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North Namibia + Kaokoland + Etosha (self-drive)
NCD12W

12 NIGHTS
FROM $1,352
International flights and car hire quoted separately
This self drive holiday explores northern Namibia, starting with Swakopmund and the rock paintings at Twyfelfontein - before venturing further into Damaraland and Kaokoland, home of the rare desert adapted elephant & rhino and the Himba people. Complete your holiday exploring the wildlife of Etosha National Park and tracking cheetah & leopard at the Africat Foundation.
HIGHLIGHTS
Namibia Holiday Namibia Vacation Namibia Self Drive Safari Namibia Self Drive Etosha Himba Epupa Falls Namibia
• Windhoek • Swakopmund • Dolphins • Twyfelfontein
• Bushman Art • Etosha Park • Oryx • Africat
• Cheetah • Leopard
Day 1
Arrive at Windhoek Airport, collect your hire car and drive to your hotel in Windhoek.
  
Check in and relax under warm blue Namibian skies.
Day 2
Today drive 3.5-hours through scenic desert landscapes to the charming seaside town of Swakopmund, with its old lighthouse and easy access to the sand dunes and activities of the Namib Desert.  
  
Swakopmund is situated on the Atlantic Coast where the cold Benguela Current sweeps up from Antarctica, releasing no moisture into the prevailingly onshore winds – hence the very low rainfall and desert conditions. Fog is common along the coast in the early mornings and late afternoons and this is what gives life to the desert-adapted flora and fauna of the region. The cold current is also highly oxygenated, causing it to teem with marine life. Check into your hotel and relax on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
Day 3
At leisure to relax at the beach resort of Swakopmund.
 
As this is Namibia’s playground, a wide variety of activities are on offer, including a Marine Cruise to see seals, dolphins and whales in season, a Namib Desert tour, and quad biking or paragliding in the sand dunes.  Alternatively simply relax at a quaint coffee shop or walk along the sandy beaches.
Day 4
This morning drive 5-hours across the barren Skeleton Coast, renowned for its many shipwrecks and inhospitable coastline. It is here one finds a small lichen reserve, where a relatively large variety of these interesting and slow growing organisms are protected. Also stop to see the thriving population of seals at Cape Cross Seal Reserve and the many gannets and other sea birds in this area.
  
Continue to timeless Damaraland and take time to explore the semi-desert flora and fauna of this region and its fascinating rock formations, as you travel through vast uninhabited open spaces.
  
Also visit geological features in the area such as the Organ Pipes and the Petrified Forest where millions of years ago giant tree trunks were deposited and subsequently turned to stone. In the late afternoon check into your lodge near Twyfelfontein.
Day 5
At leisure to explore Twyfelfontein, meaning "Doubtful Spring" and declared a World Heritage site to preserve the many ancient rock paintings and engravings left by the early San Bushmen.
 
The slopes of the area are strewn with boulders dotted with thousands of their rock art and paintings – making it a virtual open-air museum.
 
Afternoon at leisure around the swimming pool, or join an optional game drive along the river beds in search of rare Desert Elephants.
Day 6
Today drive 3-hours into the vast empty spaces of Kaokoland, home to the rare desert elephant and rare black rhino, as well as many other species that roam free in this great wilderness.
 
Check into your lodge and enjoy a spectacular sunset in this remote and arid region.
Day 7
Today is free to relax at your lodge and enjoy any optional activities available.
 
These include the opportunity to track rare Desert Elephant and Rhino, as well as giraffe, zebra, oryx, springbok, kudu, ostrich, brown and spotted hyena and  jackal.
Day 8
A full day on the road today, as you drive 5-hours through Damaraland to Etosha National Park, one of the largest and greatest game parks in Africa.
 
Etosha owes its unique landscape to a vast shallow depression – the Etosha Pan.  During the dry season it becomes an expanse of white cracked mud, shimmering with mirages and spiralling dust devils, with its open pans offering magnificent game viewing. Etosha is home to over a hundred different species of mammals, including cheetah, leopard, lion, elephant, rhino, giraffe, zebra and wildebeest.
 
