Epic 2 Week Namibia Road Trip Itinerary

Namibia Road Trip

Planning a road trip to Namibia is no easy feat when there are so many amazing places to add to a Namibia Itinerary. We have already shared our 30 day itinerary for Namibia and now we want to detail a 2 week Namibia Itinerary for the perfect road trip. From sand dunes as big as mountains, to epic wildlife viewing, Namibia is like nowhere else.

Namibia is in Southern Africa, bordering South Africa, Botswana, Angola and Zambia. It is one of our favourite destinations for a road trip and there are options to suit different budgets. You could rent a 4×4 with rooftop camper and spend every night in a well equipped campsite, as we did on our first trip. Alternatively, you could rent a regular 4×4 car and stay in hotels and lodges. On our last trip, we rented a 4×4 with rooftop camper and stayed in a mix of campsites and lodges. We found it to be a great mix, which we highly recommend. In this Namibia itinerary we have included recommend campsites and lodges for every location.

Namibia 2 Week Itinerary – At A Glance

A road trip in Namibia will involve a lot of driving, but it will be through some varied and breathtaking landscapes, so the driving is all part of the adventure. Our recommended 2 week itinerary includes many of the must see places in Namibia, without feeling like you’re spending all your time on the road. We have included a great mix of sand dunes, deserts, epic landscapes, as well as safari and wildlife encounters.

• 1 night – Windhoek or Sesriem (or somewhere inbetween) – this will depend on what time you land
• 3 nights – Sesriem, Sossusvlei & Deadvlei
• 2 nights – Swakopmund, Walvis Bay & Sandwich Harbour
• 1 night – Spitzkoppe
• 1 night – Cape Cross, Damaraland & Skeleton Coast
• 3 nights – Etosha National Park – including one night at Onguma Private Game Reserve
• 1 night – Waterburg Plateau
• 2 nights – Okonjima Nature Reserve

Namibia 2 Week Itinerary – All The Details

Day 1 – Arrival in Windhoek – 1 night

Where you spend your first night in Namibia will be dependant on when you land in the capital Windhoek. Most of the rental companies are in the city and it’s a 40 minute drive from the airport to the city. You then need to allow enough time to do the paperwork for the car hire and be shown around the car (this will be longer if you get a 4×4 with rooftop camper). It’s also likely you’ll want to stock up on some food and drink in the capital before setting off, and all of this takes time.

We landed at 7:00 am, but it took us ages to get our camper as lots of people arrived at the same time. We didn’t set off until 1:00 pm and only just made it to Sesriem for sunset. So if you arrive very early, you could plan to stay in Sesriem on your first night, but if your flight lands later, or you just want to feel a bit more relaxed, either stay in Windhoek or somewhere on the way to Sesriem. It takes around 5 hours to get from Windhoek to Sesriem.

Sleeping & Driving Details – First Night

Stay – 1st night – if you stay in Windhoek, there is plenty of choice to suit all different budgets. If you make it to Sesriem, we recommend Desert Quiver Camp, just outside the Namib-Naukluft National Park Gate.

Drive – you won’t have much driving today if you stay in Windhoek, but if you plan to drive straight to Sesriem – see below for the driving details.

Day 2, 3 & 4 – Sossusvlei & Deadvlei (Staying In Sesriem) – 3 nights

We recommend 3 nights in the area of Sesriem, which is the gateway to the Namib-Naukluft National Park, where endless sand dunes await. The huge area of Sossusvlei, with the mighty Big Daddy dune and the salt pan and petrified trees of Deadvlei, are an incredible area to explore.

The national park has 2 gates. Inside the first main gate there are a couple of campsites and a couple of lodges to stay in. If you stay inside this first gate you are given early access to the park through the second gate. The second gate opens an hour before sunrise and closes an hour after sunset. This allows you to enjoy the best light inside the park and visit before it gets too busy.

