Time/ Distance: 41 min (48.2 km)

Welcome to Namibia! Depending on how late in the day you arrive, you may begin your journey south on the main highway. You will travel through the thin strip of the Kalahari Desert, which turns onto the eastern side of Namibia. If you arrive later in the day or evening, it is recommended not to drive past 11 pm in Windhoek. Instead, stay for the night in Windhoek, and begin your journey to the desert early in the morning.

Overnight: Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch

Time/ Distance: 13h 46m (387.8 km)

In the morning, you will drive through the town of Mariental (unless you arrived last evening) which is an arid city just off the Hardap Dam. You will then head to Keetmanshoop. This is an old German town where you can grab some lunch. Take in the vast and beautiful views, and if you need to, fill your gas tank.

Then, you will drive to the Mesosaurus Fossil Site and Quiver Tree Dolerite Park, which is a place where the past meets the present. The gorgeous rock formations all around speak of a lost time. You can embark on a hiking trail, along with a sun-downer drive alongside the Quiver trees, which are looked upon as living fossils, themselves. Once you have concluded your visit, you can head to Fish River Canyon. You will find several options for campsites. Choose one to settle into, and get comfortable, so you can enjoy your evening of camping in the wilderness.

Overnight: Canyon Roadhouse

Time/ Distance: 7h 44m (412.2)

Good Morning! After your night of camping, it will be time to begin your adventure of Fish River Canyon. This is the second-largest canyon in the world–the first is the Grand Canyon! You can enter the park about 6 miles from Hell’s Bend, which is a well-known viewpoint at the Hobas Restcamp. Keep in mind that at a certain point in the summer, the canyon hike is closed due to the high temperatures. Additionally, the descent into the canyon, itself, is reserved for hikers who are along the Fish River Hiking Trail, only, and not for day visitors.

Overnight: Lüderitz Nest Hotel

Time/ Distance: 7h 44m (412.2)

In the morning, you can enjoy some time in the desert town. One of the popular attractions in Aus is Namib’s feral horses, which are known as the world’s only wild horses that roam the deserts. Although there is a lot of debate surrounding how they arrived in Namibia, they are worth a visit. These scruffy and boney horses are easy to find on most of the nearby safaris, and you can likely spot them grazing on the side of the road. Then, you will hit the road, heading deep into the ancient southern Namib, traveling on small gravel roads and passing some tiny rural communities along the way. You will eventually reach Sossusvlei and its famed red dunes.

Overnight: Desert Homestead Horse Trails

Time/ Distance: 41 min (48.2 km)

Today and tomorrow, you’ll take part in an early morning excursion that travels along the path of the ancient Tsauchab River into the Namib Sand Sea. The adventure highlights the Sossusvlei Desert, including Dune 45 and Dead Vlei all surrounded by red dunes in the southern part of the Namib Desert.

Overnight: Sossus Dune Lodge

Time/ Distance: 41 min (48.2 km)

Another day, you will do great activity in Windhoek is the Namibia Craft Center, a clean and safe covered market with dozens of independent vendors selling the work of thousands of artists around the country. You’ll find a range of items from African drums and woodcarvings, as well as elegant Swakara garments and Namibian gemstones. In addition to the stalls, there’s also a bookstore, an art gallery, and a popular café that focuses on local ingredients for breakfast and lunch. For dinner, you can choose between several cuisine options like Taiwanese, Italian, Portuguese, African, Chinese, French, and German.

Overnight: Galton House

After breakfast at your lodge outside of Etosha National Park, you’ll make the drive south to the Okonjima Private Game Reserve (144 miles/232 km). This beautiful area is at the heart of Namibia and surrounded by the sandstone Omboroko Mountains. The landscape is home to an array of indigenous African wildlife and birds, which makes it the perfect place to take photos.

Upon arrival at Okonjima, enjoy a relaxing lunch and then choose between guided activities in the game reserve offered by your camp.

Overnight: Okonjima Plains Camp

Etosha east Located in North-western Namibia, Etosha East is a protected sanctuary in the eastern part of the world-renowned Etosha National Park, known as one of the most accessible game reserves in Southern Africa. Etosha East boasts vast open plains scattered with semi-arid savannah grasslands dotted with watering holes and secluded bush camps. An impressive 5000-square-kilometer Etosha salt pan makes up a large area of the eastern side of the park and can even be seen from space. This remote area teems with abundant wildlife such as lions, elephants, black rhinos, and giraffes, as well as a variety of birdlife featuring flamingos, ostriches, eagles, hornbills, and owls.

Overnight: Namutoni Resort

After breakfast, you’ll have the entire day to spend in Etosha National Park. Before you set out on your adventure, consult with your guide and an animal sightings book to determine the current movement of animals in the area to optimize your game-viewing experience. Detailed maps of the park are also available at each resort curio shop and filling station. In the heart of the park is the Etosha pan, meaning place of dry water, an extensive flat depression of about 3,107 square feet (947 m). This great white expanse is a place of shimmering mirages; seeing large herds of game in this setting makes Etosha a unique experience in Africa.

Overnight: Okaukuejo Campsite

We start our day with a game drive before leaving the park and driving into the desert mountains of the Kaokoveld, one of the last true wildernesses of southern Africa and home of the Himba people. During the afternoon we will pay a visit to Oases village where we will meet the local inhabitants. A special guide will be available for the time we are there. The guide will translate for us and introduce us to this indigenous “tribe” of nomadic pastoralists. We will learn about their marriage customs, traditional way of life and food and will visit the “holy fire”.

Our luxury campsite is nestled among large granite boulders and mopane trees. A splash pool is available and the area offers the chance of seeing the desert elephants.

Overnight: Grootberg Lodge

Twyfelfontein Set in the Kunene Region of northwestern Namibia, Twylfelfontein is a spectacularly scenic area, featuring one of the largest and most important concentrations of rock art in Africa. The name ‘Twyfelfontein’ translates to ‘Fountain of Doubt’, which refers to the perennial spring situated in the impressive Huab valley flanked by the slopes of a sandstone table mountain. It was this spring that attracted Stone Age hunters over six thousand years ago, and it was during this time that an extensive group of rock engravings and paintings were produced. Visitors can look forward to basing themselves at some wonderfully shady campsites along the Aba-Huab riverbed while exploring over thirty different sites of these sacred records of ritual practices relating to traditional hunter-gatherer communities.

Overnight: Madisa Campsite

Set along Namibia’s spectacularly scenic coast, the seaside town of Swakopmund is known for its wide-open avenues, colonial architecture, and is surrounded by otherworldly desert terrain. Founded in 1892 as the main harbor for German Southwest Africa, Swakopmund is often described as being more German than Germany. Now a seaside resort town, Swakopmund is the capital of the Skeleton Coast tourism area and has plenty to keep visitors happy. The quirky mix of German and Namibian influences, adventure options, laidback atmosphere, and cool sea breeze make it a very popular Namibian destination. Visitors can look forward to many exciting activities.

Overnight: Swakopmund Sands Hotel