Romantic Escapes Self-Drive Tour – 14 Days – Windhoek to Windhoek

No country could be better than Namibia for a romantic escape! The 2nd lest populated country on earth with some of the worlds most celebrated attractions, together with some of the best accommodations possible, will ensure that your special celebration will never be forgotten!

Overview

Highlights

World’s highest dunes at Sossusvlei & Dead Vlei
UNESCO world heritage sites
Wildlife discovery in the Etosha National Park

Days / Nights	14 / 13
Vehicle	SUV or 4×4 Double Cab
Category	Superior

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 / 50 km
WINDHOEK
After arrival at Windhoek International Airport, receive your rental vehicle (not included) and start your journey with a short drive through mountainous terrain into Windhoek city. Here you check into your romantic and historic castle turned luxury hotel, which overlooks the capital city of Namibia.

When Count von Schwerin commissioned the construction of Heinitzburg castle for his fiancé, Margarethe von Heinitz in 1914, love was his inspiration, elegance was his achievement. The stunning view and tranquil garden let you unwind and relax after a long flight. The indulging evening will be spent in the romantic wine cellar with a private candle light dinner and personal butler.
Heinitzburg Hotel – Dinner

Day 2 / 330 km
WATERBERG
After breakfast on the “Leo’s at the Castle” terrace, travel north-east to the edge of the Kalahari Desert, where your next hide-out is situated within lush vegetation on the edge of the Waterberg Plateau. Each spacious chalet offers a private plunge pool overlooking the endless bush savannah, bird song being the only interruption to the absolute silence of this serene environment.

In the afternoon follow your guide on a private sundowner walk onto the Waterberg Plateau. Here you will be introduced to the local wedding culture of the Herero tribe, and the bride will have the once in a lifetime opportunity to dress up in a traditional Herero wedding dress – what better photos will you ever be able to boast at home!
Waterberg Plateau Lodge – Breakfast, Dinner

Day 3 / 200 km
ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK
Your honeymoon safari takes you north to your safari lodge in the close vicinity of the Etosha National Park. Here you will spend the following three days in a luxurious African safari setting with your very own private balcony, offering panoramic views over the surrounding Mopane savannah and a waterhole which attracts a wide variety of animal species.

Explore the abundant wildlife of the African savannah in Etosha National Park in your vehicle, or relax and enjoy the magnificent service of this private game reserve by taking part in optional game drives or guided walks.
Etosha Oberland – Breakfast, Dinner

Day 4 / 200 km
ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK
After enjoying an early breakfast and seeing the sunrise over the Etosha National, the day is devoted purely to game drives in search of the abundant wildlife found in the Etosha National Park, which surrounds a parched salt desert known as the Etosha Pan. The park is home to 4 of the Big Five – elephant, lion, leopard and rhino.

The Park was proclaimed as Namibia’s first conservation area in 1907 by the then Governor, von Lindequist. Despite the size of the Etosha National Park, only the southern edge of the pan is accessible to visitors. Game viewing in the park is largely focused around the waterholes, some of which are spring fed and some supplied from a borehole, ideal places to sit and watch over 114 different game species, or for an avid birder, more than 340 bird species.

Popular game species such as giraffe, blue wildebeest, plains and mountain zebra, hyena, lion, leopard, antelopes such as kudu, oryx, eland, as well as some of the endangered species such as Black rhino, cheetah and the black-faced impala are all found here. An extensive network of roads link the over 30 water holes allowing the visitor an opportunity to do a real game viewing safari throughout the park as each different area will provide different encounters.
Etosha Oberland – Breakfast, Dinner

Day 5 / 200 km
ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK
Today your explorations again take you on game drives through the Etosha National Park. You may encounter animal species not seen the previous days and look forward to any new surprises at the different waterholes visited. The Etosha Pan dominates the park. This salt pan desert, which is nearly completely enclosed by the park and is lined by numerous watering holes, is roughly 130 km long and as wide as 50 km in places.

During Etosha’s notorious dry spells the pan is a deathly place, lying parched and cracked under the molten African sun. It is claimed that game viewing is best during the dry spells as animals will then congregate closer to water. But even in the rainy season, the park remains an abundant wildlife haven. You then have the pleasure of experiencing the rebirth of life as the young foals, cubs and chicks are seen frolicking with their parents, and the sprouting new green shrubs and grasses create a pleasing green oasis.
Etosha Oberland – Breakfast, Dinner

Day 6 / 380 km
DAMARALAND
After breakfast, you travel further westwards into Damaraland, one of the least populated places on earth. The area exhibits neither fences nor boundaries in its vast, stony desert landscape. It is marked by endless vistas across stark plains, ancient valleys, distant mountains which bring the traveller as close to nature as is comfortably possible. It’s also the home of the unique desert elephant and a free-roaming rhino population.

The last stretch of the day’s journey to your secluded lodge, which is nestled amongst huge boulders, takes you through awe-inspiring landscapes of eroded dry riverbeds and rocky plains. The evening is spent at a romantic dinner next to the open fire of the lodge boma before returning to your romantically prepared chalet including a bottle of champagne and fresh fruit platter.
Mowani Mountain Camp – Breakfast, Dinner

Day 7 / 50 km
TWYFELFONTEIN
When enjoying a private breakfast on top of a cliff in this exceptional and remote scenery, you feel like being the only people on earth, or better, the only persons in paradise! The day is open for either lazing at the pool or in your luxurious chalet. We however recommend that you join a lodge ranger on an optional nature drive in an open vehicle where you go in search of the elusive desert elephants that roams the dry river beds of Damaraland.

