Namibia is a land of spectacular landscapes, endless skies, barren deserts, rugged mountain ranges and breathtaking wildlife - participants of this self-drive safari experience something of all this.
On this trip you first drive south to the great sand dunes of Sossusvlei and the beautiful Namib desert. The road north then takes you along the fringe of the desert and eventually to the coastal town of Swakopmund. Your next stop are the rock engravings of Twyfelfontein and the volcanic rock landscape of Damaraland where desert adapted elephants roam. The road then turns east to Etosha National Park. You have plenty of time to visit the many waterholes and experience a variety of animals up close. On your way back to Windhoek you will stop at Okonjima and the Africat Foundation where there is a great chance to see leopard and cheetah.
This self-drive journey starts in Windhoek, where you pick up your vehicle. We definitely recommend a first night in Windhoek, which gives you enough time to buy some snacks and water for the trip. Apart from the few paved main roads, most of the roads you drive are gravel roads. Participants in this journey are stirring up a lot of dust! You visit the most beautiful areas of Namibia and experience the entire fascination of this huge country.
Travel by road to Olive Grove
The Olive Grove is a charming, intimate guesthouse with eleven beautifully appointed rooms, each equipped with a minibar, air conditioning/heating, safe, TV and hairdryer. Its five standard rooms are located on the lower storey; its luxury rooms with access to a terrace are on the upper storey. Those in search of the ultimate luxury experience can book the 80 m2 executive suite, which comes with its own lounge.
A breakfast buffet is included; lunch and à la carte dinner is either served in the restaurant or on the veranda. The Olive Grove takes great pride in its cuisine and is certain to delight even the most discerning of palates.
A swimming pool provides the perfect place for a cooling dip.
The Olive Exclusive is the neighbouring house and well worth a visit. Read more about the Olive Exclusive here.
Travel by road to Kwessi Dunes
Kwessi Dunes is located in the NamibRand Nature Reserve, a place of immense beauty, where red sand dunes stretch endlessly against the backdrop of the Naukluft Mountains. The lodge offers twelve comfortable, air-conditioned tent chalets, each covered by a protective thatched roof. The rooms have en-suite bathrooms with indoor & outdoor showers and a veranda with seating. Two of the chalets are family rooms with two bedrooms (1 x king-size bed and 1 x two single beds) which share a common bathroom.
The chalets have been extended towards the rear with a separate stargazer bedroom, which is open to the sky and allows a stunning view of the millions of stars, especially during new moon and cloudless nights. The NamibRand Reserve is Africa's first internationally recognized Dark Sky Reserve, which means that light pollution is absolutely minimal.
The spacious main building is protected from the sun by a striking thatched roof. Beneath is the bar, a library with a large number of books to browse through, the restaurant and various seating areas that invite you to linger. There is also a swimming pool if you need to cool down from the heat of the day.
Kwessi Dunes is located south of Sossusvlei, north of the NamibRand Nature Reserve in a private concession of about 15’000 hectares. Although the dunes of Sossusvlei are within easy reach, an early wake-up call is still required (30km to the gate of the park and from there another hour drive to the vleis).
On landing (wherever the wind has taken you) there is a champagne breakfast waiting for you.
Travel by road to Strand Hotel
The new Strand Hotel has set a new standard in Swakopmund. Uniquely located on the iconic and historic Swakopmund Mole and surrounded on three sides by the Southern Atlantic Ocean its 125 rooms and suites make this hotel one of the larger ones in town, but of those certainly the one with the best seaside location. All rooms have tea & coffee stations, mini-bars, hair-dryers, TV’s, free Wi-Fi Internet access, telephones and air-conditioning.
The Strand Hotel offers its residential guests and all casual visitors three exciting restaurants. The Farmhouse Deli is good for coffee, cake, sandwiches and fresh salads. The Brewer & Butcher welcomes beer and meat lovers. The Ocean Cellar caters for guests who prefer seafood, sushi, oyster and a glass of fine white wine.
The Strand Hotel is destined to become the social epicenter of Swakopmund for locals and tourists alike.
Travel by road to Mowani Mountain Camp
Mowani Mountain Camp comprises 12 charming rooms with high thatched roofs and comfortable verandas. The dome-like main roof leaves a window to the sky above the beds, stargazing from the bed so to say. The rooms are nestled between rounded boulders and blend in seamlessly with their surroundings. The room categories are defined by the quality of the view - accordingly there are 4 Superior View Rooms (No 1-4) with sunset view, 3 View Rooms (No 5-7) with view into a hidden valley and 5 Standard View Rooms (No 8-12). Some of the rooms have been extended with a canopy, under which a dome tent is placed, accommodating two children. Alternatively, these beds can be added to the room if parents prefer.
Mowani also offers a Luxury Room, a Mini Suite and the Mountain Suite with butler service, lounge and private dining area. These three rooms are larger and offer more privacy than the other rooms, but only the Mountain Suite stands out with a truly magnificent view.
The central area includes a small rock swimming pool with great views, lounge, restaurant and an extra wifi lounge. In the evening most guests visit the rock-top viewing plateau to enjoy the sunset. The sundowner drink is added to the view upon request.
Just across the road lies Camp Kipwe, Mowani‘s sister camp.
