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, we combine the Namib Desert with the wildlife-richest areas of Namibia, the Etosha National Park and the Caprivi / Kavango. You will first drive south to the dunes of Sossusvlei and the beautiful Namib desert. The road then takes you all the way to Swakopmund, from there around the Brandberg massif to the rock engravings and desert elephants of Twyfelfontein and the volcanic rock landscape of Damaraland. You will cross the wildlife-teeming Etosha National Park. You then drive further east into the Kavango area, where the Okavango and Kwando rivers open new perspectives with many activities taking place on the water. At the eastern end of the Caprivi you leave your rented vehicle behind. Our guide will transfer you over the border to Bostwana and the Kasane / Chobe area. The Chobe River is home to Africa's largest population of elephants, best explored on one of our houseboats that cruise the Chobe River. Your journey ends with a stay at Victoria Falls, from where you can visit the mighty water falls.
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.
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 Kulala Desert Lodge
Kulala Desert Lodge comprises 25 slightly raised rooms, each with en-suite facilities and veranda offering spectacular views over the Namib Desert. A stairway leads onto the roof, where guests can spend a night under the starry sky. A beautiful pool is located close to the main building. Dinner is served whenever possible outdoors, allowing guests to enjoy the clear, star-jewelled sky above the Namibian Desert.
Sossusvlei is the area most associated with Namibia: Red dunes as far as the eye can see (up to 380 m high, coloured red by the clay-rich sand) and dead trees in the Vleis or pans decaying slowly at the will of the arid climate. The Vleis were created by the Tsauchab River, which probably once flowed to the Atlantic some 50 km away. The whole Sossusvlei region is quenched with water during those very rare years when a good amount of rain falls, prompting bushes and flowers to spring up everywhere.
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 Camp Kipwe
The nine bungalows at Camp Kipwe are inspired by the granite boulders scattered about them, and blend in perfectly with their rocky environment. Made of clay and stone, the walls exude a comfortable, organic feel. The adjacent open-air bathrooms are creatively integrated into the rock face, and despite their exposed nature offer absolute privacy.
All bungalows have a veranda where you can sit outside and reflect on the day. Some of the rooms have also been extended with a canopy under which there is a dome tent with space for two children. Alternatively, these beds can be placed in the room if the parents prefer.
In addition to its nine bungalows, the lodge also offers the Kipwe Suite equipped with additional lounge and bathtub with spectacular view and two Luxury Suites with extended deck, private plunge pool and outdoor sala.
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 Divava Okavango Lodge
Divava Okavango Lodge and Spa offers 20 luxurious chalets with a large deck and bathroom. The complete lodge, the restaurant, the spa and the rooms are overlooking the mighty Okavango River.
All rooms are air-conditioned and contain a spacious bathroom, bathtub and an indoor- and outdoor shower. Each room has a large deck. It is located in the chalets corner, so all the balconies offer privacy and an incredible view.
From Rundu follow the B8 to the Caprivi. Turn into the C48 (road to Botswana). After a few kilometers, the Lodge is located at the left side. The lodge is also located just a few kilometers from the Bagani airstrip.
Travel by road to Nambwa Lodge
Nambwa Lodge features ten luxury tent suites that are built up in the trees, overlooking the Kwando River and floodplains with stunning views of the wildlife below. Each suite is exceptionally spacious at approximately 110 square metres in size, with an en-suite bathroom and large inside shower. There is mosquito netting around the bed to ensure an undisturbed sleep, and a spacious private deck where you can relax to your heart’s content. The suites are situated to offer maximum privacy.
All suites have access to the main lodge via built walkways. The tented main complex includes large viewing decks raised four metres above the ground, boma area, small reference library, curio shop, dining area with individual tables, lounge, bar and a fire pit.
The lodge is located approximately 10km south of Kongola. Turn off from the main road B8 at Kongola and head south on the C49 in direction of Nambwa campsite. The lodge will be signposted. Access is on a sandy road and a 4×4 vehicle is recommended.
