You have always dreamed of organizing your own road-trip and itinerary in Namibia, then you are at the right place! In this article I present you the itinerary that took us to some of the most beautiful places in Namibia. From the world’s largest dune to the wildlife of Etosha National Park, this is what awaits you on your next adventure in Africa!

I hope this article will help you plan your itinerary and road trip.

First of all, you have to know that Namibia is the country par excellence to realize a road-trip and that it is very easy to travel there by your own means. We spent 15 days in this country in March 2021. It was one of our favorite trips. We discovered splendid places, a unique fauna and made encounters that we will never forget.

Well enough about it, I let you now discover the itinerary we followed during our road-trip.

My road-trip itinerary in Namibia

Day 1 – Windhoek arrival

• Route: Hosea Kutako Airport to Windhoek
• Distance: 46km
• Highlight: Discovering Windhoek and first giraffes
• Road condition: Asphalt roads so no worries on this first day
• Accommodation: Hilton Windhoek

After arriving in Namibia, we immediately took possession of our rental car, a Polo and started our adventure on the Namibian roads.

Then, we took the road for the capital Windhoek where we spent the first day of our trip. On this road, we had the surprise to discover our first wild giraffes, a magnificent welcome gift. A little tour in the city to discover some nice places, but we mostly took the time to rest before going back to the adventure the next day.

Day 2 – Direction Sossuvlei

• Route : Windhoek – Sesriem
• Distance : 305 km
• Highlight : The discovery of our first Namibian landscapes
• Road conditions: A paved road at the beginning and then the discovery of unpaved roads. Generally speaking, the track part is easy to drive.
• Accommodation : Desert Quiver Camp

And so the Namibian adventure begins today. We took the road to Sesriem, the closest village to Sossuvlei. A rather pleasant drive, without any major incident and above all beautiful landscapes that accompanied us throughout the day.

Jour 3 – Sesriem Canyon and sunset

• Route: Sesriem
• Distance : 20km
• Highlight : The discovery of the Sesriem Canyon and the magnificent sunset over the savannah
• Road condition: Tarmac roads, then a small section of track, but no major difficulties
• Accommodation: Desert Quiver Camp

Waking up in the middle of the savannah, a dream come true for me! We could see orynx and other wild animals in the distance. It was just beautiful. A morning to discover the Sesriem Canyon where we could swim and walk in this arid landscape. At the end of the day, we had booked a special sunset tour. It was really beautiful! We found ourselves in the middle of nowhere, a bit high up with an unforgettable view of the savannah that stretched for miles and miles. We could even see the desert dunes in the background.

Day 4 – Sossuvlei and Deadvlei

• Itinerary: Sesriem – Sossulvlei – Swakopmund
• Distance : 120 km + 340km
• Highlight : The dunes as far as the eye can see and the discovery of wild animals along the way
• Road conditions: The road is paved for most of the distance. The last 2-3km are accessible only to 4×4 vehicles and drivers skilled in driving in the sand. For the others, there is the possibility to take a shuttle for this last part! The route to Swakopmund includes a very large part of gravel road, so be prepared and respect the speed limits.
• Accommodation : Hotel A la Mer

Discovering Sossuvlei and Deadvlei was one of my dreams! We decided to leave as soon as possible to avoid the big heat, well between us, it was still very hot! A first stop at the dune number 45, then we continued our way to the shuttle to go to the start of the walk for Deadvlei. The landscape was beautiful, it was as if we were in a dream. An article will come soon about my experience in Sossuvlei. But a piece of advice, enter the park as soon as the gate opens. From noon onwards, the temperatures are very high and the sand is burning so it becomes difficult to walk on the dunes.

In the middle of the day, we drove back to Swakopmund. The trip was quite long but the landscapes made the time pass more quickly. Still no problem with our Polo despite the tracks not necessarily the most adapted to our car.

Day 5 – Swakopmund – Walvis Bay

• Itinerary: Swakopmund
• Distance : –
• Highlight : A quad bike ride in the desert, the discovery of the Germanic architecture of Swakopmund and the pink flamingos of Walvis Bay
• Road conditions : paved
• Accommodation : Hotel A la Mer

5th day in Namibia and here we are next to the Atlantic Ocean! Maybe you know it, Swakopmund is the capital of Namibia’s thrills. The original plan was to do a parachute jump but unfortunately the sky was overcast and therefore impossible to take off. We decided to go on a quad bike ride in the Namib desert. We chose the very professional company Desert Explorer. It was really nice and the views between the blue ocean and the dunes were amazing. An unforgettable experience! The city of Swakopmund is quite particular by its Germanic architecture, one would almost have the impression to be in Europe at certain moments. Not far from there is Walvis Bay, which is known to host a colony of pink flamingos. You will find them along the beach, impossible to miss them!

Day 6 – Swakopmund – Usakos

• Route : Swakopmund – Usakos
• Distance : 140km
• Highlight : Goanikontes moon landscape on Google map
• Road conditions : Asphalt roads then a part of track and the return of the asphalt
• Accommodation : Okambishi’s Rest

To make our trip to Usakos a little more exciting, we decided to cross a place known to be a kind of earthly replication of the moon. It’s a small detour in the direction of Goanikontes, but it was really nice. We were able to walk around, take some beautiful pictures. This part of the road is a bit chaotic but it was not the worst we had experienced.