Returning to the lodge you have the opportunity to explore Namibia’s first World Heritage Site where Bushman communities engraved and painted over 2.500 pictures some 6.000 years ago. The reddish sandstone boulders with its natural caves are the same sites that ancient Bushman and Damara sheltered in, protecting themselves against enemies and spying on game species which they could try and hunt. After the excursion, visit the nearby Living Museum of the Damara, to experience how these people lived in the past, and get to know their beliefs, traditions and customs.
Mowani Mountain Camp – Breakfast, Dinner

Day 8 / 300 km
SWAKOPMUND
You travel Damaraland and the Skeleton coastline to the town of Swakopmund, idyllically set between the waves of the Atlantic Ocean and the majestic dunes of the Namib Desert. You have the rest of the day at leisure – explore the palm-lined streets and seaside promenades on foot, or enjoy a glass of champagne on the jetty while the sun is setting. Swakopmund is a very popular and laid back holiday destination in Namibia.

Its pleasant climate and long stretched beaches create the most romantic setting, while the bohemian mix of old German buildings take you back into a time when life was very much more laid-back.
Swakopmund Luxury Suites, Honeymoon Suite– Breakfast

Day 9
SWAKOPMUND
After enjoying a specially prepared champagne breakfast, it’s time to explore and experience Swakopmund and its surrounding, often fondly referred to as the “playground of Namibia”. It has numerous activities ranging from, adventure to exploring the fascinating features of the Namib Desert and the animals and plants that occur and survive here.

Embrace the relaxed pace of this coastal town while enjoying coffee and freshly baked pastries in one of the many street café’s. Alternatively explore the rugged, sweltering desert on a guided day tour, or view this awesome, environment from the air on a scenic flight. Find your inner child and push adrenaline to its limits with extreme adventures such as skydiving over the desert or quad biking and sand boarding on the dunes.

Take time to get the feel of this quaint town with its historic buildings, museums or the beach bar that has transformed into its personality by the vibrant use of color and calm atmosphere it offers to its visitors.
Swakopmund Luxury Suites, Honeymoon Suite– Breakfast

Day 10 / 370 km
NAMIB DESERT
After breakfast, your journey leads south through the vast open plains of the Namib Desert to your lodge, which is the perfect gateway to exploring the Deadvlei and Sossusvlei. Here some of the highest dunes on Earth stand towering over the white desert plains.

The afternoon can be spent relaxing at the pool or taking part in optional activities in the 7.000-ha private nature reserve. Experience the desert in the late afternoon by sitting on a cliff, or enjoy the untouched natural setting on horseback.
Sossusvlei Lodge – Junior Suite – Breakfast, Dinner

Day 11 / 230 km
SOSSUSVLEI & NAMIBRAND NATURE RESERVE
This morning demands an early start. The first rays of sunrise paint the mountains of sand into a variety of apricot, red and orange, contrasted against a crisp blue skyline, delighting your senses to the maximum. You will be astonished by the surreal Deadvlei, surrounded by the highest dunes and Sossusvlei, where the mostly dry Tsauchab River ends abruptly amongst majestic dunes.

Take the opportunity to walk up one of these dunes to admire the desert landscape beneath. After that, you can still visit the Sesriem Canyon, a life-sustaining natural phenomenon in the heart of the Namib Desert. After exploring the surreal desert landscape, you travel on to the private NamibRand Nature Reserve. Your lodge, nestled amidst the dunes and bare rock mountains in the north of the 200’000 hectare reserve, is set against a backdrop of unparalleled beauty and provides the perfect base from which to explore vast stretches of awe-inspiring nature on guided walks or nature drives.
Wolwedans Dune Camp – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Activities

Day 12
SOSSUSVLEI & NAMIBRAND NATURE RESERVE
Absorb the unique desert landscape during a morning and afternoon excursion through enticing dune landscapes, endless grass plains and mystical mountain formations. You may encounter large as well as small desert animals, learn about their specialized habits and explore the ancient hunting spots of the Bushmen. Here in this land of stretching blue skies, you will find beauty feeding your soul, tranquility to clear your mind and space for your imagination to fly.
Wolwedans Dune Camp – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Activities

Day 13 / 360 km
GOCHEGANAS
After an optional morning activity and a delicious breakfast, travel back to Windhoek, where you are accommodated at the private GocheGanas Nature Reserve, situated on a hill with a spectacular view onto the Auas Mountains. With one of the best Wellness Spa’s throughout southern Africa, this is the one place you would like to be to enjoy a couple’s massage! Enjoy an optional afternoon game drive including a sundowner drink, and upon your return unwind in a warm Chrystal Bath while sipping Bubbly with your loved one.
GocheGanas – Breakfast, Dinner

Day 14 / 60 km
DEPARTURE
Depending on your outbound flight, you have time to take part in optional game drives, mountain bike trails or nature walks offered by the lodge. Alternatively, enjoy last shopping for souvenirs in the capital city for your loved ones at home, before traveling to the international airport for your flight home.
Breakfast