Self drive Namibia road trip - A 2-week Namibia itinerary

DAY 2 / HIKING THE DUNES OF SOSSUSVLEI

The dunes of Sossusvlei are one of the iconic sights of Namibia. At over 300m high they shimmer in the early morning light as they shift with the wind. At their base lies the famous cracked and dried mud pans from which trees, long ago left for dead, create an eerie atmosphere.

Remarkably this desolate place deep in the desert is easily accessible. A riverbed – dry for many years – creates a break in the dunes through which a road has been cut. The deeper you head into the desert the higher the dunes climb. It’s a spectacular scene.
Walk up Big Daddy dune (the largest in the area), then explore the Deadvlei mud pan before hiking across the desert to the much less visited Hiddenvlei.

All the details for the day can be found on our Big Daddy Dune article.

DAY 3 / DRIVING THROUGH THE NAMIB NAUKLUFT NATIONAL PARK

On day 3 of your 2-week Namibia itinerary, make your way across the Namib Naukluft National Park to the cool air of the Atlantic Coast. Begin by driving back through Solitaire, stopping again if you didn’t have enough time to collect photos of the old burnt our cars. Collect some munchies from their fantastic bakery.

Heading north and west on the C14, hop out of the car for the obligatory photo in front of the Tropic of Capricorn sign. Passing through canyons and dry river beds, stop at Kuiseb Pass and take a short stroll up to the viewpoint over the national park.

Next, stop at a picnic spot (marked on the map) and tuck into the baked goods you bought from Solitaire. From here the road drops off the high canyon land and into the flat desert plains. It is now a barren drive through grey and brown rock to the belching factories and unattractive town of Walvis Bay.

At Walvis Bay Turn right and head up the coast to Swakopmund, a cute German colonial town, which is worth strolling around in the afternoon. Check out the pier, seafront and museum before grabbing a local beer or gin at Zonder Naam and ending the perfect Namibia road trip day.

DAY 4 / EXPLORING THE ATLANTIC COAST AROUND SWAKOPMUND

Today was simply one of our favourite holiday days ever. Head to Walvis Bay Harbour and join the Pelican Point Kayak and Sandwich Harbour 4×4 combo tour.

The first part of the tour is kayaking with seals at Pelican Point. As soon as you arrive in their 4×4 you’ll notice the large colony of cape fur seals mulling around the lighthouse. Shortly after leaving the shore in your kayak you’ll be met by friendly seals playing all around you, eating your oar and trying to get into the boat. It’s a wet, wild, and fun experience.

The afternoon is dedicated to the Sandwich Harbour 4×4 tour. An experienced 4×4 driver takes you over undulating golden dunes nestled beside the Atlantic Ocean. Passing springbok, seals and jackals, the tour guide explains how life survives in this most barren of places. The scenery is phenomenal, the experience exhilarating, and the driving nothing short of expert. The day is topped off with champagne and local oysters from the boot of your 4×4.

A truly excellent experience that’s worth every penny.

DAY 5 / ANCIENT CAVE PAINTINGS OF SOUTHERN DAMARALAND

On day 5 of your self drive Namibia road trip, head to Spitzkoppe, a group of bald granite peaks rising out of the flat Namib desert. They are a magnificent orange and red hue in the morning light and perfect for photos. Stop at some of the stalls locals have set up, have a chat and check out their houses made of aluminium cans.

Continue onto Brandberg Massif, a mighty mountain with cave paintings that have survived through the aeons. The White Lady of Brandberg painting is thought to be 1,000 to 2,000 years old but some etchings are over 5,000.

The paintings are accessed via a compulsory guided walk which takes 2 hours and costs N$100 per person. Last tours leave at 4 pm.

Next search for the unique desert-dwelling elephant. If you are lucky they can be found along the river banks near the Brandberg White Lady Lodge. A 4WD will help you explore more of the area. Ask the guides on the walk where they were seen last.

DAY 6 / SMELLY SEALS AND THE SKELETON COAST

Today, head off the beaten track and take a long drive through the desolate landscape of the Skeleton Coast. There are plenty of pit stops to spy shipwrecked boats, rusting oil rigs and the largest cape fur seal colony on the planet.

But the real joy is exploring life on the margins – walking up and down dry riverbeds trying to find springbok, oryx, flamingos, ostriches and jackals lurking in the reeds.

The whole day showcases the difficulty of survival in this dry and barren land. Read all about our exploration including the best places to stop on the Skeleton Coast to help plan your day.

End your day at Terrace Bay Resort, as far up the coast as the independent traveller can go. Spend the night chatting to the local fisherman over a beer and enjoying the remoteness of this far-flung location.

DAY 7 / DRIVING TO NORTHERN DAMARALAND

On day 7 of your 2-week Namibia itinerary, leave the desolation of the Skeleton coast behind and head inland to Grootberg Lodge in Damaraland. Slowly the land becomes a bit greener and the flat grey plains give way to towering red rock mesas and deep cut valleys. The struggle for life becomes a bit easier and springbok, oryx, giraffe and impala can be spotted amongst the golden grasses as birds fly overhead.