Sand dunes line the 60 km tar road stretching from Sesriem to Sossusvlei and then there is about 5 km where the road turns to sand at the end. If you deflate your tires and are comfortable driving on sand, you can drive on this yourself to the 2nd car park. If you don’t want to drive yourself, then you can park up at the 1st car park and pay to get a 4×4 vehicle or tractor to take you over the sand to take you to Sossusvlei and Deadvlei.

We recommend spending one sunrise climbing the Big Daddy dune, or at least some of it, and then running down the dune to Deadvlei to see the petrified trees. If you have a camper, there are some benches at the car parks where you can sit and enjoy a coffee and some breakfast. If you’re in a lodge, you will likely want to drive back to Sesriem to have your breakfast. For one of your other sunrises, we highly recommend a helicopter flight. We flew with the doors off and it was absolutely incredible – one of our favourite travel experiences ever.

Dune 45 is nearer to Sesriem so you can climb it for sunrise or sunset, even with the gate timing restrictions. We also spent time just driving up and down the tar road, trying to spot ostrich’s and oryx’s and watching as the light changed, creating abstract landscapes across the dunes. We recommend slowing down in this area and really taking in the unreal scenery. Deadvlei is generally pretty quiet in the afternoons too, so as long as you take plenty of water, visiting in the late afternoon can be pretty crowd free!

Sesriem Canyon is another place to explore, which is situated about 4 km from the main national park entrance gate and NWR campsite.

Sleeping & Driving Details – Sossusvlei & Deadvlei

Stay – 2nd & 3rd night – we recommend staying inside the national park. If you’re camping we recommend Sesriem Oshana Campsite, as you have a private shower and toilet. If you want more luxury, the only options inside the park are Sossus Dune Lodge and Dead Valley Lodge. Both are great options – Sossus Dune Lodge is more rustic and is government owned, we really enjoyed our stay there in winter, but we have read that in summer there is no air conditioning so it can get very warm in the rooms.

Stay – 4th night – after so much exploring and getting up for sunrises, we recommend staying in Sossusvlei Lodge, just outside the main gate. A stay includes breakfast and dinner and we found it a great place to relax and take in the views of the beautiful landscape and desert oryx.

Drive – Windhoek to Sesriem ~ 4.5 hours and 320 km

Most people recommend driving the Spreetshoogte Pass, as the views from the pass are said to be spectacular. We had also read it was very steep though. As we were driving after a night flight we opted for the route that took us down the B1 to Rehoboth. Just after the town of Rehoboth, turn right onto the C47. We were meant to continue onto the D1206 after Rietoog and then the D854, however maps.me had other ideas and took us on a slightly different route, which was beautiful, if not a little challenging in places.

Tips

There is one petrol station and a shop with a small amount of supplies just outside the gate to the national park. Inside the park there is a Namibia Wildlife Resort (NWR) restaurant and very small shop. There are no supplies of any kind once you are at Sossusvlei and Deadvlei, so make sure you take plenty of water and food if you plan to spend a lot of time there in one go.

Day 5 & 6 – Swakopmund & Walvis Bay – 2 nights

Swakopmund is a coastal town with plenty of restaurants and lots of tours and activities to choose from. There are also more sand dunes, right next to the road and ocean. They are a great place to sit and watch the sun set over the ocean. Dune 7 is also near Swakopmund, which is actually the highest sand dune in Namibia.

We highly recommend a Sandwich Harbour tour. Photos and videos really don’t do it justice and you have to see it to believe it. The way the dunes go straight down into the ocean, made us feel like we were in the movie Inception. The sand dunes stretch out for miles, as far as the eye can see, and even though you will have driven for hours to get there, you will still be in the same national park as Sossusvlei! It is the largest national park in all of Africa.

