The Wonderful Wildlife and Nature of Namibia: Self-Drive
Tour Introduction
With some super scenic drives, lovely lodges and incredible wildlife, this itinerary is our most popular self-drive tour of Namibia. Visiting first the magnificent dunes of Sossusvlei you will then stay in the quaint coastal resort town of Swakopmund with its Germanic colonial architecture and exciting activities in the nearby dunes, on the sea and from the air.
Next comes stunning Damaraland, renowned for its desert adapted elephants, ancient rock engravings and beautiful scenery. From there you drive into another world again, with Etosha’s woodland, great white salt pan and abundant wildlife. Spend a good amount of time on safari at Etosha before your big cat finale learning all about AfriCat’s exemplary conservation efforts at Okonjima.
The impossibly beautiful and varied scenery, the abundant wildlife and the friendly people of Namibia make this one of the best value self-drive adventures in the world, one which works equally as well as an adult tour and as a family holiday with older children .
Full Itinerary
Arrive Windhoek, met on arrival and transfer to the centre of Windhoek. There will be a briefing and information given before the hire car is delivered.
Staying at Galton House. Includes Breakfast.
Self-drive over the scenic Khomas Hochland to your lodge next to the Namib Naukluft National Park. The National park encompasses the breath taking Namib desert, home to specialised flora and fauna and some of the largest and oldest sand dunes on earth. Optional excursions such as horse riding and guided walks.
Staying at Desert Homestead. Includes Breakfast and Dinner.
Self-drive to Sesriem and into the Namib-Naukluft National Park. Take a stunning walk (or optional shuttle) to Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei. These two natural clay pans offer sensational natural wonders with outstanding photographic opportunities. The moon-like landscape includes sand dunes over 300 metres high and trees over 500 years old. Return to Sesriem and visit the Sesriem Canyon.
Staying at Desert Homestead. Includes Breakfast and Dinner.
Today drive to Swakopmund, perhaps visiting the Gaub and Kuiseb canyons, gravel plains and spotting welwitschia mirabilis plants en-route. Time to explore this colonial seaside town and arrange tomorrow's activities.
Staying at Cornerstone Guesthouse. Includes Breakfast.
Day at leisure in Swakopmund. Optional excursions include kayaking or a luxury catamaran cruise from Walvis Bay in search of dolphins, seals and other marine wildlife, Living Desert Tour, a scenic flight over the extraordinary Namib Dune Sea and coast with shipwrecks and abandoned diamond mines (highly recommended), adventure activities, museum and more.
Staying at Cornerstone Guesthouse. Includes Breakfast.
Scenic self-drive via the foothills of Brandberg Mountain to Damaraland. Optional activities include visiting the Twyfelfontein Rock Engravings (World Heritage Site), Burnt Mountain and the Organ Pipes. On arrival at the lodge take a guided nature walk or relax in your beautiful surroundings at the lodge.
Staying at Camp Kipwe. Includes All Meals.
Optional: Morning in Damaraland to look for desert adapted elephants in the Aba-Huab River. Then drive to Etosha National Park. Enjoy animals coming to you at the camp's famous waterhole.
Staying at Okaukuejo Camp. Includes Breakfast and Dinner.
Day to enjoy a self-drive safari in Etosha National Park. The Etosha pan is a large saltpan formed by wind action and supports a great diversity of flora and fauna. The park is known for its large concentrations of game, particularly around waterholes, and the attractive endemic race of black-faced impala and population of black and white rhino. Optional guided open vehicle safaris including the option for a nocturnal wildlife game drive from your lodge, which is in the park.
Staying at Okaukuejo Camp. Includes Breakfast and Dinner.
Take a leisurely drive eastwards through Etosha National Park, game viewing as you go. Exit at the Von Lindequist Gate.
Staying at Onguma Bush Camp. Includes Breakfast and Dinner.
Day to explore the eastern section of Etosha National Park.
Staying at Onguma Bush Camp. Includes Breakfast and Dinner.
Today drive to Okonjima, perhaps visiting the REST (Rare and Endangered Species Trust) project en route. Afternoon activities with the AfriCat project such as visits to the leopard and cheetah rehabilitation projects and after enjoy a guided tracking of local predators such as leopards, cheetahs, African wild dogs and spotted hyenas.
Staying at Okonjima Plains Camp. Includes Breakfast and Dinner.
