Namibia is the ultimate road trip destination. Vast open plains, incredible wildlife and a blend of indigenous and colonial influences make it a fascinating destination to visit. Make the most of your trip with our detailed itinerary.
Namibia is a land of wide open spaces and endless horizons.
Rippling red rock canyons morph into bleak grey landscapes, giving way to sand dunes shifting against a mesmerising coastline.
There’s no better way to see this remarkable country than on a road trip.
Our two-week Namibia itinerary includes all the main attractions and some truly memorable experiences. We also venture off the beaten track and encounter local cultures that are trying to make a living while managing wildlife conservation efforts.
We have included a map of our driving route and a day-by-day breakdown of everything we did on our road trip.
ABOUT THIS ITINERARY
This is a self-drive Namibia itinerary.
Public transport is very limited, and the best sights are spread across a vast distance, so the only way to see everything is by driving yourself or taking an organised tour.
We love the freedom of independent travel, and if you do as well, this is the itinerary for you.
Self-driving is easy, but if you have any doubts, read our guide to driving in Namibia, which also includes car rental tips.
HOW TO GET TO NAMIBIA?
This itinerary starts from Hosea Kutako International Airport, a 40-minute drive from Windhoek, the capital. Most people arriving from the US or Europe will probably have a connection in South Africa before arriving in Windhoek.
BOOKING ACCOMMODATION
We have listed accommodation options throughout this guide; but we wanted to point out up front that Namibia is one destination where you really need to be organised with booking accommodation.
Accommodation options outside the capital of Windhoek are limited, and they book out quickly.
When we were planning our trip, the camps in Etosha were all booked out 7 months ahead.
We’d suggest booking accommodation in Etosha, Okonjima, Sossusvlei and Damaraland at least 9 months to a year before your trip.
Read our guide to accommodation in and around Etosha, which has more detailed information and recommendations.
Accommodation Tip – Tour groups book rooms in advance, then cancel the ones they don’t need. So, it’s always worth checking regularly in case availability opens up – which is what happened to us.
NAMIBIA ROAD TRIP MAP
Namibia has very limited public transport. The only real option for getting around is to drive yourself or take a tour.
Only a few of the roads in Namibia are paved with speed limits of up to 120 km/h.
The rest are different levels of gravel roads. Some you can fly along at 90km/h, others you are slowly bouncing over ruts for hours.
Apart from the dismal state of the roads, driving yourself is easy. There are few roads, so it’s difficult to make a wrong turn and it’s mostly wide open spaces, so there are no mountain passes or hairpin turns.
USING OUR MAPS. Click on the top right corner to open in the Google Maps app. Click on the star to save to your Google account.
ITINERARY OVERVIEW
- Day 1 & 2 – Sossusvlei
- Day 3 – Namib Naukluft National Park
- Day 4 – Swakopmund
- Day 5 – Southern Damaraland
- Day 6 – Skeleton Coast
- Day 7 – Northern Damaraland
- Day 8 – Grottberg Lodge
- Day 9-11 – Etosha National Park
- Day 13 – Okonjima
- Day 14 – Departure
NAMIBIA ITINERARY
Start this 2-week Namibia road trip by arriving in Windhoek. If your flight arrives in the morning, make the 4-hour drive south towards Sossusvlei.
It could take 1 to 2 hours to get through immigration and another 45 minutes to pick up the car. So, make sure you have enough time to get to your hotel in Sossusvlei before it gets dark.
If not, stay a night in Windhoek and make your way the next day.
DAY 1: DRIVE TO SOSSUSVLEI
The fastest and most scenic way to Sossusvlei is over the Spreetshoogte Pass.
The pass has excellent views as you drop off the high central plains and into the Namib Desert, where you may be lucky enough to spot ostrich, springbok, baboons and oryx.
It’s a beautiful, desolate drive and an excellent introduction to the scenery you’ll see on this trip.
