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Namibia Self-Drive Guided Walking holiday in 15 days
The perfect choice for independent travellers, this 15 day holiday combines guided walking with self drive adventure
14 nights
From: £5,540 per person
Highlights
Track cheetah on foot from the Africat Foundation
Sleep under the stars on a Crystal Mountain strewn with geodes
Walk three trails in different areas – the Kalahari, NamibRand and the Etendeka mountains
Hike to the top of Dune 45 in Sossusvlei at sunrise
Go sandboarding or kayaking with Cape fur seals at Swakopmund
The Details
This two week Namibia Self- Drive Guided Walking Holiday is the perfect combination of guided walking and a self drive adventure through the spectacular scenery of Namibia.
You’ll hike like Bushmen (the indigenous people of Southern Africa) through the Kalahari, explore the vast the NamibRand and discover the remote Etendeka mountains.
Emma on the Tok Tokkie Trail
Your camps will be rustic and you’ll be sleeping under the stars and eating meals cooked on the open campfire, so it will be a real African adventure!
Tok Tokkie Campsite
As well as hiking, you’ll have the chance to visit the monumental dunes at Sossusvlei.
Dunes
take part in some adventure activities from the coastal town of Swakopmund and enjoy tracking leopard and cheetah from the Africat Foundation at Okonjima.
Gallery
Suggested Itinerary
You’ll be met at the airport and driven around 45 minutes to your guesthouse in Namibia’s capital, Windhoek. Your 4WD vehicle will be delivered to you this evening.
After breakfast, you’ll head off in your 4WD on your 3 hour (124 mile) journey south to your lodge which lies on the bank of a vlei close to Kalkrand in the Southern Kalahari and is surrounded by some of the most beautiful sand dunes in Namibia. You’ll have time to relax after your drive; we’d suggest watching wildlife at the waterhole, taking a dip in the pool or take a scenic drive out into the Kalahari as a quick introduction to the area.Breakfast and dinner included
You’ll make an early start today to make the most of the amazing Kalahari sunrise from a sand dune viewpoint while enjoying a freshly brewed coffee. Today is a full day hike with your English speaking guide over the infinite chain of red dunes which cross the savanna where you might see giraffe and oryx. You’ll have lunch and a rest in a dune valley before continuing deeper into the Kalahari taking advantage of the shade of the camel thorn trees you pass. In the afternoon you’ll arrive at your dune camp, an oasis in the red dunes where you can relax on the thatched terrace where a buffet dinner will be served or take a dip in the small swimming pool. Your bed for the night is in a cabin tent with thatched roof or you could take your bed outside and sleep out on the dunes listening to the sounds of the Namibian desert.Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
Shortly after sunrise, breakfast will be served on the terrace – keep a look out for antelope and giraffe at the waterhole as you eat. A short walk takes you back to Kalahari Red Dunes Lodge where you’ll pack up your vehicle and drive around 3 hours (112 miles) from Mariental to Tok-Tokkie Trails in the NamibRand Nature Reserve. You’ll meet your guide here and then head off for a 1-2 hour hike over rolling vegetated dunes to your overnight camp where you’ll sleep out in the open on stretcher beds. On clear, moonless nights you’ll quickly understand why this reserve is one of the few International Dark Sky Reserves in the world.Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
Early morning coffee is served before sunrise followed by breakfast so you can set off in the cool of the early morning. This morning’s walk is 4.5 hours and you’ll be introduced to some of the unusual desert fauna by your guide – golden mole, barking gecko, flightless wasp and more. Birdwatching and game watching will also be one of the highlights. Lunch will be followed by a siesta to avoid the midday heat before our afternoon walk of around 2 hours through magnificent scenery of endless dunes and ‘fairy circles’ against a mountain backdrop. You’ll arrive at your camp for dinner and then sleep out again on stretcher beds.Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
Another early start setting off through the dune field on your easy 3.5 hour walk today back to the Tok Tokkie farmhouse and a visit to the Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust if there’s time. You’ll collect your car and then drive around 1.5 hours (56 miles) to your accommodation for next two nights, Desert Homestead Lodge close to Sesriem.Breakfast and dinner included
Today you are free to either relax around the lodge or you could drive to Sesriem and then onwards towards Sossusvlei to witness the enormous 325m red dunes that make the area famous.Breakfast and dinner included
Today you’ll drive 5.5 hours (214 miles) from Sesriem to Swakopmund on the coast. The roads are all gravel until you reach Walvis bay and the mountain passes are quite steep so take care! We’d recommend a stop in Solitaire on way to refuel and try some home baked bread and apple pie from the service station bakery. Another good stop is Walvis Bay and its famous lagoon where you’ll see many bird species including the greater flamingo. Your guesthouse for the next two nights is in central Swakopmund.Breakfast included