Check into your rest camp near the southern entrance to the park and enjoy dining under the stars!
Day 9
Today is devoted to self drive game viewing in the famous Etosha National Park, one of the largest wildlife conservation areas in Africa surrounding an enormous salt pan that is the size of the Netherlands.We recommend setting off early each morning as the camp gates open (05h30 to 06h00 depending on the season), to take advantage of the best game viewing conditions of the day.
  
Explore the vast Etosha Pan, which offer magnificent game viewing opportunities including springbok, oryx, black-faced impala and the small Damara dik-dik. A series of waterholes throughout the park guarantees rewarding game viewing, with Etosha being renowned for its vast arrays of plains game and its “great cats” which are more easily seen on the open pans - including cheetah and leopard.
  
The rest of the morning is free to relax by the swimming pool, before setting out again in the late afternoon for another game drive. With over 100 different species of mammals and reptiles in Etosha National Park, you can hope to see giraffe, hyena, kudu, springbok, warthogs, baboons and many other interesting animals. Etosha is also a bird watchers paradise, with hundreds of recorded bird species and many migrants during the summer months.
 
After a beautiful African sunset, enjoy the balmy evening and pristine stars of the Milky Way as you have never seen them before – as well as the spectacular Southern Cross.
Day 10
Today spend the whole day exploring Etosha National Park, as you drive to your next rest camp in this great game sanctuary.
 
Enjoy spectacular game viewing on the open pans, where game is more easily visible, as well as wonderful viewing at the rest camp waterholes.
Day 11
Today is devoted to self drive game viewing in the famous Etosha National Park, one of the largest wildlife conservation areas in Africa surrounding an enormous salt pan that is the size of the Netherlands. We recommend setting off early each morning as the camp gates open (05h30 to 06h00 depending on the season), to take advantage of the best game viewing conditions of the day.
  
Explore the vast Etosha Pan, which offer magnificent game viewing opportunities including springbok, oryx, black-faced impala and the small Damara dik-dik. A series of waterholes throughout the park guarantees rewarding game viewing, with Etosha being renowned for its vast arrays of plains game and its “great cats” which are more easily seen on the open pans - including cheetah and leopard.
  
The rest of the morning is free to relax by the swimming pool, before setting out again in the late afternoon for another game drive. With over 100 different species of mammals and reptiles in Etosha National Park, you can hope to see giraffe, hyena, kudu, springbok, warthogs, baboons and many other interesting animals. Etosha is also a bird watchers paradise, with hundreds of recorded bird species and many migrants during the summer months.
 
After a beautiful African sunset, enjoy the balmy evening and pristine stars of the Milky Way as you have never seen them before – as well as the spectacular Southern Cross.
Day 12
Today drive southwards for 3-hours through central Namibia to Okonjima. Travel through the mining centre of Tsumeb, where a rich ore pipe is mined for copper, zinc, lead, silver and a variety of unusual crystals. Also pass Lake Otjikoto where in 1915 the retreating German forces dumped weapons to prevent them from falling into the hands of the South African Union Forces. Several of these weapons have been recovered and can be viewed at the Tsumeb Museum.  
  
Continue to Okonjima, the home of the Africat Foundation dedicated to the preservation of Namibia’s large carnivores, but especially leopard and cheetah. Namibia accounts for 25% of the world’s population of the endangered cheetah, which can be radio-tracked on foot in the rehabilitation area where they roam freely and catch their own prey. Leopards are also frequently seen from the viewing hide or can be radio-tracked from the game viewing vehicle.
 
Check in to your lodge, settle in and relax in this wonderful wildlife centre, before enjoying an open top Game Drive in the reserve.
Day 13
Drive 3-hours through central Namibia to drop off your hire car at Windhoek Airport for your flight home.
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