Route overview
Where this itinerary goes
Windhoek → Etosha (3 nights) → Kamanjab (1 night) → Kaokoland / Damaraland wilderness (4 nights) → Spitzkoppe (1 night) → Swakopmund (2 nights, rooms) → Sesriem / Sossusvlei (2 nights) → Windhoek
Trip highlights
- •Fully guided, not guided self-drive — your private Namvic driver-guide drives throughout
- •Three Etosha camping nights with two full wildlife-viewing days
- •Four flexible wilderness nights in Kaokoland / Damaraland, subject to access and conditions
- •Spitzkoppe granite scenery and the Zeila shipwreck on the coastal approach
- •Two room-based nights on the coast; optional catamaran cruise and Sandwich Harbour combo
- •Two Sesriem camping nights with a full day for Sossusvlei and Deadvlei
Day by day
Itinerary structure
The journey begins at the waterholes
Accommodation: Okaukuejo campsite · proposed
Meet your Namvic driver-guide and head north to Etosha through Andersson Gate. Settle into camp and enjoy your first evening in the park. Game viewing on arrival depends on the transfer, daylight and gate times; there is no need to rush the journey to fit a promised drive.
Time to watch, not just pass through
Accommodation: Okaukuejo campsite · proposed
Spend a full day exploring Etosha in the Namvic vehicle. Your guide works with waterhole activity and wildlife movements, leaving time to sit quietly when an encounter is worth staying for. Camp restaurants offer practical lunch options; the included drives are with your guide, not separate park-operated excursions.
Another morning, another story
Accommodation: Okaukuejo campsite · proposed
A second full day lets you revisit productive areas, follow the changing light and enjoy sightings without racing to the next overnight stop. Wildlife is never guaranteed. A park-operated open-vehicle drive can be requested as an optional extra, but it is not required for your private guided safari.
The gateway to wilder country
Accommodation: Kamanjab campsite · proposed
Leave Etosha after breakfast and travel via Outjo towards Kamanjab. This is a transfer day, not a full-day crossing of western Etosha. Settle into a suitable campsite and prepare for the expedition. Oppi Koppi is one proposed option, subject to availability; your guide prepares the camping dinner and breakfast.
Leave the fixed timetable behind
Accommodation: Flexible wilderness camp
Travel west from Kamanjab and begin the wilderness section. Your guide chooses a suitable permitted camp and the day’s progression around conditions and access. From lunch today through breakfast on day nine, the wilderness catering is included; today’s breakfast is already included at the preceding camp.
Follow the river country
Accommodation: Flexible wilderness camp
Spend the day exploring rather than following a camp-to-camp deadline. Desert-adapted elephants are a central interest, with your guide reading the landscape and recent wildlife activity. The Hoanib and Huab valleys, Klein Serengeti and the Doros area are possible areas of interest across the expedition, not guaranteed stops or four fixed daily destinations.
Let the landscape set the pace
Accommodation: Flexible wilderness camp
Continue through the most suitable accessible areas, allowing time for quiet observation and the small details of desert life. Your guide may stay longer in a rewarding area or adjust the plan as conditions change. Looking for free-ranging wildlife is part of the journey, never a promise of elephant, lion or rhino sightings.
One more evening beyond the crowds
Accommodation: Flexible wilderness camp
Enjoy the final full wilderness day and another evening around camp. The guide balances exploration with a sensible exit towards Spitzkoppe the following day. A Twyfelfontein engraving visit or an appropriately arranged Himba tourism-village visit may be possible if the routing suits; these are optional extras, not included or booked services.
An evening among the granite
Accommodation: Spitzkoppe Community Restcamp · proposed
After your final wilderness breakfast, leave the expedition country for Spitzkoppe. This can be a substantial transfer day depending on the last camp and exit track, rather than a promised full day at the rocks. Settle into camp for the granite scenery and an unhurried evening under the desert sky.
From warm granite to Atlantic air
Accommodation: Swakopmund rooms · Alte Brücke proposed
Enjoy breakfast in camp before taking the coastal approach via Henties Bay. Stop at the Zeila shipwreck en route to Swakopmund, then settle into your room-based accommodation. Two nights on bed and breakfast offer a change of rhythm, with time for coastal restaurants and a comfortable pause from camping.
