tour to learn more about the animals and reptiles in the area. We'd highly recommend this tour! This was our second tour with Erst, our guide. And we were delighted to have him for a second tour. He's a great storyteller! We learned so much about the animals and geology of the desert. As usual, what made the tour really special was how Erst explained the beauty and wonder of the desert to us. He really has a deep respect and admiration for nature that shows in his tours!

The delightful little creatures that were discovered for us to observe and admire. The clear explanation of the animals presented and the book in the truck you could access and use as a information source. The friendly knowledgeable Ruth and Johnny.

This was an awesome experience which was led by our very knowledgeable guides, Johnny and Ernst. We had such an awesome time and learnt so much. He let all the kids see the animals up close and showed us all cool experiments with magnets and the sand. I highly recommend you do this trip. We saw so many animals and so many beautiful things. Absolute must do for Swakopmund!!

We actually did two tours on the same day: living desert tour in the morning and the moon landscape/welwitschia flower tour in the afternoon. We had Ernst as our guide for both and he was absolutely fabulous! He really knows his stuff and its evident that he is passionate about protecting the environment. We learned a ton and had a great time. He even had good suggestions for a dinner spot that evening. Touring with Charley's was a great decision.

One of the highlights of the holiday. Thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon learning about the desert. Ernst was great, showing us a lot of plants and creatures and explaining the formation of the desert. Great drives and beautiful scenery.

This was one of the best experience we had in Namibia (and we had many great experiences). We went with the guide Ernest and he is very knowledgeable and shared his immense knowledge on animals, plants and desert life in general with us. Ernest is an excellent guide/driver and we were so impressed with the way he could spot tracks of the animals and the way he was engaged in the protection of animals and the desert. We went with three teenagers who were interested in the animals but even though the trip is what you would call slow-moving, and also focusing on fauna and a bit geology, we were all thrilled and coming back form the trip, we have talked so much about all the things that Ernest told us and showed us. We can only give this trip our best recommendations.

What a memorable experience! Well trained and knowledgeable guide/ driver. Did not know how secretive the desert creatures can be. Our guide knew exactly where all the little creature's hising spots were. Rest assured that responsible tourism practices are observed. All animals placed back where found. Guide/ driver will collect patrons at residances or holiday accomodation. Wear a hat and apply sunblock! Approximately 3hour tour.

We had a great morning discovering the life of the 5 small desert animals. Our guide, Ernest, was very knowledgeable, interesting and friendly. He worked hard to get us to see as many of them as possible :-) We enjoyed getting the chance to see what is usually invisible to our inexperienced eyes when walking in the dunes. Thank you for all we learnt!

My husband and I took the "little five" desert tour with Charly's and had an enjoyable experience, though we only were able to see three of the "little five" (missing were the chameleon and cartwheeling spider). Nonetheless, we found the guide to be very knowledgeable, and the dune scenery was really beautiful. It's a bit of a slow-moving tour, where the the guide parks, gets out and walks around looking for things, and then if he finds something, he comes and summons you to look. But you're welcome to also get out of the vehicle while he's searching for animals to enjoy the scenery and explore a bit. So it's a pretty low-key tour, but still enjoyable nonetheless. My favorite was the side winder adder, which was quite active and hissing at us. And the guide's ability to spot very faint tracks and figure out where an animal was hidden was really impressive. I do wish we'd been able to see more than three of the "little five" but nature is nature and that's not necessarily the guide or company's fault.

This was such a lovely way to see the dunes and some of the wildlife that live there. Our guide was super knowledgeable about the dunes and all that live there as well as the history of Swakopmund and how events have shaped Namibia into the country it is today. You will drive around looking for the different animals and plants and obviously there is no guarantee of what animals you will see but we saw plenty. I’m not a big fan of snakes but we found a little tiddler thanks to our guides tracking experience. We also found a bird that ate my seed and but snacks out of our hands. Such a wonderful way to see the landscape and a really fun morning spent. If you have the opportunity to do this tour then please do. We booked 4 excursions with Charly’s and the process was seamless. When everything is arranged for you it really allows you to relax.

We attended the living dunes experience recently and was pleasantly surprised hwo informative and enjoyable the experience was. It started off a bit slow but then once everything got going it was really awesome to see how desert animals adapt to their environment and we were explained in detail and shown how they function. Would have loved to do a night experience if it was offered as well to see all the night critters. Only issue I would say, is that perhaps children should be over a certain age to attend the tour. As educational as it is for young kids it is also stressful for the guide to have to constantly watch that they kids do listen to certain instructions when the parents fail to watch their kids. Otherwise would highly recommend this trip.

Our tour guide Ilse was very nice, She had a great sence of humour and she will make u laugh guaranteed.

What a great experience to go into the desert with top guides Ilze and Johnny. Their expertise and their love of nature gave us a glimpse of life in the desert that we could never have discovered ourselves.The way Ilze guided us through the desert and constantly surprised us, made this trip a highlight of our visit to Namibia.