Our 2-Week Namibia Itinerary – Budget Roadtrip Africa
Our 2-Week Namibia Itinerary – Budget Roadtrip Africa
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Windhoek to Sesriem National Park Day 1-4
When we arrived at the airport in Windhoek our pick-up service from our car rental already waited for us. After a 45 minute drive, we arrived at the car rental station on the outskirts of Windhoek. We got a very detailed
First things first, we did some grocery shopping in Windhoek and then finally hit the road towards Sesriem.
Just when we left the paved roads, we saw stunning landscape the whole time and our first zebras. For the first
Things to do
- Pick up your 4×4 car (pick up at
airport is included) - Grocery shopping, the Spar in Windhoek is really good
- Sossusvlei and Big Mama Dune
- Deadvlei and Big Daddy Dune for sunrise
- Dune 45 for sunset
- Sesriem Canyon
Stay at
- Ghecko Camp near Solitaire (on the way between Windhoek and Sesriem)
- Sesriem Campsite NWR (only Campsite within the park!)
- alternatively Sossus Lodge in the NP or Oasis Campsite outside the NP
Driving
Windhoek to Sesriem 4,5 hours
⤖ Read more The most photogenic place in Namibia! You have to visit Sesriem!
Dreamroad D707 to Aus and Kolmanskop Day 4-6
After our time in the red dunes, we drove further South along the beautiful gravel dream road D707, where we met some really cute African kids. For our first night, we stayed on a campsite in Aus. In the next morning, we visited the wild horses and drove the last kilometers to Kolmanskop, a very photogenic ghost town in the middle of the desert. Some of the houses looked like they were only just left, in some of them we found big sand dunes inside. We skipped Lüderitz, but we heard great things about a boats tour to see penguins and flamingos. Our next stop was Solitaire back up North.
Things to do
- Driving along the most beautiful dream road D707
- Visiting wild horses in Aus
- Exploring Kolmanskop the ghost town
- extra: Lüderitz boat tour to penguins
Stay at
- Klein Aus Vista Camping in Aus
- Farm Gunsbewys NA (D707)
Driving
Sesriem to Aus 5 hours (along D707)
Aus to Kolmanskop 1,25 hours
⤖ Read more About the Ghost Town Kolmanskop and Wild Horses
Tropics of Capricorn, Walvis Bay and the Skeleton Coast Day 6-9
We drove all the way up from Aus to Solitaire, where we stopped at the fancy petrol station. Near Zarishoogte Pass we stayed for one night with a local family. We found the perfect wind wheel and some beautiful landscapes here! After Solitaire the red sandy steppe changed into a meager black and rocky landscape. Soon, we arrived at the famous Tropics of Capricorn sign, where we found rocky canyons and quiver trees on a mountain pass.
After driving more hours through literally nothing, we finally visited the pink flamingos in Walvis Bay at the ocean. The temperature at the coast with 17
Things to do
- driving all the way up Aus – Solitaire (stop at the cool Solitaire gas station)
- perfect wind wheel next to Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park
- moon landscape Namib-Naukluft NP, Tropics of Capricorn
- Walvis Bay: Flamingo Bay, Pelikan Bay, Sandwich Bay, Dune 7
- Swakopmund
- Driving up the Skeleton Coast to Cape Cross
- extra: driving the Skeleton Coast up to Torra Bay (you need a permit)
Stay at
- Zaris Ranch Campsite (near Sesriem)
- Alte Brücke Campsite in
Swakopomund
Driving
Aus to Solitaire 5,5 hours
Solitaire to Walvis Bay 3 hours
Walvis Bay to Cape Cross 1,75 hours
⤖ Read more 9 things to explore around Walvis Bay & the Skeleton Coast
Damaraland, Visiting a Himba Village and Opuwo in the North Day 9-10
As soon as we drove from the coast towards Brandberg and Damaraland the temperatures fastly increased up to 37 degrees. We found one of the most stunning landscapes around Brandberg and totally recommend to add this area to your route. We passed the first Himba and Herero stalls and some elephant warnings until we reached the Palmwag Lodge.
Early in the next morning, we drove further North and accidentally discovered one of the few remaining authentic Himba villages. Eliza introduced us to her family and showed us her life. Oh, the kids loved us so much – one kid couldn´t stop holding my blonde hair. After stopping for some goats and turtles on the road, we drove to Opuwo, the most Northern city near Angola. Here, you find the “real Africa” compared to the touristic Sesriem. In Opuwo, half naked Himba are living peacefully next to Herero in beautiful Victorian dresses.
Things to do
- Exploring Damaraland/Brandberg
- Driving through Damaraland and visiting an authentic Himba village
- Opuwo the town near Angola (very African, Herero and Himba)
Stay at
- Palmwag Lodge (amazing rhino trekking)
- Camp Aussicht (closest camp to the Himba village)
Driving
Henties Bay to Palmwag Lodge 4,5 hours
Palmwag Lodge to Opuwo 3,5 hours
⤖ Read more Our secret tip for an authentic Himba experience
Kamanjab and Etosha National Park Day 10-12
For the first
Holy moly, we saw the most animals in the West! I am speaking of groups with over 50 elephants, together with 5 giraffes, 2 rhinos, 30 zebras and 3 lions around one single waterhole – we definitely never expected something like that. The second day we explored the waterholes between Okaukuejo and Halali up to Namutoni in the East of the National Park. We spend 2,5 days in the National Park but you can easily extend to 4 days.
