Ultimate Namibia Self Drive

Your tailor-made itinerary

Two weeks self-driving the most awe-inspiring of Namibia's landmarks from the red dunes of the Sossusvlei in the south to the animal-filled waterholes of Etosha in Namibia's north.

You will begin with a night in Windhoek to acquaint yourself with the country and recover from your flight. From here you will drive the approximately 5 and a half hour drive to Wolwedans in the NamibRand Nature Reserve, a vast privately-owned, non-profit reserve covering almost 200 000 hectares bordering the Namib Naukluft Park.

Wolwedans offers a wide variety of desert landscapes and environments including huge red sand dunes and vegetated inter-dune valleys. The sand and gravel plains are dotted with mountain ranges and inselbergs. It is home to the most intriguing desert-adapted flora and fauna which can be discovered on scenic drives and nature walks with resident field guides. Other activities include picnics, sundowners on the dunes and dinners by candlelight, scenic flights and hot air ballooning.

From here you will journey to Sossusvlei. Many visitors will argue that there is no part of the desert more visually stunning than Sossusvlei, with its monumentally high dunes, some as high as 325 metres. You can walk along their winding crests and reach the top for rewarding views. Other attractions include Deadvlei, once an oasis, now a barrow clay pan scattered with dead, blackened acacia trees and Sesriem Canyon. See this spectacular area from the air with hot air balloon rides or on the ground with quad bikes or game drives.

Heading further north now you will stop at the coastal town of Swakopmund with its palm-lined streets, old German colonial buildings and gorgeous beaches. The town has made a name for itself as the centre of adventure travel attracting those seeking 'adrenalin' highs in the form of free-fall parachuting, sandboarding, dune-bike riding, quad biking and many more. If you prefer a slower pace there is also scenic flights, hot air ballooning, fishing, dolphin cruises, museum tours and simply enjoying the many cafes and restaurants.

After the action-packed stay in Swakopmund you will stay 4 nights in the Damaraland region splitting your time between 2 areas with contrasting scenery. This semi-desert wilderness is simply spectacular and home to Namibia's famous desert-adapted elephants, the endangered black rhino (which can be seen on game drives) and a few small communities who are benefiting from tourism in the area. Other highlights of Damaraland include the Brandberg, Namibia's highest mountain and home to bushmen paintings; Twyfelfontein, a rocky outcrop with thousands of Bushmen engravings and the Petrified Forest which is millions of years old.

Your 3-day safari in Etosha National Park is next. Etosha, one of the largest game reserves in Africa, is a vast area of saline desert, savannah and woodlands all surrounding the largest salt pan in Africa. Here live a wonderful variety of animals and birds, insects and reptiles. The park has a number of springs and waterholes that provide excellent game viewing and photographic opportunities. Your days will be spent on morning and afternoon/evening game drives. At midday you can relax by the pool or read a book under the shade of a tree.

En route back to Windhoek you will spend your final night in the Waterberg area, known as the cheetah capital of the world. Here you can learn more about these animals at the nearby Cheetah Conservation Fund or observe hundreds of Cape Vultures spiralling down from the sky at the feeding site of the Rare and Endangered Species Trust. The Waterpark Plateau Park is nearby or you can simply relax before your journey home the next day.