Namibia Itinerary – Perfect 2–3 Week Namibia Self Drive Safari!

Namibia is the perfect country to get adventurous with a self drive safari. It’s incredibly beautiful, has a diverse range of activities, and has good driving conditions. The ideal Namibia itinerary takes in Namibia’s otherworldly desert landscapes, goes wildlife spotting on safari, and throws in some adventure activities if that’s your jam. Read on to discover an incredible 2-3 week Namibia self drive safari itinerary!

Not sure if Namibia is for you? Read the AF’s Namibia Travel Guide for Beginners first!

Note: This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you click a link, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

How Long to Stay in Namibia

One Week in Namibia Itinerary  

I recommend staying in Namibia longer than one week. But if this is all you’ve got then your Namibia itinerary should focus on one or two destinations. You could also consider taking domestic flights to save time.

If your priority is safaris and game viewing, with one week in Namibia you could visit Etohsa National Park and Damarland in the north, possibly with a night in the Central Highlands.

If you want to experience the surreal beauty of the desert, with just 7 days in Namibia you could go to the NamibRand desert, Sossusvlei and perhaps either the Kalahari in the south or Swakopmund in the center. This would combine well with a safari in South Africa.

Two to Three Weeks in Namibia Itinerary

Two to three weeks in Namibia is ideal for a self-drive Namibia itinerary. In this time, most people focus their Namibia trip on either the ‘northern circuit’ or the ‘southern circuit’ described below. You should also have time to throw one or two other destinations into your Namibia travel itinerary along the way. It is possible to do the full circuit (i.e. northern and southern circuits) in three weeks. But be warned – you’ll be in for a LOT of driving.

One Month in Namibia 

Lucky enough to have one month or longer in Namibia? You can take your time on either the northern or southern circuit. Want the best of both worlds? Combine both and do the full circuit.

Namibia Safari Circuits

Starting Point for a Namibia Self Drive Safari

Most Namibia itineraries start and end in Windhoek, as this is where international flights land. The Namibia safari circuits below can all be driven clockwise or counterclockwise from Windhoek, and can be tailored for your interests.

Nervous about driving in Namibia? See the AF’s guide on Self-Driving in Namibia for information on road and driving conditions in Namibia. (It’s easy, promise!)

Namibia Northern Circuit Itinerary

The Namibia northern itinerary includes beautiful landscapes and the best safaris and game viewing in Namibia. Etosha is a must-do if you want to have the best chances of spotting wildlife.

The Namibia northern safari route is usually Windhoek – Central Highlands – Etosha National Park – Damaraland – Swakopmund – Windhoek.

If you’re up for something more wild and remote and have a bit of time up your sleeve, you can detour from Etosha or Damaraland to the Skeleton Coast.

Namibia Southern Circuit Itinerary 

The Namibia southern itinerary includes dramatic scenery and the desert highlights of the country.

The Namibia southern safari route is usually Windhoek – Sossusvlei – NamibRand Nature Reserve (optional) – Aus / Lüderitz – Fish River Canyon – Kalahari Desert – Windhoek.

Namibia Full Circuit Itinerary 

The Namibia full circuit itinerary combines the northern circuit and southern circuit routes, and includes all the best places to visit in Namibia. Simply go straight from Swakopmund to Sossusvlei instead of heading back to Windhoek.

This was my dream route but, alas, we didn’t have a full month (or more!) to spare to do it justice.

Namibia Classic Itinerary

Most people you’ll meet in Namibia will be on a Namibia self drive safari for two or three weeks following the same well-trodden Namibia classic itinerary. This itinerary can be driven either clockwise or counter-clockwise.

The classic Namibia itinerary is essentially the northern circuit above, with Sossusvlei added. That is, drive between Windhoek, Central Highlands, Etosha National Park, Damaraland, Swakopmund and Sossusvlei, and then back to Windhoek, or vice versa in the opposite direction.

