Namibia Self Drive Adventure

Day 1: Upon arrival you will be met by your driver and transferred to your lovely accommodation in the centre of Windhoek. Your rental vehicle will be delivered to your hotel. Your vehicle will have a sat-nav and mobile phone, plus you will also be provided with an information pack which will include driving directions, accommodation details and contact phone numbers. You can spend the rest of the day exploring Namibia’s capital city. Overnight: Windhoek Meals: (Breakfast) Day 2 : Today you’ll drive south for approximately three hours to your lovely lodge just outside of the village of Stampriet in the fertile valley of the seasonal Auob River. Here you can relax by the lodge’s pool, or join a scenic drive in the Gondwana Kalahari Park which is just 30 km away. We also highly recommend joining a sunset walk with a local San bushman. The San are believed to be southern Africa's original inhabitants and around a third of the 90,000 remaining San live in Namibia. Overnight: Kalahari Desert Meals: (Breakfast/Dinner) Day 3: After breakfast at your lodge you’ll drive south to the spectacular Fish River Canyon, with a stop at Quiver Tree Forest en route. You’ll arrive at your lodge mid-afternoon in time to join a sunset walk, before returning to the lodge for a delicious evening meal. Overnight: Fish River Canyon Meals: (Breakfast/Dinner) Day 4: Today you’ll have a full day to explore the breathtaking Fish River Canyon. You may wish to go for a morning hike in the canyon, enjoy a scenic drive to marvel at the dramatic, arid landscape, join a guided sunset walk or kayak on the river. Overnight: Fish River Canyon Meals: (Breakfast/Dinner) Day 5: This morning you’ll enjoy breakfast overlooking the canyon before making your way north and towards the coast. The landscape changes drastically en route as you arrive at the start of vast sandy dunes. A highlight of this region is Kholmanskop Ghost Town. Once a small, but extremely rich mining village, Kholmanskop was hastily abandoned and is now a popular tourist spot with visitors intrigued by the eerie buildings which are half filled with sand. Tonight you’ll stay in Luderitz for one night and enjoy your first view of the Atlantic Ocean. Overnight: Luderitz Meals: (Breakfast/Dinner) Day 6: After breakfast you’ll drive to Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert in the southwest of the country. You’ll stay in Sossusvlei for the next two nights and you’ll have time to explore the iconic towering sand dunes, as well as other incredible geographical formations of the region, such as Sesriem Canyon. Overnight: Sossusvlei Meals: (Breakfast/Dinner) Day 7: We recommend that you wake up early to climb the iconic sand dunes at sunrise, or if you prefer you can soar above this breathtaking landscape in a hot air balloon. Other activities you can enjoy today include a nature drive to spot the desert-adapted wildlife, a dune walk or an eco-sensitive guided quad bike excursion, sand boarding and horse riding. In the evening you can enjoy a gin and tonic on a sundowner tour, or after dark you can join a star gazing excursion with a knowledgeable guide. Overnight: Sossusvlei Meals: (Breakfast/Dinner) Day 8: This morning you’ll leave the Namib Desert and you’ll drive north through beautiful canyons and striking scenery as you head towards to the lovely town of Swakopmund on the Skeleton Coast. Walvis Bay is a stunning spot just outside Swakopmund and we highly recommend stopping off on your way into town. Sheltered by the Pelican Point sand spit, Walvis Bay’s tidal lagoon is home to abundant birdlife, including flamingos and pelicans. Swakopmund itself is a former colonial town famous for its German architecture and culture - many residents speak German and there's even an Oktoberfest beer festival. It is an ideal place to spend a couple of days between visiting the dunes of Sossusvlei and exploring the attractions of northern Namibia. Overnight: Swakopmund Meals: (Breakfast) Day 9: Today you’ll have a full day to explore Swakopmund and the surrounding area. You can search for Cape Fur seals and dolphins off Pelican Point on a boat cruise or guided kayaking trip, take a scenic flight over the desert, join a bird watching excursion or a living desert tour, or you may wish to visit the Swakopmund Lighthouse, the Swakopmund Museum and Sandwich Harbour. Just outside Swakopmund several sand dunes have been set aside for adventure activities, including sand boarding, quad biking, camel riding and off-road driving. Overnight: Swakopmund Meals: (Breakfast) Day 10: This morning you will resume your Namibian road trip and head further north up the Skeleton Coast to Damaraland. En route we recommend that you stop at Henties Bay to see the Cape Cross seal colony and you may wish to visit the shipwreck of MS Winston at Durissa Bay. On arrival you’ll settle into your accommodation and you can spend the afternoon relaxing at your lodge, or if you wish you can take a walk in the surrounding area, stopping at viewpoints to marvel at the beautiful Damaraland landscape. Overnight: Damaraland Meals: (Breakfast/Dinner) Day 11: Today you’ll have a full day to explore Damaraland. You can join a rhino tracking experience, plus there are also options for you to take an elephant nature drive in search of Namibia's desert-dwelling elephant, or you may wish to join the Twyfelfontein, Burnt Mountain and Organ Pipes excursion to see the rock engravings at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Twyfelfontein. Overnight: Damaraland Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner) Day 12: After breakfast you’ll get back in your vehicle and drive east towards Etosha Game Reserve. Etosha offers fantastic wildlife viewing opportunities, particularly around the waterholes. You can expect to see elephant, giraffe, lion, leopard, zebra, springbok and gemsbok and it’s also one of the best places in Southern Africa to see the endangered cheetah, black rhino and rare antelope species such as black-faced impala, Damara dik dik and roan antelope. We offer a choice of superb lodges, both in the park and on its borders. Overnight: Etosha Meals: (Breakfast/Dinner) Day 13: Today you’ll have a full day to explore Etosha. Despite being one of Africa's largest national parks, Etosha is easy to drive around yourself as all roads lead back to the main road. This means you can take your time visiting the many different waterholes such as Halali, Okondeka and Okaukuejo, where large concentrations of wildlife congregate. Almost a quarter of Etosha consists of salt pans, including the Etosha Pan which is undoubtedly the park’s most distinctive and dramatic feature. The Etosha Pan is the only known mass breeding ground for flamingos in Namibia and at times there can be up to a million flamingos here. Overnight: Etosha Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner) Day 14: This morning you’ll leave Etosha and head south to the Okonjima Nature Reserve which is home of the famous Africat Foundation - an education and research facility dedicated to the rehabilitation of Namibia's big cats, particularly cheetah and leopard. Overnight: Okonjima Meals: (Breakfast/Dinner) Day 15: During your time here you’ll have an opportunity to observe and learn about Africat’s conservation work. Depending on your interests you can also go mountain biking or hike up the mountains to watch the sunrise, join a bird-watching excursion to spot some of the 250+ species of birdlife in the area , enjoy a nocturnal game drive, or you can experience a day in the life of a San Bushman on a bushman trail. Overnight: Okonjima Meals: (Breakfast/Dinner) Day 16: Sadly your Namibian adventure is coming to an end. This morning you’ll drive back to Windhoek which should take approximately three hours. On arrival you’ll have time to get some lunch and drop off your hire car, before heading to the airport to catch your international flight home. Overnight: International flight Meals: (Breakfast)