Choose your coastal adventure
Accommodation: Swakopmund rooms · Alte Brücke proposed
Our recommendation is the full-day catamaran cruise and Sandwich Harbour combination: a morning marine cruise from Walvis Bay followed by a specialist 4x4 outing into the dunes. It is optional and separately quoted, subject to seats, weather and tides. Shared departures are not private excursions. Alternatively, explore Swakopmund at your own pace.
Back into the great Namib
Accommodation: Sesriem campsite · proposed
Travel via Walvis Bay, the Kuiseb and Gaub passes, and Solitaire towards Sesriem. Give this scenic gravel-road day time for sensible breaks and photo stops, rather than planning to arrive on a map-app deadline. Your guide prepares dinner in camp, with two nights here allowing a full desert day tomorrow.
The dunes in their own time
Accommodation: Sesriem campsite · proposed
Head into the dune landscapes with your Namvic driver-guide and vehicle. Explore Sossusvlei and Deadvlei at a pace suited to the conditions, park access and your group. The planned park visit is included as quoted. Return to camp for the final dinner of the journey.
Homeward across the highlands
Accommodation: No overnight included · journey ends
After breakfast, return inland towards Windhoek. Your guide selects the suitable route for road conditions and the day’s arrangements. Coordinate onward flights with Namvic before booking: the transfer is a substantial road journey, and arrival in Windhoek is not an airport check-in guarantee. An extra Windhoek night can be requested separately.
Included / arranged
- •Private Namvic driver-guide throughout; guests do not self-drive
- •Suitable equipped 4x4 transport and fuel for the confirmed route; vehicle allocation matched to your group
- •Thirteen nights: eleven camping nights and two coastal room nights, subject to the written proposal
- •Guest camping equipment as specified in the quote; your guide has a separate tent
- •Guide-prepared dinner and breakfast at each camping overnight; breakfast at the coastal accommodation
- •Wilderness lunches on days 5–8, plus the stated breakfasts and dinners
- •Drinking water along the route, and tea/coffee during the wilderness section
- •Etosha game drives and Sossusvlei visit with your Namvic guide and vehicle, with the stated park/campsite fees and compulsory accommodation levies
- •Arrival and departure airport transfers, timed and confirmed in the written proposal
Not included unless quoted
- •International and domestic flights, visas and personal travel insurance
- •Medical treatment and evacuation costs; arrange suitable personal cover
- •Lunches outside the wilderness section, coastal dinners and breakfast before the journey starts
- •Personal drinks, personal expenses and gratuities
- •Optional catamaran cruise and Sandwich Harbour combination, and other coastal excursions
- •Optional Twyfelfontein engravings, cultural-village visits and park-operated open-vehicle drives
- •Extra nights before or after the journey and any service not specified in the final written quote
Accommodation examples
- •Flexible wilderness camps — 4 nights · Permitted sites chosen by your guide
- •Okaukuejo campsite — 3 nights · Proposed camping base
- •Kamanjab camping — 1 night · Oppi Koppi proposed, not fixed
- •Spitzkoppe Community Restcamp — 1 night · Proposed granite-country camp
- •Alte Brücke or similar rooms — 2 nights · Bed and breakfast · subject to availability
- •Sesriem campsite — 2 nights · Proposed camping base for the dunes
Important planning notes
- !Wild-camp access, permissions, campsite availability and seasonal track or river conditions must be checked for your dates. No specific remote campsite, track or named wilderness area is guaranteed.
- !Wildlife sightings are not guaranteed. Desert-adapted elephants are a focus, not a separately charged elephant excursion; lion or rhino encounters cannot be promised.
- !The Hoanib, Huab, Klein Serengeti and Doros area are possible expedition interests, not a checklist of four fixed daily destinations.
- !Optional excursions are neither included nor booked. Coastal activities depend on seats, weather and tides; shared marine-and-dunes departures are not private trips.
- !Bring soft duffel-style luggage rather than hard suitcases; camping equipment and supplies travel with the group. The final vehicle and camping setup depend on group size.
- !Plan arrival and onward flights with Namvic before booking. The route begins in Windhoek and the final road journey does not guarantee same-day flight compatibility.
- !If you have more time, ask about adding two wilderness nights. A longer route requires a revised proposal and availability checks; it is not included in this fourteen-day journey.
Ready to customise this tour?
Tell us your dates, group size, comfort level and whether you want lodge, camping or a mixed itinerary. Namvic will confirm availability and prepare a proper quote for your exact travel dates.