NAMIBIA - An itinerary to an epic journey
If you had to measure the success of your journey by the number of times your breath was taken away, then Namibia would definitely rank at the very top. From the world’s largest sand dunes, to canyon, to oldest desert, to endless beaches and the vast Etosha National Park, Namibia is truly a land of astonishing contrasts. The sheer diversity of awe-inspiring landscapes, the abundance of space, the stunning wildlife and the feeling of freedom as you drive on the scenic gravel roads will leave you with long lasting memories and refresh your soul.
When you prepare for your journey, I would definitely recommend to stay at the very least two or three weeks. If you plan the trip on your own, you should dedicate some time to think about the itinerary and the pace at which you wish to travel. There are so many places to visit and the distances between those are not to be underestimated. You might also want to allow for some time to briefly pause and let the experiences sink in before moving on to the next one.
The main highlights include Etosha National Park, one of Africa’s best game reserves, Sossusvlei, the Damaraland and the Swakopmund and Walvis Bay area.
ITINERARY TO AN EPIC JOURNEY - DETAILS & MAP
This itinerary was obviously custom made to our needs and interests, taking into account the fact that we were travelling with our five year old daughter and her grandmother. The idea is to leave you with some inspiration that hopefully should help in the preparation of your own journey.
In the “Itinerary details”, the days in black are the stops you may want to consider if you are planning for a 2-week journey and wish to concentrate on the highlights the country has to offer. The main difference with our 23-day itinerary would be the exclusion of the exploration of the wide-open spaces the South has to offer as well a a few stopovers we decided to make to shorten the time spent in the car on any single day.
Budget-wise, there really are a lot of options in Namibia and prices between lodges vary immensely. You can find amazing accommodations at a very reasonable price if you prepare your journey well in advance. Or you might opt for camping and drop the cost of your journey even further. In fact, many places actually had both options to choose from - lodge or camping (e.g. Desert horse Inn, Spitzkoppen, …). In the itinerary below, there is a wide variety of lodges price-wise. You could easily spend a lot less or a lot more depending on your preferences. The most expensive place was Kulala in Sossuvlei as we wanted to be inside the park to reach the Dunes and Deadvlei before the crowds. If you decide to stay outside though, prices would drop significantly.
SELF-DRIVING THROUGH NAMIBIA
Namibia perfectly lends itself to self-driving. The driving was actually one of our favorite part of the trip. The saying “It’s not about just about the destination… it’s about the journey” really takes its full significance in Namibia. We lost track of how many times we were all sitting in awe in front of the ever changing landscape that was unfolding in front of our eyes. Driving yourself will also give you the freedom to stop whenever you want and to explore the places you wish to at your own rhythm.
The roads are generally in good condition and it is very easy to navigate your way through the country. Besides, if you buy a local sim card on your arrival at the airport, which I highly recommend, you will be able to use google map throughout most of your journey. You might also want to download parts of the map on your phone prior to arrival for those times where you do not have any network. Overall, we found it extremely easy to travel on our own.
Although in very good condition, you will spend an important part of your journey on gravel roads. Gravel roads often are the most scenic roads and we absolutely love driving on those. The unevenness and corrugation keep you alert and as you are often on your own, the only thing you see in the rear mirror is the trail of dust from your car. Though, like many things in life, this is of course a matter of perception. We met a few people during our voyage that were not so fond of those gravel roads. In our case, there were just a very few exceptions where the roads were in such bad condition that it went from being fun to tiresome.
Although fun to drive on, you will need to pay attention while driving on those roads. Mainly, respect the speed limit and don’t drive at night. I would also recommend to have two spare tyres. During our 4500 km journey, we actually had three flat tyres, one per week on average. Luckily, those were just small tyre punctures and we could always have them repaired in the lodges where we were staying. Friends we know went the year before and had to replace twice the entire tyre, while another family that went a few weeks before us did not have any incidents. So it will depend on your luck, but you should definitely be prepared. Finally, always fill up your car when you can. We had a car that had two tanks (80l and 60l) and felt very comfortable having this safety net. In some areas, fuel stations become quite sparse and difficult to find.
NAMIBIA - THE PERFECT DESTINATION TO TRAVEL WITH CHILDREN
Namibia is one the safest African country and a great destination for a family trip.
One of the main reason we chose Namibia as a “first destination” to introduce Africa to our family was largely influenced by the fact that most parts of the country are malaria-free during the dry months of May to October. Luckily, those are also the best months to travel to Namibia to explore the wildlife as the water dries up and animals have to gather around the waterholes making it much easier to spot them.
If you plan to travel further north, closer to the Kunene and Okavango rivers as well the Zambezi Region (Caprivi Strip), antimalarial tablets is recommended all year round. This is the reason why we did not include any stops in our itinerary in areas north of Etosha.
