Ineffable Namibia -Self-drive – 14 Days – Windhoek to Windhoek

Day 1/45 km – 35 minutes

WINDHOEK

Arrival at the airport of Windhoek and welcome meet and greet by a French-speaking guide, who will give you your travel book and give you all the necessary information and advice on your itinerary.

Road to Windhoek. The rest of the day is free to rest, do your food shopping or visit the capital. Windhoek, the administrative, judicial, and economic capital is also the heart of Namibia. The city has kept a significant Germanic footprint found throughout the streets and avenues, mainly in terms of architecture. Windhoek offers a friendly atmosphere with its modern hotels and friendly guesthouses. You will find a mix of cultures that represent the image of today’s Namibia. A small city compared to other African megacities, Windhoek is surprisingly clean, quiet, and provincial.

Overnight: Windhoek Gardens Guesthouse – Breakfast

 

Day 2/280 km – 2H50

WATERBERG NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast, departure for the Waterberg plateau. En route you will pass through Okahandja, this quiet little town is famous for its craft market where you can shop for authentic Namibian Art. Arrive at the Waterberg Plateau Park. This surprising natural park, where red sandstone and lush vegetation mingle, offers beautiful walks through the wild trails that dominate the bush. You can also observe a rich and varied fauna and flora.

Optional: You can participate in a 4×4 safari open vehicle in the park to observe, baboons, buffaloes, rhinos, various antelopes, etc.

Overnight: Waterberg Camp Site – Camping

 

Day 3/270 km – 2H50

ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK

Departure for the Etosha National Park. First safari to Etosha aboard your vehicle. The end of the afternoon is a magic moment for the animals of the Etosha National Park. The heat and the hot sun subside to make room for a more mild temperature. Life begins again and pushes the thirsty animals towards the different water points. An excursion at this very moment creates a magical moment to see wildlife such as Elephants, zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, lions, etc.

Overnight: Okaukuejo Camp Site – Camping

 

Day 4/140 Km

ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK

Full day in Etosha. You go from water point to water point aboard your own vehicle to observe beautiful animal scenes. Etosha National Park is a large nature reserve in Namibia, 400 km north of Windhoek, with an area of 22,275 km2. The dry lake north of the park fills with water in the rainy season, attracting thousands of birds, including flamingos. Protection of the park and the presence of water points make it a refuge for many animals, more than 114 mammal species, more than 100 reptiles, and more than 340 recorded birds. There are elephants, zebras, wildebeest, lions, leopards, and cheetahs, oryx, giraffe, big Kudus, impala, rhinoceros, the list goes on.

Overnight: Namutoni Camp Site – Camping

 

Day 5/335 km – 4:15

OKAPIKA CAMP (RUACANA)

Today you leave Etosha via the “King Nehale Gate” in the direction of Ovamboland. Okapia Camp is located nearby (7km) from Ruacana offers a variety of cultural activities. In the “bush” near the villages “Owamba,” the site has a superb loggia in height to admire the sunrise while having breakfast. The young and beautiful team of Okapika Camp is efficient and responds to all your requests with a smile. Rose and Bruno the owners, managed to give to this place a relaxed and authentic atmosphere crowned by the wake around the campfire enlivened by the traditional songs and dances of the staff.

Activity: Afternoon, visit the traditional Himbaillage Himba

Overnight: Okapika Camp – Breakfast, Dinner

 

Day 6/325 Km – 4 hours

THE KAOKOLAND – EPUPA FALLS

Today you visit Kaokoland, one of the most incredible wilderness areas in Africa. The Kaokoland with its beautiful landscapes is also the Himba country, a tribe of semi-nomadic breeders many of whom live and still dress according to ancestral customs. It is also the domain of elephant and desert rhinoceros, both threatened with extinction but protected in this area. You begin the crossing of Kaokoland towards the West to discover Epupa Falls along the Kunene River. The spectacle of this river with multiple arms that rushes into a narrow ravine is extraordinary. An excellent area for hiking, mainly downstream of the falls, it is strongly recommended to not walk along sandbanks and to avoid bathing in the waters of this river because of the large number of crocodiles.

Overnight: Epupa Camp Site – Camping

 

Day 7/410 Km – 6H00

THE DAMARALAND

Road to Palmwag and Damaraland. Palmwag is a nature reserve in northern Namibia in the Kunene region, covering an area of 400,000 hectares. Wild species of Palmwag include leopard, lion, cheetah, mountain zebra, Angolan giraffe, springbok, kudu, and elephant. The reserve is also home to the largest black rhinoceros population in southwestern Africa; a local organization called Save the Rhino Trust protects them.

Optional: Guided walk to explore the area or Rhino Tracking.

Overnight: Palmwag – Camping

 

Day 8/110 Km – 1H40

DAMARALAND

Today you head south to visit the site of Twyfelfontein, one of the most important archaeological sites in the region. It was listed as the first Namibian site on the UNESCO World Heritage site List in 2007. Here you will find the Twyfelfontain rock engraving depicting extinct and still existing species; various abstract representations of great parietal art.