We did a private sunset tour that set off about 1:30 pm from Swakopmund. We booked it through our campsite reception, but if you wanted to book directly it was with Namibia Dream Safaris & Tours. Our tour included pick up from Swakopmund, whereas many start from Walvis Bay. We stopped in Walvis Bay to see the flamingos and the Pink Lake and then continued to Sandwich Harbour. The tide will determine how far they can drive along the beach. If it is high tide they need to go up and over the sand dunes, which can take longer. We stopped for some sparkling wine and snacks at an epic viewpoint and then as the sun got lower, our guide took us to the most famous viewpoint, where the dunes meet the ocean. We got back to Swakopmund around 7:00 pm.

Sandwich Harbour is an incredible location, but having an informative guide made it an even more interesting tour. We learnt so much about Namibia, the landscapes, the animals, the tide and the every day life of a Namibian resident.

You are not allowed to drive on the sand dunes here with your rental vehicle. You will not be covered on the insurance and it is just too dangerous. It takes a lot of skill and knowledge to drive on these monstrous sand dunes and a tour is worth every penny. While we were there a local resident had driven out along the beach at what he believed to be low tide. Unfortunately, his car still got stuck and washed out into the ocean. Driving in the area of Sandwich Harbour is best left to the people that know it inside out.

If you do any tour in Swakopmund, it is likely to include a visit to see the thousands of flamingos. If you want to see them on your own as well, then you can visit Walvis Bay on the way to Swakopmund and stop off to see them. They aren’t hard to spot in the ocean, along the main promenade in Walvis Bay.

Sleeping & Driving Details

Stay – 2 nights – there is a lot of choice in Swakopmund for any budget. We can recommend Alte Bruke Resort. They have campsites with your own shower and toilet. There are also chalets available, although we have only ever camped there. We highly recommend dining in their buffet restaurant, The Old Steamer. We went there on both our trips and the food is delicious, at a great price.

Drive – Sesriem to Swakopmund ~ 5 hours & 347 km

The drive will take you though Solitaire, where you can stop at a great bakery for apple pie or a variety of other sweet treats. You will also pass the Tropic of Capricorn sign and then an amazing variety of different landscapes. Some of which will have you wondering if you are still on planet earth!

Tips

Swakopmund is a great place to stock up with more supplies as you will find a couple of large supermarkets here, including a Spar. We recommend eating out while you’re here too as there are some great restaurants to chose from.

Day 7 – Spitzkoppe – 1 night

Spitzkoppe is a special place in Namibia and somewhere we really loved. We spent a night there during our first Namibia itinerary, but unfortunately due to missing our connecting flight on our recent trip we had to change our itinerary slightly and miss it out.

Spitzkoppe, a group of dramatic granite peaks, is millions of years old. Huge boulders and gigantic peaks dominate the surrounding flat plains. The highest peak rises about 1784 metres (5857 feet) above sea level. The scenery is breath-taking, especially at sunrise and sunset when the light creates a beautiful orange glow on the rocks.

The most popular location for photos is the incredible rock arch, but the whole area has epic photo opportunities. There are hiking trails and rock art locations you can see, but these must be booked with a guide upon arrival. You can explore other areas on your own too and for sunrise and sunset we just headed up onto one of the rocks and captured the glowing rocks of Spitzkoppe in beautiful light.

Sleeping & Driving Details

Stay – 1 night – if you are camping we recommend staying in a Spitzkoppe Campsite. The camps are very basic, with just a drop toilet and place to cook, but each camp is situated with your own little piece of the mountains. There are hot showers and flush toilets at the entrance too. If you aren’t camping or fancy some luxury then you can say at Spitzkoppen Lodge.

Drive – Swakopmund to Spitzkoppe ~ 2 hours

Day 8 – Cape Cross, Skeleton Coast & Damaraland – 1 night

There are a few different options for this next day depending on how much driving you want to do and what you want to see. The option we recommend involves the most driving, but will take you back to the coast to sea a huge seal colony, shipwrecks, disused oil rigs and the desolate Skeleton Coast.

