Namibia is vast! Really vast! If you want to explore the country properly, 3 months is no unnecessary luxury. Unfortunately only a few people are granted that much time. Below are 3 possible routes, and I will definitely be doing the last one again myself.
The most beautiful travel route through Namibia for families! The budget traveller!
Although Namibia is known as an expensive destination, it doesn't have to be at all. The most important factor here is time … allow yourself the time to travel and choose destinations other than the classic ones.
Although the familiar images usually come from the desert, we fell head over heels for the less touristy north. Funnily enough, the north is also what most Namibians recommend.
Travelling through Namibia on a smaller budget means you're best off choosing a 4×4 with a roof tent. Try to look for an older model; you're just as well insured but you pay less.
DAY 1: Arrival in Windhoek. Use the first day to stock up on as much food as possible. The more remote you are in Namibia, the more expensive it gets.
DAY 2-3: Damaraland: Desert landscapes and rock engravings at Twyfelfontein! And a crystal-clear starry sky during the night. Visit the Spitzkoppe and the petrified forest. Also be sure to try to visit the Damara. The Living Museums may seem like a tourist trap, but they are a lovely way to get to know the culture better and they also help the tribes preserve their way of life.
DAY 3-6: Etosha: Safari at its best! Etosha in winter or spring is by far the best time to spot animals. The bone-dry, white landscape contrasts with the animals and makes it easy to see them even without the trained eye of a ranger. In summer everything is green and overgrown, which makes it harder. In Etosha you can do self-drives, so you save a lot of money on tours. (read our report on Etosha here)
DAY 6-8: Rundu: Stock up on food again and arrange a sunset boat trip on the Kavango river. Rundu is also known for its woodcarving. Go to the local market and have a browse. The masks in particular are beautiful. The different architecture is interesting too. Here you don't see German influences but Portuguese ones, coming from Angola, which was occupied by Portugal. And definitely don't forget to visit the Living Museum of the Mbunza.
DAY 8-11: Continue on to Kongola in Caprivi NP. Here you end up right in the middle of the wetlands, home to an enormous number of hippos, but also elephants and lions. Go on safari. You can do this by self-drive, but then be sure to let someone know your route as the roads are in pretty bad shape. An absolute must-do is a safari by boat or canoe at sunset.
DAY 11-13: Grootfontein: Probably not a familiar name, but this region, home mainly to the Herero, is known for its large numbers of big game. So definitely go on safari here or do your own drives.
DAY 13-14 Windhoek
You can of course add the famous Sesriem and Swakopmund to this trip, but that will make your trip significantly more expensive. We found both places comparatively more expensive than the north of Namibia.
The most beautiful travel route through Namibia for families! The FOMO traveller! Highlights of Namibia.
Namibia is known as a destination for Insta-perfect trips. Many of the landscapes are extraordinary and the places to stay are unique.
If you're a FOMO traveller or have little time but still want to see the most unique places in Namibia, then this trip is for you.
DAY 1-2: Windhoek to Sesriem. Make use of a small plane and jeep that take you along the highest dunes in Namibia and the Deadvlei. Stay overnight in Sesriem, as close as possible to the entrance of Sossusvlei.
DAY 2-7: Swakopmund. Visit Swakopmund and Mondesa on day two, do a sailing trip in search of the Ocean's Big 5 and race through the sand dunes on a quad on day three. From Walvis Bay you can fly to Oranjemund by plane on day 4. From there you're in the Fish River Canyon within 4 hours. Spend 1 night here. On day five you can still visit Kolmanskop before flying back to Walvis Bay. On day 6 you rest and visit the many birds at the salt works. The Delight from Gondwana Collection is the ideal hotel to support you on this trip. In Fish River I would personally go for the cheapest possible option.
DAY 7-8: Book a minibus to drive to Spitzkoppe, where you meet various tribes along the way and see the rock engravings. Choose the cheapest possible accommodation.
DAY 8-10: From Spitzkoppe you go by minibus to Etosha, where you spend the last days in complete peace with safari and relaxing by the pool. Spend your final days at Gondwana's Etosha Safari Lodge. (read our report on Etosha here)
DAY 10: Flight transfer to Windhoek
Flying may seem like a missed opportunity in beautiful Namibia, but the desert is unbelievably beautiful from the air. The small planes also often fly low and it's a good way to get around smoothly.
This trip will probably end up more expensive than the longer options, but it is pretty spectacular.
The most beautiful travel route through Namibia for families! The luxury traveller!
Money and time no issue? Then choose an experience you will never forget. Namibia is the country par excellence for getting to know Africa in all its facets and living an incredible adventure.
Would you like a luxurious experience and a memory that never fades? Then this is your route!
DAY 1-2 Simmenau Farmstay, just below Windhoek lies a little gem in the wild. A typical African farm where orphaned animals are also taken in.
