Classic 16-days Namibia - self drive combi

Day notes

Day 1. Windhoek

Surrounded by the stubble-covered Auas Mountains and the endless Khomas Hochland, Windhoek lies in a long valley fed by ancient hot springs in the central highlands. Namibia’s capital and bustling city. More often than not, the start or end place of your Namibia safari.

In Windhoek there are many interesting historical buildings, museums, galleries and craft shops. The city has several good restaurants and modern shops and services making it an excellent base camp from which to launch your Namibian adventure.

Day notes

Day 2 & 3. Sussusvlei (310km - approximately 4 to 5 hours)

Star dunes with up to five crests rise 300m into the air and rank among the biggest in the world; the dune valleys are marked by vast clay pans where the Tsauchab River gave up its fight to reach the sea more than 60,000 years ago.

Besides the dunes and pans of Sossusvlei and Sesriem Canyon, a sideshow of activities and sights has developed around the region and there are plenty of game lodges that provide additional desert-adapted activities.Plants and birds are the dominant life form in this dessicated realm and they support a tiny world of mammals, reptiles and insects that, in the absence of coastal fog, seldom wander far from the rivercourse and its pans.

Day notes

Day 4 & 5. Swakopmund & Walvis Bay (350km - approximately 5 to 6 hours)

Surrounded by the ancient Namib desert and the inhospitable - but bounteous - Atlantic Ocean, Swakopmund is alive with activity and has a lot on offer for the adventure-seeker: quad-biking, sand-boarding, horse-riding, skydiving and more.

Swakopmund has many interesting German-influenced buildings from the early 1900s in a variety of styles and, for its size, Swakopmund has an astonishing array of restaurants that serve mainly seafood, steak and many German staples.

Walvis Bay is an industrial port which lies along the Atlantic Ocean, off Namibia's Skeleton Coast. The large bay and surrounding sand dunes help make Walvis Bay a tourist mecca with loads of activities on offer to explore it. 

• Explore the Skeleton Coast where the dunes meet the sea at Sandwich Harbour‍
• Go on a dolphin boat cruise in the harbour. Enjoy champagne and oysters
• Kayak among the seals at Pelican Point
• Visit and climb the mighty Dune 7‍
• Visit the RAMSAR wetland birding site and the Walvis Bay Lagoon. Thousands of flamingos from October to April‍
• Explore the neighbouring town of Swakopmund. Activities abound and dining delights

Day notes

Day 6. Damaraland (280km - approximately 3 to 4 hours)

Damaraland features vast khaki plains, sheer rocky mountains and incredible desert-adapted wildlife. Track rhino and desert elephant, explore the rugged land or sit back and enjoy the dramatic and endless scenery. Damaraland's hilly savannah supports a large number of species including lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, eland, kudu, giraffe, klipspringer, steenbok, gemsbok and springbok. Birdlife is prolific with over 33 raptors recorded including cuckoo hawks, Egyptian vultures and peregrine falcons - the world's fastest animal.

Damaraland is divided into several enormous private game reserves, known as concessions, that support most species of Namibia's large game and provide some of the best birding and wildlife experiences in the country - and southern Africa for that matter.

Day notes

Day 7 & 8. Palmwag (150km - approximately 2 to 3 hours)

Palmwag is a nature reserve idyllically located along a palm-lined tributary of the Uniab River, halfway between Swakopmund and Etosha, providing an ideal base from which to see the sights of the Kunene region or embark on one of the many local hiking trails. Water is scarce in this area, so the river’s presence often lures elephants closer to the camps. The reserve is notable for its unusual species of palm tree, the hyphaene petersiana, and for being home to the largest population of southwestern black rhinos in Africa. Animal lovers can also get a peek at leopard, lion, cheetah, mountain zebra, Angolan giraffe, springbok, kudu, and African bush elephant.

Day notes

Day 9. Opuwo - Kaokoveld (235km - approximately 3 to 4 hours)

The Kaokoveld, a vast and empty wilderness occupying the north-western quarter of Namibia, is roughly divided in two by the Hoanib River. It’s harsh, remote, unpopulated and makes for some of Namibia’s finest scenic landscapes.

Kaokoland is a succession of hills and mountains punctuated by endless plains. This isolated rugged region is home to the nomadic Himba pastoralists who have remained unchanged for many generations. The attraction of Kaokoland lies in its wild and uncharted valleys and mountains. It is the most isolated and undeveloped region of this mostly isolated and undeveloped country.

Day notes

Day 10. Etosha (West) National Park (235km - approximately 3 to 4 hours)

Situated in the western part of Etosha National park, a world-famous wildlife sanctuary in the northwestern part of Namibia, Etosha West is the wilder western region accessed through Galton Gate. Visitors to Etosha West can look forward to exploring the magnificent scenery of this remote north Namibian landscape characterised by lush undulating terrain and a reddish-brown soil, which is a stark contrast to the white dusty clay soil of Etosha East’s flat expansive plains. This area is home to several species not found in the rest of the park: baboons, Mountain Zebra, and Brown Hyena, as well as several unique plants. The area also boasts numerous waterholes attracting elephant, rhino, leopard, lion, a variety of buck, and around 300 bird species.

Day notes

Day 11 & 12. Etosha (South) National Park

Located just south of the boundary of Etosha National Park in northwestern Namibia, Etosha South makes up the southern region of this wild paradise. The area is comprised of a collection of world class private game reserves. The national park can be accessed via the southern entrance at Andersson’s Gate. Visitors can catch a glimpse of a variety of wildlife including: lion, giraffe, elephant, white and black rhino, and a multitude of plains game. Popular activities include: enjoying an open 4x4 safari with an expert guide, half day or full day drives with the option of a picnic lunch with wine on the full day game drive.

Day notes

Day 13 & 14. Etosha National Park (Eastern side) 

On the eastern edge of Etosha National Park, the park itself is bordered by numerous private reserves  and access into the park is via the Von Lindequist Gate, named after Dr. Friedrich von Lindequist who proclaimed it a game reserve in March 1907. This side of the park is characterised by flat endless plains, tree-savanna type of vegetation and fantastic waterholes, where you could easily spot any of the prolific wildlife Etosha is known for. There's an abundance of wildlife here. 

Day notes

Day 15. Waterberg region (330km - approximately 4 to 5 hours)

Namibia's Waterberg region is a wildlife haven en route to Etosha National Park.  Several excellent game farms have developed over the years and offer exceptional private safaris with luxury accommodation and good numbers of Africa's big game. The Cheetah Conservation Fund is several amalgamated game farms with private lodges on the western side of the Waterberg Plateau Park. The AfriCat Foundation is on the private Okonjima Nature Reserve, where they rehabilitate animals such as cheetah to be re-released into the wild.

The Waterberg plateau rises 200m above the surrounding plains and creates a diversity of habitats. The Waterberg Plateau Park and surrounding game farms are the base for numerous conservation-related research projects.

Day notes

Day 16. Back to Windhoek  (215km - approximately 2 to 3 hours)

• This morning calls for an early morning rise as your last day of traveling the land of the brave has arrived.
• Head back to Windhoek, where you will drop off your vehicle and transfer to the airport in time for your departure flight (Keep in mind that you need to be at the airport 2 hours prior and the airport is still a 45 minute to 1 hour drive from town)