The Chobe Princess Safariboats are intimate houseboats on the Chobe River that allow guests to experience the wonders of the Chobe National Park without the crowds. The boats follow a schedule, with a 2-day departure on mondays and wednesdays and a 3-day departure on fridays. The boat is basically your private floating hotel on the Chobe River with staff, guides and boats at your disposal.
There are three boats, built to the same specifications. The boats offer 4-5 cabins, each configured with either a king size bed or a twin. All rooms can accommodate two adults and are equipped with large sliding windows and en-suite bathroom. Children of any age are allowed on the boat, and triples are possible for one child under 8 in the parent's room. The superior rooms are slightly more expensive as they offer a private balcony.
The Chobe Princess Safariboats consist of 3 decks. The cabins for guests and staff are located on the lower deck. The upper deck features bar, lounge and dining area. In front of the boat there is a sun deck with loungers and a plunge pool. The top deck is the perfect viewing point to watch wildlife while the sun sets over the Chobe River.
This border posts opens at 07h30 and closes at 16h30 daily. Guests should meet at Immigration at 13:30. After having your passport stamped, it is only a short boat ride across the river to Impalila Island to enter into Namibia (another stamp!). The whole transfer should not take more than 45 min from the jetty, or one hour from Kasane airport respectively. On your day of departure you will be taken back to Botswana, your arrival time at the Kasane border post (jetty) is about 10 am.
The Chobe Princess Safariboats have access to several exclusive docking sites along the Chobe River. It will take the boat between 3 and 4 hours to move from one site to the next.
Witness to its own fair share of history, the Victoria Falls Hotel was built in 1904 during the reign of England's King Edward VII, and reflects the opulent Edwardian style. Monarchs, Presidents, Hollywood stars and other VIPs have all strut the corridors of this ‘grand old lady of the falls'. The hotel was just recently renovated in a manner still echoing its glorious past.
The well-manicured tropical garden with its water lily pond and shady palms offers first-rate views of the Victoria Falls and the historical bridge connecting Zimbabwe and Zambia. The hotel comprises 94 rooms of varying price class, three restaurants, two tennis courts, a large swimming pool, library, bar, spa with hair salon and a souvenir shop.
The Zambezi River rises in north-western Zambia and crosses several African countries on its 2700 km journey to the Indian Ocean. The river also forms the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. At Victoria Falls, the water falls for more than 100m into Batoka Gorge, over a width of nearly two kilometers. The falls are called 'Mosi-oa-Tunya' or 'the Smoke that Thunders', as the spray can be seen from miles away and, at the height of the rainy season, more than five hundred million cubic meters of water per minute plummet over the edge.
On the Zimbabwe side you can photograph and admire the entire waterfall from various vantage points. You may also like to visit the historic bridge, which the English had built over Batoka Gorge when they tried to establish a railway line from Cape Town to Cairo.
Basic Information
Individual journey. The journey will be planned on your preferred dates. Self-Drive a rented vehicle.
Duration 20 nights. Min 2 guests. Minimum age 6 years.
Includes all transfers from Windhoek to the hotels/camps to Victoria Falls
- Olive Grove: Luxury Room. Breakfast.
- Kulala Desert Lodge: Double Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), twice daily shared activities with one of the camp guides. Includes guided excursion to the Sossusvlei dunes
- Strand Hotel: Luxury Room. Breakfast.
- Camp Kipwe: Double Room. Dinner, breakfast. includes an Elephant Drive. Visit the Rock Engravings of Twyfelfontein independently.
- Etosha Oberland Lodge: Double Room. Dinner, breakfast.
- Onguma Tented Camp: Double Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), laundry service, twice daily shared activities with one of the camp guides.
- Divava Okavango Lodge: Double Room. Dinner, breakfast. Boat trips can be booked on arrival
- Nambwa Lodge: Double Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), twice daily shared activities with one of the camp guides.
- Chobe Princess: Standard Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), twice daily shared activities with one of the camp guides.
- Victoria Falls Hotel: Classic Room. Breakfast. Visit the Victoria Falls on your own. Helicopter trips, boat trips on the Zambezi, etc. are extra.
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