Self-Drive Namibia Wonders - 17 Days

Travel distance: Approximately 50kms, good roads.

Collect your vehicle upon arrival and drive to your guesthouse / hotel. Depending on your arrival time you may choose to wander into the centre of Namibia’s capital city. It’s often described as having a continental atmosphere - mixing African lifestyle with European history, picturesque German architecture, European influenced restaurants and shopping centres combined with street vendors make it unique. Alternatively relax by the pool or join an optional township tour.

Stay at:
Standard - The Elegant Guesthouse or similar
Upgrade - Am Weinberg Boutique Hotel or similar

Travel distance: Approximately 260kms, main roads and good dirt roads

Head south and you will soon see the red sand of the Kalahari interspersed with yellow grasses, shepherd’s trees and acacia’s. Your lodge is situated on a private game reserve in close vicinity to a frequented waterhole where oryx, springbok, zebra, and a variety of smaller game species abound. In the late afternoon experience the Kalahari and its symbiotic components on a sundowner / nature drive (optional, extra charges apply).

Stay at:
Standard - Intu Afrika Camethorn Lodge or similar (bed & breakfast) 
Upgrade - Intu Afrika Zebra Lodge (dinner, bed & breakfast)

Travel distance: Approximately 430kms, good main roads plus some dirt roads.

Travel further south into endless plains dotted with dolerite hills and desert-adapted vegetation. Visit the quiver tree forest at Keetmanshoop, before arriving at your lodge, situated close to the Fish River Canyon. On your second day in the region, travel the short distance to the magnificent Fish River Canyon. Enjoy this natural phenomenon, the second largest of its kind on Earth, with its awesome splendour and adapted fauna and flora on a scenic walk along the ridge of the canyon. After the visit travel back to your lodge, where you can enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Stay at:
Standard - Canyon Village or similar (bed & breakfast)
Upgrade - Canyon Lodge or similar (dinner, bed & breakfast)

Travel distance: Approximately 420kms, main roads and good dirt roads.

Today head west to Namibia's Atlantic Coast. Travel past the Naute Dam, where the Naute Kristal Distillery is a stop not to be missed for lovers of Gin, which is locally produced here together with numerous other fine spirits and can be bought as tasteful and original souvenirs. Continue to the edge of the Namibian escarpment and via the Succulent Karoo to the coastal town of Lüderitz. Enroute you can stop at Garub to try and find some of the unique Namib Desert Horses that survive in the desert due to their acquired adaptations.

Stay at:
Standard - Kairos Cottage or similar (bed & breakfast)
Upgrade - Nest Hotel or similar (bed & breakfast)

Travel distance: Approximately 270kms, good dirt roads.

Before continuing on your journey to the southern Namib Desert, a visit to Kolmanskop, located just outside of Lüderitz, is very rewarding for all those who wish to travel back in time to a unique remnant of a bustling diamond town that flourished here from 1908 to 1950. Traveling north, your next stop is situated in a more solitude desert landscape along the foot of the stunning Tiras Mountains and the scenic D707 route.

Stay at:
Standard - Namib Desert Lodge or similar (bed & breakfast)
Upgrade - Kanaan Desert Lodge or similar (dinner, bed & breakfast)

Travel distance: Approximately 250kms, good dirt roads, good roads / main highways.

This morning you travel north into the Namib Desert, the oldest desert on Earth. Your lodge is surrounded by the Naukluft Mountains, one of the most striking mountain ranges found in Namibia. Arriving at Sesriem, the gate to Sossusvlei, home of the highest sand dunes on Earth, and Sesriem Canyon, you have the afternoon at leisure. Early the following morning experience the surreal environment of flat gravel plains contrasted with the apricot colored majestic sand dunes when visiting Sossusvlei. Visit the fantastic Dead Vlei with its white clay-baked pan surrounded by the highest dunes in the desert. Finish the morning with a visit to the rugged Sesriem Canyon, a gorge created by the force of the Tsauchab River.

Stay at:
Standard - The Elegant Desert Lodge or similar (bed & breakfast)
Upgrade - Sossusvlei Lodge or similar (dinner, bed & breakfast)

Travel distance: Approximately 340kms, good dirt roads, good roads / main highways.