In Swakopmund. You could explore Swakopmund today with its sandy beach, museums, aquarium and snake park or if you’re feeling more adventurous, there’s tandem skydiving, sand boarding, fishing or quad biking. Or for nature lovers, don’t miss a catamaran cruise from Walvis Bay to see the fur seals, dolphins and sea birds.Breakfast included
Today’s drive takes you 4.5 hours (204 miles) up the coast, where you could visit a colony of fur seals at Cape Cross, and then inland past Nambia’s highest mountain (the Brandberg) and onto the dry Huab river valley where you might get a sighting of the rare desert elephant. Finally to Twyfelfontein and your lodge for the night close to the famous rock etchings. Activities on offer at the lodge include elephant drives, guided walks and a trip to Twyfelfontein to see the fascinating Bushman engravings.Breakfast and dinner included
Today you’ll drive 2 hours (66 miles) to Palmwag Lodge where you’ll leave your car and be met and your luggage transferred to your first camp. You will start your guided walk at Palmwag Lodge taking about 2-3 hours to reach your River Camp. The scenery is spectacular as you enter the Etendeka Concession on foot – a land of flat topped layered ills, wide open spaces and prolific wildlife. Your camp tonight looks out over a waterhole next to an established trail used by wildlife including Hartmann Mountain Zebra and if you’re lucky, Black Rhino. The camps tonight and tomorrow night are rustic and you’ll be sleeping under the breathtaking desert sky on five sleeping platforms. You’ll have inflatable mattresses and cotton duvets and sheets and there are portaloo toilets, bucket showers and sinks. Meals will be cooked over the campfire.Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
You’ll be woken early to the sounds and smells of the desert for a light breakfast then your 6-7 hour walk (9-12 miles) to your Mountain Camp for the night starts. Your guide will identify animal spoor and tell you about the history of the area before arriving at your camp located on the top of Crystal Mountain with spectacular views and an abundance of crystals and exquisite rock formations. You’ll arrive in the early afternoon, so there’s time for a short sundowner walk around the plateau before dinner and settling on your sleeping platform for your last night under the stars.Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
This morning there’s a short walk back to Etendeka Mountain Camp and then a transfer to Palmwag Lodge to pick up your vehicle followed by a 5 hour (235 mile) drive to Okonjima, a game reserve with a difference. This is home to the Africat Foundation which rehabilitates cheetahs, wild dogs, hyenas and leopards. You’ll be able to see these beautiful predators in their natural environment but the highlight has to be the cheetah and leopard safaris.Breakfast and dinner included
Today you are free to relax around the lodge enjoying the scenery or you could choose from the activities on offer including tracking cheetah on foot, and game drives to see the elusive leopards.Breakfast and dinner included
Today you’ll drive to Windhoek airport where you’ll leave your car before your flight home.Breakfast included
Best time to go
May through to September tends to be our favourite time to travel to Namibia, although all months offer an incredible experience.
Namibia’s central area is classified as an arid to semi-arid region; arid becoming semi-arid when rainfall exceeds evaporation. The climate is ‘sub-tropical’ desert, characterised by a wide range in temperature between day and night, and between summer and winter.
The Namibian ‘winter’ is from May to September and during these months the skies are clear and there is little rainfall. As the season progresses, daytime temperatures start to drop from an average of 25˚C in April and May to 15˚C during the day, and nights are cold. Between June and August there may be overnight frost in the desert and high areas so take some layers on evening and night game drives. The drier months of June through to October are the best months to see wildlife, particularly in Etosha National Park, as the wildlife use waterholes – which have good access and are easy to watch – more frequently.
The Namibian ‘summer’ is between October and April. Daytime temperatures are high, sometimes reaching over 40˚C in the desert. There is little humidity between October and the end of the year so high temperatures feel pleasant. From late December through to the end of March there tends to be localised afternoon rain showers which do bring humidity. Wildlife is less reliant on the waterholes at this time of year and so less easy to spot, especially as the vegetation also tends to be more green and leafy.
In our weekly newsletters, we share our first-hand experience of travelling around our favourite destinations, with advice on the best times to visit. We’ll also keep you up to date on all the latest travel news, topical articles, and travel tips from our team of destination experts.
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