Morning and afternoon excursions with the AfriCat team. Perhaps visit the night hide for viewing of nocturnal animals such as the elusive honey badger and porcupines.
Staying at Okonjima Plains Camp. Includes All Meals.
Return to Windhoek. Return your hire car. Connect with your onward flight.
Includes In-flight Meals.
Tour Accommodation
Galton House
Overview
Situated at 72 Amasoniet Street in the upmarket residential area of Eros Park, Windhoek, Galton House offers quiet charm and easy comfort. Each of the eight guest rooms features a direct dial telephone, air-conditioning, satellite TV, safety deposit box, 100% cotton linen with down duvets and coffee/tea making facilities on request. The central lounge area is perfect for relaxing whilst the swimming pool and gardens offer welcome respite from the sun on hot days.
Wireless internet is available free of charge. There is a laundry service, guest lounge and full bar service, and a la carte light lunches and dinners are served daily in the restaurant with prior notice. Guests are also welcome to use the dedicated bathroom facilities for early check in or late checkout and secure on-site parking is available with remote access. Galton House is just a ten-minute drive from Windhoek city centre and within good proximity to the airport.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
En suite bathroom, direct dial telephone, air-conditioning, satellite TV, safety deposit box, on-site parking, free Wi-Fi, swimming pool, restaurant and laundry service.
Optional Activities
City tours of Windhoek.
Cornerstone Guesthouse
Overview
Just a short walk from the sea and Swakopmund’s town centre is this small, private bed and breakfast guesthouse. Occupying a quiet corner of Swakopmund’s ‘old town’ near the marine museum and the old brewery, Cornerstone Guesthouse offers the charm and intimacy of a family-run bed and breakfast combined with some of the amenities of a luxury hotel.
Accommodation is in seven en suite rooms, of which five are double/twins and two are family rooms. All are spacious with smart décor and attractive tile and wood flooring, table and chairs and private modern bathrooms. Facilities include digital safes, flat screen satellite TVs, WiFi and minibars.
Within a few minutes you can walk to beaches, cafés, restaurants, lively pubs, Swakopmund tourist attractions and a variety of interesting shops and markets, making this an ideal and welcoming base.
The town resembles a small, German coastal resort, nestled between the desert and the sea, combining colonial architecture with good shops, restaurants, museums, craft centres, art galleries and cafés.
The owners of Cornerstone also rent out a three-bedroom, fully equipped self-catering apartment practically on the seafront and very close to the famous Tug restaurant. Well appointed and decorated in a modern nautical theme, the ground floor flat has a patio and small front garden with views out to sea and a secure garage behind electronic gates to the rear. If renting the apartment, guests are still welcome in the main guesthouse, a short walk away, for an inclusive breakfast each day.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Private bathrooms, digital safety deposit box, TV, mini-bar, laundry service, breakfast room and Wi-Fi Internet access.
Local Wildlife
A catamaran cruise in Walvis Bay gives the opportunity to see huge colonies of fur seals and white pelicans. The endemic Heavside’s dolphin and dusky and Atlantic bottlenose dolphins are also often spotted on the cruise. Mola mola (sunfish) and leatherback turtles are less likely but also possible sightings.
Optional Activities
Catamaran trips in Walvis Bay, sightseeing tours of Swakopmund, inland tours across the dunes to Sandwich Harbour, Tommy's excellent and amusing Living Desert tour which seeks out smaller desert adapted fauna, and visits to historical sites.
Camp Kipwe
Overview
Charming and full of character, Camp Kipwe lies in the heart of Damaraland and is ideally located for the local attractions. The camp is nestled amongst an outcrop of giant granite boulders, a stone’s throw away from the ephemeral Aba Huab riverbed, often traversed by desert adapted elephants.
Each comfortable thatched bungalow is simply yet tastefully furnished, with an en suite, open-air bathroom. In the centre of the camp lies a large alfresco dining area, bar, lounge and reception with an inviting fireplace nearby to relax beside in the evenings. A refreshing swimming pool and sunset lookout with lovely views also complement the camp.
Excursions are offered to Twyfelfontein’s boulders and slabs of red sandstone which hold some 2,500 prehistoric engravings depicting wildlife, animal spoor and abstract motifs. It was Namibia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site and is perhaps the largest and finest collection of petroglyphs in Africa.
Geological attractions include the Burnt Mountain with its fantastic range of colours at dawn and dusk, caused by a chemical reaction that took place roughly 125 million years ago when molten lava penetrated organic shale and limestone deposits, resulting in contact metamorphism. In ordinary sunlight it is a dull black.