If you’re short on time, skip Damaraland and/or the Central Higlands. If you have some extra time, add another destination or two depending on your interests. Which leads us to…

Namibia Itinerary: 3 Weeks in Namibia

We spent almost three weeks (19 days to be precise, not including international flights) in Namibia on an incredible Namibia self-drive tour. Our priority in Namibia was wildlife, deserts and hiking. Accordingly, we followed the classic Namibia itinerary above with two desert hikes added.

We stayed in lodges in Namibia, mainly mid-range but with two higher end ones thrown in for a bit of luxury. And cos I’m a sucker for glamping!

Windhoek – 1 Night

Why Visit Windhoek

The first stop on most Namibia itineraries is Namibia’s capital city, Windhoek. Windhoek may not be the most happenin’ place in Namibia, but it is home to Namibia’s main international airport. You’ll only need 0-1 nights in Windhoek at the start of your Namibia itinerary, depending on when your flight lands and whether you want to rest before hitting the road.

How to Get to Windhoek

Windhoek has an international airport that is well serviced by flights from Johannesburg and other locations.

It’s around 30-40 minutes drive from Windhoek International Airport to city.

Windhoek Accommodation

We stayed at Olive Grove Guesthouse, a great midrange boutique option walking distance to central Windhoek and very close to our favourite Windhoek institution – Joe’s Beerhouse!

The guesthouse is small (as in not too many rooms, rooms themselves are spacious), stylish and comfortable with a nice boutique feel. Our room was lovely with a big bed and cool stone bathroom.

The breakfast was tasty, varied and healthy and they even gave us a packed breakfast before our early airport transfer. The dinner menu looked really good but we preferred to eat out at the pub.

What to Do in Windhoek

After arriving from a long haul flight, we spent the night in Windhoek so that we didn’t have to drive while jet-lagged. I highly recommend Joe’s Beerhouse for local good quality pub grub (provided you like meat!) and eclectic African décor.

We didn’t do any sightseeing in Windhoek, but there is some interesting German architecture in town if that’s your thang. You could easily skip Windhoek if you don’t need a rest after your flight. In fact, when we asked a local what to do in town, he looked confused (translation: there is nothing to do) and suggested Joe’s Beerhouse!

Kalahari Desert – 2 Nights

Why Visit the Kalahari Desert

The Kalahari Desert presents endless scenery with rolling red dunes and tussock grasses. It’s not quite as desolate or dry as the NamibRand or Sossusvlei deserts where game viewing is sparse, and some of the lodges have pretty decent wildlife viewing.

Other Kalahari Desert activities include hiking, biking and scenic drives. Namibia itineraries usually include 1-3 nights in the Kalahari, depending on whether you’re just after a break from driving or want to relax at one of the lovely lodges.

Getting to the Kalahari Desert

The Kalahari Desert is approximately 200km / 2 hours drive from Windhoek, depending on where you’re staying in the desert.

Kalahari Desert Namibia Accommodation and Activities

We chose to stay at the Kalahari Red Dunes Lodge to break-up the drive from Windhoek and to hike the lodge’s overnight Trans-Kalahari Walk. However, it’s definitely a destination worth visiting even if you don’t do the walk.

The lodge is traditional Kalahari style with nice huts and a central dining area for the delicious 4-course dinners and buffets breakfasts. As well as the Trans-Kalahari Walk, the lodge has a range of activities to choose from, including game drives, sundowner drives and hiking and biking trails which you can do guided or unassisted

Read More: If you’re up for an incredible hike or want to read more about the lodge, check out the AF’s post on the Kalahari Red Dunes Lodge and the Trans-Kalahari Walk.

NamibRand Nature Reserve – 2 Nights

Why Visit the NamibRand Nature Reserve

In a word, the NamibRand desert is breathtaking. It’s a vast wilderness filled with rolling dunes, rocky mountains and grassy plains with mysterious fairy circles. The landscape and colors are constantly changing and the night sky is some of the darkest in the world, making for excellent night gazing.

Wildlife is a little sparse in the NamibRand due to the desolate conditions, which just makes each oryx, zebra and jackal all the more special. Spend a couple of nights in Wolwedans or another lodge and enjoy scenic drives, nature walks or simply watching the world go by.

