Here's the itinerary for our trip to Namibia. I didn't feel the need to put specific dates, the order of days should suffice.
When you plan out the itinerary yourself, one of the more difficult variables to account for is transit time. You can usually get the distances with little problem -- a decent map, or Google Earth. But distance is only one aspect. Especially in underdeveloped countries, you are not going to be zipping along at the usual USA rate of 70 mile per hour.
So how long will your day be if you drive from x to y? Listed below are the times between when we left in the morning to when we arrived at our driving destination. Was there stopping for lunch? Yep. Was there stopping for the ritual taking of the photographs? Yup. Was there stopping to wait for better views of the indigenous animals? Yeah. So the times are actual, not just pedal-to-the-metal, dust in your face times.
If you are planning a self-drive trip to Namibia (recommended, btw), this should give you an idea of where to go, how long to stay, and how long it takes to get there.
| day | what we did | where we stayed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | flight: Dulles -> Heathrow | in flight |
| 2 | day in London, Inns of Court and British Museum; flight: Gatwick -> Windhoek | in flight |
| 3 | day in Windhoek: Post Street Mall, Joe's Beerhouse | Windhoek: Hilltop House |
| 4 | drive 7.5 hrs, Rehobeth, Spreetshoogte Pass, Solitaire | Zaris Mtns: Zebra River Lodge |
| 5 | hike in Zaris Mts canyonlands | Zaris Mtns: Zebra River Lodge |
| 6 | drive 4 hrs, sundowner | Sossusvlei: Kulala Desert Lodge |
| 7 | hike Sossuslvei Dunes, Dead Vlei | Sossusvlei: Kulala Desert Lodge |
| 8 | drive 9 hrs, Kuiseb Canyon, Ganab, Hotsas, Moon Landscape | Swakopmund: Brigadoon B&B |
| 9 | Living Deserts tour, Mondessa Township tour | Swakopmund: Brigadoon B&B |
| 10 | Kayak tour in Walvis Bay, explore Swakopmund | Swakopmund: Brigadoon B&B |
| 11 | drive 7.5 hrs, Henties Bay, Cape Cross, Brandberg, Uis Tin Mine | Uis: Brandberg Restcamp |
| 12 | drive 6.5 hrs, Brandberg White Lady (2 hrs) | Damaraland: Damaraland Camp |
| 13 | Desert Elephant safari, sundowner | Damaraland: Damaraland Camp |
| 14 | Black Rhino safari | Damaraland: Damaraland Camp |
| 15 | drive 8 hrs, Twyfelfontein Rock Carvings (1 hr), Outjo | Etosha: Okaukuejo Restcamp |
| 16 | drive 8.5 hrs, Etosha waterholes | Etosha: Mushara Lodge |
| 17 | Lion safari | Etosha: Mushara Lodge |
| 18 | drive 6 hrs, Lake Otjikoto, Tsumeb, view Big Cats | Otjiwarongo: Aloegrove Guestfarm |
| 19 | drive 5 hrs to Windhoek, flight to Gatwick | in flight |
| 20 | London transport dash, Heathrow -> Dulles | in flight |
