namibia road trip from cape town

The Ultimate Lazy Road Trip – Cape Town to Windhoek

• December 20, 2023 December 20, 2023
• Leigh-Anne Harber
• Namibia , Namibia Nature

Nothing beats a laid-back road trip, especially one that will take you through pristine, untouched South African West Coast land and into the desert. With just you and your companion, a map (even if it is a Google map), and the open road, this is the sort of once in a lifetime trip that you will never regret taking, provided you do it right and safely.

We are big fans of the self-guided journey .

This particular African holiday offers a seamless transition from the vibrant streets of Cape Town to the heart of Namibia, all while allowing you to set your own pace.

You don’t have to do it alone if you choose to book a planned self-drive holiday, but if you do want to DIY your trip, or if you are just looking for some generally helpful information, we have the essential self-driving tips and the must-visit places to stop at along this picturesque route.

Self-Drive Travel Tips

If this is your first time driving yourself in a strange and unusual place, it can be good to have some tips to keep in mind both before you leave and when you are out there on the road. Here are some of our favourites:

• Yes, Plan Ahead But Please Leave Room For Spontaneity

It goes without saying that you will need to make sure that the car you are taking is in top condition and that you will need to plan your route. But somewhere on your timetable, you need to leave room for those detours and unexpected discoveries.

Cape Town to Namibia road trips are all about embracing the unknown, so don’t over think your stops and make time for spontaneity.

• Fuel Up and Stock Up

Namibia’s vast open and inhabited landscapes often mean you can travel for long stretches between fuel stations and shops. Even if you think you might not need it, you should fill up your tank whenever possible, and also stock up on essentials like water, snacks, and other basic supplies.

This will help you be more prepared for the road ahead, and instead of stressing about not having something essential, you can focus on enjoying the journey.

• Check Local Regulations

Finally, our last big tip is to familiarise yourself with the local driving regulations and road conditions.

In Namibia, you drive on the left side of the road, and quite naturally speed limits can vary, between the open roads, the towns and the cities. When out on the road you need to be cautious of free roaming wildlife, especially during the early mornings and late afternoons. For the most part, Namibia’s roads are well maintained, except for the really remote routes.

A Few Must-Visit Places Along the Route

Driving from Cape Town to Windhoek, or anywhere else in Namibia for that matter, means you will be passing all sorts of interesting places. Here are a few that you need to see.

The Cederberg Mountains

A scenic drive through the Cederberg Mountains is just the perfect way to start your road trip. Here you will be treated to sights of surreal rock formations and the most beautiful wildflowers, which you will see more of if you travel in spring. If you have the time you can hike or have a picnic.

The Fish River Canyon

As you enter Namibia, one of the first stops you can make is in the utterly beautiful Fish River Canyon. This is the second-largest canyon in the world and from above you will be treated to some breathtaking views.

The Sossusvlei

No Namibia safari road trip is complete without a visit to Sossusvlei. With its towering red dunes, this place is worth exploring and while here you must climb Dune 45, especially if you are in the area in the early morning, because that sunrise will linger in your memories forever.

As you approach the coast, Swakopmund welcomes you with its unique blend of adventure and relaxation. Take a lazy stroll along the promenade, indulge in local cuisine, or try your hand at water sports. It’s the perfect coastal retreat for your self-driven journey.

Etosha National Park

If your road trip takes you away from Windhoek, make sure that you visit the wildlife haven that is Etosha National Park. As you take a drive through the park, you can see all sorts of animals, including elephants, lions, and a myriad of other species. The freedom of a self-drive Namibia safari allows you to savour the wildlife at your leisure.

Are you ready for Lazy Long Sun-Filled Days, Scenic Panoramic Views, and the Dream Adventure of a Lifetime? All you have to do is Book Your Cape Town to Windhoek Drive with African Travel Concept!”

This incredible road trip from Cape Town to Windhoek isn’t just a journey; it’s an odyssey through magnificent landscapes and destinations on the tracks that you want to travel. If this sounds like the holiday of your dreams, you can book a self-drive Namibia safari today!

Read our other blogs here

The Quirks and Charm of Windhoek

We have the fun facts about Windhoek that travellers like you need to know. Windhoek, Namibia’s cool capital, transcends all of the narratives that are used to define a typical African metropolis.  Built amidst dramatic desert landscapes, the city is a mix of German and local heritage, fascinating history, and a flourishing craft beer scene

A Guide to Spotting Namibia’s Big 5

Namibia is the unlikely destination that you can visit if you want to spot Africa’s Big 5. While most safaris typically take place in the east of Africa, Namibia offers travellers a genuinely unique perspective on these famous African animals.  Namibia is a remarkable country in just about every way.  Here, the wildlife encounters are

Planning a 4×4 Adventure to See Namibia’s Skeleton Coast Shipwrecks

A land of stark beauty and harsh unforgiving terrain, the vast expanse of the Skeleton Coast whispers tales of harrowing shipwrecks and survival against the odds.  The Skeleton Coast of Namibia isn’t for the faint of heart, instead, this is a destination like no other, one that will take you away from the modern world,

Wanderlust Movement | A South Africa Travel Blog

An Incredible 10-Day Namibia Road Trip Itinerary

September 5, 2021 by Lauren Melnick

Last Updated on March 12, 2024 by Lauren Melnick

If you follow me on Instagram , you’ll know I recently got back from a two-month trip to Namibia .

It was my second trip to the country this year, and my feed has been an explosion of desert landscapes, epic hot air balloon adventures, and ticking off some of Namibia’s top attractions.

And after doing a Namibia travel Q&A, I had an influx of people asking me two things:

• “Please make all this information a Story highlight.”
• “Hurry up and post your Namibia blog posts!”

So here it is.

All the tips, information, and destinations you need to know about to plan an unforgettable Namibia road trip itinerary!

Without further adieu, let’s dive into this behemoth.

Psst…Want more Namibia travel tips and road trip inspo? Check out these other posts:

• Staying at Desert Grace: A Top Luxury Eco Lodge in Namibia
• 20 Incredible Visa-Free Countries South Africans Need to Visit in 202 1
• The Ultimate Road Trip Essentials Packing List (+ Free Checklist!)
• 10+ Spectacular Road Trips in South Africa You Can’t Miss!
• 10+ of the Cheapest African Countries You Need to Visit

Table of Contents

Keep an Eye on Your Fuel Tank

Don’t drive at night, road trip namibia solo or in a group, pick the right car, travel & car insurance , get a local sim card, covid travel requirements for namibia, the best time to visit namibia, where to stay in windhoek, things to do in windhoek, where to stay in luderitz, things to do in luderitz, where to stay in sossusvlei, things to do near swakopmund, where to stay in swakopmund, where to stay in spitzkoppe, where to stay in etosha, etosha to windhoek (1 day), even more bucket list namibia attractions, what to pack for a namibia road trip, cost of accommodation in namibia, car rental and petrol costs in namibia, entrance fees for national parks, food costs in namibia, flights to namibia from south africa, travelling to namibia faq, namibia road trip safety tips.

“Is it safe to drive in Namibia?”

That’s one of the top questions in my DMs.

The short answer? Yes! Namibia is a safe self-drive destination. Hopping in your car and driving into the arid desert is one of the best ways to explore the country.

However, there are a few things you do need to keep in mind.

Namibia is the second least densely populated country in the world. With a population of only 2 million and an area of 825,400 square kilometres, you can drive for hours and not see another car.

When you couple this with the long drive times between attractions, and few and far petrol stations in between – you could run out of fuel in the middle of nowhere if you’re not careful.

Before you set out on your Namibia self-drive trip, go onto Google Maps and make a note of the petrol stations and where you’re going to fill up.

Tip: Work out your car’s fuel efficiency so you know exactly how many kilometres you’re going to get from one full tank of fuel.

Once you leave a big city like Windhoek, you won’t find a single street light until you reach the next town.

While no light pollution is music to any astrophotographer’s ears, it’s dangerous to anyone on the roads after dark.

You could hit big animals like Oryx or not see a pothole in time.

…And that’s a sure-fire way to spend your travel fund on insurance premiums.

Tip: Plan your Namibia road trip route to leave after sunrise and arrive before sunset.

Okay, hear me out.

You can self-drive Namibia alone, but only if you prepare for sh*t to the fan.

With how remote the country is and the lack of cell signal, if you get stuck or have an accident, you might have to wait hours for someone to drive past.

If you want to road trip Namibia solo, make sure you have:

• Satellite phone
• Emergency service numbers
• Tools for changing a tyre
• Knowledge to get your car unstuck from a sand dune

For everyone else, I’d recommend going in a group for safety. 

And if you want to go up to the Skeleton Coast, go in a convoy (not one car), so you have another vehicle to help in case you get stuck.

Do you need a 4×4 in Namibia? Yes and no.

You can reach some destinations with a normal vehicle. The road to Sossusvlei has been upgraded in recent years, and there is a tar road from the park gates until the first Dead Vlei parking lot.

But due to the conditions of the gravel roads, it’s better to use a 4×4. Plus, if you want to explore more remote regions and tackle the dunes, you’ll need an off-road vehicle. 

World Nomads Travel Insurance offers some of the best coverage for travellers. No matter where in the world you go, you’ll have cover for over 150 adventure activities and travel hiccups like unplanned hospital and doctor visits.

If you’re a digital nomad and travel to Namibia for a month or more, I recommend Safety Wing . It’s travel insurance for long-term travellers and has remote health care insurance as well.

For car insurance, you shouldn’t skimp on this option. We got caught in a sandstorm en route to Luderitz that stripped the paint off the car and pockmarked the entire windscreen.

World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers in over 100 countries. As an affiliate, we receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. We do not represent World Nomads. This is information only and not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.

Grab an MTC sim card and sign up for the Supa Aweh package. It has the best value for money in terms of the amount of data and talk time you’ll get.

The only catch? It expires after a week.

If you plan to stay in Namibia for longer as I did, I topped up my data bundles as I ran out.

Namibia’s borders are open to international travellers, but there are a few travel requirements you’ll need to meet.

• 72-hour negative PCR test on arrival.
• 72-hour negative PCR test on departure.

You do not need to self-isolate or go into a mandatory government quarantine .

To get your negative COVID test to leave Namibia, you can go to Pathcare testing stations. Pathcare has depots in Walvis Bay and Windhoek, and you do need to pre-book a timeslot.

Cost: NAD 850

If you want to go private, I highly recommend NamibTest. There is no waiting in lines, you’ll have your tests back in 7 to 24-hours, and you can book your appointment online.

Note: There are only testing stations or home visits in Windhoek and Swakopmund.

Cost: From NAD 950

When is the best time of year to visit Namibia? October.

The heat of summer hasn’t arrived yet, the chill of winter has melted away, and the wildflowers are in bloom. 

And if that’s not enough to tempt you, this will. October is a shoulder season for Namibia. It’s coming right off the heels of the country’s busiest months (June to August) which means you can scoop up incredible accommodation deals, and the crowds at Dead Vlei are minimal.

But if you want to avoid melting like a popsicle, the winter months (June to August) are a firm favourite for a reason. You won’t have a rain cloud in sight, temperatures are cool, and you’ll have incredible wildlife sightings in Etosha National Park.

Namibia Road Trip Itinerary

Special thanks to Mat-Travel Safaris and Tours for helping me plan both my Namibia road trips, organising all the logistics, and driving me around!

I’ve only flown into Namibia for a road trip. However, it’s totally possible to drive up from Cape Town or elsewhere in South Africa .

There is a main road you can follow, and it’s in good condition. If you decide to drive, remember to read up on what you’ll need to present at the border (i.e. car paperwork) and what food you can and cannot take across into Namibia.

Here is my Namibia road trip itinerary starting from Windhoek!

Windhoek (1 Day)

Fly into Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) and spend one night in Windhoek, Namibia’s capital city.

Trust me. You’ll want a bit of a breather before the madness of the road trip kicks into full gear. It will also give you time to grab a local sim card and check out the food scene.

After a good night’s rest, buckle up and get ready to start driving towards Luderitz in the morning.

• Chameleon Backpackers
• Windhoek Country Club Resort
• Am Weinberg Boutique Hotel
• Have dinner at Stellenbosch Wine Bar and Bistro (not vegan friendly)
• Visit Christuskirche (a gingerbread looking church)

Windhoek to Luderitz (1-2 Days)

• Distance: 684 km
• Time: 7-hours 35 min

From Windhoek, you can drive straight through to Luderitz, BUT that’s a hectic 8-hour drive.

Instead, break up your trip with a stop in Keetmanshoop . It’s home to Namibia’s famous quiver tree forest! We originally planned to stay on the farm where these trees are found, but a COVID break at the accommodation meant we had to cancel our booking.

If you have more time, you can opt-in for a more popular route to Luderitz: Windhoek – Kalahari – Fish River Canyon – Luderitz.  

Once you get to Luderitz, you can spend one or two days exploring the Kolmanskop Ghost Town. Once a thriving diamond mining town, it was abandoned to the elements in the 1950s. Over the decades, the desert has slowly taken over the buildings.

I would recommend spending two days here if you’re a photographer. It will give you time to scope out your shots and two opportunities to shoot at sunrise.

An extra day also means you have a buffer day in case the weather is bad.

Cost: Permits for sunrise and sunset are NAD 300 or NAD150 if you go in during daytime hours.

• The Cormorant House

Lüderitz to Sossusvlei (2 Days)

• Distance: 498 km
• Time: 6-hours 27 min

Next, you’re off to one of my favourite places in Namibia – Sossusvlei! Here, you’ll find the petrified Dead Vlei and the famous Dune 45 (the most photographed dune in the world!)

There are so many incredible ways to experience the desert while you’re here:

• Go on a hot air balloon ride with Namib Sky
• Sign up for a sunset nature drive into the dunes (available at Le Mirage)
• Climb Big Momma and Big Daddy dunes
• See Deadvlei and Sossusvlei
• Take photos at the dunes lining the road up to Deadvlei
• Keep an eye out for the Oryx!

Tip: Come inside the park for one sunset and one sunrise to experience the dunes in a different light! And don’t forget water if you plan on climbing any of the dunes.

• Kulala Desert Lodge (private access to Sossusvlei)
• Sesriem Campsite (campsite inside the park)
• Le Mirage (an hour drive to Sossusvlei)
• Gondwana Desert Grace Lodge

Read More: Staying at Desert Grace: A Top Luxury Eco Lodge in Namibia

Sossusvlei to Swakopmund (2 Days)

• Distance: 403 km
• Time: 5-hours

After an incredible two days in Sossusvlei, drive up the coast to Swakopmund. This little town is an excellent spot to have a breather and experience more of Namibia’s top attractions.

But before you pull into town, add Solitaire to your GPS and stop by for the famous apple crumble pie. 😍

Feast your heart out! It’s 100% worth it!

If you’re short on time, you can end your Namibia road trip itinerary here and fly out of Walvis Bay Airport. It’s a 35-minute drive away, or you could drive back to Windhoek (3-hours away) and depart from Hosea Kutako International Airport.

Read More: How To Book Cheap Flights From South Africa To Your Dream Destination

• Sandwich Harbour: Sign up for a half-day tour with Mola Mola Safaris and experience the size of the dunes first-hand. You drive next to the waves breaking on the beach and go on a roller coaster ride into the dunes. 12/10 would recommend – just make sure you sit in the front if you get car sick.
• Seal Kayaking Tour: This takes place in Walvis Bay, but you can easily organise a pick up with the tour company.
• Quad Biking: Dune 7 Adventures has an amazing quad biking sunset tour! It’s one of the best things I did in Namibia, and the views were incredible!
• Flamingoes: Walvis Bay (a short 30-minute drive from Swakopmund) is famous for its gigantic flamingo population. Walk along the promenade, and you’ll see a sea of pink -heart eyes-
• Architecture: Walk around Swakopmund and explore the town’s beautiful German architecture. My favourite building is the old railway station. 
• Skeleton Coast: If you have an extra day, book a day trip up to the Skeleton Coast. You can see the shipwrecks that litter Namibia’s coast. Or, if you want to save time, you can book a scenic flight and see the wrecks from above.

Tip: The Skeleton Coast is super remote and has no cell signal. It’s best to go with someone who knows the area and can help if your car gets stuck.

• All African Colours
• Hansa Hotel
• Strand Hotel

Swakopmund to Spitzkoppe (1-2 Days)

• Distance: 152 km
• Time: 1-hour 38 min

Only a 3-hour drive from Swakopmund lies another firm favourite – Spitzkoppe. Located in Damaraland, a breathtaking mountainous region where you’ll find locals selling crystals, desert lions, elephants and zebras. 

With so much epicness going on, it’s not hard to see why it’s one of the most photographed places in Namibia!

And the star of the show? The famous “arch”.

For photographers, shoot the arch at sunrise. Sunset works as well, but I find that the sunrise photos look better.

If you’re not into boulders or landscape photography, Spitzkoppe is an incredible star-gazing destination in Namibia. Pack your tripod and plan your trip in line with the new moon for spectacular Milky Way shots !

On my first Namibia road trip, this was our final stop before driving back to Windhoek to fly back home. You can do the same or continue further north.

• Spitzkoppe Tented Camp : 12/10 would recommend staying here. It’s only a short drive to the entrance.
• Spitzkoppe Campsites : You can camp inside the park, but it’s wild camping, and you’ll need to bring everything with you.
• Spitzkoppen Lodge : A more luxurious option.

Spitzkoppe to Etosha (3 Days)

• Distance: 460 km

Got the time to explore more of Namibia? Head up to Etosha National Park.

You can start in Swakopmund, skip Spitzkoppe and spend one night at Madisa Camp in Damaraland (3-hour drive) before driving at Anderson’s Gate on the C38 (4-hour drive).

If you’re coming from Spitzkoppe, the drive is 5-hours to the gate.

Once you’re inside, I’d recommend spending at least three days in Etosha. It will give you more than enough time to explore the park, and if you book accommodation within Etosha, you’ll have extra time for spotting the famous ghost elephants, big cats, and all the other wildlife.

The downside? The chalets inside the park are government-owned and aren’t in the best condition. My rooms at different camps had cockroaches, I didn’t always have hot water, and you can hear other people showering.

Plus, if you book the breakfast and dinner option, it’s not super vegetarian or vegan friendly . Learn from my mistakes and pack your own food if you don’t like eating meat.

What are ghost elephants? Regular ol’ African elephants that bathe in the park’s white clay and calcite sand, turning their grey skin white.

• Okaukuejo Camp : Book the premium waterhole chalets if you can.
• Halali Camp : My favourite Etosha camp that was in a better condition than Okaukuejo and near to the one leopard’s local hangout.
• Mushara Lodge : A luxury camp outside of Etosha on the Eastern side of the park.
• Little Ongava : A luxury lodge 5 minutes from Etosha’s gates.

• Distance: 457 km
• Time:  4-hours 37 min

If you don’t want to spend a night in Windhoek, book an afternoon flight out. Etosha is only a 4-hour drive away, and if you leave early enough, you can make it in time for your final leg back home.

We did this on our first Namibia road trip.

There are a few other destinations you can check out for those that have more time for a longer Namibia road trip itinerary:

• Caprivi Strip
• Fish River Canyon
• Twyfelfontein
• Waterberg Plateau National Park
• Epupa Falls
• Hoba Meteorite
• Welwitschia Drive
• Sesriem Canyon
• Quiver Tree Forest

Before you start your Namibia road trip, there are a few essentials that you’ll want to make sure are in your car:

• Spare tyre, spanner, and jack
• Tyre repair spray for punctures
• A cell phone charger for the car and a power bank
• Credit card and cash (don’t forget to unlock your card for international travel)
• Downloaded Spotify road trip playlist (you won’t have signal the entire time for online streaming)
• Offline version of Google Maps, Garmin, or old school map book
• A torch or headlamp
• Sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat
• Soy milk if you don’t drink dairy (pick this up in Windhoek or Walvis Bay)
• Snacks for the car

Read More: The Ultimate Road Trip Essentials Packing List (+ Free Checklist!)

Namibia Road Trip Cost

Your Namibia road trip budget will vary depending on your travelling style, how far you drive, and how many days you spend in the country. 

Here is a quick breakdown of what you can expect to pay in Namibia:

Camping: Camping is the cheapest accommodation option in Namibia. You can bring your camping gear, hire some from an overland company, or stay in tented camps. Prices for campsites in Namibia average around NAD 200.

Lodges: Staying in a lodge or guesthouse in Namibia varies widely. You can book at mid-range places for NAD 800 per person per night or splurge on an ultra-luxe lodge starting at NAD 7000 per person.

The cost of renting a car in Namibia depends on the type of car you choose and if you’re travelling during high or low season. On average, a 4×4 rental (without camping gear) for 7-days will start at NAD 1020 per day for a 7-day trip, and if you want camping included, it can go up to NAD 2500 during peak season.

Next, you’ll need to budget for petrol. Luckily, it’s cheaper than South Africa. The price per litre is usually around NAD 13. To give you an example, my trip from Walvis Bay to Etosha cost NAD 2,400 for three tanks of fuel. 

The entrance fees in Namibia aren’t crazy expensive.

SADC nationals will pay around NAD 50 – NAD 70 and everyone else NAD 100 to NAD 150. Car fees are between NAD 20 to NAD 50, depending on your nationality.

If you’re staying at self-catering places, you can keep your food costs pretty low. The prices for some food items are slightly more expensive in Spar or at petrol stations as many things are imported.

Eating out at restaurants is on par with South African prices. You can expect main meal dishes to be average around R80 to R150. Non-vegetarian meals do cost more.

I paid R3500 for a return flight from Cape Town to Walvis Bay and around the same amount for my flights from Johannesburg to Windhoek.

To get the best flight prices, use Skyscanner . You can quickly see what months are the cheapest to fly to Namibia and what days airlines hike up the prices.

• What injections do I need for Namibia? There are no required vaccines for Namibia. However, always double-check with your doctor what shots you should get before travelling to Namibia. Some of the advised vaccines are Hepatitis B, Rabies, Typhoid, and Cholera.
• Do I need malaria tablets for Namibia? There are some areas in Namibia where malaria is a high risk, especially during the rainy season. Again, speak to your doctor to get up-to-date medical advice and get malaria tablets that work best for you.
• Can I drink the water in Namibia? Yes, you can drink tap water in Namibia. However, always double-check when you are staying at lodges and campsites outside of the main cities.
• How many days should I spend in Namibia? With huge distances to cover between Namibia attractions, you should aim to spend between 10 to 14 days or more in Namibia.

Woo hoo! Congrats on making it to the end of this gigantic but EPIC Namibia road trip itinerary! Got any questions I didn’t answer? Hit ya gurl up in the comments below.

If you like it, then you should put a pin on it! 

About Lauren Melnick

Lauren Melnick is the founder of Wanderlust Movement, Wander to Here and is a South Africa travel blogger. She's been travelling the world as a full-time freelance writer since 2016 and has visited over 40 countries.

When she isn't typing up a storm, you can find her conquering overnight hikes around the Western Cape, rock climbing, and hosting sold out group travel trips around South Africa, Namibia and Morocco.

Reader Interactions

September 6, 2021 at 6:22 am

Love this! So helpful. Did you visit the skeleton coast? Will it be part of the trip you’re organizing next year? Also how’s the covid situation in Namibia?

September 6, 2021 at 8:26 am

I went as far as Henties Bay and saw one shipwreck. But I didn’t technically go into Skeleton Coast NP. For the trip, we are probably not going to do it just because of time and wanting to keep things at a specific price point.

Covid situation is more or less the same as SA and the rest of the world. You just need to wear a mask etc. like we do here.

December 24, 2021 at 11:05 am

Hello Lauren, its been my dream to visit Namibia with my family- we are 5 in total. however, after having looked at costs it seems to be an unreachable dream. I would love to road trip and would have to hire a 4*4 to do this, so that is definitely an additional cost as I don’t own one currently. Then its accommodation for 5 people, which I dont really mind rouging it out a bit, I’m not sure camping is an option for us though (but if it comes down to it we may have to) Then there’s the cost of all the covid tests. What would you recommend is best route for a family of 5 who wants to do a road trip (but preferably not alone as we are not too experienced). it must be the kinda trip youv’e described with the opportunity to take in all the key destinations and basically following your itinerary? we would have mx 10 days available to us to do this. tough question, but what should a trip like this cost me?

December 24, 2021 at 1:15 pm

Hey! I think the best option for you would be to sign up for a group tour of Namibia. You won’t be alone and you’ll have a clear idea of the costs upfront x

March 29, 2022 at 5:31 am

Hello Lauren, this is so helpful, thank you! Namibia sounds so magical – we’d like to book a road trip in May. Could you suggest any affordable group tour? We will fly from Joburg.