Getting to the NamibRand Nature Reserve

It was approximately 250km / around 4 hours from Kalahari Red Dunes Lodge to Tok Tokkie Trails (assuming you’re comfortable on gravel roads).

NamibRand Nature Reserve Accommodation and Activities

‘Accommodation’ might not be the right word, as we chose to sleep under the stars luxe style on the Tok Tokkie Trails.

We’re hiking enthusiasts but I also like my creature comforts, so I was pretty chuffed to discover the Tok Tokkie Trails. Tok Tokkie Trails is a two night guided hike through the NamibRand Nature Reserve. You sleep under the stars but enjoy the luxury of three course dinners, a hot bucket shower, a bush toilet and plenty of wine (or your tipple of choice!).

The hike is around 22km through the desert with a few small hills and some rocky terrain. It’s a fairly easy hike and can be done by anyone with a reasonable level of fitness. Along with Etosha, Tok Tokkie Trails was absolutely the highlight of our trip.

Read More: If a glamping hike through the Namibian desert sounds up your street, this comprehensive guide to hiking the Tok Tokkie Trails.

If you prefer a roof over your head, check out the various lodges on offer at Wolweans in NamibRand Nature Reserve.

Sossusvlei – 2 Nights

Why Visit Sossusvlei

Sossusvlei is included in most Namibia itineraries. It is one of the most spectacular sights in Namibia and it fits in whether you’re heading north or south. The highlights of Sossusvlei can easily be seen in one day:

Sand Dunes: Sossusvlei is a desert area filled with soaring red sand dunes. If you’re able bodied, climb one of the whoppers – either Dune 45 or aptly named ‘Big Daddy’.

Deadvlei: Don’t miss the eerie dead trees of the Deadvlei salt pan, above. You can walk down into Deadvlei after climbing the Big Daddy Dune or walk in from the main road.

Sesriem Canyon: Sesriem Canyon is just outside the park entrance. This is a small(ish) but impressive canyon, and it’s well worth the short hike down.

Make sure you visit Sossusvlei first thing in the morning when the light is best for photos and the desert air is cool (very cool in winter!).

Getting to Sossusvlei

Sossusvlei is approximately 100 km / 1.5 hours drive from Tok Tokkie Trails. If you’re coming straight from Windhoek, it’s around 380km / 5 hours drive from Windhoek to Sossusvlei.

Sossusvlei Accommodation and Activities

We stayed at Desert Homestead Lodge for it’s beautiful vistas, convenient location for visiting Sossusvlei (30 minutes to the main gate) and good range of activities on offer.

While the lodge and rooms weren’t as high end as some of our other lodges, it was good value for money, comfortable, very tasteful and a great place to relax (although the pool was a little chilly in winter!). Desert Homestead Lodge has a row of individual huts with nice beds, a separate bathroom and a verandah with chairs to take in the views.

The lodge offers good well-priced activities which you don’t need to organise in advance (huzzah!). On our first day, we had a relaxing afternoon at the lodge and then joined a sundowner drive around the reserve where the focus is on landscapes rather than animals (although we did spot a jackal, whoop whoop!). Nay bad having a sundowner drink while soaking in the stunning scenery.

We dedicated the second day to exploring Sossusvlei. While you can easily self-drive Sossusvlei, we took the lodge’s excellent guided tour to have a break from driving. (Ahem … for the husband to have a break.) The tour covered the main highlights of Sossusvlei, all the while learning about Sossusvlei from our guide.

We viewed the dunes of Sossusvlei, hiked the ‘Big Daddy’ dune, explored the dead trees of the Deadvlei salt pan and walked the Serisem gorge. Even better, we enjoyed a delicious picnic brunch halfway. The tour finished at around 2pm which left plenty of time to enjoy the lodge.

On our final morning, we went for a short guided horse ride (first horse ride in over 20 years!) before hitting the road again.

