Namibia is a big place with a lot to see and realistically you are going to getting around by road. So driving is all part of the fun, but takes a lot of time. I’ve listed below 3 itinerary options ranging from the only have a week option to full-blown taking on the loop of Botswana aswell. We did the later, although over a bit more time.
Itinerary option #1 – supercharge one week
27 hours, 2250km / 1400 miles over 7 days. All the highlights of Namibia (excluding Fish River Canyon far to the south). Doable, but super busy:
Day 1 – Land Windhoek and depart on the same day for Sossusvlei (there is little point staying in Windhoek other than to rest after a long journey) – 3 / 4 hour drive. Stay either around Sesriem (preferred) or Solitaire (if struggling with availability / price)
Day 2 – Enjoy Sossusvlei
Day 3 – start early and drive through the wonderful desert mountains on the way to the Skeleton Coast – 6 hour drive. Have a late lunch at the Cape Cross Lodge and see the seals at Cape Cross Seal Reserve in the late afternoon. If super ambitious, drive further up to the Skeleton Coast Park and visit some more of the ship wrecks, but otherwise stay around Hentiesbaai. The Skeleton Coast is all about the drive along the coast from Swakopmund to into Skeleton Coast Park, so once you’ve experienced that, its quite samesie after that
Day 4 – drive into Damaraland, via the Brandberg Mountain to see the White Lady San People painting and walk through the valley – 4 hour drive. Stay around the Twyfelfontein area
Day 5 – take the Twyfelfontein Elephant Drive in the morning to see the desert elephants and for amazing views of the giant mountain basin you’re in, and then drive up to the southern entrance for Etosha – 4 hour drive
Day 6 – early morning start to enter Etosha in the early morning when the animals are most active. Drive through the park in the day, to arrive at the primier water holes in the east of the park for the late afternoon again when the animals are most active, and stay in Mobutu Etosha which is beautiful and allows you to quickly enter the park the next day. Drive time 4 hours
Day 7 – enter back into the park to see the animals in early morning at the waterholes of Chudop, Koinachas and Klein Namutoni Fountain. Drive back down to Windhoek – 5 hour drive
Itinerary Option #2 – same as above but spread over 10-14 days
27 hours, 2250km / 1400 miles over 12 days. All the highlights, but more civilised:
Day 1 – Land in Windhoek and stay at the Weinberg Hotel, which is the best place to stay in Windhoek without the prices of the more central area. Eat at Olivia’s Kitchen for good food and a nice chilled atmosphere
Day 2 – set off for Sossusvlei, enjoying the wonderful mountain scenery on the way – 3 / 4 hour drive. Stay for 2 nights in Sesriem if you can get the availability (and want to see the sunrise)
Day 3 – early start to get to the top of one of the dunes for sunrise, followed by walking to see the hidden vleis such as Deadvlei or Sossusvlei itself, and end with a walk along the Sesriem Canyon floor. Highlight though is the general drive along the red strip of towering dunes from your base in Sesriem to Sossusvlei
Day 4 – drive up to the Skeleton Coast via the wonderful desert mountains of the Namib-Naukluft National Park, stopping briefly to stare across then Kuiseb Canyon – 5 hour drive. Stay for 2 nights in either Swakopmund or Hentiesbaai
Day 5 – have a leisurely morning (you can’t see much until around 10am) and drive along the Skeleton Coast until around 50km into Skeleton Bay Park, enjoying the rolling waves battering into the remote shore and its ship wrecks, then turn back for a late lunch at Cape Cross Lodge followed by the Cape Cross Seal Colony nearby
Day 6 – drive into Damaraland, via the Brandberg Mountain to see the White Lady San People painting and walk through the valley – 4 hour drive. Stay for 2 nights at Lodge Damaraland
Day 7 – take the Twyfelfontein Elephant Drive in the morning to see the desert elephants and for amazing views of the giant mountain basin you’re in. Take the afternoon to see the nearby Petrified Forests and relax by Lodge Damaraland’s pool