Overnight: Mowani Camp Site – Camping

 

Day 9/325 Km – 4H20

ATLANTIC COAST – SWAKOPMUND

Today you leave Damaraland towards the Atlantic coast. Approaching Uis, you admire the highest mountain in the country, the Brandberg, which with its 2,573 meters of altitude is home to the Bushmen paintings, the best known is the White Lady. Installation in Swakopmund. After having crossed a dry and arid desert for hundreds of kilometers, Swakopmund appears as a real mirage. In this seaside resort built in the desert, you will find something to shop, refuel, enjoy seafood, and participate in many activities such as kayaking, surfing on the dunes, boat cruise, Quad Biking, etc.

On the way, you can make a detour to visit Cape Cross, the largest colony of Southern African Sea Lions. Located 60 km north of the coastal town of Henties Bay. Cape Cross is a nature reserve where you can see one of Namibia’s most important sea lions colony. This cape was an essential place for the early European explorers; the Portuguese explorer and sailor Bartolomeu Diaz left a trace of his passage in the 15th century by raising across.

Overnight: The Stiltz – Breakfast

 

Day 10

ATLANTIC COAST – SWAKOPMUND

Free day to rest, visit the city or participate in optional activities (boat cruises, Quad Bike, flight over the desert by plane, etc.). Swakopmund, a city with significant historical past; built at the beginning of the German colonization to serve as a port, has kept its unique character over time.

Optional: In the morning, you can take a boat cruise on Walvis Bay Bay to see the sea lions, dolphins, and many sea birds. Aboard specially adapted boats and guided by professionals of the sea, you will go to discover the famous bay of the whales. On the program: meeting with the fur seals, the dolphins, discovery of the fishing port, visit the sea lions’ colony of the Pelican Point and visit the oyster beds followed by a tasting. A dream program in a warm atmosphere.

Overnight: The Stiltz – Breakfast

 

Day 11/350 Km – 4H35

NAMIB DESERT

The Namib is a place where you can really be alone and feel the vastness of this beautiful country. Total silence and open spaces will make an indelible impression on your mind. En route, we recommend a stop at Solitaire a charming little hamlet isolated in the middle of nowhere that bears its name and keep its character of the 50s. Here, you can enjoy delicious apple pies, snacks, garage, and gas station. After a short break in Solitaire, you take the road towards Sesriem.

Suggested Activity: Just five kilometers from Sesriem Camp is Elim Dune, which is best seen at sunset as the colors deepen, intensifying the contrast between the red dunes and the blue-purple Naukluft mountains on the horizon. The Elim Dune is about 100 meters high, and the ascent to its zenith lasts less than one hour.

Overnight: Sesriem Camp Site – Camping

 

Day 12

NAMIB DESERT

Early in the morning, you leave to visit Sossusvlei and the Dead Vlei to enjoy the freshness and the sunshine rays. The beauty of the lights and landscapes on this site leaves no indifferent traveler. The visiting Sossusvlei will allow you to discover the central Namib and its giant dunes. Sossusvlei is above all the terminus of a river which, a few thousand years ago, threw itself into the Atlantic. Today the rain has disappeared, and the river no longer has the strength to reach the ocean. The dunes, pushed by the wind, covered the valley gradually. Some years the water of the river joins the foot of the dunes and forms a lake in Sossusvlei. On the same site, at the Dead Vlei, the black skeletons of acacia centenarians against a background of Dune Orange and blue sky will allow you to make beautiful pictures. In the late afternoon visit the Sesriem Canyon

Overnight: Sesriem Camp Site – Camping

 

Day 13/335 km – 4:25

WINDHOEK

After breakfast, you leave the desert and take the road towards Windhoek. Free day to rest or explore the capital city

Windhoek Gardens Guesthouse – Breakfast

 

Day 14/45 km – 40 minutes

RETURN

Road to Windhoek International Airport on time (at least 2:00 am before take-off) to be able to return your vehicle and take your return flight.

End of our services.

INCLUDES:

• Accommodation and meals as indicated above
• Travel Planner (containing itinerary, maps, brochures and additional information)
• Meet & Greet @ WDH INT
• Rental vehicle as per insurance choice (if applicable)
• VAT & Tourism Levy
• “SENSE OF AFRICA VIP CARD” – The VIP Card is completely free of charge and without any obligation whatsoever.  Benefits may include a free bottle of wine with dinner, discounted day tours or excursions, discounts at selected retailers or discounted treatments at various wellness establishments. The VIP card together with an up to date list of all partners and offered benefits will be provided to you as part of your documentation pack

EXCLUDES:

• Fuel for rental vehicle, Fuel Deposit, Contract Fee, Excess Deposit (Std Cover)
• One way drop off / delivery fees, second spare tyre, 2nd driver fee, Cross border fees
• All extra meals and Drinks
• Optional Excursions and Activities
• Entrance fees to all National Parks / Sightseeing Attractions on route
• Porterages and Gratuities
• Flights and Airport Taxes
• Travel Insurance
• All expenses of a personal nature.

Credit Card Payments:

• Credit card payments will attract a 3% handling fee of the value of the transaction.
• It is therefore advised that payments to Sense of Africa are done via Bank transfer.
• Please be advised that we do not accept American Express or Diners Club Cards.