For those who have more time, the lodge also has overnight activities. Choose between overnight horse treks (if your butt can cope!) and a hike to their second lodge, the Desert Homestead Outpost.

Swakopmund – 2 Nights

Why Visit Swakopmund

Swakopmund is the adventure capital of Namibia. In a nutshell, it’s a German seaside town set against a backdrop of massive rolling dunes with good restaurants and a variety of activities like sandboarding, quad biking and dolphin and whale watching. Aim to spend 1-3 nights in Swakop depending on what activities you want to do and how long your drives to and from Swakopmund are. You can also visit nearby Walvis Bay.

To be honest, I didn’t really see the appeal of Swakopmund when planning my Namibia trip. It seemed to be a quaint German seaside town focused on adventure activities. In contrast, my main interests were game viewing, hiking and landscapes. I only added Swakopmund to avoid a ridiculously long drive from Sossusvlei to Damaraland. We decided to stay for 2 nights to allow a full day in town and have a day break between drives.

In the end, we actually really enjoyed ‘Swakop’ as the locals call it. It’s a bit of an oasis in the desert, and it’s pretty surreal seeing sand dunes to rival Sossusvlei right next to a small town. It would look like an endless beach if it weren’t for the main highway plonked along the coast! We stayed at Desert Breeze Lodge, which is a few km out of town and has wonderful views of the dunes.

Getting to Swakopmund

It’s approximately 350km / 4.5 hours drive from Sossusvlei to Swakopmund.

Swakopmund Accommodation and Activities

We chose to stay at the Desert Breeze Lodge a few km out of town for its incredible landscape and views. The lodge overlooks the endless rolling sand dunes which you can take a walk over or simply look at. You kind of feel like you’re still in Sossusvlei!

The rooms at Desert Breeze Lodge are standalone and nicely spaced out and it looked like they all had good views. They are also comfortable and absolutely massive, probably the largest of our trip, with a bedroom, lounge area and large bathroom.

We visited Swakopmund in winter, so another benefit was being (slightly!) protected from the cold ocean winds. If I visited Swakop in summer I’d probably stay in town near the beach.

While Swakop is jam packed with adventure activities, we instead took the chance for some mid-trip chill time. Lazy as it may be, we spent two full days eating beautiful seafood and drinking vino in the sun. The highlights were a long lazy (slash boozy) lunch at Brewer & Butcher at The Strand Hotel by the seaside, a sunset drink and snack at the low-key Tiger Reef Beach Bar and Grill, and a dinner at The Tug Restaurant by the ocean. All excellent choices!

Damaraland – 2 Nights

Why Visit Damaraland

Damaraland has rugged and dramatic scenery. Imagine rocky outcrops and deep gorges, with desert-adapted elephants, lions and rhino.

Damaraland highlights for your Namibia itinerary include the rock formations of Spitzkoppe, Erongo and Brandberg, the prehistoric rock engravings at Twyfelfontein, the nearby Petrified Forest and elephant tracking safaris. It’s worth spending at least two nights in the region to fit in both the scenery and a wildlife tour.

Getting to Damaraland

It’s approximately 325km / 4 hours drive direct from Skawopmund to Twyfelfontein in Damaraland.

However, if you’re driving that far, why not make a day of it and stop off at some of the incredible sites along the way. We couldn’t make it to the remote heart of the Skeleton Coast, so we stopped off to see the Zelia shipwreck on the way to Henties Bay, which was pretty surreal. We then detoured to the Cape Cross Seal Colony where you can see thousands of very cute (and very stinky) seals.

Getting from Swakopmund to Twyfelfontein in Damaraland ended up being our longest drive in Namibia due to the stops. The trip to around 6 hours all up, as the Cape Cross seal colony requires a slight detour from the main route.

Damaraland Accommodation and Activities

Mowani Mountain Camp Luxury Room

Mowani Mountain Camp was one of the two luxe options in our Namibia itinerary and one of my favs. (Funny that … ) The lodge is set into the incredible mountain landscape, with rooms shaped like big boulders that merge perfectly with the surroundings. The views from the pool deck and sundowner area are particularly spectacular!