The Organ Pipes are another geological curiosity in the area consisting of a mass of perpendicular dolerite columns that intruded the surrounding rocks also about 125 million years ago and have since been exposed in a ravine due to river erosion.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Private bathrooms, restaurant, bar, lounge, swimming pool, room fans, safes, mosquito repellent, hairdryer and private veranda.
Local Wildlife
There is a population of 600 desert adapted elephants in the region, though they roam over vast areas and are not also easy to see. Other desert adapted mammals include black rhino, besia oryx, springbok, zebra, jackals and birds such as ostrich and bustards. There is also a colony of brightly coloured agama lizards around the lodge.
Optional Activities
Exploration of Damarland. Safaris in search of desert adapted elephants, and other wildlife. Excursions to Twyfelfontein, Burnt Mountain and Organ Pipes as well as exploration of the dramatic landscapes of Damaraland.
Okaukuejo Camp
Overview
Okaukuejo was the first tourist camp to open in the now world famous Etosha National Park and is famous for its floodlit waterhole where visitors can observe myriad wildlife congregating and interacting at close quarters.
There are 104 chalets at the government-run camp spread across six accommodation styles. The most luxurious accommodation is in five premier waterhole chalets that have a lounge, fridge and upstairs a large double bedroom with queen size beds, separate washbasins, private shower, wardrobe and patio with sun loungers. There are also 30 standard waterhole chalets with views of the waterhole but are smaller and lack the spacious living area. For families, there are two large self-catering chalets with room for four and a kitchenette and lounge.
Located a little further back from the main camp are twenty bush chalets that have a small living area, private bathroom and comfortable beds plus a BBQ facility. Also within the Camp are 45 double occupancy en suite rooms and two with disabled access.
There is a buffet restaurant, bar, fuelling station, curio shop, post office and viewing tower. The camp also offers two large swimming pools and a separate, shallow children’s pool.
The camp was originally established by the military in 1901 and is located just 17 km from the Andersson’s entrance to the Etosha National Park. Game drives and nature walks are available and at night the shy and endangered black rhino regularly visits the waterhole. This is actually one of the most reliable places in Africa to watch black rhinos as they are well protected in Etosha and have few other options for drinking in the immediate area.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Private bathrooms, restaurant, lounge, bar, swimming pool, curio shop, food shop, post office, viewing tower, fuel station, BBQ facility, air-conditioning, fridge and tea and coffee facilities.
Onguma Bush Camp
Overview
Onguma Bush Camp is a family-friendly lodge with pool and games room which is fenced for safety and security.
Accommodation consists of sixteen terraced rooms built around an active waterhole. The spacious air-conditioned rooms are spread around the fenced gardens in a small village design, allowing for both privacy and fantastic views. The main guest area also overlooks the rewarding waterhole and includes a reception area, lounge, games room, dining room as well as a swimming pool. Every need is attended to and the bush-chic styling ensures guests are cocooned in comfort.
Guests can relax in the comfortable lounge or in front of the fireplace. Children can enjoy the games room. All rooms have an en-suite bathroom, private outside shower and a private deck in front where guests can relax.
The camp is within the Onguma Private Game Reserve which protects 34,000 hectares of wilderness adjoining the famous Etosha National Park, home to abundant game including both black and white rhinos, various big cats and more than 300 bird species.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Private bathrooms, restaurant, bar, lounge, swimming pool, mosquito nets, hairdryer, ceiling fans, tea and coffee facilities and laundry service.
Local Wildlife
Common plains game includes impala, besia oryx, wildebeest hartebeest and springbok and there is a population of both black and white rhino, which can be sometimes, be seen at water holes. Predators such as lions, leopards, cheetahs, spotted hyenas, jackals and honeys badgers are present in the reserve. While the nearby Etosha National Park contains greater concentrations of plains game, rhino, and big cats and also has a population of elephants.
Optional Activities
Safari game drives around the private reserve and Etosha National Park. Walking safaris are also available.
Okonjima Bush & Plains Camps
Overview
The delightful accommodation at Okonjima Bush Camp consists of luxury thatched chalets, spaced widely apart for privacy in the tranquil bush surroundings, plus a main “lapa” area in the form of a camelthorn pod where meals and drinks are taken and activities commence. Each exclusive en-suite chalet is completely private and the green canvas ‘walls’ can be rolled up to give you a 180-degree view so you can watch life in the bush going on around you whilst you lie in bed and relax in total comfort.