After breakfast, leave Sesriem and travel to Swakopmund. En route you will traverse the rugged and harsh Gaub and Kuiseb Passes. You can also visit the Welwitschia plains and the moon landscape as you approach Swakopmund. This idyllic town is situated between the Namib Desert and the Atlantic Ocean enjoys a distinct German architecture and atmosphere and offers unique and fun adventure and sight-seeing activities. These include scenic flights, living desert tours, dolphin cruises, quad biking, dune boarding, parachuting and wind surfing.

Stay at:
Standard - Swakopmund Sands Hotel or similar (bed & breakfast)
Upgrade - Strand Hotel or similar (bed & breakfast)

Travel distance: Approximately 340kms, good dirt roads, good roads / main highways.

Depart the coastal town of Swakopmund you travel east towards the picturesque Erongo Mountain Range. Traveling past the Spitzkoppe you have the exceptional opportunity of visiting an authentic village of the San community living here. At your overnight lodge you have time to spend at leisure around the sparkling pool, or explore the small town of Omaruru and its surrounds. Experience the magical sunset around a fireplace and marvel at the African sky whilst sipping your favourite ‘Namibian Sundowner.

Stay at:
Standard - Omaruru Guesthouse or similar (bed & breakfast)
Upgrade - Spitzkoppen Lodge or similar (dinner, bed & breakfast)

Travel distance: Approximately 340kms, good gravel / dirt roads.

Continue into Damaraland where you visit Twyfelfontein, a World Heritage Site and an “open air art gallery” that boasts over 2,500 different Bushman rock engravings and rock paintings. Close to Twyfelfontein, you can also visit a traditional Damara village, the original inhabitants of the Damaraland. Furthermore visit the Petrified Forest where pre-historic tree trunks jut out between patches of Welwitschia

Stay at:
Standard - Twyfelfontein Country Lodge or similar (dinner, bed & breakfast)
Upgrade - Doro Nawas Lodge or similar (dinner, bed & breakfast)

Travel distance: Approximately 210kms, good dirt roads, good roads / main highways.

Travel into the Etosha National Park, Namibia’s most famous wildlife park. The park surrounds a parched salt desert known as the Etosha Pan, which shimmers with mirages during the heat of the day. Waterholes in the park support a diversity of mammals and birds, including endangered species such rhino and cheetah. Your lodge for the first night is located just outside the Anderson Gate in the central section of the park. On Day 14, after sunrise you again travel through the park to another camp / lodge, enjoying the sight of pronking springbok and playful animals announcing the start of another glorious day. The dense stands of Mopani forests support a large variety of browsers and specialised predators such as leopards, while it offers a variety of migratory as well as non-migratory bird species safe cover and nesting sites. Your lodge for your 2nd and 3rd nights in the park are either located within the park itself or just outside the eastern Von Lindquist Gate.

Stay at:
Standard -
Okaukuejo  Resort (1 night - breakfast) or similar
Onguma Etosha Aoba Lodge (2 nights - breakfast) or similar
Upgrade -
Etosha Oberland Camp (1 night - dinner and breakfast) or similar
Mushara Outpost (2 nights - dinner & breakfast) or similar

Travel distance: Approximately 380kms, good main roads.

Depart Etosha National Park and travel south through the main agricultural and cattle farming region of Namibia. If you select our Standard package for your accommodation, once you arrive at your lodge you have time to explore the diverse wildlife on an optional guided nature drive or on numerous scenic walking trails that criss cross the reserve.

If you select our Upgrade package for accommodation, your lodge is located within the Okonjima Private Game Reserve, home of the AfriCat Foundation. The reserve offers many activities (additional costs apply) that will delight and educate even the most experienced of travellers. You can witness some of the foundations' work, which is committed to researching and rehabilitating Namibia's threatened wild cat populations. With an abundance of animal and birdlife and spectacular scenery, Okonjima is a photographer's paradise. Activities (please note that age limits apply for some activities) include nature drives, AfriCat carnivore care project, leopard tracking, endangered species game drives, bushman walk and night drives.

Stay at:
Standard - Midgard Country Estate or similar (bed & breakfast)
Upgrade - Okonjima Plains Camp or similar (dinner, bed & breakfast)

Travel distance: Approximately 275kms, main roads.

Enjoy a final morning in Namibia with a walk along one of the scenic mountain trails before traveling south to Windhoek. En-route stroll through one of the large craft markets in Okahandja and pick up some last minute curios or souvenirs before your route takes you between high mountain ranges back to the capital city. Return your vehicle to Windhoek International (Hosea Kutako) Airport.