Itineraries — 10 days
Desert & Wildlife: ten days, dunes to elephants
The Classic extended north: Damaraland’s rock art and desert elephants, then Etosha’s great waterholes.
Itineraries — 10 days
The Classic extended north: Damaraland’s rock art and desert elephants, then Etosha’s great waterholes.
10 days · Namibia
10 days · about 1,800 km of driving · self-drive or privately guided · Windhoek to Windhoek
Desert & Wildlife takes the Classic's desert loop and keeps going north: Damaraland's engraved rocks and desert-adapted elephants, then two nights in Etosha with a full day between the waterholes. It is the shortest trip we design that does the north properly.
Every driving time below is the honest version, gravel included, and no day is planned to end after dark. The route is a starting point: dates, lodges and pace are designed around you.
Day 1
Land, collect your vehicle, overnight in the capital.
Day 2
South over the Spreetshoogte Pass into the Namib.
Drive: about 300 km, 5.5 to 6 hours. Tar, then gravel.
Day 3
Dawn at the dunes, Deadvlei's dead trees, afternoon at leisure.
Day 4
Via Solitaire and the Kuiseb Canyon to the Atlantic.
Drive: about 350 km, 5.5 to 6 hours, mostly gravel.
Day 5
Coast day. Optional marine cruise, desert excursions, or simply the town.
Day 6
Inland past the Spitzkoppe granite peaks toward Twyfelfontein.
Drive: about 340 km, 5 to 6 hours. Tar to Usakos, then gravel.
Day 7
Twyfelfontein's UNESCO rock engravings, the Organ Pipes and Burnt Mountain, and a search for desert-adapted elephants.
Day 8
North to the Andersson Gate and into the park for an afternoon game drive.
Drive: about 345 km, 4.5 to 6 hours via Khorixas and Outjo.
Day 9
A full day moving between waterholes. Okaukuejo's floodlit waterhole after dark is unforgettable.
Note: park speed limit 60 km/h. Plan a full day, not a transfer.
Day 10
Morning game drive, then south to the capital. Overnight Windhoek or evening departure.
Drive: about 430 km, 5 to 5.5 hours on tar. Never drive after dark.
How this trip runs
01
We shape the route around your dates and pace, then book the lodges, camps and excursions through relationships we hold with the properties.
02
Your 4×4 comes from our sister company Advanced Car Hire, and airport transfers from Exclusive Transfer Services, in the same booking file.
03
A human being in Windhoek while you travel. A closed road, a slipped flight, a change of plan: one call sorts it.
04
Most travellers drive themselves on our routes. If you would rather be driven, we arrange a private guide for the whole journey or the days that matter.
Questions
Two nights, with a full game-viewing day between them, entering at the Andersson Gate near Okaukuejo. If wildlife is your priority, tell us: we would rather trim a night elsewhere than rush the park.
About 1,800 km including the park. The longest transfer day is the final run from Etosha to Windhoek, 430 km on tar at 5 to 5.5 hours. No day is planned to end after dark.
Yes, if the route stays in the north-west as this one does. Ten days is not enough to add the far south (Fish River Canyon and Lüderitz) as well; that is what the 14-day Grand Loop is for.
For June to October, six to nine months ahead is wise, and the inside-park camps in Etosha go first. Outside peak season, three to six months usually leaves good choice.
Bespoke
Every Zania Travel Co. journey is designed around your dates, your pace, and your interests.
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