Namibia Mid-range Self-drive Lodges

Arrive into Windhoek Hosea Kutako airport where you transfer to spend the first night at Windhoek Gardens – a small friendly guest house near the centre of Windhoek.

Pick up your vehicle in Windhoek and drive north to the Waterberg wilderness region, where you spend two nights at Waterberg Wilderness Lodge in a shaded valley between the mountains. The Waterberg – so called because of the natural springs which occur in the area – is a protected wildlife area and many species originally indigenous to the area have been successfully resettled here. There is a swimming pool, which uses the natural spring water.

Spend the next night at Okonjima – home of the AfriCat Foundation. Staying here enables you to see something fist hand of predator conservation. The 55,000 acre Okonjima Game Reserve has some of the best accommodation in Namibia, but the highlight has to be the cheetah and leopard safaris. The AfriCat Foundation rehabilitates cheetahs, wild dogs, hyaenas and leopards giving opportunities to see these beautiful cats in their natural environment. Learn about their fight for survival and the human-wildlife conflict challenges that face both man and carnivore.

Spend the next night at Onguma Forest Camp in a private wildlife concession to the east of Etosha. In the local Herero language, Onguma means, “the place you don’t want to leave.” The lounge and dining areas overlook a stunning waterhole that affords great opportunities for wildlife viewing without even leaving the camp.

A visit to the Etosha National Park is one of the highlights of travelling Namibia.  Etosha covers an area of more than 22 000 sq kms – its centre being a vast saltpan surrounded by grass and thorn savannah, Mopane bushveld in the west and dry forest in the north-east. The pan is just about always dry. However, in the southern parts there are have water-holes scattered throughout this area and form the basis of life for countless game. Etosha boasts good numbers wildlife – springbok are especially numerous. Spend the night at Okaukuejo in a bush chalet.

The next night is spent in the extreme west of the park at Dolomite Camp. Here you will find a high diversity of plant and animal species – including the Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra which does not occur in the eastern side of the park. Each unit at Dolomite Camp has landscape views from an elevated position on a Dolomite outcrop.

Continue to the picturesque Damaraland area, spending the next two nights at Lodge Damaraland, near Khorixas. Damaraland is an unspoiled, rocky area and one of the areas in Namibia where you can find the desert adapted elephants. They wander from waterhole to waterhole and can walk huge distances every day in their search of water. Other attractions in the area include the Brandberg Mountain, bushman rock paintings or a bit further afield the Petrified Forest, and the Organ Pipes (angular dolorite columns up to 5m high).

Drive west to Cape Cross – the largest inland breeding seal colony in the world. Cape Cross Lodge is just 4km from the colony and features airy rooms, with panoramic sea views and individual balconies, with stone floors and soft blue and white décor.

Drive to Swakopmund, Namibia’s famous coastal town. Accommodation here is at Desert Breeze Lodge on the edge of Swakopmund. Swakopmund is a very interesting town, with old German architecture and a distinct character. On the following morning you will do a “Living Desert Tour” – a unique guided tour which brings the desert to life.

Travel to the Sossusvlei area of the Namib Naukluft Park. Your next two nights are spent at Dead Valley Lodge just inside the protected area.

Continue your drive south, spending the next night at Klein Aus Vista.  Just east of Aus, Klein Aus Vista is nestled in the granite-gneiss hills with magnificent views of the landscape.

Drive to Lüderitz, where you spend the night at the Lüderitz Nest Hotel.

Continue south to the Fish River Canyon – the second largest canyon in the world. Accommodation is at the exciting Cañon Lodge, built from natural materials, including local rock and thatch roofs.

Continue to the Kalahari region of Namibia, spending the next two nights at Kalahari Red Dunes Lodge, near Mariental on their Trans Kalahari Walk Package.

Return the vehicle in Windhoek before spending the final night at River Crossing Lodge before heading to the airport in the morning for your flight out.