DAY 2-4 Kalahari Anib Desert Lodge. One of Gondwana's most beautiful lodges. Here you can enjoy a real safari experience together with the luxury of a resort holiday. Think swimming, massages and sundowners.
DAY 4-6 Canyon Lodge Fish River Canyon. After a 4-hour drive through one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, you arrive at the Fish River Canyon. The second-largest canyon in the world. Allow yourself a rest day and, apart from that, enjoy the impressive hikes through the canyon.
DAY 6-7 Kolmanskop. Straight through Namibia's Sperrgebiet, where diamonds are still being found. After a wild 4-hour drive you arrive in Kolmanskop at sunset. Kolmanskop was once the pinnacle of German class but has been completely taken over by the desert. Take your time for a visit and drive on to Lüderitz, a small and terribly German harbour town. Stay overnight at the Nest Hotel. Enjoy the fantastic coast at Speed Challenge or Sharks Point for a while, and if you stay an extra night, Tsau Khaeb is a lovely excursion. Make sure you leave Lüderitz by 11 o'clock, because day 7 is also a 7-hour drive.
DAY 7-10 Namib desert – The Desert Grace. The Gondwana Collection has an enormous stretch of land here where various animals can be found, plus hiking trails and biking trails. Definitely do 1 excursion to the famous Sossusvlei with its Deadvlei and otherwise enjoy the wonderful Gondwana reserve. For the ultimate experience you can do a balloon flight over the Namib desert. The Desert Grace is the ideal place for the luxury traveller with children. If there are just two of you, I would choose the Stargazers lodge.
DAY 10-14 Swakopmund-The Delight. Swakopmund is once again a very German coastal town. Everything is decked out with flowers and impeccably kept. On the way here you also pass Solitaire, an unmissable stop full of old cars, and lagoons full of flamingos. Behind Swakopmund lies Mondesa (the township), a visit you really shouldn't miss. From Swakopmund you can do all sorts of excursions such as Sandwich Harbour and the Skeleton Coast. We also went quad biking in the sand dunes and, above all, ate incredibly well. It can get very cold in this region and we thoroughly enjoyed the hot-water bottles the staff brought us every evening. Did I mention, by the way, that breakfast here really is a DELIGHT? Probably the most delicious we have ever had. There was truly everything, right down to oysters with champagne. And oysters are not to be missed in Swakopmund.
DAY 14-16 Damaraland-Damara Mopane Lodge. Damaraland is the place to meet the San (bushmen), one of the oldest peoples on earth. Many rock engravings have also been found here and a stopover at Spitzkoppe is a must during your drive from Swakopmund. Mopane Lodge is a true luxury mountain lodge with incredibly good food.
DAY 16-19 Etosha Safari Lodge. A beautiful lodge in a private game reserve owned by Gondwana, bordering Etosha. Here you can walk around freely and from your pool you look straight out onto a large waterhole. We woke up in the morning with a giraffe by our terrace. The food is slightly less refined than in the other lodges, but the view and the sundowners are twice as good. Another advantage is that you can go on a guided safari in Etosha from the lodges and children of all ages can come along. That's not the case if you book a guided safari IN the park itself. One guided safari and one day of self-drive are perfect.
DAY 19-21 Omarunga Epupa Falls Lodge. A demanding 8-hour road trip. Make sure you stop at the Himba Living Museum in Opuwo. Then enjoy your journey to subtropical Africa on, and sometimes across, the border with Angola.
DAY 21-24 Rundu-Hakusembe River Lodge. From Epupa Falls you leave at sunrise for Rundu, an 11-hour drive through the green north of Namibia. Hakusembe River Lodge has an incredibly beautiful pool and runs breathtaking boat safaris to spot birds and crocodiles. Also visit the Living Museum of the Mbunza and otherwise enjoy the peace, the pleasant climate and the delicious food.
DAY 24-29 Namushasha River Camping2GO in Caprivi NP. Okay, admittedly, this is not a luxury stay. You can of course choose to stay in the exclusive houseboat or the lodge in the same Gondwana reserve. We tested both the lodge and the Camping2GO here and our preference goes to the safari tent on the edge of the river. You enjoy all the luxury of the lodge but can also have braai packages delivered and can make a fire. The hippos and crocodiles, elephants, monkeys and various birds are everywhere here. Simply magical. Also definitely make the effort to do a (tiring) day trip to the Victoria Falls. Beyond that, I can really recommend both the classic safari and the sunset boat safari.
DAY 29 Windhoek
An absolute luxury trip of a month without constantly using the most expensive and exclusive accommodation. In Namibia it's often the experience that makes your trip unique, so make the most of that.
FOOTNOTE: I have deliberately left the Insta-hype Voigtland, where you can have breakfast with giraffes, out of this article because they only welcome families with children aged 12 and over.