Leave Spitzkoppe along the D1918 and you will end up in Hentiesbaai after about 1.5 hours. If you want to see one of the most famous shipwrecks in Namibia, Zelia Shipwreck, you will need to go slightly out the way. Turn right down the C34, just before you get to Hentiesbaai and drive for about 15 minutes till you reach the shipwreck. After your visit head back the way you came, through Hentiesbaai and up to Cape Cross Seal Reserve.

Cape Cross Seal Reserve is about 50 minutes from Zelia Shipwreak and is well worth the stop off. The seal colony has between 100,000 and 200,000 seals and it’s incredible to see. There is a board walk that takes you right up close to the seals, but it doesn’t disturb them.

After the seal reserve you will continue up the coast for about an hour to the Ugab Gate, into the Skeleton Coast National Park. You will need to go into the small hut by the gate and sign in and then just make sure you leave the other gate before sunset.

The Skeleton Coast is barren and a little eerie, we stopped a couple of times to see what we could find on the beach. There were bones and parts of boats; there wasn’t another person it site. About 35 minutes you come to an abandoned old oil rig, which we stopped and got some photos of.

After driving for another 50 minutes along this desolate road you will reach a turn off to the C39 road. The C39 takes you back inland, away from the coast. The land started to get a bit more life to it and we saw loads of the ancient Welwitschia plants that grow in the Namibian desert. If you get out to take photos, just be sure not to go too near the plant.

After 30 minutes you will reach the Springbokwasser Gate where you need to sign out of the Skeleton Coast National Park. From here you will continue driving through different landscapes to the Grootberg Pass. It takes about 2 hours from the gate to reach Grootberg Lodge or if you’re camping it takes 2.5 hours to reach Hoada Campsite.

Sleeping & Driving Details

Stay – 1 night – on the route we have recommended we suggest staying at Hoada Campsite if you’re camping. We felt like we had been thrown into the Flintstone’s movie, with each campsite being set amongst the huge granite boulders. There isn’t any electricity at the camps, but we were able to store our meat in the fridge in the reception area and charge electronics there too.

If you’re not camping then we have seen Grootberg Lodge highly recommended. We haven’t stayed there ourselves though.

Drive – Spitzkoppe to Grootberg Lodge ~ 6.5 hours (~500 km) if you go along the coast and up through Skeleton Coast, but that is without any stops. To get to Hoada Campsite it is an extra 30 minutes past Grootberg lodge.

You will want to leave Spitzkoppe early to be able to fit in all the stops along the way as in reality this drive is likely to take 10 hours (with all the stop off points).

Day 9 & 10 – Etosha National Park – 2 nights

Etosha National Park is huge and we highly recommend staying inside the park. The park gates open at sunrise and close at sunset, but most of the camps inside the park have waterholes so you can still enjoy the wildlife viewing well after sunset and before the sun comes up.

Etosha is home to 4 of the big 5, there are no buffalos here, but there is a huge array of wildlife to spot and a great number of waterholes to make viewing a little easier. There is no guarantee what animals you see and when, some days we would see lots of animals at a waterhole and other days, there wouldn’t be anything there. It really is all about luck. We recommend driving around for as much as the day as possible, having lunch at the hottest part of the day when animals are less active and being patient. We would also take some drinks and snacks, pick a waterhole and just sit there for an hour and see what animals came to drink.

On our first sunset in the park we had been driving round all day and headed back to the camp to get ourselves a spot on a bench at the waterhole for sunset. There weren’t many animals there, so we just cracked open a beer and settled in to watch a beautiful African sunset with the deep, red sun glowing above the horizon. After 5 minutes we saw the outline of elephants in the distance and within moments they were bounding into the waterhole. There were over 40 elephants, including some babies, surrounding the waterhole, just metres away from us. It was one our favourite safari moments in Namibia. The next evening, there were just a couple of zebras drinking at the same waterhole and that made us realise even more how lucky we were the night before.