March 29, 2022 at 10:48 am

Hey Lara! I’m hosting a group trip to Namibia in May. You can see the trip itinerary and all the costs here: https://wandertohere.com/trips/namibia-7-day-overland-tour/

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Planning The Ultimate Cape Town To Namibia Route

A Road Trip to Remember

South Africa and Namibia are both considered great first-time safari destinations, where you can experience an abundance of varied wildlife, cultural and active discoveries. So, why not combine the two in a showcase of Africa’s best landscapes and attractions?

A road trip is the best way to maximize everything that these two countries have to offer. If you fly, you’ll get there sooner, but you won’t get to enjoy the scenic attractions, unique experiences, and out of the way stops en route.

Likewise, you can easily complete this 1 478 km journey from Cape Town to Windhoek by road in two days if you only stop to sleep, but that defeats the object of the trip, and you’d miss out on exploring all the wonders along the way.

Rather take some tips on how to make the most of your trip along the Cape Town to Namibia route.

Logistical Considerations for the Cape Town to Namibia Route

You can fly into Cape Town international airport from almost anywhere, or head for OR Tambo and take a domestic flight to the Mother City to start your travels.

If you’re hiring a car, you can get by with an ordinary sedan, but it’s a good idea to opt for a 4×4 as this gives you the ability to maximize your off-road adventures along the way.

Some travellers like to be spontaneous and book their accommodation on the spot depending on where they find themselves on the day. With an adventure such as the Cape to Namibia route, it’s often best to book in advance. This gives you a target distance for the day and ensures you don’t end up without a bed for the night in one of the smaller towns or overpaying for a last-minute stay.

Namibia offers good tar and gravel roads as well as excellent accommodation and dining options wherever you go.

Remember, this is a hot country, so take extra water with you wherever you go, and never forget sun protection for outdoor activities and a camera to capture the memories.

Heading Out from Cape Town

The Mother City is one of the world’s favourite places, so make sure you spend a few days or more exploring some things this metropolis has to offer before you start your trip.

Table Mountain is a must-see attraction in Cape Town, along with the Kirstenbosch Botanical gardens at its foot.

Don’t miss the chance to meander through the surrounding winelands while you’re in town either. This scenic route has abundant opportunities for wining and dining, shopping, and nature activities.

A morning on one of the city’s lovely beaches will do your soul the world of good, as will a hike among the surrounding mountains. Are you a fan of arts and culture? Guided tours are the answer for satisfying your curiosity about Cape Town’s long history, diverse cultures, and staggering creative talents.

Pencil in some of these attractions to fill any spare moments before you depart from Cape Town:

• The V&A Waterfront
• The Neighbourgoods Market
• Boulders Beach Penguin Colony

You’ll find no shortage of fine dining, fast foods and classic Cape Town street food to choose from as well as an abundance of great wines, artisan gins, and superb coffee for every day you spend in the city.

From Cape Town, you’ll head out on the N7 toward Malmesbury for the first leg of your trip.

Langebaan and Paternoster

Langebaan is only just over two hours drive from Cape Town, but it’s the perfect place for your first stopover.

This seaside hamlet offers easy access to the West Coast National Park with its beautiful coastline and wonderful opportunities for walking among the fynbos and wildlife.

Set aside a few hours to lap it all up, then book into one of the local seaside apartments. Otherwise, you can drive another 30 minutes to Paternoster for unexpectedly fine dining in this tiny coastal fishing village, and opt to spend the night there.

Seafood is the order of the day in this part of the world, but you’ll also find haute cuisine of the finest order as well as sustainable eats fashioned from sustainable local ingredients.

If you stay on the M7 until Malmesbury and then take the M315 toward Langebaan, you’ll bypass the adorable town of Darling, where you’ll delight in the markets, galleries, and artisan food on offer.

Namaqua National Park

Heading back along the N7, it will take you about 5 hours to reach Namaqua National Park from Langebaan. Along the way, you’ll traverse some of the Cape’s most scenic interiors, with views of the Cedarberg and gorgeous farmlands. Plan your trip during the springtime and you’ll soon find out why this part of the world’s called the Flower Route.

You’ll need a 4×4 and a compressor to manage your tire pressure when exploring these sandy reaches. The Namaqua National Park is a botanical paradise and home to over 1,000 species of plants that occur nowhere else. You’ll also find steenbok, tortoises, and ostriches in abundance around these parts.

You can spend the night in one of the park’s rustic campsites or opt for one of the temporary luxury tents set up for the flower season. Skilpad rest camp or Luiperdskloof Guest cottage offer a self-catering stay.

Alternatively, there are many guest houses and campgrounds located on the outskirts of the park or in nearby Hondeklip Bay.

Vioolsdrif to Fish River Canyon

It’s only just over an hour’s drive to South Africa’s border with Namibia from the Namaqua National Park, but you’ll want to leave early in case of delays.

Overnighting near the Fish River Canyon means you can spend some time admiring the stunning views over Africa’s largest canyon or even hiking some of the shorter trails.

You can stay in the Hobas campsite, but most travellers choose to spend time at the Ais-Ais hot springs resort, where you can soak in the warm mineral waters of a natural spring and indulge in luxury spa treatments.

It’s worth taking a day or two in this part of the world if you have time to spare. Don’t miss the chance to enjoy a meal at the quaint and universally popular Canyon Roadhouse about an hour’s drive from Ais Ais.

Lüderitz and Kolmanskop

During the five-hour trip from Ais-Ais to Lüderitz via Aus, you’ll begin to notice the slow evolution of the scenery into Namibia’s typical arid landscape.

For a spectacular showcase, take a side trip along the way by travelling via Seeheim to view the amazing Quiver Tree forest . This detour will add another hour and a half to your trip, but it’s worth every extra minute and kilometre.

You should also make time to spend a while at the Garub viewsite to see if you can catch a glimpse of the famous feral horses that roam this area and capture some photographs of this unique attraction.

Lüderitz is a charming seaside destination offering access to the wonders of the Namib desert as well as some of the world’s best kitesurfing .

Overnight in one of the local guesthouses and then be sure to book a trip to explore the haunting scenes of Kolmanskop and sign up for desert tours highlighting the denizens of the dunes.

No trip to Namibia is complete without enjoying the wonder of the Namib Naukluft National Park . This 49 768 km squared wilderness is home to plenty of unique attractions.

These include the Sossusvlei , Deadvlei, Sesriem Canyon, and the Welwitschia Trail . It’s best to spend a few days here if you want to enjoy everything there is to see and do amongst these vast landscapes.

You can stay at campsites within the park or opt for one of the more luxurious lodges on its edges. A hot air balloon trip to watch the sun rising over the dunes is a bucket list item for any traveller to Namibia.

Sossusvlei is a six-and-a-half-hour drive from Lüderitz along the C27 with a further four and a half hours to reach Windhoek, in central Namibia. That leaves you plenty of time to try the world-famous apple pies at Solitaire along the way.

Windhoek is Your Gateway to Namibia

After your long drive north, it’s a shame not to explore more of Namibia when you arrive.

From Windhoek, head out to Etosha National Park for exciting game drives to view Namibia’s wealth of wildlife on self-drive and guided outings or take a trip to the Spitzkoppe. This ‘Matterhorn’ of Namibia towering 1 728 m above sea level, can be spotted from a great distance and is a favourite for photographers, hikers and mountaineers.

Alternatively, head back to the coast to enjoy outstanding seafood, German culture, and high-adrenalin adventures in Swakopmund . Some of the attractions in this seaside town include skydiving, dune drives, camel rides, horseback riding, and deep-sea fishing.

Wherever you choose to roam in Namibia, Windhoek is the ideal starting point thanks to its well-equipped infrastructure and abundant accommodation options .

Book your place at Arebbusch Travel Lodge and start planning your trip by browsing our travel guide .

Disclaimer Please Note: The details shared herein were correct at the time of publishing. However, with time some of this information may change. We recommend confirming information with suppliers prior to making final travel arrangements. If you do happen to find an issue with any information we’ve shared here, please feel free to contact us so that we can make the relevant changes.

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City Slicker’s Guide to Road Trip in Namibia

Hello City Slickers. Thinking of getting out of town and getting north? Great idea! We’ve just returned from a 2 week road trip to the land of the brave and can’t wait for you to visit yourself.

Namibia is a tough country. The landscape is tough, the animals are tough, the people are tough. But do you know who isn’t tough? Us! We drove from Cape Town to Etosha over a 2 week period and these are the things we learnt. We hope it helps any other soft city slicker’s like ourselves:

Border Stuff

Technology stuff, money stuff.

• Accommodation Discounts
• Medication Stuff
• What to Wear
• Our Favourite Places to Stop
• Extra Namibian Blog Posts

There’s no point talking about anything else if you can’t actually get into Namibia! So let’s start there…

1. Compulsory Cross Border Charge Permit

When crossing into Namibia, the Road Fund Administration requires you to buy a vehicle permit. Called the “Republic of Namibia Cross Border Charge Permit”, you fill out a simple form (car reg., make, plate number, destination, chassis number), which is then printed onto a permit for the duration of your trip. It cost us R371.00 in our Nissan X Trail and is valid for 3 months from time of entry or expires the day you exit Namibia.

2. Vehicle Letter of Permission & Insurance

If you’re borrowing a car (for example, we used my Mom’s car) then you will need a letter of permission from the vehicle owner. If you you are not the owner of the car, you will be required to supply this letter in order to bring the vehicle into Namibia.

3. Letter of Insurance

You will also be required to prove the car is insured so ask the owner for the confirmation of insurance cover as well.

4. Compulsory ZA Sticker

If you’re travelling from South Africa to Namibia, it’s compulsory to have a ZA sticker on your car to prove you’re not importing the car into Namibia. Namibian residents are required to have a NAM sticker and South Africans are required to have a ZA sticker on their car. These can be purchased at your local travel shop or online at TakeaLot or Outdoor Warehouse for under R100.

5. What Can You Bring Over the Border?

Unfortunately, the Spar in Rosh Pinah has gone into liquidation so most residents are now shopping at the Shoprite in town. If you are wanting to bring items with you, please keep in mind:

• Unlimited beer/ciders and wine
• 2 liter spirits per person in vehicle.
• No chicken, fish, milk, citrus/most fruits.

1. 4×4 or Sedan

It’s not compulsory to have a 4×4 to road trip Namibia, however, we strongly recommend it. Not to actually use the 4×4 capabilities (although obviously some more experienced driver’s do), but for height (better game viewing) and comfort (lots of dirt roads).

We did do a road trip in our Corsa in 2018, check out the disaster that it was here . This time, we stuck to tar as much as possible. Here are a few places to visit that don’t require a bakkie:

• Grootfontein
• Okaukuejo in Etosha only (unless you get to Namutoni through the east gate).
• Swakopmund and Walvis Bay

2. Prepping the Car for a Comfortable Journey

Whenever we visit Namibia, we try to go as far north as quickly as possible as you spend a LOT of time driving north and directly into the sun. At our most northern part, we were about 3000 kms from Cape Town, so pretty far! It can get a bit tiring constantly sitting in the sun or dealing with the glare. To make your trip more comfortable, have this in the car:

• Sunglasses with UV protection to cut down that insane glare.
• A cap in case you want to actually block the light while napping.
• A tube of tissues in the door’s cup holder – this was super handy!
• Masking tape – to help stick your action camera to the windshield.
• Cooler box – we brought sparkling water with us and also used it for cooldrinks.
• Woolies bags – plastic bags aren’t allowed in the National parks so these were a good substitute.
• Wet wipes – good to disinfect as you go along.

3. Drive With Your Headlights On

It’s Namibian law to have your headlights on while road tripping – even during the day. There are a number of road blocks on the way in and out of Windhoek and they will be checking this.

4. Where To Fill Up with Petrol

The petrol is Namibia is more affordable than in South Africa. Petrol is around R24 per litre in South Africa at the moment and R20 in Namibia. So use as little petrol in South Africa that you can, and fill up in Namibia as much as you can.

We use the Oranjemund or Noordoewer borders, which both have petrol stations nearby. Oranjemund has a brand new Fresh Shop petrol station on Industrial road, just after the road split into town. This is 9kms from the border. Noordoewer has both an Engen and a Shell garage just 3 kms from the Vioolsdrift borders.

Other places we used to fill up:

• New Engen in Keetmanshoop (on the B1, not the old Engen in town).
• Luderitz Engen (Shell currently being upgraded, use the Engen on the town entry road).
• Shell at Mariental (has a Spur so you can get food and fill up).
• Shell at Okahandja (We uses the Engen, but you have to pay R2 to use the loo and it’s not great, a lot of people loitering outside, but it’s there).
• Engen Outjio (we filled up here to avoid filling up in Okaukuejo in Etosha).
• Engen Tsumeb (we stopped for KFC at the mall as well).
• Shell Rehoboth, however, the Shell Eco down the road has a Spar, may be better.

Where do we begin!! We’ll try to keep this short and purposeful…

1. Backing Up Your iPhone (iCloud)

Namibia’s internet reception is very poor, even if you have a Namibian SIM card. When in small towns or the city, it’s fine, however, there’s no 4G or 5G. LTE is their “best” speed. Long story short – my iPhone didn’t sync for 2 weeks even though I had a local SIM card. Bring your iPhone cable and laptop so you can dump your content (if you shoot on iPhone like I do) in the evening.

2. How To Get a Local Sim Card

In previous years I would buy a SIM from the Engen as soon as I crossed the border at Noordoewer. This is no longer possible as all SIM cards need to be registered in order to be activated.

We tried at the MTC at Keetmanshoop but the shop is tiny and queue is literally out the door. Our next attempt was at MTC Grove Mall in Windhoek where we had great help from the clerk.

All you need is your passport (any nationality) and to fill out their form. They will then issue your SIM cards and away you go. (I bought 2 x Aweh oh year 18 gigs, so 36 in total as I like to Instagram story.)

3. Drones (licenced and unlicenced)

It’s illegal to fly a drone anywhere in Namibia, even if you have a DJI that’s under the “licence requirement” level. No drones can be flown anywhere – without a permit. Unfortunately, getting a permit is difficult and we didn’t get it right.

It only costs R300 (non-refundable), but they require you to include a flight path which is obviously difficult to do if you’ve never been to the locations you want to visit. For example, we went to Hardap dam. We didn’t know what chalet number we would be in so how could we draw a flight path?

We saw lots of people flying drones and we’re pretty sure none of them have permits. I do find it upsetting as Europeans have a general “they’ll never catch me” attitude, which I don’t appreciate. (I say Europeans as the 2 occasions I confronted men about flying, they were Austrian and Dutch.)

If you do want to give it a go, head to the Namibian Civil Aviation Authority and scroll to the bottom of the page to “Our Top Downloads” and click on the RPAS link. This folder has 10 forms with instructions.

4. Spotify, Apps and Working Remotely

Spotify worked quite well once we’d inserted our Namibian SIM cards, however, it’s best to download playlists as it did go on and off quite a bit between towns.

This is the same for Google maps – don’t rely on it as it doesn’t work the whole way and definitely doesn’t work when you need it most! Instagram, also very sketchy due to how data heavy it is.

If you’re considering working remotely, be warned! The wifi at lodges isn’t good enough for you to sustain a proper working day, particularly if you have a lot of meetings, streaming or files to upload/download. If you’re working only on Google cloud, then you should be ok.

5. Sleep Apnea Machines

We lugged our EcoFlow all the way to Namibia and back and didn’t use it ONCE due to Namibia not having load shedding! Load shedding is the term for when the South African government turns of electricity each day due to a lack of supply. As long as you have a plug next to your bed, you will be absolutely fine to run your sleep apnea machine all night. If, however, you are planning on camping anywhere, definitely bring along your EcoFlow to ensure a perfect night’s sleep.

6. Extension cords or Multi plugs

We always travel with a multiplug with a slightly longer cable as most accommodation offerings do have plugs but not often enough to charge everything we need to charge (iPhones, cameras, drones, action cameras, laptops, smart watches, etc.). So bring a multiplug along for faster charging.

7. Apple Watch Cover

I bought an Apple Watch Cover the week before we left and I smashed my watch at the very first location. To be honest, I have absolutely no idea how it happened! But the cover saved me so I kept it on for the rest of the trip. Do not go to Namibia without a smart watch cover or protector!

Tech Things to Pack

• iPhone cable to backup content onto Macbook Air/Pro.
• Metal pin to open iPhone and switch out SIMs.
• Smart watch cover.
• PEN ! We didn’t have one and it was a pain trying to resolve. Just carry a pen.
• Action camera .
• Masking tape – helps to stick the camera down since the car rattles a lot.
• Tripods for time lapses – you’re gonna wanna shoot those stars!
• PopSockets or a way to keep your phone on the dash.
• Multiplug & multiple cables so you can charge quickly and in time for the next adventure.
• Spare tripod camera clip – we lost ours which made our tripod redundant. Pack two!

Apple Pay, SnapScan or Bank Cards?

We use Apple Pay everywhere we are in South Africa. From tapping at petrol stations to bars to restaurants, the less we can carry with us – the better. Unfortunately, apple pay doesn’t seem available in Namibia. We required a physical card to be slot into the machines quite often so be sure to bring a physical bank card.

Card Charges

Discovery Bank said we didn’t need to inform them that we would be travelling, which is great – until we got home and saw all the high bank charges for tapping our cards! We spent R180 on 6 transactions. FNB was a bit better but be warned, tapping isn’t for free in Namibia.

Banks are closed on Sundays across the country. We didn’t need a bank but if you do – don’t try a Sunday.

International Bank Payments Ahead of Time

Because I was wary about having banking issues, I paid for all our accommodation ahead of time via FNB’s international payments on their app. This cost R30 per transaction and may add up to be more cost effective than tapping.

Cash Withdrawals

We withdrew cash at Springbok FNB in order to have Rands, instead of withdrawing in Namibia for Namibian dollars. This is because Rands can be used in Namibia, but Namibian dollars can’t be used in South Africa (so we didn’t want to have a lot of N$ on us).

SADC Discount Cards

To date, we’ve used 2 discount cards. Being South African, both NWR (Namibia Wildlife Resorts) and Gondwana have membership cards that offer huge discounts. (NWR also extends this to international residents.)

For NWR, the discounts for a couple ( NamLeisure Plus ) include:

Namibians (Fee: R400)

• Accommodation Discount: 50%
• Meal & Activity Discounts: 25%

SADC (Fee: R800)

• Accommodation Discount: 25%

International Guests (R1600)

• Accommodation Discount: 10%
• Meal and Activity Discounts: 25%

For Gondwana Cards , discounts include:

Namibians (R300 per adult, R150 per child)

• Accommodation Discount: 50% (bed and breakfast); excl. Geisterschlucht Cabin
• Camping Discount: 50%; excl. Klein-Aus Vista campsite. 50% Discount on Camping2Go
• Meal and Activity Discount: 25%

South Africans (Fee: R300 per adult, R150 per child)

• Accommodation Discount: 40% (bed and breakfast); excl. Geisterschlucht Cabin
• Camping Discount: 40%; excl. Klein-Aus Vista campsite. 40% Discount on Camping2Go

The Gondwana Cards last up to 5 years while the NWR cards only last 1 year.

Medical Stuff

From what we’ve gathered, Namibia seems to be great in an emergency, but not much more than that. In saying that, I’m referring to car crash emergency, not allergic reaction emergency. Most places to stay do not have 24 hour reception and you’re pretty remote even if they do.

We absolutely recommend travelling with an Epipen if you have any mild allergic reactions. This is also because allergic reactions tend to increase in severity over time. Be prepared as you will not have access to emergency medical care in most locations.

We also packed the following meds, which are all available over the counter in South Africa:

• Iliadin Nasal Spray (this was a life saver with all the dust!).
• Allergex (to stop any potential post nasal drip from allergies).
• GenPain or Myprodol (hangovers and the glare from driving).
• Imodium (upset tummy).
• ACC 200 (good for coughs).
• Corenza C (good for flu).
• Peaceful Sleep (we didn’t really have any mozzie problems but always good to have).
• Berocca (good to keep the vitamins up in a veggie low country).
• Gaviscon sachets (didn’t use, but good to have).
• Cataflam or Dictaflam (period cramps).

What to Wear in Namibia

I can whole-heartedly say that I TOTALLY overpacked on this last trip and it was a real pain! I packed way too many shoes, way too many jackets, way too many swimming costumes, the list goes on. So here’s what I’d recommend you bring along if you’re averaging a 2 week trip:

• One Warm Jacket . I packed a big and a small jacket and I only ended up using the small one as my hoodies were enough to keep me warm. Check the season but one is enough.
• 3 Pairs of Shoes: 1 x plakkies (Birkenstocks for breakfast and chilling) 1 x pair of takkies (for hiking or adventuring) and 1 x “city shoes” (I brought white sneakers for dinners and I also packed black boots that I never used once).
• 2 Hoodies & 4 jerseys: I packed a lot of hoodies as Cape Town was freezing, but actually ended up using my light weight jersey’s more. So I’d go for 4 jerseys and 2 hoodies at most.
• 1 Swimming Costume: I packed about 4 because I thought I was an influencer for a second and lost my mind. 1 is fine.
• 1 Hat & 1 Beanie: I packed a cap for game drives and I packed a beanie for game watching at night. (In truth I packed like 5 beanies and again, they were never used.)
• 3 x Trousers: 1 x jeans/smart pants for dinner, 2 x tracksuit pants. I like to be comfortable when I drive so I wore a lot of tracksuit pants. Then I like to wear something “decent” for dinner to make it feel a bit more special.
• 3 x Pairs of Shorts: These are so you can alternate between locations as you’ll likely wear this while driving.
• 1 x Dress & 1 x Skirt: I just need a chance of pace from time to time so I wore a skirt for lunch and a dress in Luderitz. Neither are really required, if I’m honest, but don’t pack more than this.
• 6 x Tops: This is the best way to keep things fresh. 1 top for every 2 or days or so is fine. I actually bought a vest in Ai-Ais as I didn’t pack enough tops to alternate.
• Socks: I packed a LOT of socks, as I left stormy Cape Town, and then barely used them! 1 pair (for dinner) every 2 days should suffice.
• Underwear for each day: If you’re not lazy you can pack less but I did 1 load of laundry mid way and never ran out.
• 3 Bras: Minimum of 3 bras: one for light colours, one for dark colours, one for exercising.

Service in Namibia

I absolutely love the Namibian people. They are so polite, humble and peaceful. They are not, however, forthcoming. This is a major cultural difference between South Africans and Namibians. I have seen this difference mentioned on various forums – and often misunderstood as a lack of willingness.

In South Africa, general service peoples will always offer to go the extra mile. Can they wash your window? Check your tyre pressure? Carry your bags? Buy cigarettes for you across the road. It’s very normal and common for South Africans to go the extra mile to earn a tip.

This isn’t common in Namibia. In Namibia, service peoples are happy to fulfill their mandate, but the “hustle” culture isn’t prevalent. Often they are quite nonchalant about even receiving a tip at petrol stations, etc. which visitors can find frustrating or seen as a lack of willingness to help.

On the contrary, if you do have extra requests, they will quietly fulfill your request. Never have I had a “no” from a Namibian and, in fact, they are often happy to talk about themselves if you enquire.

Leaving Namibia and Re-Entering South Africa

1. how much biltong can you export to south africa.

If you don’t have the Closwa Factory Shop on your to-do list, add it now! Namibia’s tasty dried meats are the perfect road trip snack and you don’t want to miss grabbing some on your way through – particularly at the low prices the factory shop offers.

But how much can you bring back home? It’s obviously limitless while in Namibia but you need to be mindful of bringing back meat into South Africa. Here are the legal limits:

Without a Permit

• Fresh meat: 25kgs per person
• Maximum Weight: 75 kgs per car
• Plus 10kgs of biltong/droewors per car

With a Permit

As per the permit specifications.

Our Favourite Places To Stop in Namibia

Whenever we go to Namibia, we always include these 3 places to stop:

• Barrells in Luderitz. Icon restaurant and pub.
• Closwa biltong shop in Okahandja. Hugely discounted biltong.

Bonus Posts

If you’re looking for more detailed information, try our other posts:

• Top 10 Tips to Road Trip Namibia
• Tips for the best Namibian road map
• 2018 Road Trip Itinerary

We really hope this helps you prepare for the phenomenally beautiful country that Namibia is. As we said, it’s a tough country, but worth every bumpy road. Have fun!

CapeTownLocals

Heading to Cape Town? We're Meg & Al-John, Capetonians who love to share what we, as locals, get up to in the Mother City. We hope you have an amazing visit and before you catch your flight: got the passports?