Travel by road to Etosha Oberland Lodge
Etosha Oberland Lodge offers an ideal base for exploring Etosha National Park. The lodge is designed in a modern safari style and offers 20 tent chalets that are pleasantly private and spacious. Each guest unit has an ample bathroom, an open lounge and private seating area as well as air conditioning, fridge and coffee/tea making facilities. The required power is generated by the lodge‘s own solar system. There are also three family rooms with an extra bedroom.
The main building of Etosha Oberland Lodge is surrounded by tall mopane trees. The restaurant and its terrace offer views of the waterhole, where animals may pass by anytime. Other amenities include a swimming pool, bar and a spacious lounge area with various sofa corners where guests can relax after their safari. The curio shop exclusively offers products by artists from Namibia.
Wifi both in the main building and in the rooms.
The Etosha National Park is one of the most important nature reserves in southern Africa. It exists since 1907 and covers an area of 22,270 km². The central and eastern sections consist mainly of various silvery-white shining salt pans, which have made Etosha famous. In the dry season the park, the animals and the vehicles are covered in a whitish haze of salt dust.
On the southern shore of the huge Etosha Pan (130 x 50 km) there are several waterholes, which magically attract the animals from the surrounding area during the dry season. The three large state camps Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni connect Anderson's Gate in the south with the von Lindequist Gate in the east. The western part towards Galton Gate is much more wooded and less frequented by visitors, but it also offers less trails to drive around and find wildlife.
Travel by road to Onguma Tented Camp
Intimate and luxurious, Onguma Tented Camp offers uninterrupted views of a natural waterhole (lit at night) from anywhere in the camp. With a little luck, guests will encounter giraffe, jackal, antelope, zebra, wildebeest and maybe even a rare black rhino.
The main building houses a generously sized lounge, restaurant, wine cellar and swimming pool. The camp comprises just seven bright and spacious house tents, each with its own veranda, indoor and outdoor shower, elegant tin bathtub and separate WC. The light-coloured furnishings are designed to reflect the forms and colours of Etosha’s landscape.
The camp is unfenced, which means there is a minimum age requirement for our younger guests.
Onguma Game Reserve offers three further accommodation possibilities:
Read more about Onguma - The Fort
Read more about Onguma Camp Kala
Read more about Onguma Bush Camp
The Etosha National Park is one of the most important nature reserves in southern Africa. It exists since 1907 and covers an area of 22,270 km². The central and eastern sections consist mainly of various silvery-white shining salt pans, which have made Etosha famous. In the dry season the park, the animals and the vehicles are covered in a whitish haze of salt dust.
On the southern shore of the huge Etosha Pan (130 x 50 km) there are several waterholes, which magically attract the animals from the surrounding area during the dry season. The three large state camps Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni connect Anderson's Gate in the south with the von Lindequist Gate in the east. The western part towards Galton Gate is much more wooded and less frequented by visitors, but it also offers less trails to drive around and find wildlife.
Etosha National Park is Namibia's premier safari destination. Covering almost the same area as Switzerland, Etosha is one of the largest national parks in Africa. To the west of the park lay the silvery white salt pans and adjoining waterholes, which magically attract all kinds of wildlife during the dry season.
Travel by road to Okonjima Bush Camp
Okonjima is run by the Hanssen family. Wayne, Donna and Rosalea Hanssen bought Okonjima from their parents, Val and Rose, in 1993 and turned the farm into a well-known conservation project.
Okonjima is the home of the AfriCat Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the rescue and preservation of Namibia’s big cat population. It has rescued over 1000 big cats since 1993 and released 86% of them back into the wild.
Okonjima Bush Camp is located 3 km from Plains Camp (the main camp) on the edge of the game reserve. This lodge offers a greater degree of comfort and is used by us as a fly-in safari destination for guests who wish to make a stopover here and learn more about the AfriCat Foundation.
Spaced a minimum of 80 metres apart, all eight chalets offer maximum privacy and a very generous 105 m2 of living space. The chalets are built in a traditional African style with clay walls and thatched roofs. The lodge also offers a swimming pool.
Okonjima offers three further accommodation options:
Read more about Okonjima Plains Camp
Read more about the Okonjima Bush Suite
Read more about the Okonjima African Villa
Travel by road to Windhoek
Basic Information
Individual journey. The journey will be planned on your preferred dates.
Duration 14 nights. Min 2 guests. Trip vice versa possible.
Includes all transfers from Windhoek to the hotels/camps to Windhoek
- Olive Grove: Luxury Room. Breakfast.
- Kwessi Dunes: Double Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), twice daily activities with one of the camp guides. Includes guided excursion to the Sossusvlei dunes and balloon flight.
- Strand Hotel: Luxury Room. Breakfast.
- Mowani Mountain Camp: Standard Room. Dinner, breakfast. Visit the rock engravings of Twyfelfontein on your own. Includes elephant activity to find the desert adapted elephants.
- Etosha Oberland Lodge: Double Room. Dinner, breakfast. Game Drives on your own or bookable at the lodge.
- Onguma Tented Camp: Double Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), laundry service, twice daily activities with one of the camp guides.
- Okonjima Bush Camp: Double Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), laundry service, twice daily activities with one of the camp guides.
Learn more about these areas