We stopped at Solitaire to fill up on fuel and get supplies for the following day. There’s not much here except a shop/bakery and fuel station. You’ll probably notice the rusty cars, which make a great photo opportunity.
WHERE TO STAY & LOGISTICS
Driving – From Windhoek to the Agama River Camp, it’s a 4-hour drive over Spreetshoogte Pass via C24, D1261 and D1275.
Accommodation – We stayed at Agama River Camp, which we really liked. It’s located between Solitaire and Sesriem, so it’s very convenient to get between Windhoek and Sossusvlei on your first day.
DAY 2: SOSSUSVLEI
The sand dunes of Sossusvlei are one of Namibia’s iconic sights.
Over 200 metres high, they shimmer in mesmerising shapes with cracked and dried mud pans at their base.
A road has been created along a dry river bed, creating a break in the dunes, which makes Sossusvlei very accessible.
The deeper you head into the desert, the higher the dunes climb. It’s a spectacular scene.
We walked up Big Daddy dune (the largest in the area), then explored the Deadvlei mud pan before hiking across the desert to the much less visited Hiddenvlei.
All the details for the day can be found in our guide to visiting Sossusvlei.
WHERE TO STAY & LOGISTICS
Driving – It takes 40 minutes to drive from Agama River Camp to the Main Park Gate at Sesriem. Sossusvlei is 1 hour from the Main Gate.
Entrance – You can buy a permit from the Main Park Gate at Sesriem, which costs N$80. The gate is open from dawn to dusk.
Accommodation – We drove back to Agama River Camp for our second night.
DAY 3: NAMIB NAUKLUFT NATIONAL PARK
On day 3, we drove across the Namib Naukluft National Park to the Atlantic Coast.
We stopped off at Solitaire again to stock up on fuel and baked goods. If you didn’t have time before, you might want to get some photos of the old burnt-out cars.
Heading north and west on the C14, we quickly jumped out of the car for the obligatory photo in front of the Tropic of Capricorn sign.
Passing through canyons and dry river beds, we also stopped at the Kuiseb Pass and took a short stroll to the viewpoint over the national park.
Next, we stopped at the picnic spot marked on the map above to tuck into the treats we picked up from Solitaire.
The road now drops off the high canyon land and into the flat desert plains. It’s a barren drive through grey and brown rock to Walvis Bay.
From Walvis Bay, we drove up the coast to Swakopmund, a cute German colonial town and our base for the night.
We spent the rest of the day strolling along the pier and seafront, had a quick look inside the museum and then tried a few local beers at Zonder Naam.
WHERE TO STAY & LOGISTICS
Driving – It’s a 4-hour 30-minute drive from Agama River Camp to Swakopmund but we really took our time.
Accommodation – We stayed at the Desert Breeze Lodge, just outside Swakopmund, and it was one of our favourite stays during the whole trip. Located on the edge of the desert, the views are amazing.
DAY 4 : WALVIS BAY & SWAKOPMUND
Today was one of our all-time favourite travel days.
We drove to Walvis Bay Harbour and joined the Pelican Point Kayak and Sandwich Harbour 4×4 combo tour.
The first part of the tour is kayaking with seals at Pelican Point. Tours depart from Walvis Bay, stopping at the vast salt plains on the way. The plains have a large colony of pelicans, giving the area its name.
On the kayaks, the seals will generally come to you as close as 5 metres from the shore.
Engage with them as much as possible, and you’ll soon find them nibbling on oars and nudging up against the kayaks.
After the kayaking, we were dropped back at Walvis Bay, where we had lunch before the Sandwich Harbour tour.
An experienced 4×4 driver takes you over undulating golden dunes nestled beside the Atlantic Ocean.
Passing springbok, seals and jackals, the guide explains how life survives in this most barren of places. The scenery is phenomenal, and the experience is exhilarating.
The day is topped off with champagne and local oysters from the boot of your 4×4.
We have more details in our guide to visiting Sandwich Harbour from Walvis Bay.
