Selfdrive through fascinating Namibia & Botswana

After arriving at Windhoek Airport, pick up your rental car (Toyota Single Cab BTSC, or similar) and drive to your accommodation in Windhoek.

You will immediately notice that the roads are much quieter than we are used to in the Netherlands. Even driving in the capital is a lot easier! Keep in mind that there is a left-hand drive in Namibia. Click here for more information about driving in Namibia.

You can explore the city on your own. We recommend having a drink during sunset in the Sky Bar of the Hilton Hotel in the center of Windhoek. Here you can enjoy a beautiful view. If you like meat and can also appreciate a beer, we recommend you have a bite to eat at the iconic Joe’s Beer house, a cozy restaurant with a good atmosphere and a pub-like appearance.

It’s time! Time to leave Windhoek behind. Today a long drive is planned to one of the highlights of Namibia. A must see when you visit this country, namely Sossusvlei. The majority of the road network in Namibia is unpaved and of course the travel time is therefore a bit longer on these gravel and sandy roads.

You stay two nights at Sossusvlei Lodge, located next to the entrance to Sossusvlei. The big advantage of staying at this lodge within the park is that you can watch the sunset at Sossusvlei and not have to wait for the gates to open before you can enter.  See the dunes slowly change color as the sun rises.

Today’s route goes through the Namib Naukluft National Park, again on unpaved roads. Along the way you can stop at the Kuiseb Canyon, but not before you have first tasted the famous apple pie from the bakery in Solitaire! You don’t expect that, right in the middle of the desert!

Next
destination: Swakopmund. A modern coastal town with German influences. If you want to know more about the history of this place and the area, you can visit the Swakopmund Museum.

The name Swakopmund refers to the mouth of the Swakop River that flows here into the Atlantic Ocean. Swakopmund is for Namibians and also for many South Africans a popular destination for the summer holidays (December-January) due to the climate. In the interior it is very hot everywhere, while it is pleasant in Swakopmund because of the Benguela stream, which supplies water from the South Pole.

The pier is widely used by fishermen and in the evening it is a favorite place for couples to watch the sun go down in the ocean, preferably from the restaurant (Jetty 1905) that is located at the end of the pier.

Since Swakopmund is surrounded by the Namib desert, many local tour operators offer day trips to this surrounding area. For example, you can ride a camel, go quad biking or sand boarding on the huge sand dunes. There are also possibilities for sightseeing flights, parachuting, boat trips, horse riding or a balloon flight.

Walvis Bay, 30 km south of Swakopmund, is Namibia’s third largest city and most important seaport. For tourists, the main attraction is the lagoon where seals, dolphins and special birds such as flamingos and pelicans can be seen.

You stay two nights at The Delight Swakopmund. A beautiful and modern hotel with a delicious breakfast buffet.

In Damaraland you have the chance to see the desert elephant, which of course is an ordinary elephant, but one that has adapted to special living conditions in the dry desert.

Etosha National Park is one of the largest and most famous game parks in southern Africa and consists for the most part of savannah with different grasses, trees and shrubs.

About 114 different species of animals live in the wildlife park, including different birds, reptiles and amphibians. In this park you have the chance to encounter elephants, white and black rhinos, lions, zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, leopards, cheetahs, impalas, kudu, jackals and moose. Watering places are generally good places to spot wildlife, but bear in mind that not all watering places in the park contain water all year round.

Etosha means “large white spot” and this refers to the salt pan that occupies around 25% of the park. The salt pan is so large that it can even be seen from space. The Kunune River once flowed into this place, but thousands of years ago the flow of the river changed and the lake slowly dried up.

Etosha can be visited throughout the year for safaris, but the months of May to September are the best and the temperatures are more pleasant (18-25 degrees during the day, towards the freezing point at night). The hottest and wettest months are January to March.

From Okaukuejo you can easily explore the southwestern part of the park, including the Sprokieswoud, or the peculiar Moringa ovafolia “upside down trees”.

The second night you will stay at the Namutoni Resort. It is a 133 km drive to Namutoni and will take approximately 2.5 to 5 hours depending on the amount of game you encounter and whether you take the fastest route to your accommodation or take a detour.

Today you will leave Namibia’s game park behind you and drive to the town of Rundu, the ‘gateway’ to the tropical Caprivi strip. The place is located in the far north, on the border with Angola and on the Kavango River.

You stay one night at the Kaisosi River Lodge, based on bed and breakfast. This lodge is located around 7 km from Rundu on the banks of the Kavango River. It is a beautiful area and certainly bird lovers will enjoy themselves here. This is certainly not just a ‘stop over’ en route to the Caprivi.

You will stay the next night at the Popa Falls Resort, based on bed and breakfast. The resort is located within walking distance of Popa Falls and you can walk there on your own. In addition, optional activities such as boat cruises and game drives can be booked.

