Stay : Eternal Namibia: Adventure in the Heart of a Wild Paradise

Highlights and description

• 14-day self-drive tour of Namibia, including 4x4 rental car
• itinerary customizable to your wishes
• top Gondwana Lodges
• kalahari Park and Namib Naukluft
• sossusvlei and Swakopmund
• damaraland and Twyfelfontein
• etosha National Park and Waterberg

Experience a 14-day tour of Namibia in the magnificent Gondwana lodges.
Visit this beautiful and diverse country in Southern Africa. Travel through a country full of contrasts and contradictions.

This 14-day Namibia tour is particularly interesting for beginners to Namibia, as it covers the varied central part of Namibia. The starting and finishing point is the capital Windhoek. You'll first discover the Kalahari, then the famous Sossusvlei dunes. Along the Namib-Naukluft National Park, you continue towards the coast to Swakopmund. This is the capital of the Erongo region, with a population of around 40,000. Swakopmund is a popular holiday resort in Namibia due to its coastal location. The town is also known as the "German" or "African" pearl, as it was founded by German settlers and many traces of the German past can still be found today.

Arrival in Africa. An African Elegance representative will meet you at Windhoek international airport and transfer you to Windhoek.

You can change money and buy a phone card directly at the airport.

Once you've picked up your rental car, you'll receive detailed information about your trip and, of course, the contact details of your contact person, who will always be available for you during your journey. After a brief stop at the supermarket, you're off south into the Kalahari Desert.

The red dunes of the Kalahari are becoming more and more numerous. After a journey of around 3 to 4 hours, you arrive at your first accommodation in Namibia. The lodge is beautifully situated between the red dunes of the Kalahari. The brilliant blue sky provides a magnificent contrast to the red dunes. Enjoy a fascinating sunset tour of the lodge grounds and perhaps catch your first glimpse of springbok or oryx antelope.

Another day in the Kalahari, the ideal opportunity to continue discovering this unique environment.

Many interesting activities can be booked, including an electric bike tour, a nature outing or a self-guided hike. With professional guides on hand, you'll already be able to spot the first wild animals.

Morning cruises end with a hot coffee in the dunes in the fresh morning air.

Enjoy your stay in the Kalahari.

Today we enter the heart of the world's oldest desert, the famous Namib. Discover the steep passes that lead from the Namibian highlands to the low plains of the Namib Desert.

Today we're heading for the Sesriem/Sossusvlei region, via the spectacular Tsarisberg Pass.

On the way, dreamy landscapes on the edge of the Namib give you an idea of what's in store for the next few days.

Your accommodation for the next two nights is near Sesriem. Enjoy the picturesque desert landscape. As an option, you can take part in a nature tour to admire this unique environment in the play of light and shadow at sunset. End the evening with a delicious meal.

The national park gates open at sunrise. Drive early to the park entrance and visit the fascinating dune landscape of Namib Naukluft Park. Inside the park, you can park your vehicle and walk to the immense shifting dunes of Sossusvlei. You can also take advantage of a 4x4 transfer. Climb one of the dunes up to 300 meters high, as the sweaty climb is rewarded with a breathtaking view over the sea of dunes. Next, we head for Sesriem Canyon, which sometimes receives water from the Tsauchab River and can be traversed in dry periods. After a varied exploration, you leave the park in the afternoon for your accommodation.

You're welcome to take this day trip into the desert on your own, and even get a little deeper into the sand with the 4 × 4.

Alternatively, you can book a tour with a professional guide to discover the secrets of the Sossusvleis. We're happy to book a guided tour as an option.

After an early breakfast, we head north. En route, a coffee stop at the Solitaire bakery is a must. Later, you'll reach the small coastal town of Swakopmund. The town is still inhabited by descendants of former settlers and state officials from the German colonial era. German pastries, German architecture and the German language, which is still often spoken, are relics of history. Swakopmund is also the starting point for many adventure activities. We recommend a boat trip near Walvis Bay or a desert safari, during which you can meet the small creatures of the desert.

