Discover Namibia Self Drive - 9 days

Upon arrival at Hosea Kutako International Airport, you will be met and escorted to the car rental kiosk to collect your rental car. Once the formalities are completed, you can drive to your hotel for the evening.

If you are arriving in Windhoek in good time, then you may want to join an optional tour of the city. Admire the view from Lover's Hill, see the beautiful Parliament Gardens and the Old Fort. You'll also get to sample local food and meet some of the residents of one of Windhoek's townships. There's an optional dinner at a local restaurant - Joe's Beerhouse, in the evening.

Windhoek - Sesriem. After breakfast, drive for approximately five hours southwest to your lodge near the mighty Sossusvlei sand dunes in Namib-Naukluft National Park.

You can either spend the rest of the day relaxing beside the pool, or you can join an optional excursion into the lodge's private concession. Heading out into the desert, you can spot some of the local wildlife, such as oryx, and enjoy a drink or two as you watch the sunset in this most spectacular of settings. Dinner is included back at the lodge.

Today is a free day, so make the most of your time in the Namib-Naukluft National Park with a variety of optional activities. Enjoy an excursion to Sossusvlei; characterized by rust-red dunes and shimmering white salt pans, the area is eerily beautiful, and also home to a variety of wildlife. Climb the most famous Dune 45 and take plenty of photographs before enjoying a 2.6km hike up to Deadvlei, a barren white salt pan.

Other options include a Quad buggy nature trail out into the reserve, an excursion to Sesriem Canyon, or a choice of plane, helicopter, or hot air balloon flights over the desert.

Sesriem - Swakopmund. On day 4 complete the easy drive from Sesriem to Swakopmund, Namibia's popular coastal resort town. It's the country's adventure capital and a former German colonial settlement, boasting all sorts of exciting things to see and do. The next two nights are spent in Swakopmund, and there are numerous optional excursions, including visits to see the flamingos at Walvis Bay, the sand dunes of Swakopmund, and an Atlantic Ocean catamaran cruise, plus much more. See the trip notes for details.

Swakopmund - Etosha National Park. It's about a five-hour drive from Swakopmund to Namibia's premier wildlife hotspot - Etosha National Park. Covering more than 20,000 square kilometres, the reason Etosha is so good for game viewing is that it is mostly a desolate white salt pan. This means animals are relatively easy to spot, and they gather at the few waterholes to be found within the park. Lions, elephants, and both white and black rhinos reside in the reserve in good numbers. Arriving at your lodge on day 6, the rest of the day is at leisure.

Day 7 is spent exploring Etosha. You can either do this on a self-drive basis using your rental car or on an optional guided game drive. If you'd like to enjoy a picnic at one of the fenced picnic spots within the park, then this can also be arranged for you.

Etosha National Park - Waterberg. Today's drive is relatively short, approximately 2.5 hours to Waterberg Plateau National Park. The plateau which lends the park its name is elevated high above the Kalahari Basin and is made of sandstone approximately 200 million years old! The area surrounding the plateau is lush and green, a haven for birdlife and small mammals such as antelope. Once you've settled in at the lodge, you can head out to follow some of the hiking trails in the area, or relax in the lodge spa with some wellness treatments.

Waterberg - Windhoek. Today your self-drive holiday comes to an end. Make sure to get up early enough to enjoy one last walk up the plateau before the four-hour drive back to Windhoek, stopping at Okahandja for some last-minute shopping if you choose.

Arriving at the airport, return your vehicle to the car hire kiosk before checking in for your onward flight.