The accommodation where you will stay for the next two nights is located on the banks of the Kwando River. Nearby is the Bwabwata National Park or Caprivi Game Park. In this park you will find the ‘Kwando Triangle’, a triangle in the park where the most wildlife lives. The widest part is only 7 km wide and is surrounded by the Kwando river. After you have obtained permission, you can drive into the park with your 4×4 car. The paths, however, are loose and experience in driving a 4×4 is advisable. You can of course also optionally book a guided game drive.

The next two nights you will stay at Namushasha River Lodge, based on bed and breakfast.

Guests of this boat have the opportunity to experience the Bwabwata park in a different way, namely from the water. Suitable for a maximum of two people, you enjoy your privacy while sailing. A game drive with bush dinner in the Bwabwata National Park are included. Accommodation is based on All Inclusive.

Your next destination is on the banks of the well-known Chobe River. Across the river you can see the Chobe National Park in Botswana. But the Caprivi side is also beautiful. The next night you will stay at the Chobe River Camp, based on bed and breakfast.

In addition to a boat cruise, you can also take a nice bush walk, take a canoe trip on the river or go looking for birds under the guidance of a specialized guide. You can only book and pay for the walk, canoe trip and bird watching directly at the lodge.

At the end of this day you have visited no fewer than three countries! Near the lodge is the border crossing to Botswana. Via Botswana you drive to the border crossing with Zimbabwe.

Your next destination is high on the bucket list for many people and not without reason! The majestic Victoria Falls are the largest waterfalls in the world and to overlook this wonder of the world is enormously impressive!

  There is a hiking trail along the waterfalls with different viewpoints.
In addition, Victoria Falls is also known as the ‘Adventure Capital’ and you can therefore optionally undertake various exciting activities such as bungy jumping, rafting or a gorge swing. If you don’t like all that adrenaline, then a beautiful sunset cruise on the Zambezi River might be a good alternative.

After breakfast, say goodbye to Victoria Falls. Once again you cross the border to Botswana and then drive another hour to your next destination: Camp Kuzuma.

Enjoy a beautiful piece of Africa from this exclusive private lodge in the Kazuma Forest Reserve in the Chobe area in Botswana. Camp Kuzuma is located between two of the largest game reserves in the world: Chobe National Park and Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe.

Nice to know is that this camp is eco-friendly! Electricity is generated by solar energy, water is purified on site, fossil fuel is used to drive the safari vehicles, vegetables are grown themselves, waste is recycled on site etc. Is this your interest? Please indicate this on arrival, Camp Kuzuma staff will be happy to tell you more about this!

If you continue your journey further, you will head south to your destination for today: Nata. The next night you will stay at the Nata Lodge, based on bed and breakfast.

Today’s route, between Nata and Maun, goes through the Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pans National Park. Please note: if you decide to drive into the park yourself: all roads in the park are unpaved and can only be driven by 4×4 vehicle. You must have the necessary experience in driving a 4×4 and ensure that you always take enough water, food and fuel with you when you enter the park.

Today’s destination is Maun, also known as the ‘gateway’ to the Okavango Delta, one of the absolute highlights of Botswana! This is one of the most special nature reserves in Africa. It takes almost 9 months for the Okavango water to reach the end point at Maun from Angola. This is because there is little difference in height. To really get a good impression of this area, we recommend you to make a beautiful helicopter flight! And of course a trip by traditional mokoro (canoe) should not be missing!

You stay two nights in the Island Safari Lodge, based on bed and breakfast. Optionally you can book various excursions, as a boat safari or mokoro tour through the Okavango or game drives through Moremi Game Reserve.

You can choose to end the trip in maun. In that case you will drive to Maun airport after breakfast, hand in your rental car and fly back to the Netherlands / Belgium.

Are you going further? Then today you drive in a westerly direction to the ‘capital of the Kalahari’: Ghanzi. Ghanzi is in particular a stop in transit from the Okavango Delta to Namibia.

De komende nacht verblijft u in het Thakadu Bush Camp.

Although the town of Ghanzi does not have much to offer the tourist, you will not be bored here! You can undertake various optional activities from within the camp. You can do a ‘Bushman walk’. Under the guidance of an experienced guide you will gain more insight into how the San survives in the Kalahari. The ‘Bushman dance’ takes place in the evening and there is singing and dancing during the performance. You must reserve this activity in advance.
In addition, Thakadu Bush Camp is located in a private reserve with numerous hiking trails and you can drive around in your own vehicle.

Today there is a long drive on the program. The drive from Ghanzi to Windhoek airport takes about 5 hours! Do you think this is too long? Then we can arrange an overnight stay for you in Gobabis.