When Uwe Sentefol and Callie Zimmer founded SWA Safaris in 1954, they were inspired by their love for the wilderness supported by an adventurous spirit, rather than a certainty that tourism and travel would become one of the largest sectors in the world economy, yet alone in Namibia.
Now Namibia is being promoted as an all-year-round destination with more than 300 sunny days a year. Over 1.6 million foreign travelers visiting yearly and Namibia is titled as the top destination for those who enjoy nature, grandiose landscape, spectacular sand dunes, the darkest skies contrasted by the brightest Milky Way and first-class wildlife viewing.
SWA Safaris celebrated its 70th birthday in 2024 and is the oldest and most experienced family owned tour operator in Namibia, offering continued professionalism, vast knowledge and flexibility throughout Namibia, Botswana and to Victoria Falls.
Today his son, Wilfried Sentefol, and his granddaughter, Tanja Sentefol, have teamed up at the helm of this tour operating business.
In the beginning, SWA Safaris started with camping safaris, in trucks which had been converted to carry passengers, due to lack of accommodation and roads. Today, the country has a wide variety of lodges of all shapes and sizes and tourists travel in comfortable modern coaches, converted 4×4 vehicles, by plane or as self-drives.
SWA Safaris Specialises in
- Guided tailor-made tours in Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe
- Family and Group Tours
- Self-driving tours in Namibia
- Tailor-made experiences (e.g. for botanists, ornithologists or farmers)
- Incentive tours
- Fly-in safaris
- Exclusive Honeymoon tailor-made Safaris
Our team, which is fluent in German and English, is highly qualified and will assist you with their expertise to make your African safari come to life. This expertise will be continued by our highly trained and knowledgeable tour guides who do not take it lightly to show you our beautiful country where the magic heartbeat of Africa is just a stone’s throw away.
SWA Safaris has its own fleet of vehicles which consist of VW-microbuses, MAN- and Mercedes-Benz coaches, Iveco sprinter and Zhongtong coaches all of different sizes.
Now you ask yourself, why SWA Safaris?
We are a privately-owned family tour operator and have been a major player in the Namibian tourism sector for 7 decades. We pride ourselves from the experience we have obtained for 70 years, giving us the competitive advantage in being the oldest and most experienced tourism company in this country. We have and will continue to conquer the ever-changing travelling market and move with the times. Since relationship is key, we have the best long-lasting partnerships with our suppliers, being our accommodation establishments, and get the best rates possible.
“You can leave Namibia, but it will never leave you.”-SWA Safaris
