Namibia Highlights

After arriving at Windhoek airport, you collect your rental car and drive to your guesthouse in the city. You can spend the rest of the day making yourself comfortable at the guesthouse and recovering from the long flight, or strolling through the city. Visit the sights, such as the National Gallery with works by local artists, the well-known Christ Church or the National Museum with interesting details about Namibia’s history. Overnight stay at Elegant Guesthouse.

After breakfast you leave the capital Windhoek, and your self-drive round trip through Namibia begins. You drive southwest, past the Naukluft Mountains, to Elegant Desert Camp, your accommodation for the next two nights. Enjoy the picturesque desert landscape! Optionally, you can join a game drive to admire the beautiful interplay of light and shadow at sunset in this unique environment. You let the day wind down over a delicious dinner. You spend the night at Elegant Desert Eco Camp.

Set off very early today for the drive to the entrance of Namib Naukluft Park near Sesriem. The gates open right on time for sunrise. Look forward to a day in this fascinating dune landscape! Inside the park you can park your rental car and cover the way to the huge sand dunes surrounding Sossusvlei and Deadvlei on foot. Alternatively, you can use a 4x4 transfer. Climb one of the dunes, which are up to 300 metres high. The sweaty ascent is rewarded with a breathtaking view over the sea of dunes. Afterwards, visit Sesriem Canyon, which only sometimes carries water from the Tsauchab River and can be walked in dry periods. After a varied exploration, you head back to your accommodation in the afternoon. Alternatively, you can book a guided day trip with an expert guide in advance (optional). Overnight stay at Elegant Desert Eco Camp.

After an early breakfast your trip continues north until you reach the charming coastal town of Swakopmund. Stroll through the town, where German influence is still visible today, or enjoy the fresh sea air on a walk along the beach promenade. Swakopmund is also the starting point for many adventure activities. A boat tour at Walvis Bay or a desert safari, on which you get to know the small inhabitants of the desert, are recommended. A day trip to the seal colony at Cape Cross or a scenic flight are also possible. You spend two nights at Cornerstone Guesthouse. In Swakopmund you will find a good selection of restaurants.

You drive north, past the Brandberg, at around 2,580 metres Namibia’s highest mountain massif. Stop along the way to visit the famous “White Lady” rock painting – you should allow at least 3 hours for this detour. Beautiful landscapes line your route into the heart of Damaraland. Your home for the coming night is Malansrus Tented Camp, picturesquely situated on a side arm of the Aba Huab. Arrive at your leisure and treat yourself to a short breather before visiting Namibia’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, Twyfelfontein, in the afternoon (optional). The numerous rock engravings, whose age is estimated at 2,000 years and older, are particularly impressive and will leave you amazed. Nearby you will also find the Organ Pipes, the Burnt Mountain and the Damara Living Museum, which gives you an insight into the ancient traditions and customs of the Damara. Back at camp, you can let the day wind down in a cosy atmosphere and enjoy the glorious nature.

In the morning, visit the Petrified Forest near Khorixas with its mineralised tree trunks more than 200 million years old. Welwitschia mirabilis also grows here, plants that can live to be up to 1,500 years old and are therefore also called living fossils. Via Outjo and through Anderson Gate you finally drive into Etosha National Park, one of the most attractive national parks in southern Africa. Your accommodation serves as the starting point for game drives into the western and central part of the national park. You spend most of the next two days wildlife viewing near the waterholes. Elephants, rhinos, giraffes, various antelope species and, with a little luck, lions and leopards often quench their thirst at the waterholes and can be wonderfully observed there. Shortly before sunset you leave the park and drive to Etosha Safari Lodge, just a few minutes from the park entrance.

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. Along the way you can see herds of impala, wildebeest, oryx or zebra again and again, peacefully roaming the vast landscape. Today, too, it is worth dropping by the waterholes scattered across the park. Be curious to see which park residents you will meet there. In the evening you leave Etosha National Park through Von Lindequist Gate, hopefully with many wonderful safari impressions, and drive to the lovely Mushara Lodge for the night.

In the morning you set off towards the Waterberg Plateau. On the way you can see the enormous Hoba meteorite near Grootfontein. The Waterberg, with its red, steeply rising cliffs, can be seen from afar. In the afternoon or the next morning, explore the surroundings on a short hike, on your own or accompanied by a guide (optional). We recommend a hike up the Little Waterberg. Once at the top, you are rewarded with a fantastic view across to the Big Waterberg. You spend your last night in Namibia in a Bush Bungalow at Waterberg Guest Farm.

Drive back to the starting point of your Namibia self-drive round trip. Stop along the way at the large crafts market in Okahandja to buy beautiful hand-carved souvenirs, basketwork or jewellery. Finally you reach Windhoek. Return your rental car at the airport and begin your journey back to Europe, where you arrive the next morning with many new impressions and experiences.