Namibia self-drive tour: immersion hiking, out of the beaten track

Arrival at Hosea Kutako International Airport. Pass through immigration, get your bags, and after going through customs, meet a representative who will hand in your detailed roadbook, oversee the handing over of the car, explain your tour and answer any question you may have.

Drive towards Windhoek and check-in at your accommodation. Rest of the day at leisure to discover the capital city

Drive to the North, towards Okahandja, where you can visit the wooden craft market. Continue to your accommodation located within the National Park. Afternoon at leisure, you have the possibility to depart on a walk to the Plateau (by yourselves, or with a guide). 

Drive toward Etosha National Park, and depart for an afternoon of game drive, either with your own vehicle or with a guide and 4x4 from the lodge.

Full day of game drive with your vehicle, crossing the park from east to south, while stopping at the different waterholes on the way.

Days 5 & 6: Etendeka Walking Trail

Drive this morning towards Palmwag Lodge, the meeting point. Hand your luggage over to the driver who will safely deliver yourHand your luggage over to the driver who will safely deliver your luggage to the River Camp. Start your walk from Palmwag Lodge into the Etendeka Concession for approximately 2 to 3 hours to your 1st overnight camp.  The scenery is incredible as you access the concession on foot and look out onto the pristine rocky plains set against the Namibian sky. Your experienced guide will give you a sense of what awaits as he identifies desert plants and trees. Keen birders and photographers should have their binoculars and cameras on hand.

After your first night under the stars wake up early to the sounds and smells of the wilderness. Enjoy a full cooked breakfast, pack your travel snacks and water bottles into the backpacks provided and start your walk to Hill Camp. The route is spectacular and your guide will be able to identify animal spoor and share information about the history of the area. Stop en route for refreshments and aim to reach Hill Camp by early-afternoon for a late lunch and siesta. The distance of this walk is between 15km and 20km and should take about 6 to 7 hours, including stops, depending on the group's fitness level. Hill Camp is situated on the top of Crystal Mountain with spectacular views and an abundance of crystals and exquisite rock formations. In the afternoon you will be able to do a short sundowner walk around the plateau. Guests will enjoy a simple but delicious and wholesome dinner around the fire. Settle in on your sleeping platform perched on the edge of the mountain and enjoy the night under the stars.

You will enjoy a short morning walk or transfer down to Etendeka Mountain Camp, and get the scenic nature drive back to Palmwag Lodge. From there, you drive to the south of Damaraland, towards Twyfelfontein. Possibility on the way to do a detour and visit the Petrified Forest.

Once in Twyfelfontein, you can partake in a few different activities, such as the visit of the Twyfelfontein engravings, the Burnt Mountain and the Organ Pipes, the visit of the Damara Living Museum, or a half-day 4x4 excursion to the nearby dry riverbeds, looking for the desert-adapted elephants. 

On the way to the coast, you can stop at the Ozohere Himba village for a cultural visit. You can also make a detour and visit the Cape Cross seal colony. Seeing so many seals is quite a sight, but the smell is also something you may not forget anytime soon! Possibility to stop at the Zeila shipwreck, the last boat that got stranded on the treacherous Skeleton Coast.

The following day is free, you can relax in one of the many cafés, go on a stroll along the ocean, or partake in a wide array of activities, such as:

- a kayak or boat excursion on the Walvis Bay lagoon,

- a 4x4 excursion to the scenic Sandwich Harbour, where the high dunes plunge into the ocean, 

- Mondesa Township Tour,

- a scenic flight in a light aircraft, up to Sossusvlei...

Your drive today takes you south, through some canyons and beautiful desert plains. 

The following day, you can explore the dunes wonderland on your own, or with a guide and 4x4 of the lodge. Possibility to climb some of the dunes and enjoy the view from the top. Dune 45 is the most easily accessible one, but the view from Big Daddy, after about an hour climbing, is definitely worth it!

Days 13 & 14: Tok Tokkie Trails

On option, possibility to depart at sunrise for a balloon flight over the Namib plains.

Drive south to reach the NamibRand Nature Reserve, your home for the next two days. 

