Highlights from Windhoek to Victoria Falls

After arriving at Windhoek airport, you pick up your reserved rental car and drive to your accommodation in the city. Besides visiting a few sights, such as Christ Church, the Tintenpalast or the Namibia Craft Centre, Windhoek also offers good shopping opportunities to stock up on provisions for the coming days. Dinner is a good idea at one of Windhoek’s first-class restaurants (at your own expense). You spend the night at Elegant Guesthouse.

You leave Namibia’s capital and drive southwest towards Namib Naukluft Park. For the next two nights you check in at the original Elegant Desert Eco Camp. Relax in this unique desert landscape or set off on foot to explore. Optionally, you can join a game drive to admire this unique environment in the interplay of light and shadow at sunset. You let the evening wind down over a tasty meal. Overnight stay at Elegant Desert Eco Camp.

Head to the national park in the early morning hours; its gates open right on time for sunrise. Look forward to exploring Sossusvlei, Deadvlei and Sesriem Canyon. Inside the park you can leave your rental car in a parking area and cover the last kilometres through deep sand in a 4x4 shuttle (optional). Climb one of the huge dunes; the view over the breathtaking sea of dunes will enchant you. Stroll across the white clay pans and take a look at the dead trees. Afterwards you visit Sesriem Canyon, which sometimes carries water from the Tsauchab River and can be walked in dry periods. After a varied excursion, you drive back to your accommodation. Alternatively, you can book a guided day trip with expert leadership in advance (optional). Overnight stay at Elegant Desert Eco Camp.

Continue north. Your destination is the town of Swakopmund on the Atlantic Ocean. You spend two nights in Swakopmund. Stroll along the beach promenade and wander through the coastal town, where German influence can still be seen and felt today. Various optional activities are also possible from Swakopmund. Whether sandboarding, quad biking or riding through the dunes, scenic flights, a boat tour or an exciting desert safari tracking the Little Five – there is something for everyone. Two nights at Cornerstone Guesthouse. In Swakopmund you will find a good selection of restaurants.

You leave the Atlantic coast and drive inland via Henties Bay. A detour to the huge seal colony at Cape Cross is possible along the way. If time allows, you can make another stop at the Brandberg, at around 2,580 metres Namibia’s highest massif, and marvel at the famous White Lady rock painting on a hike. Please allow at least three hours for the detour to the Brandberg including the hike. Later your tour continues through Damaraland to the valley of the Ugab Terraces, a picturesque valley with impressive plateaus. Explore the fascinating landscape on signposted hiking trails and visit the nearby Vingerklip – a remarkable rock formation that resembles a finger. You spend the night at Vingerklip Lodge.

You drive north via Outjo and enter Etosha National Park through Anderson Gate. The national park was founded in 1907 and is one of the most impressive big-game parks in southern Africa. Over the next few days you spend most of your time wildlife viewing near the waterholes. Elephants, rhinos, giraffes, various antelope species and, with a little luck, lions and leopards come to drink at the waterholes and can be observed there. As the sun nears the horizon, you leave the park and drive to Etosha Safari Lodge, just a few minutes from the park entrance. A delicious dinner awaits you here.

After sunrise and a hearty breakfast, you set off on another game drive. You drive right along the salt pan, which stretches for kilometres to the east, and can watch herds of impala, wildebeest, oryx and zebra peacefully roaming the bush and grass savannahs. In the evening you leave the park through Von Lindequist Gate, hopefully with many wonderful safari impressions, and drive to the lovely Mushara Lodge for the night.

Breakfast | Dinner

After an early breakfast, your self-drive tour takes you via Tsumeb and Grootfontein to Rundu, capital and economic centre of the Kavango Region in north-eastern Namibia. Your destination is RiverDance Lodge, located right on the Okavango River. Recover from the long drive in this idyllic spot and enjoy an ice-cold Rock Shandy with a view over the river. Use the next day for various excursions, such as a boat trip on the Okavango or a safari in Mahango Game Park (only possible with a 4x4 vehicle or on a guided tour). Or visit a local village and learn more about the culture and way of life of the people who live here. You spend two nights in a bungalow at RiverDance Lodge.

Today you embark on an exciting drive eastwards, ever deeper into the former Caprivi Strip, today’s Zambezi Region. On the way you pass several villages whose people live mainly from fishing and farming. With a little luck, large game will cross your path again and again. You reach your accommodation just north of Mudumu National Park. Situated on the banks of the Kwando River, you can enjoy the peace and quiet and perhaps hear the majestic call of an African fish eagle. If you have good 4x4 driving skills, you can explore Bwabwata or Mudumu National Park on your own the next day. Alternatively, you can book a guided game drive or a boat trip at your accommodation (optional). You spend two nights at Namushasha River Lodge.

After breakfast you continue across the border into Botswana. You drive to Kasane, return your vehicle at the car rental depot at midday and are then taken to your accommodation. During your stay at Chobe River Lodge, pure safari is on the programme. Experience the fascinating wildlife of Chobe National Park! Besides the Big Five, this varied national park is home to one of the largest elephant populations in all of Africa. Three safari activities are included in the trip price. Take guided game drives into the park in a 4x4 vehicle in the early morning and late afternoon. During a boat safari on the Chobe River, you can watch the action on the riverbank and the animals that live in the river, such as crocodiles or hippos, and marvel at the diverse birdlife. Two nights at Chobe River Lodge on the banks of the Chobe River.

With many new experiences and impressions in your luggage, you are picked up from your accommodation in the morning and taken to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Visit “Mosi oa Tunya”, loosely translated: the smoke that thunders – Victoria Falls. Use the afternoon for a walk along the impressive waterfalls (optional). At the Elephant Market in town you can pick up last souvenirs. For dinner you can visit one of the restaurants in town (at your own expense) before spending the night at Pioneers Lodge.

Breakfast

Note: For certain activities, such as a sunset boat tour lasting several hours, white-water rafting or bungee jumping, an additional night in Victoria Falls is required.

After a last breakfast you are taken to the airport and begin your journey back to Europe.