9 Days Namibian Selfdrive Family Safari Tour (Lodging)

Etosha King Nehale Gondwana Collection Namibia, Etosha East (601.1km)

Make sure of an early start from Windhoek to make the most of this full-day that takes you into Etosha and through its most northerly gate.

The route from Windhoek passes the town of Okahandja where the first turnoff leads to the woodcarvers’ market. Further north towards Otjiwarongo, the Omatakos, a pair of conical mountains, are prominent landmarks along the route.

Termite mounds reach for the sky and warthogs root along the roadside. The B1 passes the towns of Otavi and Tsumeb before you veer left onto the C38 to Etosha’s Von Lindequist Gate. Spend the afternoon enjoying the drive northwards through Etosha.

Etosha King Nehale awaits you soon after the King Nehale Gate, where you can kick off shoes and raise glasses as the sun sets over the Andoni Plains, relishing the comfort of this stylish lodge.

Etosha King Nehale Gondwana Collection Namibia, Etosha East

The second day can be used to explore northern and eastern Etosha, visiting the waterholes, which attract a variety of animals that come to quench their thirst.

The 22 912km² wildlife haven is home to 114 mammal species, including elephant giants and diminutive Damara dik-diks, and 340 species of birds.

Etosha King Nehale has a waterhole reserved especially for lodge guests. Spend the day in the park or return to the lodge for lunch and to relax and luxuriate in your private plunge pool.

Etosha King Nehale Gondwana Collection Namibia, Etosha East

The Etosha feast continues as you journey westwards into the heart of the ‘Great White Place’. Etosha has a variety of landscapes and vegetation types including grassland and dwarf-shrub, woodland and thornbush savannah.

At its center is the shimmering mirage-like pan, which fills with water in years of good rainfall and gives the chalky character to the park. The pan formed 120 million years ago when continental drift changed the slope of the land and redirected the course of the ancient rivers, which dried up over time. Day three provides the opportunity to hopscotch from waterhole to waterhole as you travel towards Okaukuejo. Keep in mind that it is often slow going through the park.

Enjoy a lunch break midway at Halali. Both the Halali and Okaukuejo camps have popular waterholes, which attract animals large and small. In the late afternoon exit from Okaukuejo at Andersson Gate to drive the ten kilometers to Etosha Safari Lodge. Arrive in time to enjoy a sundowner drink overlooking the mopane woodland, when the world is painted in gold.

Enjoy supper at the lodge or reserve a table at Etosha Safari Camp’s Shebeen restaurant for a fun-filled relaxed evening.

Palmwag Lodge Gondwana Collection Namibia, Palmwag (495.5km)

After a leisurely breakfast take the C38 southwards to the town of Outjo, where you’ll be able to fill your fuel tank and stock up with snacks and essentials for the journey. From Outjo take the C40 north-west to Kamanjab.

(There is an option to reach Kamanjab on the gravel roads via the D2695, south of Etosha Safari Lodge.) Stock up and fill fuel tanks in Kamanjab before continuing on the scenic Grootberg Pass to Palmwag.

Take it slowly and carefully around the bends, and keep eyes open for desert elephants in the valley. Flat-topped Etendeka Mountains and rich red rock dotted with green euphorbias and robust mopane trees characterize the area around Palmwag.

Palmwag Lodge is set in a grove of Makalani palm trees that mark the underground watercourse of the Uniab River and the lodge overlooks the sweeping Damaraland landscape.

Make sure you arrive in time to sip a sundowner as the sun dips in the sky, transforming the landscape into deep reds and shades of pastel pink. Arrange your activities for the next day on your arrival before soaking up the beauty of the surroundings.

Palmwag Lodge Gondwana Collection Namibia, Palmwag

After breakfast you continue to explore the environment Activities include an early start taking a guided walk to become better acquainted with the environment and self-driving or joining a sundowner drive into the 582 000-hectare Palmwag Concession, a vast conservation area with an abundance of wildlife.

Palmwag collaborates with neighboring conservancies, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, and Save the Rhino Trust to safeguard this rich wild heritage. During the day, enjoy a relaxed lunch at the pool bar, and in the evening keep your eyes open for the resident bull elephant ‘Jimbo’, who often makes an appearance.

Damara Mopane Lodge Gondwana Collection Namibia, Damaraland (187.6km)

After an early breakfast, travel southwards on the C43 and eastwards on the C39 until the D2612 turnoff to the Twyfelfontein engravings. Two to six thousand years old, the engravings, mostly of animals, were made by hunters and gatherers who congregated at the springs in the mountain in the dry season.

It is believed that their shamans chiseled into the Mount Etjo sandstone as a form of prayer as they beseeched the gods for healing, rain, food, and protection for their people. Guided walks are available to visit the main sites. If time allows, in the vicinity are also a series of rock formations known as the Organ Pipes and a Damara Living Museum to experience the traditions of the Damara people continuing on the C39 eastwards towards Khorixas. Another optional stop on the route is the small Petrified Forest where some conifers from ancient rivers were deposited millions of years ago, eventually fossilizing into stone.

Damara Mopane Lodge, a refreshingly different oasis-like lodge, is reached 20km after Khorixas. Built-in the traditional design of an African king’s residence, a semi-circular labyrinth of passageways leads to the spacious chalets, each with its productive food garden.

The Delight Swakopmund Gondwana Collection Namibia, Swakopmund (323.8km)

Have breakfast and drive towards Swakopmund, which takes you on a mesmerizing journey between the icy Atlantic Ocean and Namib Desert dunes. Unwind and refresh at the end of the day in the warm and uplifting atmosphere of the Delight Hotel.

The Delight Swakopmund Gondwana Collection Namibia, Swakopmund

The Delight’s mouth-watering breakfast feast is the very best way to start your day in Swakopmund. Stroll through the town, visit the museum, pop into coffee shops, and browse the selection of African curios.

Or take a scenic flight, join a living desert tour, or a dolphin cruise. Swakopmund is the activity playground of Namibia. Activities range from skydiving and sandboarding to more peaceful desert trips. Enquire about your options from the hotel’s activity desk on your arrival and select your favorites for the day.

Before you go, reserve a table at one of the many restaurants for dinner and if back in time, walk along the wooden jetty to watch the sun sink into the sea.

End of Itinerary (360.3km) Back to Windhoek

You have another opportunity to enjoy The Delight’s breakfast before you return to the capital city. The drive is approximately four hours.

Make a stop along the way at the Ûiba-Ôas crystal market at the turnoff to Spitzkoppe for one of the finest displays of Namibian gemstones.

Further on, the Wilhelmstal Padstal is a good place for Apfelstreusel and biltong. After that it’s only a hop and a skip back to Windhoek as you breeze along, reminiscing about the incredible adventures of the trip.