Two nights at Mowani were long enough to fit in the camp’s elephant tracking safari, see the (impressive) Twyfelfontein rock carvings, see the (less impressive) Burnt Mountain and Organ Pipes, and do the hour long walking track surrounding the lodge. However, I would have liked another night to relax and make the most of the beautiful lodge.

Etosha National Park – 5 Nights 

Why Visit Etosha National Park

Etosha is the premier safari and game viewing region in Namibia. It’s a must-do for your Namibia itinerary if you’re in the central or northern regions. Days are filled with game drives around the park’s well maintained roads and lazy hours watching animals at waterholes.

Most people spend a few nights in Etosha. However, you may want longer if you’re an avid animal enthusiast or want to explore the entire park – it is massive!

We luuuurve safaris and wildlife so decided to dedicate 5 nights to Etosha National Park. This allowed for 4 full days of game driving and provided some leeway if the animals were sneaky and hiding.

Getting to Etosha National Park

Etosha National Park is approximately 340 km / 4 hours from Damaraland (Twyfelfontein) to the start of Etosha. That’s just the start of it though, as you’ll spend with many hours each day driving around the park!

Where to Stay in Etosha National Park: Inside vs. Outside Park

We divided our five nights in Etosha into two different areas: 2 nights inside the park in the south of Etosha, and 3 nights outside the park to the east of Etosha.

We did this for two reasons. First, this gave us time to explore different areas of the park, which is massive! Etosha National Park is over 22,000km2 and a few hundred km from east to west. It would take an entire day to simply drive the width of the park without taking any of the side roads.

Secondly, I have a thing for luxe glamping and private game reserves, and all the private game reserves are outside Etosha’s gates. The lodges inside the park are all government run (read: larger, less fancy, and not as well managed) but do have a key benefit as the park is only open from sunrise to sunset. If you stay inside the park, you can beat the park entry lines in the morning and maximize valuable sleep time, and can also view game at the lodge waterholes at night.

Etosha Accommodation Inside Park (2 Nights)

With that in mind, we spent our first two nights inside the inside the south-west of the park at Okaukuejo Rest Camp. Okaukuejo is a large camp and has a range of accommodation to suit all budgets, from campsites to chalets. We chose the Premier Waterhole Chalet as it had direct views of the Okaukuejo waterhole, which provides some of the best game viewing in Etosha.

We were lucky enough to see a steady procession of animals at the Okaukuejo waterhole both day and night, including a lion and several rhino on the same night! The waterhole is surrounded by a low fence and benches, so you can make the most of it regardless of what room you choose. I didn’t have high expectations for Okaukuejo based on the reviews, but we actually really liked it and thought it provided good value and decent food.

We spent our days exploring Etosha on self-drives, focusing on the central, south and west areas. Grab a map as you enter the park, and visit as many waterholes as you can – that’s where the action is concentrated.

During our few days inside Etosha, we spotted a leopard, lions, rhinos, elephants, giraffes, jackals, all kinds of antelopes and congregations of different species at the waterholes. Phew!

We’d often drive for a couple of hours without seeing much, and then be rewarded with a classic waterhole multi-species procession or a big cat. This definitely makes the entire day worthwhile!

Etosha Accommodation Outside Park (3 Nights)

Onguma Tented Camp: Reason for staying outside Etosha National Park!

After Okaukuejo, we spent three nights in the Onguma Private Game Reserve at the (fancier) Onguma Tented Camp.  Onguma Tented Camp was our second luxe option, and also my other favourite (surprise, surprise!). This  combination with Okaukuejo, as it allowed us to explore most of the park in two completely different styles.

Onguma has a few accommodation options, and we chose Onguma Tented Camp, as I have a soft spot for luxe permanent tented camps. The camp has only 7 tents, a dining tent, and a pool area, all with views of the waterhole. The tents were very comfortable with large beds and full bathrooms (indoor and outdoor showers!).