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Namibia and Cape Town Road Trip

Set your own pace on this road-trip adventure and discover Namibia's Damaraland and Etosha National Park as well as South Africa's mother city, Cape Town. With generally good, tarred roads and low traffic numbers your 7 days driving through Namibia will be spent on a classic 'loop' through the north of the country. From Damaraland Camp, look out upon distant mountain ranges, wide open plains and huge granite formations in this diverse and contrasting landscape. Here you can discover rare Bushman art, view desert elephant and track critically endangered black rhino. If you're up to it, climb the Brandberg, Namibia's highest peak. At Ongava Tented Camp see the Big 5, including both black and white rhino, as well as giraffe and several antelope species on day and night game drives and nature walks.

End your adventure in Cape Town. Marvel at Cape Town's sights, from Table Mountain and Cape Point to Robben Island and the V&A Waterfront, all from the luxury of the 5-star Twelve Apostles Hotel, known for its incredible sea views.

Day by Day summary

• Starts - Catch your overnight flight from Seattle International to Windhoek International
• 1 night - The Olive Exclusive All-Suite Hotel, Windhoek & Surrounds, Namibia
• 1 night - The Erongo Wild, Central Highlands, Namibia
• 2 nights - Damaraland Camp, Damaraland, Namibia
• 3 nights - Ongava Tented Camp, Etosha & Surrounds, Namibia
• 5 nights - Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa, Cape Town, South Africa
• Ends - Transfer to Cape Town International for your international flight home

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Every Mahlatini trip is custom created to your exact travel wishes – no readymade tours or set departures. Get in touch with our experts to start creating your bespoke itinerary.

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• At-your-own pace road-trip adventure
• The incomparable landscapes of Damaraland
• A Big 5 safari in a private reserve bordering Etosha National Park
• Wide open spaces and big skies
• Explore Cape Town - ranked one of the worlds most beautiful cities

Tailormake this itinerary to your exact wishes

Our trips are unashamedly high-end but always deliver excellent value for money. Our guide price covers the majority of trip costs upfront, on a per person basis, including international flights and all transfers.

• Accommodation as specified
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• Car hire in Namibia, group R car (Toyota Rav or similar) including full cover, unlimited km and taxes
• Car hire in South Africa, group B car (Toyota Yaris or similar) including full cover, unlimited km and taxes
• Carbon-offsetting with One Tree Planted
• Conservation donation to Save the Rhino
• Community projects contribution with Uthando
• Personal travel insurance
• Additional activities not offered as scheduled by the accommodation
• Visas and visa fees where relevant
• Beverages with the exception of all inclusive hotels

This sample trip offers countless adventures and activities to ensure lifetime memories are made. From unforgettable thrills to indulgent relaxation, choose those that appeal most and we will curate your perfect itinerary.

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Whether you want to tick the Big Five off your bucket list or seek out specific safari species, our expert guides reveal the typical wildlife sightings to expect on this sample trip.

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From majestic wildlife to out of this world natural wonders, cultural melting pots and enchanting beaches, every bespoke Mahlatini journey is thrilling. Unsure where to visit? Whether it’s a bucket-list adventure, a milestone celebration or simply a much-needed escape, experience the joy with this inspiring selection of favorites.

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Namibia Self Drive Itinerary: Ultimate Namibia Road Trip + Map

February 24, 2024

Paula Martinelli

Wondering how to plan a perfect Namibia itinerary?

You have found the perfect spot in the internet! A road trip in Namibia is one of the most remarkable adventures of a lifetime. This Namibia self-drive itinerary uncovers the best of Namibia , from the mystic ghost town of Kolmanskop, exploring the mighty dunes of Sossusvlei, going on a self-drive safari in Etosha National Park, and all between.

This Namibia self-drive itinerary is packed with insider tips , such as the best way to get around the Namibia on a self-drive and the best accommodation options. You will also find alternative routes to fit your needs while taking a Namibia road trip on your own.

If you have more time, you can also combine a road trip between Namibia and Botswana , as both countries are very close and it makes a perfect dream destination . Namibia is a country custom-made for self-drive exploration and safari with (mostly) easily navigable gravel roads, minimal traffic, and an impressively low crime rate.

With great options for camping in Namibia from budget lodges to five stars hotels, Namibia is a good fit for any pocket . A well-planned Namibia road trip itinerary will take you to discover some of the mesmerizing places that Namibia has to offer.

If you are planning a Namibia itineray, these are a must-read:

• How to rent a car in Namibia
• Tips on how to drive in Namibia
• 15 most beautiful places to visit in Namibia

DAY 11: Windhoek Morning Relaxing and Departure

Self-driving in namibia.

Namibia Itinerary Overview

This Namibia self-drive itinerary covers some of the most amazing landscapes, a taste of the wildlife, and also a cultural experience with some of the beautiful local people in Namibia. I have also added alternative routes to give you options while planning your own itinerary.

My road trip in Namibia continued to Botswana – if you are also planning to travel to Botswana, check my 3-Weeks Namibia & Botswana itinerary.

I have also prepared a Complete guide on 20 Essentials tips on how to self-drive safely in Namibia that I recommend you to read before your trip, and How to Rent a car in Namibia is also a must-read.

Here is an overview of how to spend a perfect 11-day self-drive road trip in Namibia:

NOTE: I used a combination of campsites in Namibia with some budget accommodations along the way – Here I am also making recommendations for the best options for accommodations. 11 days doing a self-drive road trip in Namibia is an ideal amount of time to discover the  Best Places to Visit in Namibia 

Namibia Road Trip Map

** Click the icon at the top left of the map to see day-by-day route details **

How to Get Around Namibia on a Self-Drive

You can get a 15% off your rental car when you book through this site . I use and recommend Discover Cars because it is the most reliable rental car source, and it allows you to compare the prices of different plac es.

Starting your Namibia Self-Drive itinerary | Arrival in Windhoek

If you arrive in Windhoek in the morning, it’s possible to start driving that day. If your flight arrives in the afternoon or evening, make sure you spend the night in Windhoek before you start your Namibia self-drive adventure. Check below for the best accommodation recommendations in Windhoek.

I arrived at the airport in the morning. Between immigration, buying a cell phone SIM card at the airport, and meeting the car rental person that was there to pick me up was less than 1 hour. After arriving at the rental car, it took around 1-hour between the orientation to the truck,  how to use it, and signing the rental contract.

All packed, supplies in place, both gas tanks full, my camera in my hands, and the windows down. While keeping an eye on the road and the other on the side of the road to see if I could spot any animals – yes, you can start to spot animals as soon as you leave the airport.

Welcome…you are in Namibia!

PRO-TIP: I recommend stopping at the mall in Windhoek for supplies. I stopped for breakfast, grocery shopping, bought towels, sheets for the tent, and bug spray – all in one stop, and I was ready to go!

BEST ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS IN WINDHOEK

OVERALL TOP PICK: Urban Camp

Guests Rate : 8.9 Excellent

They have a tent accommodation style. Rated as “Superb” at booking.com, the Urban Camp features a bar, outdoor pool, and BBQ area. Located only 1.9 miles from Windhoek city center

MID-RANGE: Has Schwerinsburg Guest House

Set in Windhoek, 1,950 feet from Alte Feste Museum, Haus Schwerinsburg Guest House features rooms with city views and free WiFi with family rooms, and a sun terrace. Gorgeous mountain views and an outdoor pool

UPMARKET: Hotel Heinitzburg

If you are looking to stay at a castle for a very reasonable price, this is the accommodation for you. The Hotel Heinitzburg is a world-class hotel, decorated with classic finishes, a gourmet restaurant, and an outdoor pool. Excellent location and guests describe it as a ” delightful experience”.

Namibia Self-Drive Itinerary

Day 1: drive to keetmanshoop and visit the quiver tree forest.

• TRAVEL: from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop
• DISTANCE: 308 miles | 5 hours
• HIGHLIGHT: Stunning first views of Namibia / Quivertree Forest
• DRIVING: The drive from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop is long but easy. The entire drive is on paved roads with a 120 kph speed limit. On this route, you will pass several towns with good options for gas and basic necessities.

1. Long Drive from Windhoek, but appreciate the journey

Your first day of the Namibia road trip adventure can be tiring, especially if like me, you had a long trip from your home country to Namibia. But it is exciting as you start to feel familiar with driving in the desert and see what the breathtaking landscape in Namibia looks like. Stop for a classic picture in front of the Tropic of Capricorn sign.

PRO-TIP: I recommend picking up your supplies in Windhoek before you start your Namibia self-drive trip. But don’t worry if you forgot to buy something in Windhoek, as you will have the chance to do a few stops along the way. I had 2 stops for a cold drink and also for fuel. Watch for people wanting to “take care of your car” for some money.

2. Arrive in Keetmanshoop and visit the Quivertree Forest

Arriving in Keetmanshoop you can visit the  Quivertree Forest .  I had the chance to watch the sunset and this place is stunning. The trees are actually aloe plants and can grow as high as 10 meters, and they can be as old as 300 years.

The Quiver Tree Forest is a fascinating place to visit. Located only 10 km from Keetmanshoop, a large number of them grow in uncharacteristically close proximity, creating a forest-like landscape. It’s one of the only known naturally occurring such sites in the world.

BEST ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS IN KEETMANSHOOP

BUDGET: Keetmanshoop Self-catering

This was my accommodation option at Keetmanshoop. It has a great location, very clean bedrooms, and bathrooms, a BBQ area, and free parking. It is a great option if you are on a budget.

MID-RANGE: Quiver Inn Guesthouse

A very well-located guest house offers accommodations with free WiFi and free parking. All rooms have A/C, a TV with satellite, and a kitchenette and dining area. A full English breakfast is available in the morning

DAY 2: Visit the Ghost Town of Kolmanskop and Take the Road to the Coastline Town of Luderitz

• TRAVEL: from Keetmanshoop to Luderitz | from Luderitz to Helmerighausen
• DISTANCE: 175 miles (3 hours) | 145 miles (2.5 hours)
• HIGHLIGHT: Ghost town of Kolmanskop | Luderitiz coastal town | Wild horses
• DRIVING: The drive to the Luderitz area on B4 (paved roads) is beautiful but at the same time, it can be a little challenging, as strong winds blow and the sand can obscure visibility. Just respect the speed limits and take extra caution while driving if the wind starts blowing the sand across the road. Leaving Luderitz, you will backtrack along B4 before turning north on gravel roads to reach Helmringhausen and NamibRand Nature Reserve. You will slow down a little on the gravel roads and you will also want to decrease the pressure in your tires to avoid getting flats and improve handling.

1. Visit the Ghost Town of Kolmanskop

Start the day driving west to the ghost town of  Kolmanskop,  located near the Forbidden Zone in the Namib Desert –  one of the most fascinating things about abandoned places in the absence of life, and the profound sense of curiosity to know what its story is.

From diamonds to dust – What one day was a wealthy town, where diamonds could easily be found, but because of intensive mining the area became depleted and by 1956 was abandoned. Now the dunes fill the rooms of the town with banks of sand creating an intriguing landscape and a paradise for photographers.

PRO-TIP: Note that if you are visiting Kolmanskop, the gate closes at 1:00 PM every day, and you will need to reserve at least 2 hours to explore the whole town.

2. Visit the Town of Luderitz

After visiting Kolmanskop in the morning, you can continue down the road and visit  Luderitz . This cool and often foggy coastal town by the Atlantic coastline where the ocean meets the Namib Desert is a great stop for a fresh seafood lunch, and to visit the colorful German architecture buildings.

While driving near Luderitz pay close attention to the side of the road, as you can also see some of the only  Wild Horses  in Africa.

These horses were brought by European colonials and found a new home in the Namib desert in an area known as the Garub. I chose to spend the night at Helmeringhausen since it was a good distance to my next destination. This was my first night camping, how exciting!

BEST ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS IN LUDERITZ

MID-RANGE: Tranquility Guest House

Excellent location, near the main attractions. All rooms have a fully-equipped kitchen and TV with satellite channels. This property has been recently renovated and the rooms open to a beautiful garden

UPMARKET: Alte Villa Gästehaus

Offering a lush garden and a terrace with an excellent location. You can relax with a drink from the bar and enjoy lobsters and oysters at the on-site restaurant. A continental breakfast is included in the rate and served each morning. 

DAY 3: Drive to Sossusvlei and Start Exploring the Desert (2 Overnights here)

• TRAVEL: from Helmeringhausen to Sossusvlei
• DISTANCE: 100 miles | 2.5 hours
• HIGHLIGHT: Amazing views of Sesriem Canyon | Sossusvlei | Deadsvlei
• DRIVING: On the third day of this Namibia self-drive itinerary the driving will be on gravel roads on C27. The scenery is an amazing introduction to the drive in the desert, it is desolate and a great opportunity to already start spotting some animals. I saw many ostrich, zebras, oryx, and springboks . At the same time, the road is not bad at all, I end up getting 2 flat tires on my way to Sossusvlei. While it doesn’t require a 4WD to get to Sossusvlei, some skills are required to drive on this road.

1. Drive to Sesriem for Gas and Supplies

Sesriem is a settlement at the gate of the Namib-Naukluft National Park , and here is a great opportunity to fuel up and pick up basic supplies at the gas station.

There is no grocery store, but the campsites do have restaurants and very modest food supplies. I arrived early afternoon, checked in at my campsite, and went to explore the park and watch the sunset from the dunes.

2. Explore Sossusvlei

Visiting Sossusvlei was the highlight of my trip, and it was one of my bucket list places to visit in Namibia . Once you are inside the park, you can start driving on what one day was a riverbed, and today serves as roads among some of the tallest dunes in the world.

You can start to feel familiar with this mesmerizing place by climbing some of the dunes and hiking across the desert. I chose to visit the dune adjacent to Dune 45 , as there was no one there and it offered me spectacular views and a great opportunity to take stunning pictures.

PRO-TIP: Make sure you review the most important tips on how to drive in Namibia , and keep your tires are between 1.6 and 1.8 bar as it will most likely save you from a flat tire (I learned the hard way).

BEST ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS IN SOSSUSVLEI

BUDGET: Desert Camp

This camp is located at an incredible location with mountain views, just a few minutes from Sossuvlei dunes. It has a pool and a bar and a private kitchenette and bathroom attached to the bedroom.

MID-RANGE: Desert Quiver Camp

The location is great, only 3.3 km from the Sossusvlei entrance gate. Wonderful and very comfortable bedroom, with large private bathroom and an outside kitchen. Option for breakfast is available.

UPMARKET: Dead Valley Lodge

Now if you are looking to spoil yourself, this lodge is the best option. Large chalets available with incredible views, swimming pool, and ALL THE MEALS INCLUDED! It is located inside the Sossusvlei National Park.

DAY 4: Visit the Surreal Deadsvlei and Climb the Dunes in Sossusvlei

DRIVING:  Upon entering the park there is a single paved road for about 45 minutes, at which point there is a car park for vehicles who can’t/prefer not to make the short 4×4 trip to Deadvlei and Sossusvlei. Here drivers can park and take a guided tour in a 4×4 or be shuttled to different sections of Sossusvlei.

I saw drivers get stuck in the deep sand so take care to follow the tracks carefully and avoid any parts which look too deep. If you’re not comfortable driving a 4×4 off-road it may be wise not to attempt the deep sand and use the shuttle instead.

You absolutely need a 4×4 once you reach the end of the paved road at Sossusvlei/Deadvlei. Here I put my truck in 4-low and drove through the deep sand to a dirt parking lot with a sign that said, “Deadvlei 1.1 km, follow the markers”. I could not find any markers to follow, and you cannot see them from the parking area. Head straight into the desert toward the low dune between Big Daddy (on the left) and the high dune on the right.

1. Start your day at Deadsvlei for the Sunrise

On day 4 of my Namibia self drive road trip, I woke up at 4:30 AM as the park gate opens at 5 AM – and drove to Deadsvlei for the sunrise.

It is very rewarding to watch the shades of the petrified trees growing as the sun rises, and the dunes changing shades of orange color. The changing light conditions make continuous adjustments on your camera a necessity.

I left the campsite an hour before sunrise to arrive at the park gate for opening and made a beeline for Deadvlei, the open plain where the isolated and long-dead camel thorn trees stand.

2. Climb the Dune 45

The drive from the park gate to Deadvlei is about 50 minutes. After the spectacular sunrise, I headed back to Dune 45 and climbed it.

Climbing a dune is harder than I expected and for each step, I would take upward, I felt that I would slide 2 steps back…and it started to get hot.

In December, it is summer in Africa and the mid-day temperatures can get extremely hot, this is when I realized it was over 100 degrees I decided to head to the lodge and have lunch and sip cold water until the temperature dropped a little and I could continue to hike the desert.

PRO-TIP: If you want to see sunrise or sunset at the dunes note that only visitors who stay within the park are able to access it for sunrise or sunset as the park gates are otherwise closed for outside visitors. It can be very windy so be aware and I recommend having a scarf to cover your face from the sand. Mind your belongings because my hat flew away and I had to run to get it. Also, be aware of your electronic equipment, they really do not like san

DAY 5: Visit Solitaire | Drive to the Coastal Town in Walvis Bay (2 Overnights)

• TRAVEL: from Sossusvlei to Walvis Bay
• DISTANCE: 227 miles | 6 hours
• HIGHLIGHT: Solitare for photos | Walvis Bay for flamingos
• DRIVING: It’s a 4-hour drive from the Sossusvlei area to Walvis Bay on a gravel road. A large portion of the drive passes through a long and straight road in the Namib-Naukluft National Park – You will drive in the desert then the landscape starts to change dramatically and you will drive among canyon and rock formations. Approaching Walvis Bay and the Atlantic Coast you start to see the ocean and perhaps some mist.

1. Catch Another Sunrise in Sossusvlei (it is so worth it!)

This is another early morning watching the sunrise in Sossusvlei , and it never gets old. I decided to return to Deadvlei again, as it is a popular place to capture the first sunrises of the day while spotting some dunes, including the tallest one, Big Daddy just in front of your eyes.

After seeing the sunrise, I returned to the campsite to have some strong coffee, pack the truck, and hit the road again, it’s time to leave the desert and make the journey towards the Atlantic Coast , driving on the very dusty and open roads.

2. Make a Stop at the Solitaire

The first stop on day 5 of this Namibia road trip is at the Solitaire. Take some pictures of the old sunbleached cars, try the “best apple pie in Namibia” from Moose McGregor’s Desert Bakery, and don’t forget to fill your tank.

Head back to C14 and be surprised by the change of the landscape as you will pass through canyons and dry river beds, and enjoy the dramatic landscape driving. After you pass the canyon you will arrive at the flat desert plains again, and start to see little stands on the side of the road where you can buy things from handicrafts to local rocks.

You probably will not see anyone minding these stands, but they work on the honor system. If you find something you like, leave money in the jar or can.

PRO-TIP: Solitaire is home to the only gas station between Sossusvlei and Walvis Bay so fill up if you need to!

3. Arrive at Walvis Bay

Arriving in  Walvis Bay  I was not very impressed with the very industrial port town, with offshore rigs and salt companies marking the horizon.

One of the highlights is to visit the flamingo colony , where you can spot thousands of guess what? Pink and also white flamingos! as well as many other birds, are well worth the visit.

BEST ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS IN WALVIS BAY

BUDGET: Sunflower Self-Catering

Sunflower Self-Catering offers accommodations with free WiFi, BBQ facilities, a garden, and free private parking. Featuring a kitchenette with a microwave and a fridge, each unit also comes with a satellite flat-screen TV, ironing facilities, a desk, and a seating

MID-RANGE: The Iris Boutique Hotel

Gorgeous location, right by the lagoon where you can see the flamingoes. The bedrooms are modern, swimming poos and a bar with a garden view. They offer airport transfers and a wonderful breakfast included.

UPMARKET: Pelican Point Lodge

This is an oasis in Walvis Bay, located at an extraordinary spot on the peninsula, the rooms are beautiful and very comfortable. Restaurant with great food with BREAKFAST & DINNER INCLUDED.

DAY 6: Adventure Driving in Sandwich Harbor and Visit Swakopmund

1. adventure at sandwich harbor.

Today was absolutely one of my favorite things I have done ever! I drove to Sandwich Harbor and the experience was exhilarating!

It is so amazing that the best description is “Where the desert meets the ocean” – I could not even imagine a landscape as this existed.

Driving over golden dunes nestled beside the Atlantic Ocean, I passed some seals, jackals, and jackals eating seals. From Walvis Bay to Swakopmund is less than 30 minutes drive.

PRO-TIP: If you decide to self-drive to Sandwich-Harbor, note that a minimum of preparation is required. Have a proper 4×4, have great driving skills off-road, buy your permit to enter, and know the tide table before you go. I recommend booking the tour with a professional local tour company.

2. Visit the Town of Swakopmund

Swakopmund is the largest coastal town in the country and the perfect stopover between the desert and the Skeleton Coast. Also here is where the locals go for their holiday vacation, and it makes the perfect stop to stroll around the cute town and eat some good German food at  Swakopmund Brauhaus and have some beer in a boot!

Here is an adventure hotspot in Namibia offers many activities, such as driving on the dunes, quad biking, sandboarding, and skydiving. It is also a very popular destination to fish in the ocean.

PRO-TIP: T Swakopmund is a large town with pretty much all you need. Stock up on supplies before you continue your trip.

DAY 7: Drive the Skeleton Coast and Visit the Seal Colony at Cape Cross

• TRAVEL : from Walvis Bay to Khorixas
• DISTANCE: 200 miles | 4 hours
• HIGHLIGHT: Swakopmund Town | Seal colony | Damaraland and cave painting
• DRIVING: While along the coast, you will be driving in the mist created by the phenomena of having the heat of the dunes and the cold Atlantic ocean. The gravel roads that traverse the region can be both challenging and slow but are generally suitable for 2WD and 4WD vehicles, and today is the journey into the wilderness. Heading east towards Khorixas, the roads are wide dirt/gravel that can be quite dusty in the dry season. The roads are well maintained though you will want to make sure you are running lower pressure (1.8 bar) in your tires to avoid flats caused by the gravel.

1. Drive the Skeleton Coast

I started day 7 of my Namibia road trip driving on one of the most dreamed of destinations in Namibia is the Skeleton Coast , named for the whale bones that once littered this stretch of coastline, and the spot of many shipwrecks claimed by rough seas and harsh weather. Drive to Henties Bay, stopping en route to admire the wreck of the Zeila.

PRO-TIP: If you desire to visit the shipwrecks,  I recommend having the areas marked in advance, as while you are driving on the road, the mist makes it hard to see anything from the road.

2. Visit the Seals at Cape Cross

Then head to  Cape Cross to visit the seal colony. You will see thousands of Cape fur seals, which are considered the largest aggregation in the world.

Just watching the furry faces, and catching some sun while pups milk from their moms was a very special moment and a great place to visit.

Yes, it is true it can smell very strong, but after a few minutes I just got used to the smell and it didn’t bother me any longer. Along the Skeleton Coast, it is very misty in the morning, and the temperatures are much lower than in the desert, around 17-20 C.

3. Drive to Khorixas

Return to Henties Bay, and the road to Damaraland turns sharply inland. Here you will notice that the cold, moisture-laden air of the coast melts away, to be replaced by the hot desert sun. I spent the night at the Madisa Bush Camp since I was on my way to Etosha National Park.

BEST ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS IN KHORIXAS

BUDGET: Madisa Camp

This was my accommodation option. Located in Kalkbron, Madisa Camp provides accommodations on your own tent or they have comfortable tents to rent also. With an outdoor pool, a bar, and barbecue facilities, it is an excellent option.

MID-RANGE: Twyfelfontein Adventure Camp

The location is fantastic – the tents are right in front of a rock formation that you can also climb. There are stunning views of the surrounding mountains. Cozy restaurant and swimming pool. BREAKFAST & DINNER ARE INCLUDED.

UPMARKET: Ozondjou Trails

If you are looking for luxury, this ALL INCLUSIVE is for you! The luxury-style tents have mountain views with bathroom a shower. Restaurant with wonderful gourmet meals.

DAY 8 (OPTION 1): Immersion at Himba Village and Drive to Etosha National Park

• TRAVEL: from Khorixas to Etosha National Park
• DISTANCE: 82 miles | 4 hours
• HIGHLIGHT: Visit Himba Village | First day of safari in Etosha
• DRIVING: For the first half of the drive toward Etosha on C39 is a wide gravel road. You will then turn north at Outjo on C38 (paved road) to head to the Okaukuejo Gate inside Etosha National Park.

