Luxury Namibia Self-Drive

Arrival in Windhoek

Welcome to Namibia. Touchdown in Windhoek, where a driver will transfer you to your hotel in the colourful capital. You’ll be met by a local tour representative, who’ll go through your itinerary and, if you’re taking a self-drive trip, plot the route with you. Settle into your hotel, a restored castle set on a hill with sweeping views of Windhoek’s skyline. Take a dip in the pool or head out to explore the city’s German-colonial architecture. For dinner, try the hotel’s gourmet restaurant, accompanied by drinks and views of Windhoek by night. Overnight at Heinitzburg Hotel.

NamibRand

Today you’ll drive four-and-a-half hours south to NamibRand Nature Reserve, a conservation and wildlife area in the world’s oldest desert, the Namib. Check into Kwessi Dunes, a wilderness lodge with luxury star-gazer rooms that allow you to sleep outdoors; NamibRand is designated an International Dark Sky Reserve for its clear skies studded with twinkling constellations. Spend the day enjoying the lodge activities, which include guided scenic drives where you may get to spot oryx, mountain zebra, jackals and foxes. Take a nature walk with a guide to look for smaller creatures and learn about the ecosystem of the dunes. Overnight at Kwessi Dunes.

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Starry skies and desert wildlife at Kwessi Dunes

Namib Desert & Sossusvlei

Explore the Namib Desert’s treasures today with a guide from your lodge. Start by watching the sunrise at Sossusvlei, a former riverbed famed for having some of the world’s tallest sand dunes. Photograph and hike up Big Daddy, Dune 45 or Elim as the sun rises, transforming the colours of the sand. Continue to Deadvlei to admire its stark collection of camelthorn trees stranded in a white clay pan, set against a backdrop of red dunes – it’s Namibia’s most iconic photography spot. On your way back to camp, stop at Sesriem Canyon, a geological gem carved by the Tsauchab River over 15 million years. Overnight at Kwessi Dunes.

Things to do:

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Starry skies and desert wildlife at Kwessi Dunes

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Discover soaring sand dunes and skeletal trees in Sossusvlei

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Explore Sesriem Canyon: a geological gem in the Namib Desert

NamibRand

Spend today relaxing in your lodge. Soak up views of the Namib’s desert and gravel plains, fairy circles and rust-red dunes. Swim in the pool, head out on a morning walk or an afternoon drive complete with a sundowner in the wilderness. Other options include hot air balloon or helicopter flights over the desert landscape. After dinner, you can relax around the firepit with drinks; ask one of the staff to help you spot constellations with their state-of-the-art telescope. Overnight at Kwessi Dunes.

Things to do:

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Starry skies and desert wildlife at Kwessi Dunes

Optional

Soar over Sossusvlei on a scenic flight

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Hot air balloon highs in the Namib Desert

Swakopmund

Start the day with a five-hour drive north to the coastal town of Swakopmund. This historic German-colonial seaport is nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Namib Desert, acting as a launch pad for boat cruises and desert adventures. Settle into your ocean-front hotel and then wander the streets lined with half-timber houses and German-style eateries serving Bavarian beer and bratwurst. Take a stroll along the beach and wooden pier at sunset for views of Swakopmund’s candy-striped lighthouse. Overnight at the Strand Hotel Swakopmund.

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The Strand Hotel Swakopmund: your oceanside retreat

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A fat bike adventure in the Namib Desert

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Sandboarding in the Namib Desert

Swakopmund

Swakopmund is known as Namibia’s adventure capital and today you can explore its coastal treasures on a range of day trips. Meet the creatures of the Namib on a living desert tour, including palmato geckos and chameleons, or get your adrenaline pumping with some sandboarding. Cycle trips through the desert on specially-designed fat bikes with thick tyres allow you to savour dune-top views of Swakopmund. If you prefer to be out on the water, embark upon a catamaran cruise on Walvis Bay, where you’ll spot the marine Big Five: whales, dolphins, sunfish, leatherback turtles and seals. Overnight at the Strand Hotel Swakopmund.