Day 7 – Spitzkoppe

• Route: Usakos – Spitzkoppe – Omaruru
• Distance: 200 km
• Highlight: the mountains of Spitzkoppe
• Road condition: Good on the main roads, the part towards Spitzkoppe is on a track
• Accommodation: Central Hotel Omaruru

We woke up early to be before the heat in Spitzkoppe, so as not to suffer too much from the heat. Once arrived on the spot, we were alone, there was nobody, no tourist, we had the place for us. In order to make the local business work a bit (covid-19 period), we took a guide to make a tour in the natural reserve of Spitzkoppe. This guide made us discover caves in which we could see prehistoric paintings, a real treat for the eyes. We then went for a walk in the different sites of the national park.

Once the temperatures became too high, we took the road again in direction of Omaruru where we spent the night.

Day 8 – Omaruru 

• Accommodation : Central Hotel Omaruru

A day of rest during the vacations is a good thing! We took advantage of the swimming pool of our hotel and visited a little the surroundings.

Day 9 – A day on the road

• Itinerary : Omaruru – Etosha
• Distance : 240 km
• Highlight : Giraffes and zebras along the road
• Road conditions: Tarmac roads
• Accommodation : Toshari Lodge

Another rather quiet day before going on an adventure in the national park. We arrived in the early afternoon at our lodge. I really recommend this place, Toshari Lodge, only a few minutes from the entrance of Etosha National Park. A beautiful place, in the middle of the nature, a real treat and the staff is super nice and competent.

Day 10 – Etosha  National Park 

• Route: Etosha (South Gate) – Omuthiyagwiipundi (North Gate)
• Distance : 244 km
• Highlight : The discovery of wild animals in their natural environment
• Road Conditions: Tracks more or less accessible with a “normal” car, watch out for wildlife! But it is quite acceptable by Polo.
• Accommodation : Road House Guest House

One of the most memorable days of our itinerary in Namibia, our first day in Etosha National Park was magical. We found ourselves in front of a family of giraffes, then a family of elephants and many other animals, just a treat for the eyes. The park is huge and is made up of several small “routes” that you can shorten with your car. Despite the fact that we were traveling in the rainy season, we were still able to see many animals. Even if it is true that it is a little more complicated than in dry periods when the animals are often grouped together towards the ponds.

Day 11 – Etosha

• Route: Omuthiyagwiipundi (Etosha North Gate) – Etosha South Gate
• Distance : 244 km
• Highlight : Face to face with the king of the savannah, meet a rhino and many other animals
• Road Conditions: Tracks more or less accessible with a “normal” car, watch out for wild animals! But it is quite acceptable in a Polo
• Accommodation : Toshari Lodge

Second day in the animal paradise, while taking the road, we have the good surprise to find ourselves again in front of a family of elephants. A little later in the day, we had the chance to meet the king of the savannah, the lion. This moment was also one of the most magical of our trip. Of course, we saw many other animals, a real treat for the eyes.

Small surprise at the end of the day, a huge storm, the road/track became a kind of pool. That was the impression, but we overcame the storm without any problem!

Day 12 – Otjiwarongo 

• Route: Ethosha South Gate – Otjiwarongo
• Distance : 130 km
• Highlight : Meeting with Pumba !
• Road conditions: Asphalt roads in very good condition
• Accommodation : Out of Africa Town Lodge

A new day in Namibia, new wild encounters and today it was the encounter with Pumba from The Lion King. I find it so amazing that every time we drive, we meet new animals. It’s really great! Then we drove back to Otjiwarongo where we recovered from our emotions of the last days and discovered the town.

Day 13 – AfriCat Foundation

• Route: Otjiwarongo – Windhoek
• Distance : 250 km
• Highlight : Discovery of the cheetahs
• Road Conditions: Asphalt main roads and the part that takes us to the AfriCat foundation was on dirt road.
• Accommodation : Tenbergen Pension Hotel

Another dream come true, to discover the cheetahs, a kind of big cat with a leopard coat. We went to the AfiCat foundation, which I highly recommend. They are in charge of rehabilitating, protecting and caring for the cheetahs of the region, and even of the country. We were able to discover their way of life before leaving with our guide in the reserve. It was magical, we almost wanted to hug them.

After this wonderful experience, we drove back to Windhoek.

Day 14 – Windhoek

• Itinerary: Windhoek
• Distance : –
• Highlight : Discovery of the Namibia Craft Center
• Road conditions: –
• Accommodation : Tenbergen Pension Hotel

Since we were traveling during the covid-19 period, we had to go through the PCR test before departure, which gave us an extra day to explore Windhoek. The Namibia Craft Center is the place to go if you want to buy souvenirs before your return. We walked around the city, discovered the Christuskirche, a must-see in Windhoek and the beginning of the Post Street Mall.

Day 15 – It’s already time to go back

• Route: Windhoek – Hosea Kutako Airport
• Distance: 46 km
• Highlight: The last sunrise
• Road conditions : Asphalt roads

Malheureusement, la fin de notre road-trip namibien touche à sa fin et il est temps de rentrer à la maison. Tout s’est très bien passé, nous avons même eu un magnifique dernier lever de soleil durent notre trajet pour l’aéroport. 

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And here we are, we have reached the end of our 2-weeks itinerary in Namibia which traces our adventures in Namibia. I hope this itinerary will help you to organize your road-trip in Namibia.

Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or remarks! I will be happy to answer them or to help you.

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