1. Visit a Himba Village in Khorixas

When you are in the Khorixas area, you will start to see many ethnic groups on the side of the road , supermarkets, and gas stations. If you wish to interact with them or to visit their villages, you may just ask them if they would accept a visit and you can negotiate how to pay for this experience.

On my way to Etosha, I saw these Himba ladies on the side of the road, and I stopped to make some donations and to check on some local items they were selling. Pow! I ended up changing my plan for the day and cut short one safari day in Etosha.

But I was so happy with this opportunity since I wanted to have an ethical encounter with the local tribes, and this was the perfect opportunity. They took me to their village, dressed me as “ Himba Paula ” and shared some of the amazing traditions of the Himba people. I ended up spending an amazing half day with them before I insisted they would allow me to leave to continue my journey.

PRO-TIP: If you also want to have a real authentic experience with the Himba people, keep an eye out and try to make connections. You will see them around this area and you can ask them if they would accept your visit to their village, and they will charge you a small amount to show you their homes, traditions and amazing hand-made clothes.

DAY 8 (OPTION 2): Spend an Extra Day in Damaraland

If you are in the Khorixas area, you have the option to spend another day and night and explore the rich surroundings.

Visit the  Petrified Forest  with tree trunks over 300 million years old. A bit further on you’ll find  Twyfelfontein  with its famous rock engravings (a World Heritage Site since 2007), which are best visited in the afternoon to ensure the best light for taking photos.

The  Brandberg Mountains  are found approx. 150 km south of Khorixas. Here the world-famous rock paintings (White Lady) are well worth a visit.

PRO-TIP: I visited a site in the Damaraland area to see ancient cave paintings. You will need to hire a guide and the tour takes around 2 hours, with the last tour leaving at 4 pm. I only had the chance to visit one of the rock paintings of 2,000 years old, and it took me around 1 hour for this short tour. This area has over 5,000 rock paintings that are centuries and millennia old.

2. Self-Drive Safari at Etosha National Park | First Day Self-Drive Safari in Namibia

Continue your road trip, driving for 4 hours to Etosha . Check in at the camp/lodge and head to the National Park gate to buy your permit. I did 3 hours of safari at the end of the day, and it was the best time to spot animals, especially during the summertime when the day is too hot to see animals, and the gates close at 7 pm.

I saw big groups of giraffes, springbok, wildebeest, zebras, a couple of jackals, and even an aardwolf. The best ” catch” of the day was to watch the king lion passing right in front of my car returning from a big meal (I could see by the size of his belly and some spots of blood in his paws).

After this exciting day, I returned to my lodge and enjoyed the amazing buffet of local food. The excitement was not over yet, as I had the pleasure to watch the first rain of the season , a memorable moment!

BEST ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS IN ETOSHA

If you are camping, the only option inside the gate is   Olifantsrus Campsite . There are also NWR lodges right at the gates for early access to the park but be prepared to pay for the convenience (and book way in advance).

There are  more options  for lodges inside the park like  Okaukuejo Resort ,  Halali Resort ,  and  Dolomite Resort , all run by the  NWR (Namibia Wildlife Resort) . The options outside the park are approximately 20-30 minutes from the entrance gate (not too far).

BUDGET: Toshari Lodge

This lodge has a spacious and luxurious room, with a private balcony looking on the bush. Restaurant with fresh daily breakfast included, and local cuisine. They also offer guided game drives.

MID-RANGE Tarentaal Guest Farm

Located in Outjo, it offers accommodations with free WiFi, air conditioning, and access to a garden with an outdoor swimming pool. BREAKFAST & DINNER ARE INCLUDED and it is only a short drive to Etosha National Park.

UPMARKET: Etosha Oberland Lodge

This is just an experience, being able to observe animals for your deck! Located only 1.1 miles from Etosha National park gate, this all-inclusive lodge offers an entire chalet with all the luxury you deserve when doing a safari in Etosha!

DAY 9: Self-Drive Safari at Etosha National Park (second day)

• TRAVEL: from Etosha to Grashoek
• DISTANCE: 300 miles | 5 hours
• HIGHLIGHT: Amazing number of animals at Etosha National Park
• DRIVING: Etosha National Park was designed for self-drives to easily navigate the park, and the park has all the structures provided by the government such as campsites, bathrooms, and gas stations. A 4×4 is not required to drive in Etosha.

1. Explore a Self-Drive Safari at Etosha National Park

Day 9 of my Namibia road trip itinerary was one of the most exciting! Etosha National Park means “Great White Place” and it is the most renowned wildlife area of Namibia with a salt pan so large that it covers 23% of the total size of the area.

Etosha is considered one of the best safaris on the planet , and it is very well known for the water holes, which are magnets for wildlife.

Etosha is one of the highlights of any destination for an amazing road trip in Namibia. Start your day very early, as chances to view the wildlife is best! If you visit Etosha during the high (dry) season, your chances are high to see the wildlife just congregated around the waterholes.

I visited during the low (wet) season, which means there is more water in the park, therefore, the animals are more spread around the park, and not only around the waterholes like during the dry season. But I still saw many animals, including a shy white rhino.

PRO-TIP: If you have the chance, spend at least 2 nights in Etosha, as the wildlife is vast and the landscape is from another planet.

2. Drive to Grashoek (option if you are continue your trip to Botswana)

After 10 hours of self-drive safari, I headed to my next destination and spent the night at the Bushman Living Museum campsite , and guess what? They are really in the bush. There is no electricity or running water at the campsite…but the next day I had a lot of excitement to make up for it.

This is an option only if you are adding Botswana to your itinerary , as the driving is long. If you finish your trip in Namibia, I recommend to spend another night and day at Etosha National Park

DAY 10: Active Day at the Bush with the Bushman Tribe (Alternative: Spend an extra day in Etosha)

• TRAVEL: from Grashoek to Windhoek | or from Etosha to Windhoek
• DISTANCE: 370 miles (6 hours) | 266 miles (4 hours)
• HIGHLIGHT: Spend the day with the bushman
• DRIVING: Be ready as today is a long day driving! You will leave the Living Museum and drive on gravel roads until you get to B1 towards Windhoek. B1 is in great condition. There is also a lot of activity happening along roads – you will pass a lot of villages, see kids playing, people walking to go collect water and just be aware of the animals (goats, cows, donkeys…) they can really cross in front of the car at any moment.

As a  big supporter of responsible and ethical traveling , I always search for opportunities to visit places where I can help support local communities.

The Living Museum is an ethical and cultural highlight in Namibia as well as a good example of sustainable development, as the visitors give back to the local community and support the preservation of their culture.

The San people provide an opportunity to learn about their culture and traditional way of life. You can participate in many activities during a visit as short as a half-day or as long as 3 days.

Activities range from a visit to their village, participation in a bushwalk, learning how they gather and hunt, making their own bow and jewelry, and watching their traditional dancing and songs. At the end of my activities with the Bushmen, it was time to head back to the road toward Botswana.

If you also continue your trip to Botswana, check my 10-day Botswana itinerary . If you are at the end of your amazing self-drive in Namibia, it is time to make your journey back to Windhoek.

NOTE: My complete itinerary continues to Botswana through the Caprivi Strip. Therefore this route fits perfectly if you also continue your adventure to explore Botswana. From here, you can end your trip in Etosha and the drive back to Windhoek is less than 4 hours. I chose to take a long journey to Grashoek at the  Living Museum of Ju/’Hoansi-San   to spend time with the San people (Bushman), and it was one of the bucket-list activities of my road trip to Namibia. Also, as my full itinerary continues to Botswana and I drove towards the Caprivi Strip and was along the route of my original itinerary.

• TRAVEL: from the lodge to the Airport
• DISTANCE: 43 miles | 1 hour
• HIGHLIGHT: Relax from your amazing trip to Namibia
• DRIVING: Driving back to Windhoek International Airport is only 43 miles.

If you opt to not visit the city of Windhoek,  a good option is to take this day to recharge from your amazing self-drive road trip in Namibia and relax by the pool at  Daan Viljoen Park resort .

They have beautiful chalets, a beautiful restaurant, and a nice pool area. But the best part is that you can still catch more safari views as the property is inside a game reserve. You can see hartebeest, wildebeest, kudu, ostrich, baboon, warthog, springbok, oryx, giraffe, and impala just walking around the area or from your chalet.

PRO-TIP: Windhoek doesn’t even offer a lot to see and can easily be skipped. Some of the highlights are the Christuskirche, the gingerbread-style church in the center of town, or visiting the local craft markets.

Namibia Road Trip in 3-Minutes

Travel Insurance for your trip

I never leave my home without travel insurance which is designed to help cover your expenses if something goes wrong on your trip. Things can go wrong, and you don’t want to get stuck paying tons of money if you get sick or have an accident without travel insurance. 

World Nomads Travel Insurance  has been designed by travelers for travelers, to cover their trip essentials. Especially if you are like me, travel insurance is ideal for adventurous travelers. Travel smarter and safer – You can do your quick quote below and find out how little you can pay for the essential benefit of Travel Insurance for your next trip!

Namibia Road Trip | Planning Resources

Planning a namibia road trip.

If you are going to travel to Namibia, pre-planning, researching, and understanding what you are looking for in a destination will help make your travels far more successful and safe. Here is some further information I think you might need to plan your trip to Namibia. Make sure you check the following too:

• Everything you need to know to rent a car in Namibia
• 20 Essential Tips on how to Drive in Namibia
• 15 Most Beautiful Places to visit in Namibia
• A complete road trip in Namibia and Botswana

Renting a Car for our Namibia Road Trip

This is the first step for your Road trip in Namibia – You will need to have a 4×4 vehicle to go on your Namibia road trip. It can be confusing renting a car in Namibia since there are different providers, offering different rental car options. For this reason, I have prepared a very detailed guide on everything you should know about renting a car in Namibia.

First of all, you will need to decide if you will rent a 4×4 truck or a 4×4 truck with a tent on top (if you are planning to camp around the country).

Namibia Road Trip| Tailor Made Tour

A popular alternative to visit Namibia is to hire an expert local company. They can incorporate any destination into your travels or even any animal species that you hope to see.

You can create a bespoke itinerary, and design your ultimate safari to match your interest, budget, and travel dates. I highly recommend Wild Wonderful World , as they put together incredible itineraries, and part of the profits are used on amazing conservation efforts in Africa

** NAMIBIA TOUR DISCOUNT ALERT **

I have great news for my readers, I used and I recommend Wild Wonderful World – I partnered with them to offer a discount to you! Just sign in below to receive a discount code directly in your email.

Best Time for a Self-Drive Road Trip in Namibia

DRY SEASON – MAY TO OCTOBER

• Wildlife congregates around rivers and waterholes, making animals easier to spot – it is the best time to do a safari in Etosha
• There are no clouds, it’s sunny, and there is virtually no rain
• Even though most tourists visit during the dry season, the parks still don’t feel crowded, except for Etosha

WET SEASON – NOVEMBER TO APRIL

• After the rains, the scenery is greener and the rates are lower because it’s low season
• This is the time of the year you can see newborn animals – migratory birds are present, and birding is at its best
• Best time to find accommodation and tours with lower prices, as it is low season for visitors.

What to Pack for a Namibia Self-Drive Road Trip

You want to pack light….but at the same time, you will be so remote for many days that you will want to pack heavy. So, let me help you PACK SMART! 

• GPS and a good Namibia map . 
• Extra flash lights and batteries 
• A well-equipped First Aid kit (including a snake bite kit)
• Rehydration solution
• Satellite phone
• Inflatable LED Solar Lantern. 
• Bring a warm blanket for cold nights.
• Camera and safari lens
• Toilet paper
• light hiking pants
• long sleeves shirts
• good face cover
• polarized sunglasses
• Hand sanitizer
• LifeStraw Filtered Water Bottle and Emergency water supply
• External battery charger

PACK SMART ALERT!

If you are planning to carry a backpack for your trip to Namibia, I have compiled a very detailed review of the Best Backpacks for Travel in the market today – Also, I recommend bringing a waterproof jacket for your trip, check my complete review guide on the Top Jackets for Travel and pack smart!

Price for Namibia Self-Drive Road Trip

Prices can vary dramatically depending on your travel style and budget – There are lots of options for accommodations from $ camping to $$$$ five-star lodges. My main costs were for 4×4 rental, fuel, accommodations, food, and park entry fees (in this order).

PRICES BELOW ARE THE AVERAGE FOR 11-DAY FOR 2 PEOPLE (IT DOESN’T INCLUDE INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS):

Accommodations for a Self-Drive Road Trip in Namibia

There are plenty of accommodation options near the main attractions, it will depend on your personal preferences and your budget. For either camping or if you are staying in a lodge you are highly encouraged to make your reservations 6-12 months in advance during the high season. During the low season, you will want to book well in advance for the more visited areas of the country.

• CAMPING IN NAMIBIA:  There is a state-owned company that manages all camping/lodging inside the national parks (such as Etosha). NWR has exclusive tourism facilities in protected areas where private companies cannot operate. You can book camping or lodging with  NWR (Namibia Wildlife Resort)  directly for specific locations. I found their camping and lodging to be excellent. I recommend downloading the   iOverlander   app for an overview of all of them and booking them in advance. Camping is a great option if you are traveling on a budget or seeking a bigger adventure, and you can find camping sites pretty much everywhere in Namibia. Also, most of the accommodations stay true to nature and are unfenced, this means you will be visited by wildlife, especially at night.
• TOUR OPERATOR: If it doesn’t seem worth the trouble to you, you can always hire a third-party company to handle the booking for you – if you need any recommendations or have any questions, please leave a comment below and I will be happy to help.
• LODGES: If you are planning to stay at lodges, Booking.com   is the best option as it is a reliable source and they have a  24-hour cancellation policy  that I have used several times.

*Self-drive road trip conditions may vary between wet (November to March) and dry (April to October) seasons. Your self-drive itinerary will need to be tailored respecting the time of the year that you are visiting. 

Driving in Namibia is relatively easy. There are only a few roads that are paved and have a speed limit of up to 120 km/h and the majority of the roads have different levels of gravel roads, which some are really good and you still can drive at 80 km/h. Others can be challenging and too bumpy and/or sandy, and driving slowly with extra caution is required.

Make sure to go over your rental car company and follow all the instructions they will give you, such as tire pressure, speed limit, and what you should do when you get stuck in deep sand.

NOTE: Check this Ultimate guide with 20 Essential Tips on how to self drive in Namibia

Additional Tips for your Self-Drive in Namibia

• CURRENCY:   Namibia uses Namibian Dollar –  check here for the current exchange rate .  Different from some other countries, you will need to carry the local cash with you, an ATM can be found in the cities.
• FUEL:  Since you will be driving long distances, fuel regularly in the major towns as there can be long distances between stations. Credit cards are accepted in the larger stations but many smaller stops were cash only.
• SUPPLIES:  Snacks and drinks are available at most of the fuel stops and the bigger towns had a well-stocked Spar supermarket.
• MAPS + GPS:  My rental car came with a GPS and it worked wonders, even in remote areas. I also kept a paper map in the glove box just in case!
• SIM CARDS : it’s easy to pick up a pay-as-you-go SIM in the MCT store at the airports as well as local mobile network stores. Coverage was actually pretty good throughout much of the country and ranged from LTE to 3G.
• INTERNET & WI-FI:  The majority of the camping I stayed at had a Wi-Fi connection. You can also find access to some restaurants, shops and even gas stations (they charge a small amount for a password).

Namibia Self Drive Itinerary Conclusion

This is my very detailed 11-day Namibia self drive itinerary, and I hope this can help you to plan your Namibia Trip!

Namibia is a safe country to visit and to drive, you just need to make sure you have a good itinerary and a map with you. I also recommend renting a 4×4 truck, as you will be driving off-road, as well as on paved roads.

If you are looking for a tour operator to plan a trip for you, I highly recommend  Wild Wonderful World, and part of the profits is used on amazing conservation efforts.

If I forgot to cover something, or if you have any additional questions, please leave your comment below and I will be thrilled to get back to you.

If you are planning a trip to Namibia, make sure you check out my other posts:

• How to Self-driving in Namibia – 20 Essential tips
• Ultimate Namibia and Botswana Road trip itinerary
• 15 Must-visit places in Namibia: A photo journey

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Plan your Trip

You can plan your trip with this easy guide and have access to the best services I recommend and you can get discounted prices.

Self-Driving in Namibia: 22 Essential Tips to Drive in Namibia

Namibia & Botswana Itinerary: Ultimate 3-Week road trip from the Dunes to Safaris

7 Essential Tips to Safely Rent a Car in Namibia

39 thoughts on “namibia self drive itinerary: ultimate namibia road trip + map”.

Simplesmente incrível, são de tirar o fôlego. Textos concisos e enxutos com muitas informações relevantes para os viajantes!!!! Parabéns pela disposição entre textos e fotos transformando esta experiência em algo único. Parabéns

O enjoyed reading itinerary road trip to Namibia, everything is put so well together and super informative. The trip sounds so exciting and exotic. The trip bullet points summarize the important aspects of each day. Great article. Well done.

Excellent blog, valuable tips to live the best experience of this wonderful place!!

Muito obrigada Patricia – Namibia é um destino perfeito para quem é amante de natureza, animais e que busca novas aventuras em uma das paisagens mais marcantes e incriveis do nosso Planeta.

Thanks Cathia and I am very happy you enjoyed this itinerary. Namibia is an incredible destination, and I hope to inspire more people to visit it.

I visited Namibia solo many years ago and loved it. Your post brought back memories.

I loved Namibia! It has such a unique and varied landscape that you captured beautifully. Sadly I only toured the south and Etosha NP but I would love to go back to see more of the country. Kolmanskop was just incredible, but those sand dunes….it’s truly one epic road trip.

The ghost town looks soooooo cool! In fact, it all looks amazing!

Isn’t it incredible? It was one of the best road trips and one of the most beautiful countries I ever visited.

Thanks so much! Yes, the ghost town was so incredible and I took tons of great pictures, so fascinating!

Thanks April! Hopefully you have the chance to go back to Namibia, it is an incredible country. I already want to go back again. You are right, the dunes are unreal, right?

Such a thorough guide! This eliminates the overwhelming task of planning/scheduling the itinerary of an adventure from across the world. Love the links! Love the photos! With this guide you are able to make a dream trip seem possible.

Thanks Maria – a road trip in Namibia is really an epic destination. We still need to pin the planet together sometime 😉

Wow, what a wonderful trip! There is so much to see and experience. Have to admit I am not that familiar with Namibia. Had no idea so many animal encounters were possible. I did know about the epic landscapes.

Thank you for such an inspiring post! I loved your pictures, especially the ones near Dune 45. I’ll be defo using this post as a reference, it pretty much covers everything I need to prepare a trip to Namibia.

I am so happy you enjoyed this itinerary Diana – I hope you travel to Namibia soon, and enjoy as much as I did. Namibia is an amazing destination.

Thanks Ruth – I learned so much about Namibia during my trip preparation, I didn’t know much about it before either. But I absolutely felt in love with this place!

What a dope article Paula! I love this road trip guide, with any luck I’ll be able to put it to good use one day!

This is such a detailed and comprehensive guide! And so helpful too, as Namibia is one of the countries that’s on my wish list to visit in the next few years 🙂 what a great idea to rent a 4×4 with a tent on top, as it means that you’ll always have somewhere to sleep and the distances between destinations over there are huge!

HI Kiara, I am glad you found this guide helpful. Yes, renting a 4×4 with a tent on top is the best way to explore the country. Hopefully you can visit Namibia soon, and take me with you again, please 🙂

Thank you Cierra. I hope you can visit Namibia soon, it is a must destination and I am sure you will love it too.

Such a magical and beautiful place; Amazing guide ??

Wow… this place is so magical, hope someday I can go there and use your schedule

Wow, unbelievable! You are just great! One, driving, super car trip. I have not seen such a trip! I wish you success! You inspire!

Thanks, Julia – yes Namibia is an incredible place to explore. I hope one day you can also visit it!

Mariana, I hope you can go too and I am sure you will love it as much as I did.

Thanks Tori, I really appreciate your feedback! This trip was so epic and Namibia is for sure one of the most incredible places I ever visited in my life. Hope one day I can go back and continue to explore it.

Namibia’s an extraordinary country. I’ve been to some of the places on your list, but I still need to go to a few – like Kolmanskop.

Sara – Namibia is incredible, right? I had one of the best road trips of my life and Kolmanshop is a must visit, you will love it!

Thanks for such informative blog. I am planning to do 2 weeks road trip between Namibia and botswana. Ideally fly into Windhoek and fly out of botswana. Can you help in planning the iterniary for this. This would mean lot of time on the road, that’s what I am something looking for long drives through wild savanna as well. I would like to rent car in Windhoek and leave in botswana. Let me know yours thought. It will be max of 2 or 3 of us. What do you recommend the cost without international flights with most being camping and few lodges

Thanks Aarti

Hello Aarti – Thanks for reading my blog. Actually I did Namibia and Botswana itinerary myself. It was hard to plan the Botswana part as not all the roads I drove have a map, and some do not even exist during raining season. I will be launching my full blog itinerary in the next week and I would encourage you to check my blog again as I will have all the information you are asking for – complete itinerary, rental car options, pricing, recommendations on accommodations and much more.

Absolutely stunning! Thank you on a detailed impressive guide!

You are welcome, I am so glad to hear you enjoyed this guide

This guide has everything that I would want to know before visiting Namibia. Saving it for when I am able to go in the future!

Namibia looks like an incredible part of the world to do a self-guided tour around. I love how much detail you put into this guide, it’s super helpful for trip planning! Also love all of your photos!

We’re planning a trip in May curious about the logistics of traveling there did you get vaccines?

Hello Celeste, I didn’t get the vaccine, but I visited Namibia in December 2019 (pre-Covid) so not sure how they are regulated now as far as vaccination.

Great article and very informative for whoever is planning a self drive visit to Namibia like myself. I have one remaining doubt, that others might have and I wonder if you can help clear: I know I need to book Sossusvlei and Etosha ahead but what about everywhere else? What was your daily routine regarding bookings? Did you have each and every step of your journey planned ahead before start and just cancel if needed? Did you just have 1 or 2 days planned ahead and went along as you felt right? Or did you just book the next campsite at midday or even walked in?

I would like to keep pre-bookings to a minimum and just follow my itinerary at the pace I decide at the moment, but the fact that the number of car hook-ups at campsites is preset, you can only camp in campsites and it’s August, makes me think if I should leave with every single day planned. So I would be very interested in knowing what was your routine regarding bookings, specially campsites during your trip. Obrigado!

Hello Luis – they are all great and very valuable questions. I booked all my accommodations in advance. Reason is because it can be tricky to book accommodations in Namibia, especially campsite, because they have limited spots available. I wouldn’t worry too much about hotels in towns, as you will have more options and most likely you can book a day or two in advance.

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Home > Namibia > Namibia Blog Itinerary

Namibia Itinerary and Travel Blog: 14-Days, 4,274km, 1 Big Problem

14 Days, 72 Hours Driving, 4,274 Kilometers, and Only 1 Big Complaint

This Namibia blog shares the highlights, lowlights, and honest insights of our two-week itinerary. See our Namibia Travel Tips , Cape Town to Namibia Guide , and Is Namibia Worth Visiting? for more trip-planning info.

There's only one thing that could've made our Namibia road trip itinerary better.

Other than it, our itinerary was fantastic and we have no real regrets. Given our limited time and budget, we discovered as much of Namibia as we could have hoped. We saw more than our share of dunes, animals, cool plants, and unusual landscapes.

This one thing— our one BIG complaint—was the roads . They're miserable, torturous, wretched, and evil.

Maybe by the time you read this the Namibian government will have gotten their act together and graded them. Either that or hovercrafts will have become affordable to rent.

The latter's probably more likely.

Whatever the case, use this travel blog of our Namibian itinerary to plan yours as perfectly as possible.

Namibia Itinerary Outline

Skip Day 1 if you're not coming from Cape Town like we did.

• Day 1: Cape Town to Vredendal (Day Rating: 7/10)
• Day 2: Orange River (6.5/10)
• Day 3: Fish River Canyon and Aus (8/10)
• Day 4: Namibrand (7.5/10)
• Day 5: Sossusvlei (6/10)
• Day 6: Camp Gecko (7.5/10)
• Day 7: Moon Landscape (5/10)
• Day 8: Swakopmund (6/10)
• Day 9: Spitzkoppe (7/10)
• Day 10: Kamanjab (5/10)
• Day 11: Etosha (the Good Day) (7.5/10)
• Day 12: Etosha (the Bad Day) (5/10)
• Day 13: Windhoek (5/10)
• Day 14: Departure (3/10)

Namibia Blog Day 1: Cape Town to Vredendal

369 km in 5 hours.