Tok Tokkie Trails takes you close to the desert’s stunning beauty. Whilst walking, you will discover many secrets of the Namib that cannot be experienced when driving. You will get to feel different aspects of the desert – from mountainous terrain to sandy dunes. Fog-basking Tok Tokkie beetles, barking geckos, dancing spiders, bat-eared foxes, and many more - the desert is not deserted at all. Let your guide introduce you to this world, relax with a sundowner and enjoy a three-course dinner before falling asleep under the stars... 

You should arrive at the Tok Tokkie Trails base by the early afternoon. Your luggage will be transferred to the overnight camp by vehicle. The trail starts with a visit of the Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust (NaDEET), a non-profit, donor sponsored trust, which aims to develop environmentally responsible citizens of Namibia. (www.nadeet.org). A short scenic drive takes you to the starting point of the Tok Tokkie Trail. Today, you will walk over a slope strewn with mysterious “fairy circles” and over rolling sand dunes to the first overnight camp. The dunes are not the massive ones encountered at Sossusvlei, but small, vegetated dunes that have a unique beauty of their own. At camp, relax with a sundowner, marvel at the magnificent scenery and start “feeling” the desert before dinner is served. For most the first night spent out in the desert will be unforgettable. If the sky is clear and moonless, you will quickly understand why NamibRand Nature Reserve is one of the few International Dark Sky Reserves in the world.

Walking time: 1 – 2 hrs, sleeping out in the open on stretcher beds

Early morning tea or coffee followed by a light breakfast, so that you can set off in the cool of the early morning. The highlights of the walk are the breath-taking views of the dunes and plains as well as the “coming alive” of the desert as the guide allows you to feel, smell, taste and see the oldest living desert in the world. The “morning news”, as written in the sand is always fascinating and with some luck and the guide’s trained eyes, you may spot some of the desert specials (golden mole, dancing white lady, barking gecko, dune lark, flightless wasp just to name a few). You walk over a mountain saddle before descending gently to a dry riverbed. During the course of the day your guide will explain some wonders of the Namib to you - how the fascinating desert flora survives, how insect and reptile life adapts to the harsh environment and how mammals can survive here without water. Birding is surprisingly good and you may be lucky enough to see one of Namib endemics, the dune lark. Larger animals you might come across include bat-eared fox, oryx, springbok and ostrich. As we realize that our survival depends on the water that has been deposited for us, this will probably heighten our admiration for the plants and animals that dwell here.

For lunch, we will stop at a shady spot where you can enjoy the treats prepared by our chefs and fill up your water bottles. There is plenty of time to relax, have a siesta and reflect on all you have seen. As the heat recedes, you start walking again up and over the dunes to your second overnight spot. The scene in front of you is a sea of endless dunes and “fairy circles” against a backdrop of magnificent mountain scenery. Photography is spectacular! The shadows on the dunes create an ever-changing palette of colours shortly before sunset. A sundowner and a delicious dinner after a long and enjoyable day are indeed welcome. You might hear some barking geckos, owls or just deafening silence.

Walking time: morning: 4 – 4.5 hrs / afternoon: 2 – 2.5 hrs, sleeping out in the open on stretcher beds

After an early wake-up, coffee and breakfast are served before you set off through the dune field. The soft and rolling dunes are interspersed by camel thorn trees, which provide welcome shade for a rest. Today’s walk is easy and you arrive at Tok Tokkie farmhouse at approximately 11:30.

Walking time: morning: 3 – 3.5 hrs

You then head-off north towards the Nauklft Mountain, your home for tonight. If your arrival time permits, you have the possibility to depart for a walk in the surrounding area, on one of the two walking trails:

- you can do a part of the "Waterkloof Trail", +/- 5 km, towards the rock pools and back (this whole trail is 17 km, 6-8 hrs, which will likely be too long for this afternoon)

- or the "Olive Trail" (10 km, 4-5 hrs), which include a ‘chain’ bridge to cross rock ledges over a natural pool.

You can depart this morning for a last walk in the Naukluft Park, before heading back to Windhoek.

Time at leisure, possibility to go shopping for souvenirs, relax, or go for a walk towards Avis Dam or on a nearby farm, before handing in your car back and being transferred to Windhoek International Airport for your outbound flight.