A Namibian Road trip: Desert, Coast and Safari

Highlights

• Collect your car in Windhoek and set out on a nine-day self-drive, with accommodation arranged across the route and the freedom to stop as the scenery changes around you.
• Spend two nights near Sesriem, where desert landscapes and wide-open roads introduce you to one of Namibia’s most striking regions.
• Continue west for two nights in Swakopmund, bringing the Atlantic coast into the journey after your time inland.
• Travel through Damaraland for a night at Twyfelfontein Country Lodge, surrounded by a much more remote side of Namibia.
• Stay beside Etosha National Park, placing one of Namibia’s best-known wildlife regions firmly on the route.
• Finish with two nights at Otjiwa Safari Lodge, giving you time to slow down at the end of the drive before returning to Windhoek.

Sesriem and Sossusvlei

Drive south from Windhoek into the Namib Desert, where red dunes and open plains, take over the view. Set out early for Sossusvlei, climb one of the dunes for views across the desert and walk into Deadvlei, where dark camel-thorn trees stand against a white clay pan and orange sand. This is one of the places that makes a Namibia road unique.

Swakopmund and the Atlantic coast

The road then takes you west to Swakopmund, where the desert meets the Atlantic. Spend the morning walking along the seafront and jetty, stop for seafood in town, or head south towards Walvis Bay to look for flamingos around the lagoon. If you want something more active, this is also the place to look at dune trips, sandboarding or quad biking before dinner back in Swakopmund.

Damaraland and Etosha

Continue north into Damaraland, where rocky valleys and desert landscapes lead towards Twyfelfontein. Visit the ancient rock engravings, and if you join a guided wildlife outing, keep watch for desert-adapted elephants moving through the dry riverbeds. From there, head to Etosha, where the waterholes are the big draw. Look out for elephants, giraffes, zebra, springbok, oryx, wildebeest, lions and rhino, especially around the water early in the morning and later in the day.

Otjiwarongo and the final stretch

Finish near Otjiwarongo with two nights that let you ease out of the road trip rather than driving straight back to Windhoek. Use one day for another wildlife outing or nature walk, then keep the final afternoon for the pool, a drink outside and a quieter evening before the journey home. It gives you one last chance to take in Namibia’s wildlife after the desert, Atlantic coast and Etosha.

Economy flights from Dublin to Windhoek via London and Johannesburg, departing 03-03-2027, with one checked bag per person. Nine days of car hire from Windhoek Airport are included, with fuel payable separately. Accommodation includes one night at Olive Grove Guesthouse in Windhoek with breakfast, two nights at Elegant Desert Lodge on Half Board, two nights at Swakopmund Sands with breakfast, one night at Twyfelfontein Country Lodge with breakfast, one night at Etosha Safari Camp & Etosha Safari Lodge with breakfast and two nights at Otjiwa Safari Lodge with breakfast. Return flights from Windhoek to Dublin via Johannesburg and London are included. Based on two adults.

Terms and Conditions

All bookings are subject to Travel Counsellors' standard booking conditions, copies of which are available on request. Travel Counsellors Ireland is licenced and bonded with the Irish Aviation Authority, licence number TA 621. We strongly recommend taking out comprehensive travel insurance at the time of booking. Prices are per person based on the stated number of passengers sharing and are subject to availability at the time of booking.

9 nights from €6,250 per person