WHERE TO STAY & LOGISTICS
Driving – It’s a 45-minute drive each way to Walvis Bay from Swakopmund.
Accommodation – Desert Breeze Lodge, Swakopmund.
DAY 5: SOUTHERN DAMARALAND
Today, we drove to Spitzkoppe, a group of bald granite peaks rising out of the flat Namib desert.
They are a magnificent orange and red hue in the morning light, perfect for photos. We had a fairly leisurely drive, stopping at some of the stalls locals have made out of aluminium cans.
We continued on to the Brandberg Massif, a mighty mountain with cave paintings that have survived for thousands of years.
The White Lady of Brandberg painting is thought to be 1,000 to 2,000 years old, but some etchings are over 5,000.
The only way to see the paintings is on a guided walk, which takes 2 hours and costs N$100 per person. The last tours leave at 4 pm.
After the tour, we tried, unsuccessfully, to look for the desert-dwelling elephant, which can be found on the river banks near the Brandberg White Lady Lodge.
Ask the guides on the walk where they were seen last.
WHERE TO STAY & LOGISTICS
Driving – It’s a 3-hour 45-minute drive from Swakopmund to Brandberg Paintings. From there we spend an hour or so looking for the elephants before making the short drive to Brandberg Rest Cam in Uis.
Accommodation – We spent this night at the Brandberg Rest Camp in Uis, but unfortunately, it’s no longer there. The Desert House is a very well-rated private guest house, and it looks pretty good to us.
DAY 6: THE SKELETON COAST
We took a long drive today through the desolate landscape of the Skeleton Coast. To be honest, this day might not be for everyone, but we like exploring and getting off the beaten track.
We drove all the way to Terrace Bay, which is a 6-hour drive.
There are plenty of pit stops along the way, including the shipwrecked boats, rusting oil rigs and the Cape Fur Seal.
We also really enjoyed exploring life on the margins: stopping the car to walk up and down dry riverbeds looking for springbok, oryx, flamingos, ostriches and jackals lurking in the reeds.
The whole day showcases the difficulty of survival in this dry and barren land. But it’s a long drive, and the scenery is often very flat and monotonous.
To help you decide if this day is for you, read our blog post on the best places to stop on the Skeleton Coast. This guide will also help you plan your day if you decide to do it. (An alternative route is to stay inland and drive to Twyfelfontein to see the ancient cave paintings before heading to Grootberg Lodge in Damaraland).
We finished at Terrace Bay Resort, about as far as the independent traveller can go. We spent the night chatting to the local fisherman over a beer and enjoying the remoteness of this far-flung location.
WHERE TO STAY & LOGISTICS
Driving – It’s a 6-hour drive from Brandberg to Terrace Bay. There are a few things to see, but for much of the drive is a long, barren slog.
Accommodation – There is only one option if you drive all the way up the Skeleton Coast, which is Terrace Bay Resort. We had a great time here. It’s remote and isolated, the stars are amazing, and you’ll get to meet and chat with the local fishermen, most of whom speak at least 3 languages. The food is excellent.
DAY 7: NORTHERN DAMARALAND
On day 7, we left the Skeleton Coast behind to head inland to Grootberg Lodge in Damaraland.
The change in scenery was amazing. Slowly the land becomes a bit greener and the flat grey plains give way to towering red rock mesas and deep-cut valleys.
Wildlife slowly became more obvious with springbok, oryx, giraffe and impala bouncing amongst the golden grasses as birds fly overhead.
Grootberg Lodge, perched on top of a red rock basalt plateau, is run and owned by the local population.
So, it’s not only a great place to stay, with truly magnificent views, but it also helps sustain rural Namibian communities.
We did the evening game drive at 5 pm soon after we arrived and saw lions out hunting for springbok, mountain zebra and oryx.
Dinner in the lodge included a dance by the kids from the local primary school which is funded by the lodge.
