Namibia self drive

Arrival in Windhoek and relaxation after the relatively long flight at Belvedere Boutique Hotel, Windhoek.

Now the car is picked up and the trip goes on its own to NamibRand – a large award-winning reserve south of Windhoek. Here we work with various projects within game management and environmental work. Arrival at Wolvedans Dunes Camp, an area which despite being completely down to earth offers an elegant charm. The camp is located on top of a 250 meter high sand dune in an untouched area.

Here you live and spend the night well, and there is the opportunity to go on trips in the desert with the camp’s Landrovers. If the trip is in the afternoon, there is often the opportunity for a sundowner in the middle of it all, where you can watch the sun go down over the landscape in peace and quiet. A magical experience. Or go on a “Bushman Walk” which means following the area’s small trail systems, looking for the desert’s small animals and their remains, and gaining an insight into the local ecosystem. Or join a “Sustainability tour” – how do you work with sustainable ecotourism in this area?

The next adventure is to drive to the starting point of the upcoming Toktokkie. A Toktokkie Trail is a three-day hike in the desert with two nights in a tent – it means accommodation under the stars. Simple luxury and a great experience for body and soul. You start after lunch at 2pm and this day offers a relatively easy ride with a team of guides.

Remember to bring water and the things you want in your bag / backpack. Do not think about your luggage, it will be driven to the camp by car. The trip includes a visit to the Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust (NaDEET), a non-profit organization aimed at promoting environmentally conscious thinking in the country. Your trail will include a trip in a hilly area with special formations in the landscape, over sand dunes and to your first camp. The sand dunes are not quite as massive and large here as at the previous camp and the landscape is a lot flatter. Get out of here, enjoy a cold drink and feel how the sounds and smells of the desert rock you to rest. For most people, an overnight stay here is a great and strong spiritual experience. Total walking time approx. 2 hours.

Before the sun rises we get a cup of coffee and a light breakfast so we can leave before it gets too hot. The day will offer a beautiful walk through the changing landscapes of the desert, and with the help of the guide we will learn to see the signs of activities that the animals that live at night here have left behind. There is more life in this immediately rather dead environment than one thinks. Get acquainted with concepts such as “golden clouds” and “dancing dust”, see where the gecko has been and where the sand larch has looked past. We cross an impressive ridge and a dry river delta. The guide shows and explains along the way – how the area’s plants survive, where insects, frogs and lizards adapt to the harsh conditions and how to survive without water for a long time. There are surprisingly many birds here, and if we are lucky, we see some of the desert’s larger inhabitants such as the special ear fox, the antelope oryx, springbuck or an ostrich. It is impressive that such large animals can live here. We eat lunch in the shade, where our chef prepares a good meal. Time for siesta and relaxation. In the late afternoon, when the heat is not so massive anymore, we move on to the next accommodation. The area is like a sea of ​​endless sand dunes and sand formations, and in the background you see impressive mountains. Total walking time approx. 6-7 hours.

The changing course of the sun creates shadows and new light variants on the sand dunes, and you will discover that sand can have many different colors. Maybe you enjoy a sundowner right here where the sun goes down, your probably tired legs and feet rest and listen to the sounds of the evening – if we are lucky we will hear an owl a little later in the evening or at night.

Once again, you wake up to the very special light that reigns here shortly before sunrise. There is coffee and a light breakfast before setting out on the final hike. The soft and rolling sand dunes have small oases of camel horn trees where you can find shade. Today’s trip is not strenuous and we are already before lunch at the farm run by the Namib Educational Trust. Total walking time approx. 3 hours. After lunch time for a road trip and now you leave the desert area and drive towards the coast and Walvis Bay. Continue in your own car to Swakopmund and Swakopmund Plaza Hotel.

As the name suggests, this city has a marked German history and here are also many architectural gems. The city is easy to get around in on your own. Alternatively, head down to Walvis Bay Lagoon, 30 miles south of Swakopmund. The lagoon is one of the west coast’s most exciting wetlands, where over 100,000 birds live.

Breakfast and then the car must be handed over. Flight from Swakopmund to Cape Town and onwards home.