So Naive, So Innocent

How sweetly naive we were when we complained that the dirt roads into and out of Lamberts Bay were rough.

By the end of our trip, we would've given our left thumbs for all the roads in Namibia to have been so good.

Fryers Cove

Our biggest highlight of the day was Fryers Cove , "the world's only vineyard this close to the Atlantic Ocean." The tasting room, on a fishing pier beside a lighthouse and an abalone farm, seemed better suited for a fish and chips restaurant, which made it so special.

So special that it easily made our list of the 10 Most Unique and Unforgettable Wine Tastings in South Africa .

Lambert's Bay

Tasting at Teubes Family Wines' at Lambert's Bay surprised us in a couple ways too. First, the lady who led the tasting is studying to be a sommelier but… she doesn't even drink! Second, Lambert's Bay seemed like a funky, fun town with plenty of good restaurants—notably seaside Muisbosskerm.

If we return to Cape Town, we'll come for a weekend.

Fast Forward:

• Highlights: Wine tasting at Friar’s Cove.
• Lowlights: Losing precious wine tasting time waiting for the rental car company to get our paperwork in order.
• Best Food: Chef Keith Burger for me and hake for Kim at Thi Art in Vredendal, which looks like a strip-mall restaurant but doesn't act like it.
• Where We Stayed: Super friendly Airbnb in Vredendal
• Road Quality: About 150km of good-quality dirt road. The rest was paved.
• Day Rating: 7. If only we could've hit the road sooner.

Quick Tip: Load up on wine during this day if you're doing your Namibia road trip from Cape Town because selection decreases and prices increase as soon as you cross the border.

Bonus Ideas if Coming from South Africa

We skipped a ton of huge highlights north of Cape Town because we'd done them previously and wanted to try new things. Strongly consider adding these to your itinerary:

• Darling for its brewery, sweet shop, wine farms, and, especially Pieter-Dirk Uys ' satirical Evita Se Perron performances
• Cederberg , especially around the Sanddrif Resort , where there's an awesome swimming hole, some fun hikes (Wolfberg cracks was much more of an adventure and challenge than we expected), and where they produce excellent wine and beer that's perfect for late-day refreshments.
• West Coast National Park . Worth it for the wildlife, flamingos viewed from lagoon bird hides, easily-accessed hilltop viewpoints, and colorful lagoon.
• Paternoster . A few quirky shops, a nice beach, and a very famous restaurant, Wolfgat .

And definitely read our tips specifically for Cape Town to Namibia road trips.

Namibia Itinerary Day 2: Orange River

426 km in 4.5 hours.

Goodbye South Africa

We felt nostalgic on this last day of our six "hectic" months in South Africa.

And it ended with a whimper.

There wasn't much to see on the long highway between Vredendal and Springbok.

But the scenery stepped it up a notch and gave a glimpse of what was to come as we approached the South Africa-Namibia border at Noordoewer, which we crossed with surprisingly little fuss.

Orange River Kayaking and Chilling

After a quick check in at Felix Unite, change, and sunscreen lather, we followed our guide Beaumaris on a 3-kilometer paddle down the Orange River. There were a couple of rapids but nothing strong enough to flip our boat, even though we hit pretty much every rock along the way.

A van picked us up at Amanzi Trails, which had nicer campsites than Felix Unite but none of the amenities, and drove us back, where we chilled by the river and the pool, played some pool, enjoyed a sunset drink, and had a fairly-priced meal at the restaurant.

• Highlights: Kayaking on the Orange River. It didn't live up to all the praise our friends had given it but was definitely a nice way to spend a couple of active hours.
• Lowlights: The lack of attractions on the long road between Vredendal and the South Africa-Namibia border. Unable to find an interesting restaurant, we resorted eating take-out supermarket lasagna at a highway-side rest stop.
• Best Food: Kim's chicken caesar salad at Felix Unite. I had the "famous" peri-peri chicken, which wasn't worth the extra wait.
• Where We Stayed: A bungalow at the Felix Unite Provenance Camp , whose pool, restaurant, bar, and riverside location were perfect for rinsing off and fueling up for the dusty deserts of Namibia.
• Road Quality: 100% paved roads.
• Day Rating: 6.5. Relaxing, almost too much so for our tastes.

Quick Tip: Fill up on gas on the Namibian side of the border, where the price per liter is quite a bit cheaper.

Namibia Blog Day 3: Fish River Canyon to Aus

513 km in 6.5 hours

A Great Start

Enhancing our eager anticipation as we ventured into Namibia's desert for the first time was the fact that we couldn't see anything but stars in the pitch-black early morning.

As we passed the gas-station-less settlement of Aussenkehr, the sun broke the horizon and we had to turn off our audiobook to fully embrace the awe-inspiring scenery that we had all to ourselves. Optimistically, we thought this was just the beginning and expected the rest of our Namibia road trip to get better and better.

This section of road ended up being the most pleasant of our entire trip , largely because we were all alone and the roads weren't trashed by a steady stream of tourists in camper trucks.

Fish River Canyon

We arrived at Fish River Canyon three hours after setting off.

The view of the canyon didn't take our breaths away, as the breathless blogs and guides claimed. But at least we had the opportunity to stretch our legs on the ridge trail and take photos of the canyon and the quiver tree beside it.

We stopped at Cañon Roadhouse , which is as kitschy as advertised and had better-than-expected homemade burgers, then at Naute Kristall Distillery , where the owner Katherine gave us samples of a variety of schnapps and the world's only date cognac.

On Katherine's suggestion, our next stop was Alte Kalkofen , home of the world's only lithop sanctuary… which probably means as little to you as it did to us.

We'd never heard of these crazy little "living stones" before, either.

But as soon as the manager Marika led us into the nursery and explained lithops to us, we were enthralled. Some looked like hippos' mouths, some like brains, others like rocks, and they were all so delightfully weird.

We had some apple pie at Alte Kalkofen's restaurant, thinking the cabins there would be a good spot to spend a night if we ever returned, then drove on to the one-garage, one-shop, one-restaurant town of Aus, where we took advantage of each of those establishments.

The food at the restaurant, part of the Banhof Hotel, was good if a little overpriced.

• Highlights: The lithop sanctuary at Alte Kalkofen and the early morning drive from Orange River towards the canyon.
• Lowlights: The Fish River Canyon wasn't a negative, but it didn't impress us as much as the bad road into it from Hobas annoyed us.
• Best Food: The apple pie at Alte Kalkofen was the best of our Namibia road trip.
• Where We Stayed: Airbnb in Aus .
• Road Quality: Good quality dirt road with a big exception of the road between Hobas and Fish River Canyon. The last 180km to Aus on the B4 is paved.
• Day Rating: 8. Pleasant surprises and mostly good roads made for one of the best days of our entire Namibia road trip.

Quick Tip: Fuel up and take some air out of your tires in Noordoewer because the next garage isn't until the Cañon Roadhouse.

Namibia Blog Day 4: NamibRand

275km in 6 hours.

Klein Aus Vista Hiking

Once again, we got up before the sun to go for an early-morning hike at Klein Aus Vista and get a head start on what we had been warned would be a long day of driving.

The 1-hour, 6-kilometer Mountain Trail hike at Klein Aus Vista wasn't nearly as noteworthy as ones we were to do later in our trip at Spitzkoppe, Sossusvlei, and Goanikontes, but the setting of the cabins they have there is worth considering a night or two.

Helmeringhausen

After showering back at our Airbnb and buying supplies for tonight's braai (a.k.a. barbecue), we took off for a slow, empty, initially-interesting-but-soon-becoming-boring ride north.

The drive was made extra slow by Kim's cautiousness (today was her turn to drive) more so than the quality of the dirt roads, which was fine.

Just over 100 km in, we hit Helmeringhausen , another middle-of-nowhere outpost like Canon Roadhouse and Solitaire that somehow was busy with a couple of busloads full of French and German tourists. We had another self-proclaimed "best apple pie in the world," which wasn't as good as yesterday's from Alte Kalkofen, then hit the road.

And the road hit us back.

Namibian Desert Torture Begins

From Helmeringhausen, the road steadily deteriorated for four hours. We felt each and every one of those 14,400 seconds. Eventually, our speed (around 35 km/h) was lower than the temperature outside (around 40°C).

I coined it "Namibian desert torture," a dry version of Chinese water torture that we were to face a lot of in the coming days of our Namibian road trip.

But in this case our destination, NamibRand Family Hideout , made it all worthwhile.

NamibRand Family Hideout

Our Venus campsite was in the middle of nowhere with a huge private bathroom area that we could've easily slept in and backed by our own private sand dunes.

At sunset, we brought a blanket and the bottle of Hectic Route wine we'd saved for a special occasion to the top of the dunes.

And man was this occasion, with the 360-degree views of the technicolor desert and not another human in sight, special.

Amateur Campers

This was our first night camping of our Namibia road trip and it showed.

Our biggest mistake was not bringing any fire starter. The bag of wood we bought only had big pieces that a match could never get aflame and, since we were in the middle of the desert, finding kindling was a major challenge. We resorted to using up almost all our matches and every piece of paper we could scrounge up to get it started.

Dinner Under the Stars

Once we got the fire going, Kim worked her magic and made us a magnificent meal that we ate under the stars.

We were all alone…

…aside from a bunch of fearless dune hairy-footed gerbils (mice with a fancy name) that at first were cute but soon became a nuisance for nibbling at our feet.

• Highlights: Dune-top sunset views and wine at NamibRand Family Hideout will likely remain our most lasting positive memory or our entire Namibia road trip.
• Lowlights: The frustration of trying to make a fire without fire starter.
• Best Food: The meat, veggies, and potatoes Kim made over the braai were worth the struggle to get the fire going.
• Where We Stayed: NamibRand Family Hideout's Venus campsite.
• Road Quality: Ok to start then degrading down to really bad by the end.
• Day Rating: 7.5. The road took away from what would otherwise be an unforgettable day.

Quick Tip: NamibRand doesn't sell wood or food, so buy everything beforehand, including some fire starter.

Namibia Itinerary Day 5: Sossusvlei

279 km in 5.5 hours

Cornelius from NamibRand Family Hideout came over in the early morning to show us around the reserve. As the sun started to shine on the desert in a display that equaled last night's performance, Cornelius also enlightened us. He taught the history of these, the oldest dunes in the world, and interesting facts about the plant and wildlife.

We would've loved to spend another day in paradise at NamibRand , but we had to pack up and leave for another looooong drive.

Following Cornelius' advice, we took the longer route from NamibRand to Sesriem , the gateway to the famous sand dunes of Sossusvlei , along the D827 instead of the D27 (which a couple we met later confirmed was virtually impassable).

The D827 was in decent shape but the C19 and then the D826 into Sesriem was a different story.

What may one day have been a road had devolved into a sea of sharp gravel and stones with waves of corrugations that endlessly ate away at our good mood until we were at each others' throats.

Even as the scenic dunes of Sossusvlei and the colorful Naukluft mountains came into view, we could barely appreciate them because we were too distracted by the road.

A Hard Truth in Sesriem

Once we finally arrived at Sesriem, we confronted a hard truth:

The gates only open at sunrise then it's 60km from there to the dunes, so even if we got to the entrance ahead of the other 60 to 100 other cars who start lining up as early as 1.5 hours in advance, there was no way to truly see the dunes in the perfect light.

Well, no way other than staying inside the gates at the official NWR (Namibia Wildlife Resorts) camp , whose spots had sold out months ago.

Sunset was out of the question too . Sesriem's gates close before sunset, which at this time of year meant 6:30 pm.

So we swallowed this hard truth we made what turned out to be an excellent decision….

We went to the dunes in the middle of the day.

We were car number 146, but almost everyone before us had already come and went. There were only a few cars on the perfectly paved road to the dunes and only two others at the parking lot at the end of it, where we were all alone on the overpriced (170 each) but necessary shuttle to Sossusvlei.

From the shuttle drop-off point, it was a 1.1km walk in 39.5°C (103°F) heat through the sand to Deadvlei .

At least it was a dry heat and there was a bit of a breeze so I barely broke a sweat. Kim didn't tolerate the heat as well, but not enough to affect her mood.

There was only another pair of friends when we got to Deadvlei. We took photos for each other then they left and we had the whole place, Namibia's number one tourist attraction, to ourselves!

It's like being alone in Machu Picchu, the Great Wall of China, or the Pyramids. We couldn't believe it.

Unwinding in the Wind

On our drive back to Sesriem the breeze became a full-on sand storm and we could barely make out the dunes to the side of the highway.

It also made it impossible for us to start a fire back at our camp, Sossus Oasis , so we settled on buying some crappy bread and making sandwiches in front of the gas station.

On the table beside us was a group of cyclists who'd come all the way from Egypt on a Cairo to Cape Town tour . They told us the road they'd just cycled—the same as we had come in on—were easily the worst they'd encountered.

Way to go Namibia!

Congrats on the ignominious title of having worst roads in Africa.

• Highlights: Having Deadvlei all to ourselves at 3 p.m. in the afternoon.
• Lowlights: The C19 "highway" didn't break our car but certainly broke our spirits.
• Best Food: Macadamia nuts we brought with us from Cape Town.
• Where We Stayed: Sossus Oasis . Nothing special, but the best alternative to the NWR Campsite inside the gates.
• Road Quality: The worst. Like driving in a gravel pit.
• Day Rating: 6. The undeniable highlight of Sossusvlei couldn't overcome the lows of the bad roads.

Quick Tip: The Sossusvlei sand's hot in the middle of the day, so wear decent walking shoes if you want to hike around the dunes.

Namibia Itinerary Day 6: Camp Gecko

178 km in 4.5 hours

Road Blocked

As we left Sesriem after sunset and just as the Sossusvlei gates opened, we counted 56 trucks in line, waiting to race each other and the sun for photos. This reinforced our happiness for deciding to go yesterday afternoon instead.

The shitty roads quickly stole that happiness from us.

Fed up, we stopped at the nearest lodge, Hoodia Desert Lodge , to ask the owner how the roads are between there and the Olive Trail we hoped to hike that morning.

She crushed our dreams.

Even with her top-notch off-road truck she told us she avoids that road, which is the direct route to Windhoek, to takes another that's twice as long and still no good but not as bad.

No Olive Trail for us. We took her advice and abandoned our plans.

Three hours later, we got to Solitaire . As the only pit-stop between Sossusvlei and Swakopmund, it may be in the middle of nowhere, but there was nothing solitary about it. Fellow road-shaken travelers were everywhere.

We had a snack at McGregor's Bakery . The game meat pies (only NA$30 each) were much better than the chalky-crusted but once-renowned apple pie (NA$35).

And at the gas station ATM machine was broken. "Maybe later," said the employee we asked if it would be fixed anytime soon.

The roads improved after we turned off towards Camp Gecko , where we were spending the night.

Since we missed out on our hike, we did the fly-infested but entertainingly-interactive 3km Adventure Walk loop at the camp. The trail ended by the beautiful campsites on the other side of the hill that looked over a wild, 20 kilometer mountain-backed plain.

Our campsite was not nearly as beautiful but was close to the natural swimming pool, where we cooled off with the tadpoles.

Spreetshoogte Pass

With time to kill before dinner, we did the unthinkable:

We went for a drive.

Voluntarily.

Our Rough Guide , our hosts at Gecko, and a fellow camper all recommended Spreetshoogte Pass , so we folded ourselves back into our car to brave the roads again.

But the roads turned out to be fine on the 25-minute drive to and up the pass. The pass itself was even paved. And the late-afternoon views from up top were spectacular.

Back at the camp, we joined Camp Gecko's Swiss owners, Renee and Heidi, and an Austrian couple for a sunset drink then dinner in the spectacularly-situated lapa atop the hill.

The wood-fire-cooked oryx potjie ( oryx is an animal and potjie is a local stew) was extra tasty for us spice enthusiasts because Renee had mistaken chili for paprika.

It was a bit pricy (NA$250 each), but easily worth it for the chance to get to know Heidi and Renee, hear stories about their zaniest guests, and get the inside scoop on the struggles of trying to run a business in corrupt, inefficient Namibia.

• Highlights: Dinner and conversation at Camp Gecko. Honorable mention to Spreetshoogte Pass.
• Lowlights: Having to abandon our initial plans because of bad roads.
• Best Food: The meat pies at Solitaire.
• Where We Stayed: Camp Gecko campsite.
• Road Quality: More horribleness, but at least less time on it.
• Day Rating: 7.5

Quick Tip: Spreetshoogte Pass would be even more incredible at sunrise with the sun behind you. Try to plan an early morning breakfast at the picnic site there.

Namibia Blog Day 7: Moon Landscape

334 km in 7 hours

Zebra Mountain

Have you ever noticed that many places are named after animals you never actually see?

For example, we didn't see any geckos at Camp Gecko.

But Zebra Mountain, where we did a 3-hour morning hike, lived up to it's name.

There was no missing the zebras. It was so quiet out in the middle of desert scrub and rocks we could hear their footsteps and snorts from hundreds of meters away.

The quiet, the sunset, the animals, and the exercise was all magical.

Civilization

After four hours of miserable driving and one hour of regular paved road driving later, everything changed.

As we hit the coast, the weather went from dry and hellaciously hot to foggy and freezing. Relatively freezing. 15°C (60°F).

And we hit civilization.

Houses! Grass! People not in camping apparel! Other small sedans like ours! Traffic signals!

There was nothing appealing about the suburban spread of the Walvis Bay / Swakopmund area, but it was quite the contrast. We had pizzas at recently-opened Godenfang in Walvis Bay to mark the occasion.

Dunes and the Moon

We passed two underrated landscapes after lunch.

First was the ocean-side dunes between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. We'd heard about sandboarding and ATVing the dunes, but their proximity to the ocean and scope impressed us more than we'd expected.

Second, was the moon landscape . Before coming to Namibia we'd heard all about its unique landscapes, but not a peep about this one. To us, it was among the most unique as we'd seen, especially with the late-afternoon shadows.

Goanikontes

In the middle of the moon landscape, and only 30 minutes from Swakopmund on atypically well-maintained dirt roads, was Goanikontes Oasis . We were excited to spend a couple nights in one of its A-frame cabins there.

The friendly staff seemed excited to have us too. They welcomed us warmly and we had the pleasure of having a long chat with René, the matriarch of the family that recently purchased and refurbished the property.

It was actually more of a listen than a chat.

She entertained and impressed us with more tales of Namibian incompetence and her ability to work around it to get Goanikontes up and running so fast.

• Highlights: Hiking and zebras on Zebra Mountain
• Lowlights: Not having enough time to look around Walvis Bay because of bad roads.
• Best Food: Pizza at Godenfang in Walvis Bay
• Where We Stayed: A-framed cabin at Goanikontes Oasis
• Road Quality: Just as bad as the previous two days up until 100km before Walvis Bay, when the roads flattened. From then on, the roads were good.
• Day Rating: 5. Nice hiking but too much driving.

Quick Tip: We were glad to have decided to stay at Goanikontes instead of some hotel or Airbnb in Swakopmund. Consider doing the same.

Namibia Itinerary Day 8: Swakopmund

100 km in 1.5 hours

Moon Walking

For the first time in Namibia, we weren't rewarded with a sunset for waking up early. The fog from the coast beat the sun to Goanikontes.

On the bright side, it made for a uniquely eerie atmosphere during our easy, 1.5-hour, early-morning hike on the moon landscape's Weitzenberg Trail.

From Fears to Reality

The inevitable happened.

Our car, which so valiantly survived the dozens of hours of painfully corrugated roads it wasn't made for, had a flat tire. Two of them actually.

One was ok to drive on into town. The other, we replaced with our spare and the help of two well-intentioned but poor-planning Goanikontes employees. They broke our jack by using it upside down.

Luckily we had time to spare, René was around to lend us her jack, and at TyreRack in town they had true professionals who made our wheels good as new for just NA$100 each.

Enough of Swakop

Any concerns we had about the time we wasted fixing our tires dissolved when we got into central Swakopmund and found little to do.

Swakop may be nice compared to other Namibian towns. But not compared to anywhere else in the world.

We found very little to do . We wandered around, stopped in some souvenir shops in the pedestrian mall by the Brauhaus , the Kristall Galerie , and Peter's Antiques , but couldn't find the appeal of the place.

We enjoyed our meals at Tiger Reef and Tug , and their settings, though.

Equally enjoyable was getting a day off from driving, as spent a second night at Goanikontes.

• Highlights: Taking photos in the abandoned buildings towards the end of our moon walk.
• Lowlights: Seeing our car's flat tires for the first time.
• Best Food: Calamari from Tiger Reef and the solid-sized serving of stir-fried veggies it came with.
• Where We Stayed: Second night at Goanikontes
• Road Quality: Great!
• Day Rating: 6.

Quick Tip: Get a puncture repair kit like this one for your car. René gave us this tip when we were putting on our spare, we bought one in Swakopmund, and we soon put it to good use.

Namibia Blog Day 9: Spitzkoppe

323 kilometers in 5 hours

Amusement Park

As we approached Spitzkoppe , two hours from Goanikontes, its unnatural-looking big boulders and giant-pointy mound looked like an amusement park.

And, fitting of an amusement park, people outside tried selling us trinkets and souvenirs. Except it was kids (pushed forward by their parents) trying to sell to adults, not the other way around.

Inside, was a lot of fun. For us, more fun than an amusement park.

Scrambling up, down, around, and sometimes under the grippy rocks was the most fun activity of our whole Namibia road trip . And, contrary to many other reports we'd read, we didn't need a guide to scramble along the mountains. You only need guides to see the rock art.

Something's Erongo

We sped along the paved roads to Outjo where just outside of town was the most peculiar place: Erongo Mountain Winery , the biggest of the only four wineries in Namibia.

The vines were ragged and sparse and the surrounding farms were suffering from drought but somehow this sparkling new facility's cellars were full of wine.

We heard quite a few conspiracy theories about where it all came from.

The wine itself was unexceptional, but Boppie, who led our tasting did an excellent job and the other drinks we tasted like the Gravino, brandy, and cream liquor were nice to try.

Camp Mara had easily the nicest room of our entire Namibia road trip .

The person who designed them obviously put a lot of thought into the details, like the little lights and switches built into the live edge bathroom mirrors. And the kitchen was better stocked than ours back home!

That designer turned out to be Ecki, Camp Mara's very-German but born-and-raised-in-Namibia owner. During our pleasant candle-lit dinner with him and the camp's two other German guests we tried to loosen him up, but could barely crack him. He was probably thinking of the next addition to his rooms.

• Highlights: Climbing around Spitzkoppe.
• Lowlights: The unanticipated 45-minute wait for our sandwiches at Namib Oasis when we were in a hurry to make our appointed tasting at Erongo.
• Best Food: It's too bad the wait ruined our experience and we had to scarf it down too fast to fully appreciate it, but Namib Oasis's food was good.
• Where We Stayed: Camp Mara
• Road Quality: All good and mostly paved, with the exception of the 30 kilometers from the B2 highway to Spitzkoppe and back, which was in rough condition.
• Day Rating: 7

Quick Tip: Take advantage of the showers at Spitzkoppe's camp if you come as a day visitor and get sweaty from bounding up and down its boulders.

Namibia Itinerary Day 10: Kamanjab

490 km in 6 hours

Boring's Better than Bad

With a large distance to cover we made a depressing decision : to take the long route on boring paved roads rather than risk a shorter, potentially more exciting route on bad dirt roads.

The other way would've taken us by Brandberg Mountain , but some fellow bloggers said it was the biggest disappointment of their own Namibia road trip itinerary and other attractions in the area like the Organ Pipes had especially bad reviews .

We tried to throw in a bit of spice by making a detour to Vingerklip and the Ugab Terraces , but for us it was one of those places where the photos look better than real life.

Kaman-Giraffes

After seven hours of driving, we made it to our destination, Kamanjab Rest Camp .

There, we were happy to have the chance to stretch our legs with a 3-kilometer loop around Kamanjab Rest Camp's reserve. The first two-and-a-half kilometers were nearly as uninspiring as our drive until…

Kim spotted the giraffes.

They were so still at first that Kim thought they were fake, but as we moved in for a closer look, they moved away.

We'd seen plenty of giraffes before in Kenya and at Kruger but the novelty of seeing them, especially when on foot instead of in a vehicle, made our day (even though that didn't take much doing.)

All's Well that End's Well

We booked at Kamanjab Rest Camp first because of its convenient location en route to Etosha game reserve but second because of the good reviews of its food.

The dinner delivered.

I had a three-course meal with zebra (my second zebra steak of the day!) and Kim had a two course with oryx. Both steaks were superbly seasoned and topped with a tasty pepper sauce, and accompanied by a nice salad and fresh fries.

