jason8612

So I gly into WDH on Wed Oct 18 around 11am and out on Mon 23rd at 2PM. I'm thinking of renting a car and going to do some site-seeing. Having never been, what's there to do in Namibia (its a broad Q, I know).

A friend recommended mt.etjo safaris, but it seems for my dates they only have it for 1 night. Or staying maybe for 2 night or 3 nights in a lodge on a game reserve. Or somewhere on or close to the Etosha National Park. There's Ohange Lodge which seems to have space and is affordable. Theres also Windhoek Game Camp. I also got Marriott points, and there are some Protea hotels.

jason8612

For instance, one option can be Wed-Fri in Walvis Bay at the Protea there and see also Swakopmund. Then Fri-Mon in Ohange Lodge.

Other thoughts were the dunes, like Sossusvlei and Skeleton Coast

SanDiego1K

We rented a car and drove from Windhoek to Sossuvlei then up to Swapkopmund. We flew onward from Walvis Bay. The first part was fine. Swapkopmund was boring (for me). The alternative trip in that amount of time is to drive north to Etosha. We will do that later this year so I can't give any recommendations.

There are some trip reports about Namibia such as these:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...s-namibia.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...s-namibia.html

jason8612

Thanks. Sossuvlei would also be on the list to see, but time-wise I dont think there is enough.

ChiefNWA

You've got plenty of time to see Sossusvlei. I detailed my trip in a report below.

Two Weeks in South Africa and Namibia: Joburg, Cape Town, Sossusvlei and Kruger

With an 11AM arrival you could pick up the rental and get to Sossusvlei/Sesriem but sunset easily. Personally, one day in Sossusvlei was enough but you stretch it to two if you do a hot air balloon ride or helicopter ride one of the mornings.

I only visited Sossusvlei but what you do after would depend on your desires. I'm a photographer, so with extra time I would've headed south but most people head over to Swapkopmund but looking at pictures seemed rather boring to me.

Another option would be to head up and do two days in Etosha then back down to Windhoek.

jason8612

Woah! Great photos, and thats something I would want to do.
So I could do Wed-Sat in the game reserve, drive after the morning one on Sat down to Sossusvlei and stay there till Mon. Leave like 8am after sunrise and head back to WDH for the afternoon flight.

I would get
Wed evening game drive
Thurs game drives
Fri game drives
Sat physical driving and evening sunset Sossusvlei
Sun all day Sossusvlei including sunrise and sunset
Mon sunrise in Sossusvlei and drive back to WDH

Either case, I need a new DSLR body for this trip!

ChiefNWA

Yep, pretty leisurely pace as well. Keep in mind that driving times in Namibia are about 25% longer than what Google Maps says, especially if you're stopping for photos. If you've got an SUV, taking the most direct route from Windhoek to Sossusvlei is fine, I probably wouldn't attempt it with a small car though, especially if it had recently rained. There is another route (detailed in the report) that's longer but safer/easier.

I left Sesriem around 8AM and made it back for a 3PM flight out of WDH no problem. Keep in mind that WDH is a good 45 minutes past downtown.

jason8612

Thanks.
Only thing is I'm thinking the Etosha to Sossusvlei seems to be like 8hrs+ drive. So I might do 2 nights in Etosha, drive about half way and see if there is a game lodge along the way, then go to Sossusvlei for 2 nights.

ChiefNWA

You could drive to Swakopmund as well, which appears to be about 5.5 hours. Half the drive would be on the B2 which is paved. From there you could continue to Sesriem which is another 4.5/5 hours.

wijibintheair

I would suggest the OP starts with - what is most important for him? If it is safari then I would suggest concentrating on that, if it is desert, then concentrate on that. It is possible to do both - idea below, but just worried it would end up being more time spent driving than anything else.

Namibia has decent tar roads north and south with a couple of spokes. The rest are mainly decent gravel roads. As ChiefNWA says, the roads are good unless it has rained. In theory when the OP is there, it should be just before the rains have started, so should be ok.

