richardinmotion

I'm visiting Kruger, then the Cape Town area in early May. I have a couple days of extra time to kill, so I am flying to Windhoek, Namibia and will have about 30 hours on the ground there, before flying to Cape Town. I have a rental car (not 4x4). I've never been to Namibia, and plan on maximizing my time on the ground by doing a lot of driving (I like to drive). Looking for recommendations on the best way to spend my time outside of the Windhoek area. I know there are a lot of safari-type lodges in the area, and I am open to staying one night in one, provided there is sedan access and the prices are not ridiculous (traveling without the wife, so I am not looking for luxury).

I was thinking of driving the north route to Walvis Bay, spending the night there, then driving the south route back to Windhoek.

Good or bad idea? Any ideas from the experts?

johan rebel

I wouldn't get too excited about Walvis Bay (or Swakopmund, for that matter), unless you are the kind of birder who enjoys spending hours staring at tens of thousands of wading birds through a spotting scope.

Johan

richardinmotion

Yes, I looked at photos online and there doesn't seem to be much there. Can you comment on the drive? Would it be worth the 10 hours round trip?

rorornan

If you like to drive, you might try to get to sossuvlei/deadvlei.
Long drive, but absolutely worth it.

shefgab

I think Sossuvlei/Deadvlei is probably too far (although it a great trip). Swakopmund is ok - there are quite a few adrenaline sports you can do. I went dune buggying which was quite fun. That said, i'm not sure i'd drive all the way there for one night. There's not much to see in Windhoek, but 30 hours is enough to chill a bit, and see pretty much everything in town.

SanDiego1K

You can fly from Walvis Bay to Capetown. I sure wouldn't do that drive RT.

We drove from Windhoek to Sossuvlei Desert Lodge, then up to Swapkopmund. Mind you, we took several days. We were concerned about the drive as there are lengthy stretches with no service. We investigated getting an extra tire in Windhoek but would have had to buy the tire. We made it to Swapkopmund before getting a flat, but it would have been a serious disruption had it happened on the road.

Honestly, having made the drive, I can't imagine doing it with just a 30 hour layover. I'm not sure it's worth it even if you rebook to fly to Capetown from Walvis Bay. I would take 30 hours in the Walvis Bay area before I spent 30 hours in the Windhoek area. There's not much to see and do in Windhoek. Should you be married to Windhoek, I recommend the Hilton. We had a lovely stay. It's a beautiful hotel, rather like a sophisticated W, with a rooftop pool.

We were able to book an award ticket from Walvis Bay to Capetown on SAA, using United miles.

richardinmotion

Thanks all. I decided on driving to Swakopmund and spending the night there. Google maps is showing 3 hours, 17 minutes each way on a paved road, so should be pretty easy. I'll explore the coast and dunes around Swakopmund with my free time there.

cur

good call

i dunno your timing but craft cafe in windhoek has amazing AMAZING lunch and dinner. and very cheap like 100-200zar range and extremely fresh. you must do it.

jiaotze

If you drive the more northerly route to or from Swakopmund using the B2, you could make a couple of hour detour to Spitzkoppe, which offers some beautiful scenery.

And while it isn't the cheapest thing available, I found the scenic flight from Swakopmund south that takes you over Sossousvlei and Sandwich Bay to be very worthwhile. Seeing the morning sun over the dunes from the air was spectacular.

richardinmotion

Thanks to cur and jiatze!