After dinner, we chatted with Elodie and M.D. the younger-than-us Belgian-Namibian couple who'd taken over Kamanjab Rest Camp in August.

Elodie shared her experiences of settling into Nambia and M.D. outlined his own perfect Namibia road trip itinerary. It didn't overlap with ours at all. It centered around the rarely-visited far-northwest of the country and required serious off-roading expertise.

• Highlights: Spotting giraffes on our walk around Kamanjab Rest Camp.
• Lowlights: "Giving up" on adventure and staying on paved roads.
• Best Food: Belgian-cooked zebra and oryx food at Kamanjab Rest Camp.
• Where We Stayed: Kamanjab Rest Camp
• Road Quality: All paved roads except the detour to Vingerklip, which was in ok condition.
• Day Rating: 5. At least we weren't home on our computers.

Quick Tip: Go to the Farmhouse instead of Outjo Bakery in Outjo. The Farmhouse used to be the only spot in town, got too comfortable, then Outjo Bakery came along and stole all its business. Now, the tides have turned. Outjo Bakery seemed charm-less and uninspiring while Farmhouse's food was tasty, well-priced, and had excellent service. Oh and apparently "the best coffee in Namibia."

Namibia Blog Day 11: Etosha (The Good Day)

225 km in 7.5 hours

Forty-five minutes after we'd hastily packed up because I set my alarm for 6 p.m not 6 a.m., we made it to the Galton Gate entrance to Etosha National Park .

We didn't see many animals for the first hour-and-a-half in the remote western edge of the park…

…But over the following five hours we saw more wildlife than we'd seen at any park in Kenya or in South Africa's Kruger Park .

By 3 p.m., we'd seen every animal we had extra tentatively, because we were visiting off peak season, included on our wishlist!

Around 11 a.m., we stopped at the Olifantrus Camp where we lost track of time watching wildebeest, oryx, zebra, and red hartebeest jostle over drinking spots from the two-story animal hide.

Aside from the hide the camp was basic and had "sold out" of all its firewood and meat, so we regretted having reserved a night there. Luckily, the manager managed to change our reservation and get us the last campsite in Okaukeujo instead.

Unbelievably, the road from Olifantrus to Okaukeujo was worse than any we'd experienced on our Namibia road trip.

When we finally made it to Okaukeujo camp, we found and fixed two punctures in our back left tire. Thank goodness we purchased the tire repair kit in Swakopmund. Without it we would have had to abandon our next day in Etosha and drive 117km to Outjo to get it fixed.

Okaukeujo is more of a village than a camp with shops, various types of accommodation, a big tower in the middle, and, most importantly, an animal viewing area.

Sitting on benches semi-encircling a waterhole, we watched oryx and elephants drink at sunset and, after a braai with some new Spanish photographer friends where an opportunistic jackal circled for our scraps, returned at night to watch more elephants, giraffes, and black and white rhino under the floodlights.

What a show!

• Highlights: Watching three female lions saunter into Jackalswater waterhole as all the other animals there lost their shit and fled.
• Lowlights: The long, featureless, animal-less, and miserable road from Olifantrus to Okaukeujo, especially from Ozonjuiti on.
• Best Food: We grilled our own food rather than pay a premium for whatever uninspired food was available at the camp restaurants.
• Where We Stayed: Okaukeujo (o-ka-koy-yo). Dirty, crowded, and overpriced, but worth it for the animal viewing at sunset, sunrise, and at night.
• Road Quality: Until Olifantrus, the roads were OK, but the roads from there to Okaukeujo almost gave us and our car a K.O.
• Day Rating: 7.5. Four hours of bad driving was worth it for animals.

Quick Tip: Book at a camp inside Etosha well in advance to ensure you get a spot. Watching animals from the hides at sunset, sunrise, and at night is an incredible experience you cannot have if you stay at better, cheaper camps outside the park.

Namibia Itinerary Day 12: Etosha (The Bad Day)

271 km, 8.5 hours

Fewer Animals, Too Many Bad Roads

We saw plenty of animals—elephants, a honey badger, lions, and all the other common game—but made even more mistakes on our second day in Etosha.

• Starting our day driving to Pan's Edge, a "viewpoint" at the edge of Etosha's salt pan that, from our point of view, was a complete waste of time.
• Forgetting to download and bring the guide to Etosha waterholes our friends had sent us the link to. We should have gone through it and carefully planned our route.
• Electing to drive a loop to Halali Camp and back. The bad roads were too much for us. We would've enjoyed our time more had we picked a couple waterholes near Okaukeujo and stayed there.

Quick Tip: Get The Photographer's Guide to Etosha National Park . Our friends told us it was super handy for learning about Etosha's watering holes, animal patterns, and some added photography tips.

Halali Camp

In the mid-day heat, we took a break at Etosha's Halali Camp .

The camp itself isn't much more than a big dusty parking lot of campsites, basic cabins, and a restaurant but we relished the opportunity to cool off in the swimming pool then watch a big group of elephants do the same at the waterhole while bullying away the oryx and zebra who wanted to join.

• Highlights: The elephants at Halali Camp's waterhole.
• Lowlights: Realizing our mistake of not planning our day better before we set out.
• Best Food: Vegetarian braai at our campsite to finish off everything we'd bought.
• Where We Stayed: Taleni Etosha Village , just outside Etosha's Anderson's Gate on the road to Outjo. So much nicer in every way than the campsites in Etosha… except for the all-important waterholes.
• Road Quality: Rock bottom.
• Day Rating: 5

Quick Tip: Don't get over-eager like we did. We would have enjoyed Etosha much more had we spent less time driving and more time sitting at waterholes watching animals.

Namibia Blog Day 13: Windhoek

443 km in 5 hours

Driving from Etosha to Windhoek

We looked hard for things to do in the 400 kilometers between Etosha and Windhoek, but found little.

Waterberg Plateau Park is the biggest attraction, but we'd heard mixed reviews and that you can't go on unguided hikes there, so we skipped it.

Discouraged, we sped straight to Windhoek. The roads are great and straight so it took us only 4.5 hours including stops for gas in Outjo, for food at Bohemia Books & Coffee , and for some biltong and dried fruit in Okahandja.

We had low expectations for Windhoek , Namibia's capital and most populous (around 350,000 people) city.

And Windhoek failed to live up to them.

We found it to be a character-less sprawl of traffic, strip malls, walled homes, and a ratty downtown center.

For one evening, though, it was fine.

We were treated to a sunset thunderstorm (!) at Hotel Thule and found Joe's Beehouse lived up to its legendary reputation thanks to its wild knick-nack decor and decent food.

• Highlights: Watching and experiencing a rare Namibian thunderstorm while enjoying a fantastic sunset and cheap beers at Hotel Thule.
• Lowlights: The lack of attractions between Etosha and Windhoek.
• Best Food: My oryx schnitzel from Joe's Beerhouse in Windhoek.
• Where We Stayed: An Airbnb that wasn't as well-located as advertised.
• Road Quality: Perfect and paved the whole way.

Quick Tip: Feel free to skip Windhoek entirely. You're visiting Namibia for the wilderness anyway.

Namibia Itinerary Day 14: Departure

48 kilometers in 1 hour

Windhoek Craft Centre and Cafe

Unlike similar shopping centers in other cities, Windhoek's Craft Centre didn't sell junky, made-in-China stuff. Each of the 38-or-so stalls sold what looked to be high-quality, original products.

So even though we had no space in our bags, Kim felt compelled to buy a couple things.

Our Airbnb host highly recommended the café there too. The upstairs patio seating was a plus, but everything was 20-40% more expensive than it should be.

Airport Shenanigans

Annoyingly, Windhoek's Hosea Kutako International Airport is 45 kilometers outside of town.

Much more annoyingly, nobody told us that rental car companies don't accept patched tires. Even though we'd gotten our tire professionally patched and it survived a further 2,000 km on Namibia's horrible roads, the agent told us they'd have to replace it. We were charged accordingly: NA$1,100 for the tire and NA$500 for "administration."

One last bump in the road for our very bumpy but undeniably scenic Namibia road trip.

• Highlights: The Craft Center actually had some nice stuff.
• Lowlights: Dealing with rental car issues.
• Best Food: The 25 foods we ate during our 24-hour layover in Taiwan on the way back to Canada.
• Where We Stayed: Seat 52F and 52E of the airplane.
• Road Quality: 100% paved.
• Day Rating: 3. Who likes airports and traveling?

Quick Tip: If you're returning your rental car at the airport, fill up your tank in Windhoek. We didn't get penalized for using up the 45 km worth of gas to get from there to the airport.

Read This Next:

Namibia Travel Tips: 20 Things to Now Before Your Self-Guided Trip

Before Planning a Cape Town to Namibia Road Trip, Read This

Is Namibia Worth Visiting? Yes, But Prepare Yourself

Disclosure: Whenever possible, we use links that earn us a cut if you pay for stuff we recommend. It costs you nothing, so we'd be crazy not to. Read our affiliate policy .

2 thoughts on “Namibia Itinerary and Travel Blog: 14-Days, 4,274km, 1 Big Problem”

Too critical You should research your destination before arriving. Namibia’s tarmac roads are among the best in Southern Africa. There are many thousands of kilometers of gravel roads and it is very expensive keeping them in perfect condition. Don’t you appreciate that you contributed virtually nothing to Namibia and the majority of the population while there and expect services to be equal to what people living in cities Europe and USA have. You hired a car that was cheap and unsuitable for your route when research before arriving would have.made it obvious that a 4×4 (and knowledge of how to adjust tyre pressures depending on road conditions) was a much better choice. You are financially very fortunate to live in the cosseted West and have spare money for leisure trips around Africa. Namibia (and the rest of Africa can be an amazing experience but if you are not super rich you should not arrive with a critical mind. Accept it as it is even if it might take you out of your comfort zone. Don’t you appreciate that your lifestyle is partly at the expense of exploited countries around the world. Corruption mainly benefits major foreign companies who approach incompetent and corrupt politicians (traitors) who are prepared to sell their countries future prosperity for a relatively minute amount. I lived in Namibia for five years and know some of the difficulties there. My opinion is that if you can appreciate being away from suburban life, temporary solitude, and amazing nature and wilderness you will probably want to return again and again. If you are a committed suburbanite you are probably better to stay away.

I think my perspective is worth sharing and closer to my real experience than the fawning stuff others write. Readers can balance my perspective with others for their planning.

What do you think? (Leave a Comment.) Cancel reply

An Unforgettable 10 Day Road Trip Across Namibia

Namibia is a country of superlative adventures. Hope this road trip post we did more than a decade ago across this sparsely populated country sparks your wanderlust!

Why a road trip across Namibia, you may ask?

• View the second largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon, USA.
• Home to some of the largest dunes in the world
• A chance to see the white rhinos, some of the last in the world.
• Traipsing across the oldest desert in the world.
• The surreal Deadvlei: the cracked earth has not seen water in a thousand years!

Namibia makes for a spectacular road trip!

Namibia doesn’t come to mind immediately when you think of your first road trip to the African continent.

I am not quite sure how we came to decide on a 10-day road adventure in this country with the world’s oldest desert, Namib. But the dramatic desert landscapes with red dunes, stunning sky-scapes with thousands of stars, wildlife at Etosha National Park, and endless stretches of wild scenery made it a memorable trip. 

Places to visit on a road trip across Namibia

Our 2-week road trip across Namibia with G Adventures started in Cape Town. 

We traveled north, first to a picturesque seaside village named Lambert’s Bay. Think white beaches, blue sea, and good seafood. 

And then we crossed the border from South Africa into Namibia and settled in for a relaxed day alongside Orange River. After the glamorous Cape Town, Namibia was wilderness at its best.

Orange River is the longest river in South Africa, bordering Namibia.

Fish River Canyon and Sesreim Gorge

From here on, the dramatic landscapes and endless scenery of Namibia began. You could do this road trip by renting a car and driving yourself, but for us, Namibia – a decade ago – seemed like endless stretches of road with not much habitation and we were happy to go for a small group tour. 

Our trip to Namibia was much before the majestic wonders of the Grand Canyon. So the first view of Fish River Canyon, Africa’s largest and the world’s second largest was awe-inspiring! The Fish River is 800 kilometers long and thus the longest river in Namibia.

The Fish River Canyon is 161 km long, 27 km wide and up to 550m deep.

Just before the famous dunes of Sossusvlei, we stopped at another Canyon. Sesreim Canyon is a natural gorge carved millions of years ago. It is roughly about 1km long with a width that ranges between one and three meters wide.

The name Sesriem is derived from the Dutch/Afrikaans words for “six belt”

Namib Desert: Sossusvlei and Deadvlei

Now I have been to a couple of desserts – Wahiba Sands in Oman and the Thar desert in Jaisalmer – but there is nothing like the Namib Desert. Namib is one of the most incredible deserts in Africa. The Sossusvlei is the iconic part of the Namib Desert with some of the world’s highest dunes.

It is a rare place where the desert meets the sea. It is also one of the driest destinations on earth. Interestingly Namib gets its water supply from the fog that rolls up on almost 180 days in a year. 

The popular Dune 45.

We based ourselves in the historical town of Swakopmund. The day was full of adventures: climbing Dune 45 (80 m), although bragging rights belong to the ones who attempt to climb the Big Daddy (325 m)! 

We also had fun on a quad bike and sandboarding in the desert.

The flora and fauna of the Namib Desert are unique.

There are endless adventures to be experienced in the Namib Desert. But the most surreal of them was not an adventure activity. It was the sight of Deadvlei, or ‘dead marsh’. 

I may be smiling, but it was tough to sit on the hot baking sand to pose!

Imagine walking into a large circular white clay pan, with cracked earth that has not seen water in a thousand years.

The camel thorn trees are a stunning contrast to the white clay pan floor. Deadvlei is a paradise for photographers as the contrast between the pitch-black trees, bleached-white pans, the rusty red dunes, and the deep blue sky make for incredible images.

Etosha National Park

So it had rained just before we went to Etosha National Park. That meant more greenery than what you would normally see at Etosha and it also meant far fewer sightings of wildlife. Still, the array of animals in Etosha made the safaris worthwhile. Etosha National Park is amongst the top wildlife-viewing destinations in Africa.

I had never seen a giraffe in real life before Etosha!

The wildlife sightings were also very different than the ones that I have encountered in the National Parks in India or Sri Lanka that I have visited.

Wildebeest were plenty at Etosha.

The rain ensured plenty of greenery all around.

Our road trip ended in Windhoek, the capital city of Namibia. The vast open landscapes, endless stretches of roads, and outdoor activities have left us with such an incredible, sweet taste of Namibia.

Namibia can be visited throughout the year, though the best season to visit is from June to October. Take your best camera equipment and sense of adventure with you!

Shweta has always been passionate about travel and immersing in new experiences. Having been to over 45 countries, she blogs at Zest In A Tote to bring family-friendly itineraries and tips, destinations, and luxury stays to her readers.

Her belief in family travel needn’t be boring and one can do a mix of local culture & food, adventure activities, and relaxation, all with family .

Connect with Shweta on Facebook or  Instagram

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Ultimate Namibia Itinerary: Self-Drive Road Trip (+ Map & Tips)

By Author Jurga

Posted on Last updated: August 14, 2023

Namibia is a beautiful country that requires some slow traveling to truly appreciate it. It’s also a place that requires quite some advance research in order to make the most of your trip.

Planning a self-drive road trip in Namibia might look overwhelming at first. Distances are big, the roads aren’t great, and the accommodations are scarce and expensive…

So you are absolutely right looking for ideas for the Namibia itinerary and suggestions on how to best plan your road trip in advance!

We also struggled with the same questions before our trip. After a lot of research, we created an amazing itinerary and spent 4 weeks road-tripping in Namibia. It was the best road trip ever!

Below, you can find our detailed day-to-day Namibia road trip itinerary that covers all the must-see places and so much more. Our trip was very easy-going, so we also included suggestions for how you can see just as much in less time. You can also find Namibia itinerary tips for shorter trips. Find out!

Things to Consider When Preparing Namibia Itinerary

No matter how much time you have in Namibia, you will have to make choices when preparing your itinerary.

Here are a few things to consider:

• There are very few highways in Namibia and most other roads are gravel. So you will – literally – need to slow down. That being said, it doesn’t mean that you need a month to see Namibia. In fact, many ‘standard’ Namibia trip itineraries are no longer than 10 or 14 days.
• The distances between the main highlights are very big, so you cannot just visit the ‘top’ places and skip all the rest unless you opt for a fly-in safari.
• When planning your trip , you’ll have to decide if you want to visit more places at a fast pace or travel slower and see more at fewer locations.
• Before preparing your itinerary, consider if you also want to visit the South (Fish River Canyon) and/or the North (Caprivi Strip) of the country. Both these destinations are so far from all the rest that just driving there and back will add at least a few days to your trip.
• Another possibility is to combine your Namibian road trip with Botswana and Victoria Falls. But only do this by car if you have a lot of time.
• Or maybe you decide to just stick to the main highlights of Namibia and skip the less known locations… In that case, you can even see ‘the musts’ in a week.

The choice is completely yours to make depending on your interests, time, budget, and some other factors, like malaria risk, for example.

There are two main highlights that you absolutely shouldn’t miss in Namibia and that is Etosha National Park and Sossusvlei . Other highlights include Fish River Canyon , Kolmanskop , Swakopmund , and Twyfelfontein . But there are many other amazing places.

Having said all that, some of the very best, memorable experiences from our trip to Namibia had nothing to do with the most famous places… In our itinerary below, you can read all about it.

LEARN MORE: Best Places to Visit in Namibia

Our Namibia itinerary for 4 weeks

Before we continue with our Namibia road trip itinerary, you should know that this is a custom-made 4-week road trip itinerary that covers all of Namibia except the north. We prepared this Namibia itinerary for our family based on our interests and taking into account the fact that we were traveling to Namibia with three young children under 6.

Of course, we included all the landmarks and made sure to visit all the best places in Namibia! But we opted for multiple nights at several locations and for shorter driving days when we could. Also, we didn’t go to the Caprivi Strip in order to avoid malaria risk.

TIP: You could easily shorten this Namibia itinerary and still see about just as much as we did in about 3 weeks. And certainly, if you are camping and are less dependent on the location of accommodations. You can find some itinerary suggestions for 2 or 3 weeks in Namibia at the bottom of this article. Read on!

Here’s our Namibia road trip itinerary exactly as we did it:

Day 1: Arrival in Windhoek. Windhoek – Kalahari Desert. Eningu Clayhouse Lodge for 1 night. 110 km – 2hrs.

After picking up the rental car where we also got a short instruction video about driving on gravel, we headed to Windhoek for a short city walk and to stack on supplies of food and drinks for the next few days.

TIP: Check this website for an overview of some of the best options for car rental and get a 4×4 for your Namibia trip.

We opted to spend our first night outside of the city. We stayed at Eningu Clayhouse Lodge in the Kalahari desert and I would recommend this to everyone. Not necessarily this specific lodge, but staying outside of the city.

We felt that we were in Africa the moment we left the highway. We saw wild animals next to the road and we spent our first afternoon in the hot tub. We saw an amazing sunset and spent our first evening dining under the stars.

TIP: Don’t stay in Windhoek. Choose one of the many lodges outside the city. If you decide to go straight down to the south and rather stay closer to the main road to Mariental, I recommend checking Auas Safari Lodge . It’s not too far from Windhoek and has great reviews! 

Day 2: Kalahari desert. Drive to Mariental. Gondwana Kalahari Anib Lodge for 1 night. 270 km, 4-5hrs.

Long drive through the Kalahari desert today. The scenery is nice, but there are no major points of interest along the way here, so we drove straight to our next accommodation.

We arrived at our next lodge, Gondwana Kalahari Anib Lodge , just in time for a late afternoon safari ride and a sundowner. It was the first one during this trip and we loved it! We got bitten by a sundowner bug and tried to go on as many sundowners as possible during the rest of our trip.

TIP: Don’t miss Namibian sundowners, do at least one! All lodges in Namibia organize sundowner/safari rides, so make sure you get to your lodge in time for the late afternoon ride.

Day 3 : Mariental – Fish River Canyon. Canyon Lodge for 2 nights. 410 km – 6hrs.

Long drive from Mariental to Fish River Canyon, but luckily the first part was on a tarmac road.

We stopped at the Quiver Tree Forest and made a short walk around the Giant’s Playground before continuing South towards the Fish River Canyon. The last couple of hours we were driving through the desolate and very uninspiring landscape, but the surroundings of our next lodge were so beautiful that we quickly forgot the long drive.

Our accommodation for two nights was a beautiful Gondwana Canyon Lodge – one of the nicest places we stayed during this trip!

A bit cheaper accommodation located in a similar spectacular setting is the nearby Gondwana Canyon Village .

TIP: If you are looking for accommodation with views over the Fish River Canyon, take a look at Fish River Lodge . It has an amazing location!

Day 4 : Fish River Canyon

There are many possibilities to explore the Fish River Canyon . You can also opt for some other excursions in the area. We simply chose to drive to the canyon and explore several viewpoints.

In the morning, we drove to a couple of lookouts and made a walk on the rim of the canyon.

TIP for families traveling with children: In the afternoon we headed to a nearby Canyon Roadhouse for lunch.

We chose this place because we knew our kids would love it there. They have a big collection of all kinds of old vehicles. A paradise for our boys!

In the evening, we opted for a sundowner walk at our lodge and enjoyed the most beautiful Namibian sunset in style.

Day 5 : Fish River Canyon – Klein Aus Vista. Desert Horse Inn for 2 nights. 290 km – 4hrs.

A long drive again with some beautiful landscapes along the way. Our lodge, Desert Horse Inn , was not half as nice as the previous one, but there wasn’t anything better available in this area when we traveled. Now I’d recommend staying at the highly-rated Bahnhof Hotel Aus .

There are lots of hiking trails in the area and so we spent the afternoon hiking. The walk was much nicer than we had expected.

TIP:   Go hiking in the area around Klein Aus Vista.

Day 6 : Klein Aus Vista – Luderitz/ Kolmanskop – Klein Aus Vista. 115 km – 1,5 hrs in one direction.

The highlight of the day was our visit to Kolmanskop . It’s a ghost town that was once the home to German diamond miners seeking to make their fortune in the Namibian desert.

Nowadays, Kolmansop is a real paradise for photographers. Our kids loved it too!

TIP: Go to Kolmanskop early in the morning for better pictures and fewer people.

We also paid a short visit to Luderitz , but found it a rather uninspiring little town. We also spent some time hoping to find the wild horses of Namib in Garub . No luck for us, but this place is known for that, so check it out if passing by.

Day 7 : Klein Aus Vista – Sossusvlei. Sossus Dune Lodge for 2 nights. 350 km – 5hrs.

Long ride from Aus to Sossusvlei, but it didn’t feel that long since we took the scenic route and drove through the most amazing landscape. Red sand roads, oryx antelopes, ostriches, and all kinds of other wild animals added plenty of distraction for the kids along the way.

TIP: Take route C27 and not C14+C19 – it might be slower, but it’s really worth it.

We opted to stay at the Sossus Dune Lodge as it’s the only lodge that is inside the park allowing the guests to get to the Sossusvlei before sunrise and after sunset. We went to Elim dune to watch the sunset. 

TIP:   Sossusvlei Lodge,  located just outside the park gates, is actually nicer accommodation and it’s cheaper too. The only disadvantage is that you can’t enter the park before sunrise.

Day 8 : Sossusvlei

Deadvlei, Sossusvlei, Dune 45, and the Sesriem canyon were the highlights today. Top day for the kids as well. They loved climbing the sand dunes and they loved rolling down the dunes even more…

We woke up very early and drove to Sossusvlei before sunrise. We then walked to Deadvlei in the dark and stayed there until sunrise. It was freezing cold, but an amazing experience. We had the popular Deadvlei all to ourselves.

TIP: If you are up for it, you can climb one of the dunes for sunrise views. Dune 45 along the way to Sossusvlei is a good place for that if you can’t make it to Sossusvlei or Deadvlei before sunrise.

Day 9 : Sossusvlei – Rostock Ritz Desert Lodge for 1 night. 140 km, 2 hrs.

TIP:   When driving from Sossusvlei to the north, stop at Solitaire petrol station/restaurant for some of their famous apple pie.

Most people drive from Sossusvlei all the way to Swakopmund in one day. We opted to break the long drive between Sossuvlei to Swakopmund and spend a night in Rostock Ritz Desert Lodge .

The lodge itself is not very special, but there are lots of excursion possibilities in the area and they have a meerkat encounter , which was again one of the highlights for the kids.