WHERE TO STAY & LOGISTICS
Driving – All up it’s a 3-hour, 30-minute drive from Terrace Bay to Grootberg Lodge. But there are plenty of opportunities to stop along the way so take your time. We would suggested trying to get to the lodge for the 5 pm game drive.
Accommodation – We highly recommend Grootberg Lodge. It does wonderful things for the local community and the setting and service is wonderful.
DAY 8: GROOTBERG LODGE
Grootberg Lodge offers a range of activities, including elephant and black rhino tracking and a visit to a local community.
We got up just before dawn to join the black rhino tracking.
You are not guaranteed a sighting, and it can be a long, bumpy, uncomfortable journey up the Klipriver Valley to search for the rhino.
We saw black rhino in the wild from about 300 metres, which was great to see but not the best wildlife experience we had in Namibia – that was Etosha where we went next.
The real reward from the day was getting a genuine understanding of wildlife conservation in Namibia.
The conflict between the needs of wild animals and rural Namibians, the challenges of poaching, and the opportunity and costs of trophy hunting are issues with real impact on the lives of the community.
It’s an educational and informative trip, which we highly recommend. Read our opinion on the challenges of trophy hunting and rhino poaching.
WHERE TO STAY & LOGISTICS
Driving – We spent all of this day on the tour, so there was no self-driving involved, but we spent most of the day in the jeep.
Grootberg Lodge Activities:
- The Sundowner Drive leaves at 5 pm in Winter and 5:30 pm in Summer and costs N$886 per person.
- The Rhino Tracking (3/4 day) departs before sunrise and costs N$2,549 per person.
- The Elephant Tracking (1/2 day) departs early in the morning with a return around 3 pm. It costs N$2,129 per person.
Accommodation – Grootberg Lodge.
DAY 9 – 11: ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK
Etosha National Park is quite simply one of the greatest safari parks in the world.
In the wet season, huge numbers of game stroll the plains. But as the rainy season ends, they congregate around waterholes in this otherwise dry landscape, creating some of the densest game-viewing opportunities anywhere.
Etosha is well set up for the independent traveller willing to self drive.
The roads are easy to navigate, and government camps are well-located for accommodation, food and fuel.
We spent 3 nights in Etosha, each night at a different camp. This allowed us to experience all the park has to offer and maximise our game-viewing opportunities.
We have a lot more information in our Etosha National Park post, which is specifically about doing Etosha on a self-drive safari.
WHERE TO STAY & LOGISTICS
- Driving Day 9 – It’s 3 hours and 15 minutes from Grootberg Lodge to the Dolomite Camp in Etosha.
- Driving Day 10 – We drove 4 hours from Dolomite Camp to Okakuejo Camp. This road is extremely bumpy and slow, but we had great sightings.
- Driving Day 11 – It’s around 2 hours to drive from Okakuejo Camp to Halali Camp.
As mentioned above, we suggest booking 1 night in each of the main Government Camps in Etosha so you can get a diverse safari experience.
Here are the camps we stayed at. We strongly suggest booking these camps up to 12 months out as they book out very early. If the night you are looking for is booked, keep checking, as cancellations happen regularly.
DAY 12: THE WATERBERG PLATEAU
We had one final morning drive in Etosha, then stopped for lunch in Otjiwarongo to break up the drive on our way to Waterberg Wilderness Lodge.
The lodge sits at the base of a red sandstone plateau that is rich in birdlife and rare species of small antelope.
It is also the site of the local Herero tribe’s last stand in their conflict against the German colonial forces before they were forced into the desert. A conflict in which 2/3 of the local Herero population were annihilated.
In the afternoon, we had a stroll around the valley floor, soaking up the relaxing atmosphere and letting the pace drop from what had been a fairly hectic itinerary up to this point.
Dinner at the lodge was excellent.
WHERE TO STAY & LOGISTICS
Driving – It’s a 4-hour, 45-minute drive from Halali Lodge in Etosha to Waterberg Plateau Lodge.