Day 8 – drive up near the south entrance of Etosha National Park for a night at Okutala Etosha Lodge – drive 3 hours. The lodge itself is worth the afternoon with its waterhole right by the restaurant, complete with rhinos, elephants and all antelope you could want
Day 9 – enter Etosha early via the Okaukuejo southern gate so that you can see the animals at their most active. Spend the day driving through the park from west to east, stopping in the day at the Rietfontain Fountain and Etosha Pan Lookout, and aiming to finish in the late afternoon at Chudop, Koinachas and Klein Namutoni Fountain – 4 hours driving (if getting tired in the middle of the day, head straight to Mobutu Etosha for a chill before catching the cooler temperature in the late afternoon by the waterholes). Stay 2 nights at the Mobutu Etosha which has beautiful grounds, and allows easy access to the park the next day
Day 10 – be sure to enter the park early to see the animals in the park’s eastern waterholes, then return to the hotel for a leisurely lunch and relaxed day. See how you feel if keen to head back in the later afternoon
Day 11 – drive back to Windhoek. Drive time 5 hours. Stay at the Weinberg Hotel
Day 12 – depart from Windhoek
Itinerary Option #3 – Namibia + Okavango Delta & Kalahari in Botswana
43 hours, 3500km / 2715miles. Big upgrade, the real highlights of SW Africa, but more time commitment:
Day 1 – Land in Windhoek. Make your way to Sossusvlei – 3 / 4 hour drive – stay in Sesriem.
Day 2 – early start to get to the top of one of the dunes for sunrise, followed by walking to see the hidden vleis such as Deadvlei or Sossusvlei itself, and end with a walk along the Sesriem Canyon floor. Highlight is the general drive along the red strip of towering dunes from your base in Sesriem to Sossusvlei.
Day 3 – drive up to the Skeleton Coast via the wonderful desert mountains of the Namib-Naukluft National Park, stopping briefly to stare across then Kuiseb Canyon – 5 hour drive. Stay over night in Hentiesbaai.
Day 3 – drive up the Skeleton Coast until around 50km into Skeleton Bay Park, enjoying the rolling waves battering into the remote shore and its ship wrecks, then turn back for a late lunch at Cape Cross Lodge followed by the Cape Cross Seal Colony nearby.
Day 4 – drive into Damaraland, via the Brandberg Mountain to see the White Lady San People painting and walk through the valley – 4 hour drive. Stay at Lodge Damaraland.
Day 5 – take the Twyfelfontein Elephant Drive in the morning to see the desert elephants. Leave that afternon for the south entrance of Etosha National Park for a night at Okutala Etosha Lodge – drive 3 hours. The lodge itself is worth the afternoon with its waterhole right by the restaurant, complete with rhinos, elephants and all antelope you could want.
Day 6 – enter Etosha early via the Okaukuejo southern gate so that you can see the animals at their most active. Spend the day there. Stay at the Mobutu Etosha.
Day 7 – enter the park early to see the animals in the park’s eastern waterholes, then drive to Bwabwata National Park in the Divundu Strip. 6 hours drive.
Day 8 – spend the morning checking out a safari where you will see very few fellow tourists, and then drive into Maun in Botswana. 5 hour drive
Day 10-12 – safari through the Okavango Delta and Kazikini Game Reserve.
Day 13-15 – drive down to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve to experience the desert environment, hear black-maned Kalahari lions.
Day 15 – depart for Windhoek. 7 hours.
The animal wonders in the Okavango Delta
Central Kalahari – desert experience with the San people
Continue down to Fish River Canyon?
Everyone we met said they enjoyed it for the view, but, unless you’re either taking the time to walk through the canyon (sounds fantastic) or on that route anyway, it probably wasn’t worth the 15 hour round trip. We’d done a hell of a lot of driving after driving also through Botswana, and had seen some incredible gorges along the way, so didn’t.