We ended the day with another beautiful sundowner ride and some incredibly delicious food. The restaurant at this lodge was probably the best of our entire 4-weeks trip in Namibia!

Day 10 : Rostock Ritz Desert Lodge – Swakopmund for 3 nights. 230 km – 3,5 hrs.

After 10 days in the desert, we were so glad to be back in the living world again! We stopped in Walvis Bay for lunch. We could even choose from more than one restaurant! What a luxury.

TIP: Walvis Bay Lagoon with thousands of wild flamingos was absolutely the highlight of the day. Don’t miss it!

We stayed in Swakopmund, alternatively, you can stay in Walvis Bay. The two towns are not far from each other, but we found that Swakopmund has a much nicer atmosphere, more hotel and restaurant choices, and more activities and day trips that leave from there.

We stayed at the Atlantic Sicht Apartment in Swakopmund and absolutely loved it. It was like a home away from home. 

Here you can find the best deals for Swakopmund accommodation  or Walvis Bay accommodation . This area is the only place in Namibia where you can find a big choice of quality accommodation for any budget.

Days 11 – 12 : Swakopmund and the area

Swakopmund is a nice little town with many shops, restaurants, and cafés. It’s definitely the nicest town in Namibia and 3 nights is certainly not too much for a stay here. In fact, you could easily stay here longer and find plenty of things to see and do.

TIP: Have lunch or dinner at the Village Café (Sam Nujoma Avenue).

There are many excursion possibilities in and around Swakopmund , so you will have no difficulties finding something that interests you. Here you can find some of the most popular tours from Swakopmund .

The most popular tours are the dolphin- and whale-watching catamaran tour from Walvis Bay, Moon Landscape and Welwitschia Drive , and 4×4 tour to Sandwich Harbour  (or this amazing kayaking and Sandwich Harbour combo tour ). There are many more possibilities too, but the above are worth your time the most.

TIP (just for our readers – don’t tell anyone ;)): Even though Spitzkoppe is not included in most Namibia trip itineraries, it’s one of our absolute favorite places in Namibia. It’s only 1,5 hrs drive from Swakopmund and you can make a nice half day-day trip to the area.

Take water, picnic lunch, and walking shoes with you and explore this beautiful area. If you are camping, Spitzkoppe has the most amazing campsites you could imagine. Don’t miss it!

You can drive there or take a tour to Spitzkoppe if you want a more relaxing day or don’t have a 4×4.

Day 13 : Swakopmund – Twyfelfontein via Cape Cross. 411 km – 6+hrs. Twyfelfontein Country Lodge for 1 night.

TIP: Leave Swakopmund early in the morning if you want to go to Cape Cross first. It’s a long drive to Twyfelfontein and Cape Cross is a bit out of the way. But it’s absolutely worth it!

Cape Cross is home to a huge seal colony (tens of thousands of seals live here) and you can get amazingly close to them. An experience like no other!

If you have time left, you can visit Petrified Forest on the road to Twyfelfntein or drive to the Burnt Mountain for sunset.

We stayed at Twyfelfontein Country Lodge – one of the very few lodging options in this area. Alternatively, check out Malansrus or  Madisa Camp  – both very unique tented accommodations, but Malansrus is a bit closer to Twyfelfontein.

Day 14 : Twyfelfontein – Palmwag. Palmwag Lodge for 2 nights. 115 km – 1h45.

Twyfelfontein UNESCO Heritage Site  is absolutely worth the visit. You will be assigned a guide who will take you to the cavemen’s paintings and will tell you all you want to know about ancient rock art.

TIP:  Go to Twyfelfontein early in the morning before it gets busy. The most recommended walk is the Lion Man Route . Take water with you.

If you are interested in the local culture, pay a short visit to the Damara Living Museum . It’s not an authentic experience as it’s not a real village you are visiting, but one with paid actors, but it’s still interesting to see how people used to live in the area.

We stayed 2 nights at Palmwag Lodge . A really nice alternative in this area is Grootberg Lodge , or otherwise a more simple accommodation – Etendeka Mountain Camp . 

Day 15 : Palmwag

Free day in the Palmwag area. There are several excursion and safari ride possibilities at the lodge.

We opted for the safari and Himba village tour and had the most amazing day. The Himba village we visited was not comparable to the Damara ‘living museum’ we saw the other day. We met a real Himba family, saw the way they really live, and the interaction with the people was real.

Our kids went to play with their children, they were chasing the goats and the chicken and seemed to be having the time of their lives. Safari in the Palmwag area was also one of the best ones of our whole trip.

TIP: Visit a local Himba village.

LEARN MORE: Visiting Namibia’s Indigenous Tribes

Days 16 – 19 : Etosha National Park

Etosha National Park is one of the best places to see in Namibia. So make sure to plan at least 2-3 days here. Here’s what our time in Etosha looked like:

Day 16 – Palmwag – Etosha. Dolomite Camp for 1 night. 230 km – 3.5hrs Day 17 – Dolomite Camp – Okaukuejo. 180 km – 4hrs. Okaukuejo Rest Camp for 2 nights. Day 18 – Etosha. Day 19 – Etosha: Okaukuejo – Mushara. 153 km – 2h15

There are plenty of possibilities to see wild animals in Etosha. The best times are early in the morning or late in the afternoon, and the best places are around the waterholes. The very best place to see lots of animals without much effort is the Okaukuejo waterhole.

READ ALSO: Safari Tips & Safari with Kids

We stayed at three hotels in Etosha NP: Dolomite Camp and Okaukuejo Rest Camp – government-run properties inside Etosha, and a beautiful Mushara Lodge outside the park. 

Etosha is absolutely the highlight of any Namibian trip, but I cannot say the same about the Dolomite Camp. It’s a beautiful but completely mismanaged place.

Okaukuejo Rest Camp  offers simple accommodation, but it has an amazing location that makes up for the simple rooms. 

Mushara Lodge  was absolutely incredible and we wished we had stayed longer there. 

LEARN MORE: Best Places to Stay in Etosha National Park

TIP: If you are looking for the best location for Etosha, stay at Okaukuejo Rest Camp or at one of the beautiful hotels just outside the park gates at Okaukuejo . If you want to stay at the eastern side of Etosha as well, I cannot recommend Mushara Lodge highly enough.

Day 20 : Mushara – Otjiwarongo area. 300 km – 4hrs. Frans Indongo Lodge for 2 nights.

The only place that was somewhat worth a visit on this day was Lake Otjikoto. It’s more of a place to stretch your legs a bit than anything else.

We stayed at the  Frans Indongo Lodge  for 2 nights. The area around Frans Indongo was not very spectacular, but it was well located for a day trip to see cheetahs next day.

There are several walking trails next to the lodge, but if I were to go to Namibia again, I would only stay here for one night (or find an alternative hotel).

Day 21 : Cheetah Conservation Fund and Crocodile Farm

Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) is a place you shouldn’t miss when planning Namibia road trip. It’s a serious honest project helping the animals and you have several possibilities to see cheetahs from close by. Count half a day for the visit.

TIP: If you are traveling without kids, try to get there for the Cheetah Run early in the morning. With children, we could go on a jeep ride and saw plenty of cheetahs from the safety of the car.

We also visited the Crocodile Ranch  in Otjiwarongo. You can see lots of crocodiles and even pet one so the kids liked it, but it’s not something you absolutely have to do. A good stop for half an hour for families passing by, but not more.

Days 22 – 23 : Erindi Private Game Reserve. Old Traders Lodge for 2 nights.

These two days were among the most memorable of the entire trip of 4 weeks in Namibia! Erindi is an amazing all-in safari lodge that truly has it all.

Day 22 : Otjiwarongo – Erindi Private Game Reserve. 270 km – 4 hrs. We drove to Erindi as early as we could so that we could join some of the activities on the first day already.

Day 23 : Erindi.  If there is one lodge I would love to go back to in Namibia, it’s Erindi Old Traders Lodge !

It was also the most expensive lodge on our Namibia itinerary, but absolutely worth it. We had an all-in package with two safari rides per day and all the meals included. There are many other activities that you can do in Erindi. Visiting the local San tribe was one of them, and also various safari rides, etc.

What we loved the most about our stay in Erindi was the restaurant terrace at the Old Traders Lodge. It overlooks a waterhole where we spent many relaxing hours eating cake, sipping cold drinks, and watching wild animals come and go.

If Erindi is above your budget, you can also just visit here for a day. The restaurant with the terrace overlooking a waterhole is accessible to everyone and they also offer safari rides and other activities to visitors who aren’t staying at the lodge. Erindi is a bit out of the way when driving from Etosha to Windhoek, but you’ll absolutely love it.

Day 24: Erindi – Windhoek. 220 km – 3hrs. Na’ankuse Lodge for 1 night.

Depending on your flight schedule, you could drive straight to the airport and skip Windhoek altogether on the last day.

We opted to stay at Erindi a bit longer and drove to Na’ankuse Lodge close to the airport towards the evening. The lodge proudly displays pictures of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who visited here back when they were a couple.

This lodge also has all kinds of activities including wildlife watching and they also have cheetahs. But we only arrived here in the evening, too late for any rides. So we only had dinner at the lodge and I cannot comment on the activities, however, customer reviews are excellent.

Day 25: Windhoek and departure

Since we had plenty of time before our flight, we headed back to the center of Windhoek. It was a bit livelier than on the first day of our trip and we enjoyed walking around the Post Street Mall . It’s a pedestrian mall lined with shops, restaurants, office buildings, and craft sellers and is probably the liveliest place in town.

We had a quiet late lunch at the famous Joe’s Beer House in Windhoek and headed to the airport for the flight home.

As you can see, our Namibia trip itinerary was a mix of seeing a lot and a more relaxing vacation. As I said, you could easily visit all the same places in Namibia in less time. 

What could you skip or shorten? See our suggestions for a shorter Namibia itinerary below!

Namibia Trip Itinerary Suggestions for 2 or 3 weeks

Following our 4-week itinerary above, here’s how you could adjust it to make it shorter:

• If Kolmanskop is not of much interest to you, you could skip day 6 of the itinerary.
• You could visit Sossusvlei in the morning and leave the area that same afternoon. If you don’t mind driving a lot (and I mean a lot), you could go straight to Swakopmund and skip days 9 and 10. In any case, you can easily skip one day here.
• If you have limited time, you could stay just 2 nights in Swakopmund instead of 3, skip Palmwag altogether (it’s a bit out of the way if you don’t go to the Dolomite Camp), and spend less time in Etosha.
• You could also stay just one night in the Otjiwarongo area, see cheetahs in the morning and drive straight to Windhoek.
• If you opt to stay at Erindi or one of the many other private reserves in the area, you can stay there till the last day of your trip and go straight to the airport from there.

I know that planning the Namibia itinerary can be overwhelming and this is a lot of information to digest, so feel free to ask questions. You can leave a reply below.

TIP: When planning your trip, make sure to also take a look at our essential travel tips for Namibia via the link below. That article has all the information about driving in Namibia, what kind of car you need, and other tips for touring Namibia on a self drive trip. Check it out!

READ ALSO: Namibia Travel Tips

Planning a trip to Namibia? Get the most out of your trip with these tips:

• Best Places to See in Namibia
• Namibia Packing List
• Etosha Hotels
• Namibia with Kids
• Our Favorite Pictures from Namibia
• Best Camera Equipment for Safari

If you found this post helpful, don’t forget to bookmark it and share it with your friends. Are you on Pinterest? Pin these images!

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Tuesday 19th of March 2024

Dear Jurga, Thank you for your article, it helped a lot with our planning. We will visit Namibia this summer with our 4 years old daughter and we had everything planned but unfortunately today we received an email from Erindi that they perform renovations which will last longer than expected and they had to cancel our reservation (beginning of August). So now i am looking for an alternative for 2 nights (we would have already spend 4 nights in Etosha and we want to spend two nights somewhere between Etosha and Windhoek). In your article you mention other private reserves in the area. Can you suggest any? Thank you Zafeira

Wednesday 20th of March 2024

@Jurga, Thank you, indeed i have checked some and either have 2 persons rooms or do not accept children below 6 years old - i will have a look to the ones you suggested as well and hopefully i will find something.

Once again thank you for the information.

Hi Zafeira, take a look at Okonjima Plains Camp or Okonjima Luxury Bush Camp. On a more affordable side, check out Ondudu Safari Lodge or Omurenga. On a lower budget, Omaruru Game Lodge looks great too. I'm just not sure how it works with 3 people sharing the room, so see what's possible for your family. I don't get it why so many lodges only have rooms for 2 people :(, but we found that most of them were accommodating enough to add an extra bed or mattress for a young child. It gets so much more complicated when your kids get older though... Anyway, hope this helps. Enjoy your trip!

Karin Eckhardt

Tuesday 5th of March 2024

Dear Jurga, I am so happy to came across your blog and have been reading it a lot. Very inspiring and love the pictures. I am planning my trip to Namibia in August with my son (will be driving by myself) and am struggling to make some final decisions. Would be great to hear your experience/suggestions. See day 7, 9 and Etosha. I can still change my depart from Windhoek 1 day later.

Day 1 Arrival Windhoek 11.00 / 1 night Day 2 >Sesriem / 1 night Day 3 > Solitaire / 1 night Day 4,5,6 > Swakopmund / 3 night Day 7 > Brandberg White lady lodge / 1 night However after booking I read about Spitzkoppe(which I don't want to visit as 1/2 day tour from Swakopmund as other activities planned) + San Living Museum Erongo/Omandumba. Wondering if it's realistic to visit both on our way to Brandberg? We wouldn't go hiking at Spitzkoppe, but do like to do a tour at San Museum. What do you think? If it's too much, I will try to move our whole schedule/bookings(challenging), and stay overnight around Spitzkoppe if it's worth it. But in case if I have to choose what do you think is nicer Brandberg or Spitzkoppe? Alternatively we could also stay 2 nights at Twyfelfontein country lodge. Day 8> Twyfelfontein country lodge Day 9, 10, 11 > Opuwo/ 3 nights Trying to visit Himba for the first time. Wondering if 3 nights is too much? Day 12 > Ondangwa Ongula homestead / 1 night Day 13> Namutoni NWR - 4 nights Etosho wondering if we should do 3 nights? if so which location should we skip? Or would you recommend to do 4 nights and rather stay 2 night at Okaukeujo and skip Namutoni NWR? Day 14 Namutoni Mushara lodge Day 15 Halali NWR Day 16 Okaukeujo Day 17 eod flighty to J'burg Hope to hear your thoughts, thank you Karin

Thursday 7th of March 2024

@Karin Eckhardt, Thanks again! Already postponed my flight to make it all happen. Reached out to Erindi, unfortunately they are closed due to big renovations. But will find an alternative. Enjoy all your future travels.

Wednesday 6th of March 2024

@Jurga, Thanks for your quick answer, really appreciated! Will take your advice on Etosha and Erindi. If we have to choose between Brandberg or Spitzkoppe, which one should we skip? Thanks

Hi Karin, first, I really have no time to look into your itinerary in detail or how it fits together, so just a few thoughts as you asked. Day 7, if you drive from Swakopmund to Spitzkoppe and San Living Museum to Brandberg, it's at least 6 hours of pure driving time. Plus, you'll need time to visit both places, even if just for half an hour or an hour. So it's a full day. Theoretically, it could work, but I would start very very early to make sure you don't have to drive in the dark. If all goes well, it's doable, but if you get any kind of delays, you won't have much daylight time to spare. Also, since you are the only driver, only you can feel what you are comfortable with. Days 9-11, two nights/one day could probably be sufficient depending on what you can actually do there. Etosha - If you can stay at Okaukuejo even for a night or two, it's well worth it. The rest depends on how much animal viewing you want to do. Some people see hundreds of zebras at one waterhole and are happy and others go on two safari rides for several days in a row and still don't have enough. So it's really up to you how much time you want to spend there. As for the lodges, it's good to have a mix of some simpler and nicer ones in between - some of our best memories from Namibia are from the nicest lodges we stayed at. Mushara is way nicer than Okaukuejo, but location wise, Okaukuejo would be my top choice over anything else in the area. Last day - I would stay somewhat closer to the airport and not do it from Etosha in one go. It's a long drive. We loved our stay at Erindi which is about halfway between the two. It was by far our favorite lodge in Namibia. Hope this helps. Good luck with the planning!

Sunday 14th of January 2024

Hi Jurga, Great article, I’m taking some inspo here! Would you recommend driving to Mariental area and spend the first night there? I and my boyfriend are planning a trip in late March to South Namibia. Our flight would arrive at 1:20pm and I was wondering if we have enough time to pick up the car and drive a couple of hours to get there. Thank you, Laura

Monday 22nd of January 2024

@Jurga, thanks for your feedback! After some evaluation I think we’ll definitely spend the first night close to the airport and begin our road trip the day after. Thanks again! Laura

Tuesday 16th of January 2024

Hi Laura, taking into account that your flight arrives in the afternoon and that the drive to Mariental is over 3 hours, I think I'd stay much closer to the airport on the first night. You have to foresee extra time to get out of the airport (luggage, rental car, etc.), not even to mention possible flight delays. I just checked and see that the sunset time at the end of March is around 7 pm, so ideally, you get wherever you have to be no later than that. While theoretically, it could work, I personally would opt to stay closer and not have to stress about having to drive in the dark. Better start earlier the next morning. Have a great trip and stay safe!

Charles Pringle

Monday 6th of November 2023

Great article, thank you, very useful how old is your youngest and how did her/she enjoy the trip. Our little girl will be nearly 2 and a half - is this too young? My feeling is it is given especially significant amount of driving - thoughts?

Friday 10th of November 2023

Hi Charles, our twins were 3.5 when we made this trip, and the oldest was 5.5. They don't remember much of it anymore, but they sure had fun during the trip. Having a 2-year old will not make things easier for you, definitely on longer rides, but if you know what to expect and prepare for long hours in a car, it might even be easier with a younger kid since they (hopefully) can sleep a bit in between the places/activities. Another issue is that often, you won't be able to do (m)any organized safari rides with a young child (usually at least up to 5-6 years, in some cases even 8). I can't really help you decide whether it's a right trip for your family. We are glad that we did it when we did it, but I'm sure it would be a totally different experience with older kids. Good luck!

Saturday 16th of September 2023

How old were your kids when you visited Twyfelfontain? I'm contacting a few lodges and they said that the walking tour to the paintings are not available for children under 5. Do you have recommendations for a tour guide that can take smaller children? Thanks!

Sunday 17th of September 2023

Hi Kevin, all our kids were under 5 at that time and it wasn't a problem. We didn't book any tours through the lodges, just drove there and asked for a private guided tour and that was it. They had guides available and we could start immediately. I'm not sure if something has changed in the meantime, but I'd just go there and figure it out on the spot.

How To Plan The Ultimate Namibia Road Trip Itinerary

There are few countries on earth with so many unique landscapes, endless deserted roads, fantastic wildlife viewing and skies filled with a billion stars. Namibia is the epitome of a road trip destination and we’re here to help you plan your perfect Namibia road trip itinerary .

We’re lucky enough to have been to Namibia twice now, on 2 very different trips. On our first trip we spent 30 incredible days on an unforgettable road trip through Namibia, camping every night. Our first Namibia road trip itinerary took us to Africa’s largest canyon, abandoned towns, mountainous sand dunes and the desolate Skeleton Coast. Going on safari in Etosha National Park and driving all the way to the lesser known Caprivi Strip also formed part of our epic road trip.

On our second trip to Namibia we went for 3 weeks, and did a mix of camping and luxury lodges. We also focused on visiting fewer places, for longer, so that we didn’t spend as much time on the road.

With these 2 epic trips under our belt, we can now help you plan your perfect Namibia itinerary depending on the time of year you visit and what your main interests are.

How Long Are You Going To Spend In Namibia?

10 days, 2 weeks or a month? Namibia is huge and the distances between some of the best things to do mean hours of driving. The longer you have the more you’ll be able to see. If you can, try to spend at least 2 weeks in Namibia, but if you only have 10 days you can still squeeze a lot in.

What Are The Main Places In Namibia You Want To See?

Sossusvlei and Etosha National Park are two of the highlights on most people’s ‘must do’s’ in Namibia and we’d have to agree. If you have 10 nights or 2 weeks, you can still see many of the amazing places Namibia has to offer, but what you see and what you miss off depends on personal interest and how much extra driving you’re prepared to do. Below are some suggestions of what we recommend for different length itineraries.

Where you spend your first night will be dependant on what time your flight lands. It takes around 40 minutes to get to Windhoek from the international airport and then you need to allow enough time to be shown round your rental vehicle, stock up with food and make your way to your first stop before dark. On our last trip our flight landed at 7:00 am. We had to wait for people at the airport to go to the car rental place and with several people picking up cars at the same time, it took about 2 hours to do the paperwork and to be shown the camper. After also stocking up on food, we didn’t set off till about 1:00 pm.

All of the itineraries start and end in Windhoek so can also be done in reverse order.

Suggested Itinerary for 10 nights

• Day 1 – 1 night in Windhoek or a stop on the way to Sesriem – day of arrival to Namibia
• Day 2 & 3 – 2 nights in Sesriem – Sossusvlei sand dunes
• Day 4 & 5 – 2 nights in Swakopmund – optional side trip to Cape Cross Seal Colony & Zeila Shipwreck – 3 hour round trip
• Day 6 – 1 night in Spitzkoppe
• Day 7 & 8 – 2 nights in Etosha National Park – 2 nights in Okaukuejo Camp
• Day 9 & 10 – 2 nights at Okonjima Private Game Reserve
• Day 11 – drive back to Windhoek – driving time from Okonjima to Windhoek is around 3 hours, so if you have a late flight booked you will have time to drive back and fly on the same day. If you can only book an earlier flight out of Namibia, you may need to have an extra night in Windhoek.

This 10 day itinerary still involves a lot of driving, but misses out areas like the Skeleton Coast National Park and Fish River Canyon, which we believe would add too much driving time for a 10 night trip.

Suggested Itinerary for 2 weeks (14 nights)

• Day 1 – 1 night in Windhoek or near Quiver Tree Forest – stopover on way to Fish River Canyon
• Day 2 & 3 – 2 nights at Fish River Canyon
• Day 4 – 1 night in Luderitz – morning of day 5 go to Kolmonskop abandoned mining town for sunrise – leave by 10:00 am to make it to Sesriem before dark
• Day 5 & 6 – 2 nights in Sesriem – Sossusvlei sand dunes
• Day 7 & 8 – 2 nights in Swakopmund – Sandwich Harbour tour and optional side trip to Cape Cross Seal Colony & Zeila Shipwreck – 3 hour round trip
• Day 9 – 1 night in Spitzkoppe
• Day 10, 11 & 12 – 3 nights in Etosha National Park – 1 night at Olifantrus (camping)/Dolomite (not camping) and 2 nights at Okaukuejo – if you want to stay in another area of Etosha and see Hoba Meteorite on the way to Waterberg you could swap one of the nights in Okaukuejo for a night in Namutoni
• Day 13 – 1 night in Waterberg Plateau
• Day 14 – 1 night at Okonjima Private Game Reserve
• Day 15 – drive back to Windhoek – driving time from Okonjima to Windhoek is around 3 hours so if you have a late flight booked you will have time to drive back and fly on the same day. If you can only book an earlier flight out of Namibia, you may need to have an extra night in Windhoek.

This 2 week itinerary involves quite a lot of driving as you are going quite far south in Namibia. If you want to do a little less driving and see the Skeleton Coast instead of Fish River Canyon, we have also written an alternative 2 week Namibia Itinerary .

Suggested Itinerary For 3 weeks

• Day 1 – 1 night in Windhoek – day of arrival to Namibia
• Day 2 – 1 night at or near Quiver Tree Forest – stopover on way to Fish River Canyon
• Day 3 – 1 night at Fish River Canyon
• Day 5 & 6 – 2 nights in Sesriem – Souvessvlei sand dunes
• Day 7 & 8 – 2 nights in Swakopmund – optional side trip to Cape Cross Seal Colony & Zeila Shipwreck – 3 hour round trip
• Day 10, 11, 12 & 13 – 4 nights in Etosha National Park – 1 night at Olifantrus (camping)/Dolomite (not camping), 2 nights at Okaukuejo and 1 night Namutoni or a camp or lodge just outside that area of the park like Ongum a
• Day 14 – 1 night near Rundu – stopover on way to the Caprivi Strip – stop at Hoba Meteorite on the way
• Day 15, 16 & 17 – 3 nights near the Kongolo area of Caprivi Strip – visit Kwando Core Area of the Bwabwata National Park, Mudumu National Park & Nkasa Rupara National Park
• Day 18 – 1 night near Popa Falls – visit Mahango Core Area of Bwabwata National Park
• Day 19 – 1 night near Grootfontien – stopover on way to Waterberg – although it means going a little out the way we can recommend Ghaub Nature Reserve & Farm
• Day 20 & 21 – 2 nights in Waterberg Plateau
• Day 22 – drive back to Windhoek – driving time from Waterberg to Windhoek is around 3 hours so if you have a late flight booked you will have time to drive back and fly on the same day. Our flight was at 5:00 pm so we left early and it was plenty of time. If you can only book an earlier flight out of Namibia book 1 night in Waterberg and 1 in Windhoek before you fly.