Onguma Private Game Reserve is close to the east entry to Etosha National Park. You can either go back inside Etosha for game drives, or join Onguma’s guided game drives around their private reserve. (Note: You cannot self drive inside Onguma, other than to get to the lodges.)

The hardest thing about Onguma was deciding how to spend our time. Self-drive around Etosha? Guided game drives inside Onguma? Park up at Onguma’s hide to spot animals? Chill at our luxe camp? Quite possibly the best first world problem to have!

In the end, we spent the mornings on self-drives inside Etosha (focusing on the east and central areas), afternoons relaxing at Onguma Tented Camp, and then joined Onguma’s evening sundowner drives inside their private reserve. Pretty perfect day topped off with a vino and beautiful meal at the camp!

Keeping with our reputation as particularly lucky game viewers, inside Onguma Private Game Reserve we saw a cheetah with 5 small cubs during one of the sundowner drives and a magnificent leopard drinking at the waterhole during dinner. Both highlights of the trip!

My other pick for an Etosha private game reserve was Ongava on the west side of Etosha and the Ongava Tented Camp but, alas, we didn’t have time (or possibly funds!) to stay at both.

Central Highlands – Okonjima Nature Reserve – 1 Night

Why Visit The Central Highlands

From Etosha National Park, you can either drive straight to Windhoek (roughly 6 hours’ drive) or stopover for a night or two in the Central Highlands. Common stopovers are Waterberg for mountains and hiking or a private game reserve on the road from Windhoek to Etosha.

The most popular game reserves in the Central Highlands are Erindi Private Game Reserve and Okonjima Nature Reserve. We chose Okonjima Nature Reserve at the end of our Namibia itinerary for two reasons. Firstly, to break up the drive back to Windhoek. Secondly, because it is home to the Africat Foundation. What a great choice!

Getting to The Central Highlands and Okonjima Nature Reserve

The Drive from Etosha Von Lindequist gate (near Onguma) to Okonjima was around 350km / 4 hours.

Central Highlands Accommodation – Okonjima Plains Camp

Okonjima Lodge has a few accommodation options, and we selected the mid-range Okonjima Plains Camp. If budget wasn’t an issue at this point in the trip, I would have gone for the more intimate and  upmarket Okonjima Luxury Bush Camp. (Ohhh dreams are free.) The Okonjima Plains Camp lodge is larger than most we stayed at, but was still very nice with good service and delicious food.

The main activities at Okonjima are game drives to track the reserve’s collared leopards and cheetahs. You have good chances of spotting the big cats. I would have liked another day at Okonjima to learn more about the Africat Foundation’s work, do another leopard / cheetah tracking activity and go on a hike around the reserve.

Read More: I loved tracking leopards and cheetahs so much that I dedicated an entire post to  Okonjima and the Africat Foundation.

Windhoek – 1 Night

We spent the morning at Okonjima tracking leopards and cheetahs, followed by a long lazy brunch. It was then time to hit the road for the short drive back to Windhoek (approximately 220km / 2.5 hours drive from Okonjima to Windhoek). We stayed in Windhoek (again at Olive Grove Guesthouse) for our final night as we had an early flight the next day.

Again, we didn’t see anything of Windhoek other than Joe’s Beerhouse! We had a delicious local meal of kingklip (my favorite local fish) and sosatie (game meat kebabs). Plus a fair few vinos! (In my defense, the going price for wine in Namibia seems to be US$1.50 – $6 a glass. This is literally up to 10 times cheaper than Singapore. Also, my husband is a rugby nut and the pub TV was playing rugby. I had to keep myself entertained somehow.)

While we were sad to reach the end of the road, we left very happy with our Namibia itinerary and Namibia self drive safari experiences. We felt like we had enough time to really escape and avoid rushing around.

In fact, I’m already dreaming about a return trip to Namibia. Next time, I’d love to combine Namibia’s southern circuit with a safari in nearby South Africa or Zambia!

I’d love to hear about your Namibia itinerary ideas for my next Namibia self drive safari trip!

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