The accommodation at the larger Plains Camp consists of 14 Standard en suite terraced rooms and 10 new View Rooms that are set further apart: all rooms overlook the savannah. Two of the View Rooms and four of the Standard Rooms can combine to make a family unit. Each unit has a verandah, a wheelchair-friendly ramp, two double beds, desk, chair, mini bar, coffee/tea facilities, ceiling fans, twin basins, twin showers, safe and internal telephone. The main building, the Barn, contains the restaurant, pool, shop and lounge.
Okonjima is home to the AfriCat Foundation, a wildlife sanctuary founded in 1991 that is dedicated to creating conservation awareness, preserving habitat, promoting environmental educational research and supporting animal welfare. Their main focus is Africa’s big cats, especially injured or captured leopards and cheetahs.
AfriCat runs the largest cheetah and leopard rescue and release programme in the world. In the last 17 years over 1000 of these predators have been rescued with over 85% being released back into the wild. Close encounters with leopard and cheetah are an unforgettable highlight here. Activities include leopard tracking by vehicle, a visit to the cheetah welfare project and a visit to the night hide where nocturnal animals such as porcupine, caracal, honey badger, eagle owl and even leopard may be seen.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Bush Camp: 8 luxury thatched chalets; 1 luxury honeymoon suite (two double beds next to each other). Plains Camp: 14 Standard en suite rooms and 10 new View Rooms. Other facilities include restaurant, bar, boutique shop, swimming pool,
Local Wildlife
Rehabilitated and wild carnivores - in particular cheetah and leopard - can be tracked in the reserve. Spotted hyena, African wild dog, lions and commoner plains herbivores such as impala, springbok, zebra and wildebeest. There is a hide overlooking a floodlit area where cape porcupines and honey badgers are frequently seen and caracal and leopard are also possible.
Optional Activities
Visits to the big cat rehabilitation and welfare centre, visit nearby REST (rare and endangered species trust), night excursion, tracking of wild big cats and other wildlife and bird walks.
Route Map
Departure Dates
Travel Information
Are International Flights Included?
No. Please contact us for a quote if required.
Best Visited:
January to January
Are you ATOL Registered?
Yes. This means we are legally able to book your international flights in conjunction with your ground arrangements so you can book with us with complete confidence. Read more about our ATOL license here.
Alan Godwin
Area Specialist
This excellent value, self-drive circuit works really well as a holiday for families with older children, say from 10 years upwards, and for adults. Please get in touch with us for a definitive quotation based on the actual details of your party.
Upgrade to the Bush Camp at Okonjima to enhance your stay with AfriCat.
If you have any questions regarding this Tour, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
This was our second visit to Namibia in just over 12 months, with Reef and Rainforest and our seventh consecutive wildlife trip with them. I think that speaks for itself. This year we were particularly keen to try and observe some desert adapted Lions. The Lions found in ‘The Namib Desert’ are genetically identical to those found in the rest of Southern Africa but have adapted to live in one of the harshest environments on earth. They number around 150 and have a huge range, and are rarely seen. They came to prominence in the outstanding documentary film ‘Vanishing Kings’. The best chance of observing members of this subset of Lions is during a stay at Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp, although sightings cannot be guaranteed and weeks can pass by without any success. Therefore a stay at this camp was at the heart of our itinerary and we were very lucky to spend time with a Lioness and her niece who had killed an Oryx in the conservancy. The camp itself is absolutely outstanding in every respect and the location is just spectacular.
Visitors should be aware that this is not ‘The Serengeti’ and that the wildlife is quite thin on the ground. However you would have to be very unlucky not to see Elephant, Giraffe and several other species. Whilst we were out in the desert we were lucky to bump in to Dr P. Stander who has dedicated the whole of his adult life to the conservation of The Desert Lion, what a thrill. The day trip out to the coast was pretty special as well.
The rest of the itinerary worked very well and we were very pleased to have three full days in Etosha N.P. where we recorded 25 mammal species, including 32 individual Lions, observed the aftermath of 4 zebra kills, 11 Rhinoceros (both Black & White), an African Wildcat and the rarely seen in Etosha, elusive Leopard.
So a big thank you to ALL at Reef and Rainforest, another highly successful trip, you certainly delivered again.