With 3 weeks you have more time to play with. You could swap around how many nights you want to spend at some of the places depending on personal interest.

We have included going to the Caprivi Strip (now officially called Zambezi Region) as we loved visiting this area of Namibia and highly recommend it. It is a lot of extra driving though and does mean driving back on yourself for a few hundred kilometres as there is only one road that goes there.

Suggested Itinerary For One Month

If you have a month like we did then we would suggest using our i tinerary for Namibia – we have detailed all the camps we stayed at and all the distances driven. There is opportunity to amend it to your liking and you could even add in extra side trips to visit even more places if you wish.

Do You Want To Camp Or Stay In Accommodation?

4×4 camper with rooftop tent.

We can’t recommend renting a 4×4 with a rooftop tent enough. Neither of us had camped before this trip, but we thoroughly enjoyed camping in Namibia. A rooftop tent is much easier to put up than a ground tent, we’re talking a matter of minutes to put up and take down each day. The tent comes complete with a comfy mattress, pillows and sleeping bag and it was much more roomy and comfortable than we expected, even with Andy being 6 ft 5! We slept really well during our trip, never regretted our choice and were even sad to hand it back when we left.

Then there are the amazing campsites in Namibia that make camping so much easier. In many places you will find you have your own bathroom, but even when you’re sharing the ablution facilities they are generally clean and nearby to your camp.

For us, setting up a campfire, cooking our food over the flames and cosying up with a beer watching the millions of stars light up the night sky was a perfect way to end our days in Namibia.

If we still haven’t convinced you that camping with a rooftop tent is the way to go then there are of course plenty of other accommodation options in Namibia, including some very luxurious lodges. Many of the places we stayed had campsites and one other type of accommodation like chalets, tree houses or lodges available. The prices range a lot depending on where you stay, but some of the more luxury options will be more expensive.

Whichever option you choose, if you’re going at peak season we suggest booking at least some of your accommodation in advance, especially Etosha and Sossouvlei as they can sell out months in advance.

A mix of the two – rooftop camper and lodges

On our most recent trip we did a mixture of staying in campsites with our rooftop tent and staying in lodges and it was a great mix. It wasn’t as enjoyable camping in winter as it got much colder at night and in the mornings.

Which option is cheapest?

In terms of budget, hiring a 4×4 with rooftop tent when travelling Namibia tends to be the cheaper option. Although the cost of this type of car hire is the most expensive and you need to pay for each campsite, it will generally work out cheaper than renting a regular car and staying in accommodation due to the high cost of lodges.

Decide What Type Of Car To Rent

The car hire options in Namibia are 4×4 camper with rooftop tent, a regular 4×4, a 2×4 SUV with a high clearance or a 2×4 Sedan.

4×4 camper with rooftop tent – recommended

So if you decide to camp with a rooftop tent then the decision is made – you’ll have a 4×4, rooftop tent and all the equipment you should need to sleep comfortably and to cook. There are various different companies that have these cars to rent and we recommend shopping around to get the best price. We also recommend booking in advance as these are a popular choice in Namibia and they can sell out. It’s also likely you will get the best price by booking early as they know options will be much more limited last minute.

4×4 car – recommended

We would highly recommend renting a 4×4 in Namibia. It will give you more space, a more comfortable journey, (especially on bumpy gravel roads) and a higher clearance, which is ideal for game viewing. It also gives you the ability to go off the beaten track and you never know when that opportunity may arise in Namibia.

If you are comfortable driving on sand then a 4×4 is absolutely required if you want to drive the last 5 km to Sossouvlei where the roads are sand (if you don’t want to drive there are jeeps you can pay to take you there and back). If you add the Caprivi Strip to your itinerary then you NEED a 4×4 vehicle. Some of the campsites are down sand roads and most of the national parks require you to drive on at least some sand roads.

2×4 SUV car – only suitable for certain itineraries

For some itineraries you may be able to get away with hiring a 2×4 SUV with a high clearance as you would benefit from it still being more comfortable and good for wildlife viewing. In saying this, for the added flexibility of having a 4×4 in a country like Namibia, we would say it’s worth paying that bit extra.

2×4 sedan – not recommended

To be honest we wouldn’t recommend a 2×4 Sedan in Namibia. Although many of the roads are tarred or well-maintained gravel you will be doing a lot of driving. You never know when you may come across a more difficult dirt track and you’ll feel those bumpy roads a lot more in a sedan.

Budget For A Namibia Road Trip – Average Costs

• Campsite – $240-$410 Namibian Dollars (NAD) a night for 2 people (~$16-$28 USD)
• Lodge – this can range massively, but the cheapest lodge will start at around $100 USD and on average we paid $200 USD a night
• Car Hire – 4×4 with rooftop tent – we shopped around a lot and found the prices varied considerably depending on how long you rent it for, the time of year you visit and the age and style of the vehicle. We paid $922 NAD ($45 USD) a day for ours on our first trip, which is a great deal, but companies can charge up to between $2000 ($100 USD) a day.
• Petrol – $21 NAD a litre ($1 USD)
• Meal in restaurant/fast food – we generally found it cheap to eat out in Namibia – a huge KFC meal cost $317 NAD ($15.60 USD) for 2 and a meal for 2 in an amazing buffet restaurant with 2 alcoholic drinks was $790 NAD ($39 USD)
• Bottle of water – $15 NAD (75 cents)
• National Park Fees – $80 NAD per person and $10 NAD per vehicle ($8.50 USD for 2 people and one car)
• Firewood at campsites – $60 NAD ($3 USD)

Tips For A Namibia Road Trip

• Ensure you have your driving licence with you in order to hire your car – most companies will accept a driving licence that is valid in your country of residence as long as it is written in English
• Take out car insurance – you may be charged a high amount for insurance in Namibia or have to pay a lot of money if things go wrong. There is a high chance of flat tire (we had 3 during our first trip) and you may need to pay for replacements and a chipped windscreen is also possible with all the gravel roads. Take out insurance with a company like icarhire insurance. It will mean you need to pay the car hire company first, but then you claim it back from the insurance company after – just make sure you keep copies of all the documents and receipts from the car hire company.
• Stock up on water whenever you can – you never know when you may break down or how long you may end up driving without seeing a shop so always ensure you have enough water before you set off.
• Fill up with petrol whenever you can – although there are petrol stations in most of the main towns, in many places there is just one petrol pump so you never know when they may run out. To be on the safe side set off with a full tank when you can. This is even more important if you don’t have a 4×4 with 2 tanks like we did, and even then we filled up regularly. The km’s fly by fast in Namibia and petrol can go down quicker than you think.
• Use an ATM when you’re in a main town – cash will be needed almost everywhere in Namibia so it will be useful to use the ATM whenever you are in one of the main towns so you don’t run out. We were able to use our card to pay in the larger supermarkets, petrol stations and some restaurants, which was useful, but that was about the only place we could. We did notice we could use our card much more on our 2nd trip, but still always had some cash.
• Buy a Namibian sim card – unsurprisingly, Namibia does not have great internet, so we aren’t suggesting you buy a sim card for data here, but it could come in useful if you break down or can’t find a campsite or lodge. The data will work in the main towns, but outside of those it’s unlikely the data will work. Some places say they have wifi, but again don’t expect it to always work and if does work it will be extremely slow and unreliable! Again, we found this had improved on our more recent trip.
• Make sure you know how to change a tire – we were pretty unlucky and got 3 punctures during our first road trip. With all the gravel and dirt roads, it is always a possibility so just make sure you know what to do should it happen as it’s not always likely anyone will be around to help.
• Get up early for sunrise – we’re not suggesting you do this everyday, but watching the sun rise over the African plains or unique rock formations in Spitzkoppe is something you’ll never forget.
• Stick to the speed limits – on the tar freeways the speed limit is 120 km/h and on gravel freeways the limit is 100 km/h. Although for safety our car hire company stated we needed to stick to 80 km/h on gravel and salt roads, which to be honest was about as fast as we’d want to go while driving on gravel anyway.
• Don’t drive at night – you may have noticed in our itineraries we have mentioned allowing enough time to arrive places before it gets dark. Namibia is an incredible place to drive in the day, but at night it is dangerous. Wild animals are everywhere in Namibia so there is always a possibility of an animal being on the road, which at night you probably won’t be able to see until it’s too late. There are no street lights outside of the main towns, so there is a higher possibility of an accident and if you do have one you may not have a phone signal to call for help. You will be doing a lot of driving in Namibia and the distances are long so make sure you allow time to stop and stretch your legs and plan your journey so that you’re not driving at night.

What To Pack For A Namibia Road Trip

• Layers – the weather temperature changes a lot from day to night, even in the desert and the weather varies greatly from the deserts to the coastal regions where its considerably cooler.
• Mobile phone with offline map app – before we discovered Maps.me we used Osamad and HereWeGo in Namibia. We found these offline maps worked very well and we always made it to our destinations. We did also have screen shots on our phone of the addresses of the camps and the location on Google Maps just in case the offline map couldn’t locate the name of our camp. On our 2nd trip we used Maps.me
• Camera and spare memory cards – trust us, you’ll take a lot of photos in Namibia so make sure you have extra memory cards so you don’t run out of space
• Spare camera batteries & USB charger – if you’re staying in camps, then not all of them have electricity (although the majority of them do) so you want to make sure you’re not without a camera battery. In Namibia there is always something you’ll want to photograph so don’t get caught out with no charged batteries. A USB charger is useful so you can charge two batteries at a time.
• Solar powered charger – we found this came in useful for charging our phones in the daytime. It can only be used in direct sunlight, but in Namibia that shouldn’t be a problem.
• Mosquito repellent – although malaria is not a problem in Namibia for most of the year, we would all rather not get bitten so a good mosquito repellent helps to keep them away. (Always check with your healthcare provider as to whether malaria is a risk before you visit. Advice can change depending on time of year and where you are going in Namibia.)

Epic 2 Week Namibia Road Trip Itinerary

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I have always wanted to go to Namibia and this is so useful when trying to plan my trip. I will only be able to go for 2 weeks so this will help me to narrow down the places I really want to see. Your photos are spectacular!

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An Epic Namibia to Cape Town Road Trip

Fauna Sample Itinerary | 17 Days

A road trip for the tasteful adventurer – This 17-day itinerary combines a rugged self-drive with some of the best lodges in Africa. Navigate yourself between luxury camps through Namibia’s otherworldly deserts and South Africa’s dry Karoo, before arriving at the Indian Ocean at the picturesque Grootbos Nature Reserve. View the map at the end of this page for details on the route. Highlights include safari game drives, climbing the massive dunes of Sossusvlei, and whale watching in season.

A road trip for the tasteful adventurer – This 17-day itinerary combines a rugged self-drive with some of the best lodges in Africa.

Fauna only books the best lodges and camps for our itineraries to ensure that you have an inspiring travel experience. Contact us to customize this to your preferences, dreams, and room availability.

✧ Your custom travel playlist includes Vieux Farke Toure’s “Ali” The famed guitarist’s recent collaboration with the Houston-based Kruangbin may be more West African, but the smooth African guitar rhythms set the perfect pace for a long road trip.

Part 1: Windhoek Safari

Days 1-3 | habitas namibia, windhoek.

In classic style, you will spend your first couple of days in Africa on safari. Arrive in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, pick up your 4×4 vehicle, and drive 30 minutes from the airport to Habitas Namibia, a design-forward safari lodge perched atop a hill overlooking the savannah. Days can be spent on game drives or having an in-room massage to unwind from the flight. Habitas also offers several non-traditional activities such as meditation and DJ sets.

Part 2: Sossusvlei & Fish River Canyon

Day 3-6 | little kulala, sossusvlei.

This five-hour drive will be the first long leg of your trip, where you will cross from the savannah around Windhoek and into the deserts Namibia is famous for. Your destination is Little Kulala , a luxury lodge located at the edge of the Namib-Naukluft National Park near the massive dunes of the Sossusvlei. Outdoor plunge pools and star beds are now included in every suite in the lodge, so we will try to align your trip with a new moon if possible for the best stargazing. Besides dune climbing, activities include e-biking, hot air ballooning, and searching for desert-adapted wildlife such as oryx.

Day 7-8 | Fish River Canyon Lodge, Fish River Canyon

Wake up early for a six-hour drive to the world’s second-largest canyon, Fish River Canyon. Fish River Canyon Lodge is a stylish hotel perched along the canyon rim. It makes for a lovely spot to unwind with a cocktail and a good book. The next day can be spent hiking or on other excursions exploring the canyon.

Part 3: Cederberg Mountains

Day 9 | naries namakwa, namakwaland.

The next leg of your trip crosses into South Africa, and the dry Karoo landscape. Your destination is Bushman’s Kloof, a spectacular spa resort tucked among the rocks. However, the drive there is a little over eight hours. We suggest a stopover halfway at the quirky domes of Naries Namakwa Retreat or equipping your vehicle with a roof tent so that you can sleep under the stars for a night.

Day 10-13 | Bushmans Kloof, Cederberg Mountains

You’ve been on the road for a while now, and Bushman’s Kloof is the perfect place to dust off before the last leg of your trip. The resort has a highly regarded spa and dining program to rejuvenate you. Meditation on the natural environment is a consistent theme at Bushman’s Kloof because they believe that it can be the most healing treatment of all. There is also plenty to explore in the surrounding Cederberg Mountains, as the property protects some of the best San rock art in South Africa.

Part 4: South African Coast

Day 14-16 | grootbos nature reserve, western cape.

It has been quite a journey. After almost two weeks on the road, exploring the dry interior of Southern Africa, the spectacular blues of the Southern Atlantic will overwhelm your senses. In spring you will also be treated to one of the best wildflower blooms on the planet. Here you will be staying at Grootbos Nature Reserve , a spectacular resort that bills itself as a water safari. Here you can swim with great white sharks and go whale watching in season. You may simply want to walk along the ocean and contemplate how far you’ve come.

Day 16-17 | The Silo, Cape Town

Spend a final day or two in Cape Town, exploring the city’s restaurants and cultural sights. Wine lovers can also extend this part of the trip to visit the scenic Cape Winelands.

Contact us to start planning your journey into the wild.

You have a plethora of choices when booking an epic luxury trip, and we have the expert knowlege to make your travel dreams a reality. Contact us for a free consultation to discuss your options.

Why book with Fauna Travel?

• Less Stress: A personal travel advisor to save you time, plan your ideal vacation, and help with any issues that may arise during your trip.
• Better Experience: We know the luxury adventure travel landscape and design creative itineraries to maximize your travel experience.
• Travel Perks: Free upgrades, breakfasts, and special amenities at 1,200+ five-star hotels and resorts – plus complimentary books and music playlists.

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Namibia Tours & Trips from Cape Town

Find your perfect adventure! We have 8 tours of Namibia that start in Cape Town, South Africa. The most popular month is July, and tour lengths range between 11 and 19 days.

8 Namibia tour packages from Cape Town with 64 reviews

• Overland Truck
• Christmas & New Year

11-day Cape Town to Namibia (Camping)

Pappa G was more than just a guide, he was part of the group. Knowledgeable, fun and friendly, he is a pleasure to travel with

From the Cape to Windhoek

11-day Cape Town to Namibia (Accommodated)

The tour was excellent. Acacia was great. Our guide was fantastic. He was extremely friendly, fun, and an excellent cook. We had a great group of people and I hope to do another trip next year of not sooner.

• Intl. Flights Included

South Africa & Namibia: From Cape Town to Windhoek

• Flights included

From the Cape to Windhoek as a camping safari

Cape & Namibia Discovery - 11 days

Cape & Dunes Northbound: Wildlife & Starry Night Skies

Andy was beyond enthusiastic she was great throughout the whole trip with her information along the route. These tours are nothing with guides like Ansy so thanks again. Then there’s Mike the driver...he was like a big friendly uncle! Such a nice guy and good to be around such lovely people!

• In-depth Cultural

Cape and Namibia Adventure

A great tour with an action packed itinerary. A couple of long travel days but that’s to be expected in such a vast country. We saw and experienced a wide range of environments and activities in a very short time frame. Our guide was excellent! Very knowledgeable, friendly and professional. We were really looked after.

Tours starting from Cape Town

• Cape Town to Windhoek tours (8)
• Safari from Cape Town (6)
• Explorer from Cape Town (5)
• Best time to visit Namibia in 2024/2025
• Best 10 Day Namibia Itineraries 2024/2025 (with Reviews)

International Versions

• Deutsch: Namibia Rundreisen ab Kapstadt
• Français: Circuits Namibie au départ de Le Cap
• Español: Circuitos por Namibia desde Ciudad del Cabo
• Nederlands: Namibië Rondreizen die starten in Kaapstad

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Namibia to Cape Town drive

Namibia to cape town road trip planner.

Here's a sample itinerary for a drive from Namibia to Cape Town. If you're planning a road trip to Cape Town, you can research locations to stop along the way. Make sure you check road conditions to double check the weather. Find the best hotels, restaurants, and attractions based on the most talked about places recommended by Trippy members.

9:00 am  start at Namibia drive for about 2 hours

11:12 am   Mariental stay for about 1 hour and leave at 12:12 pm drive for about 2.5 hours

2:55 pm   Keetmanshoop stay for about 1 hour and leave at 3:55 pm drive for about 4.5 hours

day 1 driving ≈ 9.5 hours

10:00 am  leave from Springbok drive for about 3.5 hours

1:18 pm   Vredendal stay for about 1 hour and leave at 2:18 pm drive for about 1.5 hours

3:49 pm   Citrusdal stay for about 1 hour and leave at 4:49 pm drive for about 2 hours

6:54 pm  arrive in Cape Town eat at El Burro

day 2 driving ≈ 7 hours

Where should I stop along the way?

Mariental Keetmanshoop Springbok Vredendal Citrusdal

Where's the best place to eat in Cape Town?

Need some recommendations on somewhere to get food?

Trippy members suggest El Burro , which was mentioned 3 times.

Here are some more restaurants people talk about:

Want to research more popular restaurants in Cape Town? Click the blue button below.

What are some things to do in Cape Town?

This section could be endless, so rather than trying to suggest every local activity or attraction, we'll leave it open-ended.

These are some of the places people talk about on Trippy:

Of course, Trippy is the perfect place to ask questions because there's an entire community of travelers talking to each other and sharing tips and advice. Trippy is where you can get answers personalized for your tastes, budgets, trip dates & more!

For example, here are some questions people have asked about Cape Town. Click on any question to see answers from the community!

Click the button below to explore more questions and answers related to Cape Town.

Do I really have to go back home?

Yes, even this step is optional, because if you're on vacation who wants the trip to end? It's okay, you can start planning your next trip!

Want to plan the trip back? Get the reverse directions for a Cape Town to Namibia drive , or go to the main page to plan a new road trip .

You can also compare the travel time if you're flying or driving by calculating the distance from Namibia to Cape Town . Or get a full Namibia to Cape Town flight plan .

Don't forget about exploring your own hometown with a staycation. You can also find some cool day trips or get away for a weekend.

And if you know Namibia well, please help your fellow travelers and answer their questions about Namibia!

More info on this route:

road conditions from Namibia to Cape Town

places to eat

alternate routes

Google driving directions

Home / Namibia Tours / Namibia Tours from Cape Town

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Namibia Tours from Cape Town

An Epic Range of the Top Namibia Tours from Cape Town which take you from the bustling Mother City to the peaceful landscapes of Namibia. Our Namibia Tours are the ideal budget adventure for travelers who want to enjoy safaris in Etosha National Park and explore the desert dunes of the Namib Desert .

Namibia is known for it’s incredibly vast and varying landscapes along with the world’s largest and oldest national parks where you will experience game drives or camping under the spectacular night sky. Explore deserted towns of Kolmanskop and paddle the Orange River . Discover Spitzkoppe , Sossusvlei   and the Fish River Canyon . Marvel at Flamingos in Walvis Bay and engage with the Himba tribe or learn about the ancient Rock Art of Twyfelfontein . It’s non-stop adventure all the way.

Choose your Tours to Namibia from Cape Town:

• Accommodated safaris in Namibia
• Small group safari tours in Namibia
• Overland tours in Namibia
• Adventure safari packages in Namibia
• Namibia Safari Tours
• Namibia Tours
• Namibia Tours from Windhoek
• Namibia Tours from Johannesburg
• Namibia and Botswana Tours

Our Favourite Namibia Tours from Cape Town

R 79,280

Cape Town to Vic Falls & Kruger Tour

R 78,900

Southern Africa Adventure (25 Days)

R 88,950 R 75,608

Cape Town to Victoria Falls Tour (Premium Small Group)

R 29,950

12 Day Cape Town to Namibia Tour (Camping)

R 42,050

Cape Town to Namibia Tour (Comfort) (12 Days)

Namibian Explorer South Safari (Comfort) (12 Days)

R 56,860 R 51,174

11 Day Cape Town to Windhoek Comfort Tour

Currency estimated. Base currency is South African Rand (ZAR)

R 57,895

10 Day Cape Town to Swakopmund Tour (Inclusive/Comfort)

R 61,495

+ Local Payment 3500

Victoria Falls to Cape Town Adventure (Fully Serviced)

R 55,930

22 Day Victoria Falls to Cape Town Adventure Tour

R 93,455

41 Day Cape Town to Zanzibar Adventure

R 49,320

22 Day Cape Town to Victoria Falls Tour

R 132,975

49 Days Cape Town to Kenya Tour

R 159,445

22 Day Cape Town to Victoria Falls (Small Group Max 13)

R 33,680

11 Day Cape Town to Windhoek Adventure Tour

R 36,950

7 Day Namibia Desert Comfort Explorer Small Group Tour (Max 12)

R 19,950

7 Day Cape Town to Swakopmund Tour (Camping)

R 52,400 R 44,540

Cape Town to Victoria Falls Tour (Camping – Most Popular)

R 55,340

Cape Town to Livingstone Overland Tour (19 Days)

R 90,995

Cape Town to Victoria Falls Comfort Safari

R 103,199

Cape Town to Serengeti Safari – 40 Days

R 125,115

24 Day Cape Town to Victoria Falls Safari (Small Group – Max 12)

R 77,530

30 Day Southern Africa Experience

R 204,035

64 Day Cape Town to Masai Mara Adventure

R 88,210 R 79,389

Cape Town to Livingstone Comfort Tour (19 Days)

R 121,080 R 108,972

Cape to Vic Falls & Kruger Comfort Tour

R 49,250

12 Day Namibian Safari Explorer (Small Group with Aircon)

R 80,700 R 68,595

Cape Town to Victoria Falls Tour (Comfort) *Most Booked Trip*

R 65,940

Cape Town To Victoria Falls Overland Tour (Inclusive)

R 86,850

Cape Town to Vic Falls Tour (Small Group – Accommodated)

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Windhoek to Cape Town Road Trip

Expect on your itinerary.

Best months to drive

Road trip costs.

How much does it cost to go on a Windhoek to Cape Town Road Trip in Namibia?

Windhoek to Cape Town Road Trip Itinerary

Start windhoek.

• Fast - The infrastructure and traffic allow an average speed of >80 km/h (or 50 mi/h) on this stage. This means a speedy and smooth ride for you without any unplanned delays.
• Modest - The infrastructure and traffic allow an average speed of >50 km/h (or 30 mi/h) on this stage. This means a reasonably smooth ride for you without unplanned delays.
• Slow - The infrastructure and traffic allow an average speed of well below 50 km/h (or 30 mi/h) on this leg. This means a slow ride for you. Unplanned delays are to be expected at any time.
• WDH - Hosea Kutako International Airport

1 Windhoek - Swakopmund

2 swakopmund - namib-naukluft n.p. - sesriem, 3 sesriem - seeheim, 4 seeheim - springbok, 5 springbok - lambert's bay, 6 lambert's bay - langebaan, 7 langebaan - cape town,   cape town, windhoek to cape town road trip at a glance.

• Start : Windhoek
• End : Cape Town
• Distance : 2,386 km
• Stay : 12 days
• Getting there : Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH)
• When to drive : January, February, March, April, August, September, October, November, December
• More info : More info you can find in the "Itinerary" section at each stage.

Facts for safer driving in Namibia

Recommended trips.