Things to do:

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The Strand Hotel Swakopmund: your oceanside retreat

Optional

Encounter marine life on a Walvis Bay catamaran cruise

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The Living Desert Tour: meet the creatures of the Namib

Damaraland

Your journey continues north to Damaraland, home of the rare desert-adapted elephant. This vast wilderness is covered with grasslands and gorges, burnt-orange mountains and petrified forests. Geological highlights include a set of dolerite pillars nick-named the organ pipes and Brandberg, Namibia’s highest peak that locals refer to as Fire Mountain for its sunrise and sunset glow. Stay at a lodge nestled among huge boulders in the Twyfelfontein region, which is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its impressive prehistoric rock art collection. This encompasses over 2,500 engravings carved centuries ago by Namibia’s nomadic bushmen, such as the Damara, Himba and San people. Overnight at Mowani Mountain Camp.

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Mowani Mountain Camp: a Damaraland wilderness retreat

Optional

Visit the Damara Living Museum

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Explore Damaraland: peaks, petroglyphs and desert elephants

Etosha

Drive four hours north this morning to the Ongava Private Game Reserve on the outskirts of Etosha National Park. Formerly made up of cattle ranches, the reserve is now a protected haven for wildlife, home to black and white rhinos, as well as big cats, elephants and rare black-faced impalas. Check into your luxury lodge, which sits on an outcrop among mopane trees, in the foothill of the striking Ondundozonanandana range. Enjoy supreme wildlife sightings from the lodge’s hide at the waterhole and if there’s time, head out on a guided game drive around the Ongava reserve, ending with sundowners in the bush. Overnight at Ongava Lodge.

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A luxury safari getaway at Ongava Game Lodge

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Experience Ongava’s wonderous wildlife

Optional

Wildlife conservation in action at Anderssons at Ongava

Etosha

Enjoy a morning guided game drive in Etosha National Park, which is known to the local Ovambo people as The Great White Place for its mammoth salt pan. Etosha is also one of the best places in Namibia for a safari due to its spring-fed waterholes that act as a magnet for wildlife, particularly during the dry season. Look out for some of the 114 species of mammals and 350 bird species that inhabit the park. In the afternoon, drive on to your next destination where you’ll get a true Out of Africa glamping experience, sleeping in a luxury canvas safari tent set around a busy waterhole. End the day with a game drive in the 34,000-hectare Onguma Reserve, complete with sundowners. Overnight at Onguma Tented Camp.

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Explore Etosha, the jewel in Namibia’s safari crown

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An Out of Africa experience at Onguma Tented Camp

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Relax in the Namibian bush at Onguma Forest Camp

Etosha

Take advantage of Onguma’s many activities today. Head out on a guided 4x4 safari to Etosha National Park, on the lookout for big cat hunts, exotic birdlife and rare animal sightings. Spend some time at Onguma’s Onkolo hide, where you can observe and photograph animals at eye level. The park is home to four of the African Big Five (excluding buffalo) and you can regularly spot endangered black rhinos, which are fiercely protected by the reserve’s anti-poaching team. For a different perspective of the Namibian bush, book a walking safari with an expert guide who’ll point out everything from animal tracks to termite mounds and medicinal plants used by local communities. Overnight at Onguma Tented Camp.

Things to do:

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An Out of Africa experience at Onguma Tented Camp

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Discover Onguma’s diverse wildlife

Optional

A walk in the wild at Onguma Nature Reserve

Optional

Spend a night on the Dream Cruiser

Okonjima

After breakfast, journey four hours south to Okonjima. This 22,000-hectare nature reserve is home to AfriCat, a non-profit foundation whose mission is to protect Namibia’s predators and their environment. In the afternoon, head out on a game drive with a guide in search of endangered species. Okonjima is home to Namibia’s largest density of leopards, some of which have been radio-collared by the AfriCat project for research purposes, as well as rhinos, brown hyenas and even pangolins. If there’s time, you can also explore the reserve’s walking trails; after dinner, spend some time wildlife watching at the night hide. Overnight at Okonjima Bush Camp.

Things to do:

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An African wildlife experience at Okonjima Bushcamp

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Spot endangered species on an Okonjima game drive

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Track endangered rhinos and pangolins at Okonjima

Windhoek

This morning perhaps visit the on-site AfriCat Carnivore Care Centre to learn all about the non-profit foundation’s work and visit some of their rescued cheetahs. Today is a leisurely three hour drive back to Windhoek, so there is the option to explore the reserve's activities even further. Overnight at Heinitzburg Hotel.

Things to do:

Optional

Meet AfriCat’s rescued cheetahs

Departure

Today your Namibia adventure comes to an end; enjoy breakfast at leisure and relax before departing for your onward flight.