Accommodation – Waterberg Wilderness Lodge
DAY 13: OKONJIMA
This morning, we took the early morning guided walk on the Waterberg plateau.
It can be tough to spot animals, but the guides are knowledgeable about the flora and fauna in the area, and overall, it’s a great experience.
During the 2-hour, 30-minute stroll, you ascend the plateau, learn about droppings, play a few games and are rewarded with sweeping views over the Kalahari.
After the tour, we drove to Okonjima Lodge.
This lodge used to be a private farm but converted itself into a conservation area and is home to the AfriCat foundation.
The foundation is committed to the long-term survival of Namibia’s large carnivores within its 200 km2 private nature reserve.
The lodge runs various game drives, including leopard tracking, rhino tracking and morning and evening game drives.
WHERE TO STAY & LOGISTICS
Driving – It’s a 2-hour drive from Waterberg Lodge to Okonjima Plains Camp.
Okonjima Activities – The morning drives start at either 6 am or 6:30 pm, and the afternoon drive begins at 3:30 pm or 4 pm. The lodge offers special rates, which include some of the game drives, or you can opt to pay for them separately. Check the details on the Okonjima website.
Okonjima Stay – Okonjima Plains Camp, Otjiwarongo.
DAY 14: WINDHOEK & DEPARTURE
On our final day in Namibia, we did the morning game drive and then spent a bit of time relaxing back at Okonjima Plains Camp.
They have a large communal space where you can relax after breakfast (which is excellent).
If you have a late afternoon flight, we’d recommend going straight to the airport rather than stopping in at Windhoek. There is little to see, and it can easily be skipped.
But, if you need to stay overnight in Windhoek for flight times, break up the drive from Okonjima by stopping at the craft market at Okhandja. Backerei Dekker, just near the market, serves decent snacks and coffee.
WHERE TO STAY & LOGISTICS
Driving – It’s a 3-hour drive from Okonjima Plains Camp to Hosea Kutako Airport in Windhoek.
Accommodation – In Windhoek, we stayed at Montebello Guesthouse, which was very nice. However, as mentioned above, we don’t think Windhoek is an essential stop on this itinerary, and we would only include it if you needed to for your flight out.
COSTS
Unless you want to camp, Namibia is not a cheap destination for tourists.
Accommodation will typically be somewhere between US $100 and US $200 per night.
Over the two weeks we were in Namibia, we spent around US $200 on fuel. A simple 2WD Toyota Corolla is around US $600 for 2 weeks and a 4×4 or AWD about US $1,000.
Dinner costs around US $15 to US $20 (much cheaper in some places), and a beer costs about US $2.
HIRING A CAR IN NAMIBIA
Driving in Namibia is much easier than most people think, but if you are unsure, read our Driving in Namibia post. We cover driving tips as well as money-saving advice for getting insurance and renting a car.
You can manage in Namibia with a regular 2WD car, but the ruts on the gravel roads can be tiresome. A 4×4 is quicker, more comfortable, and safer, but significantly more expensive.
We recommend paying the extra money. Driving is a key part of the trip, and with so many gravel roads, a 4×4 or AWD is well worth it.
Most rental car companies in Namibia will require the following:
- A passport and driver’s licence.
- A valid credit card to hold your excess.
- Most companies require you to be over 23 with at least 1 year’s driving experience.
Use the form below to get can rental prices.
BEST TIME TO GO TO NAMIBIA
Etosha has two seasons. The wet season runs from November to May, and the dry season from June to October.
Namibia is fiercely hot in the summer months of November to February, and walking in the Namib desert or Damaraland is much more comfortable in winter (June to September).
In the wet season, the roads can be muddy, and animals are more difficult to spot as they spread out over the vast plains.
The dry season forces animals to congregate around the waterholes, creating the perfect environment for great game viewing.
Later in the dry season is generally the best time to go.
We did this itinerary in September, which was a great time to visit.
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– Paul & Mark.