You will be met in the arrivals hall of Windhoek Hosea Kutako Airport by one of our chauffeur drivers who will transfer you into town in an ATI luxury vehicle. After taking some time to shower, relax (and maybe have a quick nap), your hire car will be delivered to your guest house or hotel around 4pm. If you’re landing late in the day, it will be delivered around 8am the following morning. One of our representatives will meet you at the same time to offer a thorough briefing of your whole holiday and go through your marked road map, vouchers, and itinerary with you. We’re also on hand to book a restaurant for tonight, should we not have already done so.

After breakfast you will set off on your self-drive journey to the next destination, following our detailed road directions and map. During your briefing we will have shown you the best places to stop off for lunch or a break, as well as any highlights which are worth visiting along the way. Enjoy the fabulous landscape of the Gamsberg Mountains, and perhaps an afternoon sundown drive in search of mountain zebra.

Continue on your journey to the Namib Desert today. Whilst here, you have the opportunity to drive yourself into the Namib Naukluft National Park to visit Sesriem & Sossusvlei. The gates open at sunrise and close at sunset, and your lodge should be able to advise you of the exact times. Many guests like to stop at Dune 45, one of the highest in the Park, to stretch their legs and enjoy the amazing views. Enjoy Deadvlei and Sossusvlei in the relative cool of the morning, before heading back to the lodge.

Today you will drive northwards from the Sesriem area to your overnight destination at the coast. Solitaire is the perfect rest stop with a fuel station, café, shop, and the best apple pie in the Southern Hemisphere. You may like to stop briefly in Walvis bay to see the lagoon and look out for flamingos, pelicans, and other birdlife. The drive to Swakopmund should take you around 5.5 hours excluding stops.

This morning you will make your way down to the Walvis Bay Waterfront for a few hours aboard one of the three catamarans, where you will experience the lagoon in luxury, style and comfort! Your guide will serve drinks, and you will cruise towards the Pelican Point lighthouse where you will see the Cape Fur Seal colony, with large numbers of playful seals both in and out of the water. The old supply railway line can still be seen from the years when the lighthouse was occupied by the coastguards. You will see something of the enormous bird diversity of this area, species include flamingos, pelicans and cormorants. Depending on the time of year, and of course on luck, you may also see dolphins, and occasionally the bizarre mola-mola (sunfish), leatherback turtle, Humpback, Southern Right or Orca whale. Three different types of dolphins may be encountered, namely the Heavyside Dolphins – which are the most important, as they are endemic to the coast of Namibia – Dusky Dolphins and Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins.

Today you will drive north along the coastal road, turning inland at Henties Bay and continuing past the mighty Brandberg Mountain into Damaraland. Perhaps make a detour to visit the seal colony at Cape Cross if time allows. The drive should take you around 4.5 hours excluding stops or detours. During your two nights here, you could enjoy an optional desert elephant nature drive and a guided visit to the World Heritage site of Twyfelfontein with its fascinating San Bushman rock art.

Today you will drive northeastwards from Damaraland to southern Etosha, Namibia’s wildlife highlight. The drive should take you around 4.5 hours excluding stops. Your destination is home to the famous Okaukuejo waterhole inside Etosha National Park, Namibia’s prime wildlife area. During your time here you may enjoy optional guided game drives, self-guided drives, and wildlife viewing at the waterhole.

After breakfast you will depart on your journey through Etosha, perhaps stopping at the central Rest Camp of Halali for some lunch and a break. The Park opening and closing times vary depending on sunrise and sunset, and your lodge will be able to advise on the current time. You will need to complete a form at the Park entrance, and pay Park fees at the closest Rest Camp. Park Fees cost N$150 per adult per 24-hour period, N$100 per child aged 9-16, no cost per child aged 0-8, plus N$50 per vehicle. Allow a whole day for this drive as you will want to make the most of the wildlife viewing. Enjoy two nights just outside the eastern border of Etosha.

Today you will drive southwards from the eastern side of Etosha to Okonjima. You will travel through the towns of Tsumeb and Otjiwarongo which both offer opportunities for lunch or a quick break. The drive should take you around 4 hours excluding stops.

The Leopard ‘experience’ will take you out into the Okonjima Nature Reserve and will allow you to spend more time with the experienced guides whilst participating in the research data collection for the long-standing leopard project and newly introduced brown hyaena program. Some of the adult leopards are radio collared which enables the guides to track them with a specialised telemetry device. Although this significantly increases the chance of an excellent sighting, it cannot ever be guaranteed as they are wild free-roaming predators.

In the afternoon, experienced guides will entertain you with their knowledge, sharing interesting and enlightening information about the history of the Okonjima Nature Reserve and the research gathered over the past 30 years of conservation on Okonjima. On this trail, no telemetry device is used to track any of the carnivores researched by the AfriCat Foundation. Wildlife is the focus of the drive. Visitors are offered insight as the guides attempt to foster a general appreciation of the natural habitat of the Nature Reserve.

Morning activities (seasonal times): Departure 06:00 / 06:30 AM; Return 09:30 / 10:00 AM.

Afternoon activities (seasonal times): Departure: 15:30 / 16:00 PM; Return 19:00 / 19:30 PM.

You will continue your drive, ending at Windhoek’s Hosea Kutako International Airport to drop your hire car off in time to connect with your onward flight.  The drive to the airport from Windhoek city centre takes around 45 minutes, and you should arrive no later than 2.5 hours before your flight departs in order to drop your car off and check in.