Things to do
- Grocery shopping for Etosha NP in Opuwo or Kamanjab
- Etosha Safari from Galton Gate to Okaukuejo
- Etosha Safari from Okaukuejo to Halali and to Namutoni
Stay at
- Kamanjab: Kaoko Bush Lodge
- Etosha:
Olifantus Camp near Galton Gate (West) - Etosha: Okaukuejo Camp near Anderson Gate (South)
- Etosha: Halali Camp (East)
Driving
Opuwo to Kamanjab 2,75 hours
Etosha: Galton Gate to Okaukuejo 3,5 hours (without stops at waterholes)
Okaukuejo to Halali 1,5 hours (without stops at waterholes)
Halali to Namutoni 1,5 hours (without stops at waterholes)
⤖ Read more Everything you have to know about Etosha National Park
Exploring Spitzkoppe and back to Windhoek Day 12-14
We left the Etosha National Park at the Anderson Gate and drove on some beautiful little gravel roads along Brandberg down to Spitzkoppe. The view over the mountains is breathtaking! We highly recommend visiting Spitzkoppe for two nights, it was our most beautiful campsite on our whole trip. We explored the beautiful rock bridge and rock pool and were very lucky to get a wonderful clear starry night with warm temperatures. Then we drove back to Windhoek to return our car.
Things to do
- Enjoying one of the most beautiful campsites in Namibia
- Walking up to the bridge
- Exploring the little waterhole
- longer hike with a
guide to other water holes
Stay at
- Spitzkoppe Community Rest Camp (stay there for two nights)
Driving
Etosha Anderson Gate to Spitzkoppe 5,5 hours
Spitzkoppe to Windhoek 3 hours
⤖ Read more About the most beautiful Spitzkoppe Camp
Where to rent a car?
We rented our car with
Most of the car rentals will include a free pick up and drop off at the airport. We were able to book 2 weeks in advance because we were in the off
Do you have more time left?
There are so many more things to explore in Namibia:
- Fish River Canyon (South)
- Quiver Tree Forest in Keetmanshoop (South)
- Lüderitz (South)
- Kalahari desert (East)
- AfriCat Foundation (near Windhoek)
- Erindi Game Reserve (near Spitzkoppe)
- Skeleton Coast to Terrace Bay (permit!)
- Waterberg Plateau and the Hoba meteorite
- Epupa Falls (near Opuwo)
- tropical Caprivi Strip: Bwabwata NP & Chobe River (North-East)
Driving distances, navigation and SIM Cards?
Well, the distances in Namibia are huge. Sometimes it takes 1 day to get from one place to another interesting place. But the landscapes between these places aren´t boring, actually we had some of the most beautiful pictures and moments on the road. It´s fantastic to see the landscape changing from the red dunes to steppe, changing to dark rocks and to a more tropical landscape in the North.
We found out that google navigation times are mostly correct. Nevertheless, we highly recommend buying the app Tracks for Africa! It is worth every Dollar because you can see which roads are 4×4 roads and all the campsites. For buying a SIM Card, we highly recommend buying one from MTC, located at the airport.
Campsites or famous expensive lodges? Booking in advance?
Well, it really depends on your budget. We only stayed on campsites because lodges are quite expensive in Namibia. Our favorite campsite was Spitzkoppe. In midseason, we could book mostly spontaneously, but in high season you really should book in advance! We were a little bit afraid, because some people book half a year in advance, but don´t worry! There was always a campsite with a place for us!
If you like to travel a little bit more comfortable we recommend these lodges:
- Wolwedans Dunes Lodge (near Sesriem) or Boulders Safari Camp
andbeyond desert lodge (near Sesriem)- Little Kuala Camp
- Sossus Dune Lodge
- Erongo Wilderness Lodge (near Spitzkoppe)
Do you need a VISA? Permits to National Parks?
We didn´t have to apply for a Visa, we only had to fill in a paper at the airport and got the stamp in our passport. But for other countries, you might apply for a visa at namibia.org.za. For some National Parks and camp
When is the best time to visit Namibia?
You can visit Namibia all year long! We visited Namibia at the end of April, we had no rain at all and loads of animals in the West of Etosha National Park. We had temperatures around 30-37 degrees at the day, except the coast with 17 degrees. The nights were very warm with 20 degrees.
May to December:
June and Juli: cold temperatures in the night and 20 degrees at the day, almost no rain
August to September: it get
Oktober and November: High season (book in advance!), 30-35 degree at the day, warm nights, hot and dry, little rain
December to April: rain season, fertile landscape, many blooming plants, active animals, good chance for leopards
Is Namibia too expensive and is it safe?
Namibia isn´t expensive if you travel on a budget! Don´t skip Namibia because you think you can´t afford it! We traveled 2 weeks in an affordable 4×4 car with a rooftop tent. The campsites aren´t expensive (usually around 10 $ per night) as well as food and National Park fees. The expensive costs are the lodges and the food in the lodges. Riding this
We find Namibia extremely save for doing a road trip. It is even a good country for traveling alone. The car rental station told us to not leave any backpacks or bags visible in the car. We kept everything in the back of our car. But driving through the whole country from Kolmanskop in the South to the African town Opuwo in the North, we never experienced something bad! However, we didn´t spend much time in the biggest city Windhoek. We met very kind and welcoming people, especially the lovely Himba!
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