Sleeping & Driving Details

Stay – 2 nights – Okaukuejo Resort is the most popular and centrally located place to stay inside Etosha National Park. Mostly because it has a huge waterhole, with lots of places to sit and take in the wildlife from inside the resort, even after the rest of the park is off limits. There are a range of places to stay from campsites, to double rooms, to premium waterhole chalets.

If we’re being honest, the resort needs updating and it does not have a luxury feel. It is owned by government run Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) and unfortunately the service and amenities are lacking. The only places to stay inside Etosha are run by NWR so you don’t have a choice. We didn’t enjoy camping here as the shared facilities are limited for the 37 campsites and every camp is right next to each other. On our last trip we paid extra to stay in a double room for our second night so that we had our own bathroom and toilet.

The restaurants and shops in Etosha are also very limited so if you’re cooking, stock up beforehand. Despite this, we still recommend staying in the park to have access to the popular waterholes and to enjoy driving in the park from sunrise to sunset. Breakfast is available really early, which allows you to fuel up for the day, before the gates to the park open.

Drive – Grootberg Lodge to Okaukuejo Resort ~ 3 hours 45 minutes (291 km) and 3 hours 15 minutes (263 km) if starting from Hoada Campsite.

You will enter Etosha through the Anderson Gate. Allow time to fill in your entry permit at the gate and then at the camp you will need to make payment for the park fees and check into your accommodation. If it is busy, this can take a while.

Day 11 – Onguma Game Reserve – 1 night

You will still be staying very close to Etosha today, in fact, you will be staying in a private game reserve just outside Etosha. You can spend your day in Etosha and slowly drive over to the east of the park, stopping at waterholes along the way. Onguma Game Reserve is situated just outside of the Namutoni Gate on the eastern edge of Etosha.

We have stayed there on both our trips to Namibia and it is a great place to stay if you want to be near Etosha, but have a nicer campsite or more luxury. We recommend getting to Onguma in time for their sundowner game drive. In winter this started at 4.30 pm and in summer it is likely to be a bit later as the sun sets later. The game drives takes you through their game reserve with beautiful, landscapes seeing what wildlife you can find. We got very lucky to see 2 cheetahs chilling on a termite mound out in the open as the sun was setting. During the last light of the day we also saw a rare black rhino walking straight towards and around our vehicle. It was absolutely incredible to see two types of very hard to find animals. As the name suggests, it ends with sundowner drinks and snacks in the middle of the reserve.

On the next morning we recommend booking an Onguma Bush Breakfast. You will be taken out to a remote part of the reserve where the chef and team will serve you up a delicious breakfast, which includes sparkling wine, juice and a generous buffet with pastries, cold meats, bread and fruit. The chef will then prepare eggs, bacon, tomatoes and toast, all cooked over an open fire in the middle of the open bush overlooking the savanna.

Sleeping & Driving Details

Stay – 1 night – there are 2 campsites at Onguma and we stayed at Onguma Tamboti Campsite on both our trips and really enjoyed it there. We were even given the exact same campsite spot each time, right near to the reception. You have a private shower and toilet and electric points. There is a swimming pool and the restaurant on site overlooks a waterhole. The campsite is fenced so you won’t find any predators getting into your camp, we just had some hungry mongoose great us when we arrived, which was highly entertaining.

There are also various different camps you can chose from that have bungalows and lodges if you aren’t camping. On our second night we stayed at Onguma Forest Camp, which comes highly recommended. We stayed in a beautiful bungalow that was incredibly peaceful and relaxing. The camp is situated in the reserve and is completely open so the whole camp feels wonderfully at one with nature. Breakfast and dinner is included in the price and you sit outside eating, while overlooking the camp waterhole. The food was delicious and the staff were attentive and friendly. We even got a turndown service where they had placed hot water bottles in our bed due to the colder temperatures at night.

Drive – Okaukuejo Resort to Onguma Game Reserve – due to the 60 km speed limit in Etosha it takes about 3 hours to get from Okaukuejo Resort to Onguma Game Reserve (150km) without stopping. Although in reality it will take a lot longer that this with stopping off at waterholes and wildlife sightings, so we recommend leaving Okaukuejo early to make the most of your time in Etosha.