In the vicinity of Swakopmund (and the town of Walvis Bay, 30 km to the south), you can enjoy a wide range of activities, including boat tours, exciting desert excursions (the desert is alive!), quad bike safaris, kayak tours and much more.

Excursions to book

• Catamaran charters
• Kajak "Eco Marine" Tour
• Living Desert Tour
• Sandwich Harbour 4x4
• Swakopmund

Unlike the desert, it'll be a little cooler at your next destination, because in Swakopmund, arguably Namibia's most German town, you'll be able to enjoy the fresh sea breeze on the Atlantic coast.

Always take a jacket with you on excursions.

Restaurant recommendation Swakopmund

• Ocean Cellars @ Strandhotel
• The TUG
• Old Steamers im Alte Brücke Resort
• Brauhaus
• Altstadtrestaurant

Today, we say goodbye to the sea and continue on to Damaraland!

Damaraland is part of the Kunen region in north-western Namibia, between the Brandberg and the village of Sesfontein. Damaraland is characterized by a rugged, rocky landscape of rugged, bewitching beauty, and is home to many people of the Damara language group, hence the former name "Damaraland", which today has no use other than in tourism as a geographical delimitation and is therefore also used on this website.

Places of interest in Damaraland

• Brandberg
• Damara Living Museum
• Khorixas
• Twyfelfontein
• Petrified forest
• Vingerklip

Day trip to Twyfelfontein.

Today, you're off to the wildlife kingdom of Etosha National Park, another highlight of your trip to Namibia. You'll be staying outside the national park.

En route, you can do your shopping in the small village of Outjo, at the Spar supermarket. Outjo also has a good bakery and gas stations. We recommend using the new service station at the southern entrance to the park. Etosha trading post.

In the national park, petrol and diesel are often in short supply. This is a good opportunity to fill up, especially for vehicles without double tanks.

The park is one of the world's great game reserves and is considered one of Africa's most outstanding wildlife parks.

Etosha National Park was founded in 1907 and is one of the most attractive national parks in southern Africa. In the afternoon, you're already exploring the park and, with a bit of luck, regularly encountering big game. Along the way, you'll stop at designated watering holes.

Indication if you wish to stay in the park

After sunrise and an invigorating breakfast, you're back on the prowl in your 4x4 vehicle.

From your accommodation, you can explore the southern part of the national park.

In the evening, you leave the park through the Andersson Gate, hoping for many more safari impressions.

Today you cross the park and visit all the waterholes on your way to King Nehale Lodge. You leave the park in the late afternoon through the King Nehale Gate and return to your accommodation.

You leave the wildlife of Etosha Park behind and head for the Waterberg.

Before reaching Tsumeb, you can make a short stop at Lake Otjikoto, where the Germans sank their guns in 1915. Most of the guns were later salvaged, however, and are on display in the Tsumeb museum.

Waterberg

• one of the biggest tourist attractions in central northern Namibia
• tabular mountain 50 km long and 16 km wide
• rises up to 200 m above the plain
• fascinating geological formation
• year-round springs on south-eastern slopes
• one of southern Africa's richest flora zones (500 species)
• Plateau declared a national park in 1972
• home to rare wildlife species such as Cuban antelope, buffalo, black rhinoceros and white rhinoceros

Another day at Waterberg.

You're free to enjoy the rest of the day or one of the wonderful activities you can book.

Waterberg Wilderness Adventure World (bookable):

• Plateau hike: Table Mountain tour (no parking fees)
• "Honeymoon Sundowner: exclusive plateau hike just for you
• Rhino Drive: rhinos, giraffes and other wildlife within easy reach
• Rhino Tracking: track rhinos on foot
• Cultural tour: daily life of the Herero
• Hiking trails with botanical gardens.
• History Path to Herero history sites
• Valley with spring, lush flora and over 200 species of birds