Cultural Namibia: Self-Drive

On arrival, pick up your car. You will have a detailed briefing about your car and other essential information to help you on your way.

Drive to your Windhoek Hotel. If you have time, explore Windhoek at your leisure.

Overnight in a comfortable hotel including breakfast

Depart Windhoek today and drive to Swakopmund, a picturesque coastal town nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Namib Desert.

Swakopmund was a German colonial settlement during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and this influence is still visible in the architecture. Many buildings in the town reflect the German colonial style, creating a charming and nostalgic ambiance.

Explore the town with options for shopping, walking, or engaging in numerous activities in Swakopmund or Walvis Bay. Activities range from marine cruises and kayaking to quad biking, desert tours, dune boarding, scenic flights, and township tours.

Overnight at a guesthouse including breakfast

Continue your journey through Uis, past Namibia's highest mountain, Brandberg (2,579m), into Damaraland.

Damaraland is a captivating and geologically diverse region in northwestern Namibia, known for its rugged landscapes and sparse population. Characterized by rocky outcrops, vast plains, and unique geological formations, this area presents a striking and otherworldly scenery. The region is home to an array of fascinating wildlife, including the elusive desert elephant, black rhino, and free-roaming antelope species adapted to the arid environment. Damaraland's ancient petroglyphs, rock paintings, and archaeological sites provide insights into the area's rich cultural and historical heritage, dating back thousands of years. The harsh yet captivating beauty of Damaraland, coupled with its unique flora and fauna, makes it a compelling destination for nature enthusiasts, adventure seekers, and those eager to explore the remarkable intersections of geology, wildlife, and human history in this remote corner of Namibia.

Arrive at your Lodge in the afternoon for a leisurely evening.

Overnight in a comfortable lodge including Breakfast and dinner.

After breakfast you can visit Twyfelfontein, a World Heritage Site where over 2500 rock engravings and rock paintings cover the eroded surface of a pre-historic desert. Thereafter you can stop at the Living Museum of the Damara to get an up-close look into their culture before continuing with your journey to the North West, known as the Kaokoland. Here you enter areas that are still very untouched and known as being the home to one of Namibia's well-known nomadic cultures –the Himba. With a network of dry riverbeds and interspersed acacia plains, this area is a preferred habitat of the desert elephant and the rare black rhino. Guests can visit traditionally living Himba tribes close by or take on the adventure of driving down the Khowarib or Huanib River in search of the elusive desert elephants. You can also take a short excursion to the Ongongo fountain to cool off while swimming here.

Overnight in a comfortable Guesthouse - Breakfast (dinner on day 6).

This morning you travel into the rugged and unspoilt Kaokoland, a landmarked by undulating hills and open plains inhabited by the Himba. These proud and statuesque people still adhere to their traditional values and cultures; over the next two days enjoy marvelous opportunities to visit one or more of the traditional inhabited villages.

Overnight in a comfortable Lodge including Breakfast.

After breakfast, you travel west and enter the area locally known as the region of the four O's. It is characterized by interspersed clumps of real fan palm trees and inhabited by the Ovambo, the largest ethnic group in Namibia. Attractions on your way include a giant baobab tree in Outapi as well as a Royal King’s Homestead in Tsandi. Here you have the opportunity to experience the traditional lifestyle of the Owambo people. Discover the art of basket weaving and pottery and explore the beauty of this region.

Overnight in a comfortable lodge including Breakfast and dinner.

As you head to the Etosha National Park, your time will be devoted purely to the abundant wildlife. The park surrounds a parched salt desert known as the Etosha Pan and is home to 4 of the Big Five - elephant, lion, leopard and rhino. The park's waterholes support a diversity of mammals and birds, including species such as black-faced impala, cheetah, and Namibia's smallest antelope, the Damara dik-dik. The following two days are spent at a camp inside the park.

Overnight in a comfortable Camp including Breakfast.

Shortly after sunrise the gates to the park open, allowing you to experience the conundrum of animals and birds greeting the new day. You have the whole day available for extensive game drives and have ample time available to wait at a selection of waterholes for different game species coming to the water to quench their thirst. No game drive is the same; all waterholes hold new surprises and attract different animal species that you may not have seen on previous game drives. Tonight is again spent inside the park, where you have the opportunity to view game species at the flood-lit waterhole at any time during the night.

Overnight in a comfortable camp including Breakfast.

The early morning hours can again be dedicated purely to the abundant wildlife. You may encounter animal species not seen the previous days and look forward to any new surprises at the different waterholes visited. The Etosha Pan dominates the park. This salt pan desert, which is nearly completely enclosed by the park and is lined by numerous watering holes, is roughly 130 km long and as wide as 50 km in places.

During Etosha’s notorious dry spells the pan is a deathly place, lying parched and cracked under the molten African sun. It is claimed that game viewing is best during the dry periods as animals will then congregate closer to water. But even in the rainy season, the park remains an abundant wildlife haven. You then have the pleasure of experiencing the rebirth of life as the young foals, cubs and chicks are seen frolicking with their parents, and the sprouting new green shrubs and grasses create a pleasing green oasis. Departing the park you proceed via the Mining town of Tsumeb towards Grootfontein, which is the gateway not just to the Zambezi Region but also the untouched Kaudom Game Park or commonly known as Bushmanland.

Here you have the opportunity to gain an authentic insight into this ancient tradition and culture of the original inhabitants of southern Africa – the San / Bushmen. Guests can expect the most informal, liberating learning experience about these people, their history, lifestyle and culture. Take part in bush walks, village life, making of tools, jewelry and traditional weapons. The San will teach how to start a fire, how and what to use as medicines and the different roles of men and women in the community.

Overnight in a comfortable camp including full board and bushman experience

After breakfast travel through the back roads of Namibia’s main cattle and agricultural hubs, towards the Waterberg, where you still have time to explore this diverse bush savannah on one of the optional guided farm drives.

Overnight in a comfortable lodge including Breakfast

After breakfast, travel back to Windhoek to your hotel for your final night.

Overnight in a comfortable Hotel including breakfast

After breakfast, drive to Windhoek airport in time to drop off your car before your departure flight.