Day 12 – Waterberg Plateau – 1 night

After fueling up at your Onguma Bush Breakfast, you will leave the Etosha area and head to the beautiful Waterberg Plateau. We stayed there for 2 nights on our first visit to Namibia and we loved the surroundings and peaceful atmosphere. Waterberg Plateau is sometimes referred to as the Kalahari’s Table Mountain and it certainly lives up to that. It is 50 km long and 16 km wide and has been a dedicated national park since 1972.

You can hike up onto the plateau to get incredible views of the surrounding plains or into the valley, nature trails, rhino tracking and rhino/game drives with the chance to see rhino, giraffe and all types of antelope. We highly recommend the rhino tracking here, if you’re up for a lot of walking after spending so much time in the car. Our guide tracked the rhinos for 2 hours before we found them and it was amazing to be so close to them.

We also recommend going for a drink in one of the bars at the lodges. The Waterberg Plateau Lodge and Waterberg Valley Lodge both offer amazing views and it was a great place to relax in the afternoon.

Sleeping & Driving Details

Stay – 1 night – Waterberg Wilderness has campsites available, which is where we stayed. You have your own toilet, shower, place to cook and electric point. There are also 3 different lodges at Waterberg Wilderness to suit different needs and budgets. When we went to the bar at Waterberg Plateau Lodge, it looked as though the views from the rooms would be amazing.

Drive – Onguma Game Reserve to Waterberg Wilderness ~ 4 hours (310 km)

Day 13 & 14 – Okonjima Nature Reserve

We stayed here for 5 nights on our last trip to Namibia and loved every minute. Due to some nights being booked out and adding a couple unexpected of nights to the end of our trip, we didn’t do consecutive nights and ended up staying in the campsite, Okonjima Plains Camp and Okonjima Bush Camp. We loved all the places we stayed and all of them come highly recommended.

We were really excited about staying here and it didn’t disappoint. After driving down the gravel road and the first couple of gates, we were already treated to plenty of wildlife sightings before we even checked in.

On the first night we were staying in one of the 4 campsites and checked in at the day center high up on the edge of a mountain. We got a wonderful welcome and booked straight onto a leopard tracking for that evening. We also booked dinner for the evening. If you’re staying in Plains Camp or Bush Camp, then dinner is included in the price, but if you’re camping you will need to book dinner upon arrival. It is a 3 course menu and every meal we had there was delicious and very reasonably priced.

There are various activities on offer at Okonjima, but the most popular and our favourite was the leopard tracking.

Sleeping & Driving Details

Stay – 2 nights – the campsites are private and spacious with hot water, plenty of power points, an area to cook and your own toilet and shower. If you don’t feel like cooking you can eat at the day centre or if you book in advance you can eat at Plains Camp. When you do any activities you meet at Plains Camp. We asked if we could be picked up in the morning so we didn’t have to put down our tent before driving there and they kindly obliged.

Alternatively both Plains Camp and Bush Camp are wonderful places to stay. The rooms at Plains Camp offer views out onto the plains and the restaurant area is a relaxing place to spend time, both indoors and outdoors. When you head outside you can sit and watch animals come to the waterhole and soak up the African sun.

Drive – Waterberg Plateau to Okonjima Nature Reserve ~ 1 hour 30 minutes (105 km)

Day 15 – Drive Back To Windhoek

Your Namibia itinerary has come to an end and it’s time to head back to the capital. The drive back to Windhoek is around 2.5 hours so if you have a later flight you could do one last activity at Okonjima in the morning and have a relaxing breakfast before setting off. If you need to drop your car back in Windhoek and then get to the airport, just remember to allow enough time to empty the car and potentially wait until there are enough people to take the shuttle to the airport.

Drive – Okonjima Nature Reserve – Windhoek ~ 2.5 hours (220 km)