Have a picnic lunch staring at a giraffe or at the wide open views of this remarkable landscape, before arriving at the lodge.

Grootberg Lodge, perched on top of a red rock basalt plateau, is run and owned by the local population. So, it’s not only a great place to stay, with truly magnificent views, it also helps sustain poor rural Namibian communities.

Join the evening game drive (5 pm) and as you search the high plateau you may be as lucky as we were and see lions on the hunt for the resident springbok, mountain zebra and oryx.

Dinner in the lodge includes a dance by the kids from the local primary school. The kids were great, but the supportive enthusiasm of the staff even better.

DAY 8 / BLACK RHINO TRACKING AT GROOTBERG LODGE

Grootberg Lodge offers a range of activities including elephant and black rhino tracking and a visit to a local community. We chose to get up just before dawn and join the black rhino tracking.

You are not guaranteed a sighting and it can be a long bumpy uncomfortable journey up the Klipriver Valley to search for the rhino. If I am honest, the reward of seeing a black rhino in the wild from 300 metres was a little underwhelming.

The real reward from the day was getting a genuine understanding of wildlife conservation in Namibia. The conflict between the needs of wild animals and rural Namibians, the challenges of poaching, and the opportunity and costs of trophy hunting are issues with real impact on the lives of the community.

It’s an educational and informative trip which we highly recommend. Read our opinion on the challenges of trophy hunting and rhino poaching.

Grootberg Lodge Activities / Rhino tracking (3/4 day) and elephant tracking (1/2 day) depart before sunrise; evening game drive departs 15:30 and lasts 3 hours | Prices: N$1,925 rhino; N$1,370 elephant, N$570 evening game drive | Bookings: can be made at the lodge.

DAY 9 – 11 / WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS AT ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK

Etosha National Park is quite simply one of the greatest safari parks in the world. In the wet season, huge numbers of game stroll the plains. But as the rains end, they congregate around waterholes in this otherwise dry landscape, creating some of the densest game viewing opportunities imaginable.

Giraffe, elephants and rhino make the daily stroll to and from the waterhole and as the oryx, springbok and zebra congregate to drink so do the big cats that hunt them. It is a magical scene and an essential destination on any 2-week Namibia itinerary.

Etosha is designed for the independent traveller self driving in Namibia. Roads that are easily navigable criss-cross the park and government camps offer accommodation, food and petrol stations. You can find all you need for these three days in our guide to Etosha.

We recommend 3 nights, each at different camps so you can experience all of the park. We were in the car by sunrise every day and were lucky enough to see lions, cheetah, rhinos, giraffe, elephants, and a leopard. But, if you’re not in the mood to search for wildlife, the density of game around the waterholes was unbelievable.

RELATED / OUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO ETOSHA

DAY 12 / WALKING ON THE WATERBERG PLATEAU

Take your last morning drive in Etosha then have lunch at Kameldorn Garten in Otjiwarongo on your way to the Waterberg Wilderness Lodge.

The lodge sits at the base of a red sandstone plateau that is rich in birdlife and rare species of small antelope. It is also the site of the local Herero tribe’s last stand in their conflict against the German colonial forces before they were forced into the desert. A conflict in which 2/3 of the local Herero population were annihilated.

In the afternoon take a stroll around the valley floor, soak up the relaxing atmosphere and let the pace drop. An excellent dinner is included and the staff are friendly and helpful.

DAY 13 / LEARNING ABOUT BIG CAT CONSERVATION IN OKONJIMA

Join the early morning guided walk on the Waterberg plateau. It can be tough to spot animals but the guides are knowledgeable about the flora and fauna in the area. During the 2 hour, 30-minute stroll you ascend the plateau, learn about droppings, play a few games and are rewarded with sweeping views over the Kalahari.

Next drive to Okonjima Lodge. This lodge used to be a private farm but converted itself into a conservation area and is now home to the AfriCat foundation. The foundation is committed to the long-term survival of Namibia’s larges carnivores and its 200 square km privately fenced nature reserve is home to abundant wildlife.

Cheetahs, at risk from farmers outside the park, have been brought here, looked after and reintroduced into the park. Here they join the antelope and leopards that called the place home when the park was fenced in.

The lodge runs both a leopard tracking drive and a cheetah walking tour in the mornings and afternoons. Leopards are only spotted from the safety of the jeep, but since the cheetahs have been habituated, it’s possible to follow them on foot under the strict instructions of your guide.

Okonjima Activities / Morning drive begins at 6:30; afternoon drive begins at 15:30. Both the cheetah walking and leopard tracking tours last about 3 hours | Price: N$ 700 per person per drive | Bookings: can be made at the lodge.