I would also ask, is the OP flying in WDH from South Africa or arriving from a long-haul flight? If arriving from a long-haul flight, I would strongly suggest the first night in Windhoek or surrounds. While the quality of Namibian roads is generally not bad, especially when it comes to the gravel roads, you do not want to be driving on them when you are tired.

If coming from South Africa then no real problem - Sossusvlei is reachable on the day of arrival - assuming that you get away by 13:00 you should reach Sossuvlei well before sunset.

One night is enough if all you want to do is just see the dunes. You will want to be at the gate to get your permit before dawn (sunrise set for 06:26 on the 12th October) and be into the park to catch the dunes at their best, as the sun rises. It would be a shame to go all that way and just see the main drag - would highly recommend going all the way as far as Dead Vlei. To do this properly you would probably not exit the park much before midday. This would give you enough time to reach Swakopmund by late afternoon (without much stopping en route).

There are some nice things to do from Swakopmund - Sandwich Harbour, a living desert tour etc - but they might not be everyone's cup of tea.

From Swakopmund (assuming you just use it as an overnight stopover) you could push on the next day - and realistically leave 6 - 7 hours to get to the Anderson gate at the southern end of Etosha. You could then spend the nights of the 20th and 21st in Etosha and morning of the 22nd, then head part of the way back south. If the flight leaves at 14:00 from WDH, you need to be back by 12:00 - so you really need to have reach the other side of Windhoek by 11:00 - all doable from Etosha, if absolutely nothing goes wrong.

October is peak season for travel in Namibia, and many places will be fully booked - but you should still find some last minute cancellations.

Personally - I would do either a 5 night Windhoek - Sossusvlei - Swakopmund - Game Lodge (Omaruru area) - Windhoek - even that would be a lot of driving.

Or head north and do - Windhoek - Etosha - Damaraland - Windhoek.

By late October, Etosha is very dry and the game concentrates around the waterholes, making it some of the most amazing game viewing in Africa. If you can find anything at Okaukuejo Restcamp, that would be like the holy grail (IMHO) at that time of year.

Having said all of that, whatever you do, I really hope you love Namibia, it is a great country.

petru26

check if there any availible room at Erindi private game reserve, and just stay there if it is. I have my doubts, but it`s worth a check. Popular places tend to be full up to a year in advance. If you get a room, enjoy, it is a marvelous place with everything you can want from an African holiday/safari.

johan rebel

Preferences vary, but I would pick Halali over Okaukuejo any day.

Halali's only downside is the noise from wild drunken parties at the staff village disturbing the peace and quiet at the waterhole on occasion, especially weekends.

Johan

mhnadel

If you do go north, i.e. to Etosha, I think that Twyfelfontein is a must-see. It's practically a gallery of rock art, well worth a few hours of hiking around to see with the range of petroglyphs and paintings. (To be fair, rock art is a particular interest of mine, but everyone I know who has been there was impressed.)

Internaut

Windhoek is worth a day’s sight seeing (but only really a day) if you have the time. It’s not your normal African city. My first time out there on business (2006) a small group of us blew a wad on a private plane and pilot out of Eros, went out to a lodge called (I think) Epasha (near Etosha) for a game drive and nice meal. The thing with the game drives... you need to do several of them. The dessert adapted animals can be pretty elusive

johan rebel

Road conditions in Namibia are apparently deteriorating rapidly due to the increase in traffic and a lack of maintenance.

"It is actually an under statement to say that the dirt & gravel roads in Namibia is in a bad condition. The Namibian gravel roads used to be their pride, with graders often observed at work on the country (far away) roads. It is a such a pity that the road conditions are negatively affecting Tourism in our beautiful neighbouring country. We are considering cancelling ALL our bus tours in Namibia in 2018 - due to the poor road conditions."

Source

Johan