Namibia is one of the few African countries that can be travelled as a self-drive road trip.  It is a very popular way to explore the country. The roads are drivable, and there are plenty of options to rent 4x4 vehicles. Although many roads are gravel, they are relatively well maintained. You do get stretches of "washboard" but still we could do 80-90 km/h on those. It is actually less bumpy to drive a bit faster. We rented a regular 4x4 Toyota Fortuner from AVIS and it was fully acceptable even in relatively deep and soft sand (deflate tires a bit). We also saw more advanced expedition type vehicles on the route, with tents on the roof, shovels, extra fuel canisters etc. We found that distances between lodges can be covered within a day and sleeping in tents is not necessary. Also, assembling tents, cooking, washing dishes etc. will take time from activities. However, extra fuel canister can be a good idea in the Skeleton Coast national park. There was a stretch of over 400km without filling stations. Navigation-wise, Google maps works well. We downloaded maps every time we would get a wifi and did not need to turn on roaming. 

What to see and do

It is easier describe the main attractions and activities following our route. The major stops were:

• Sossusvlei (Namib desert)

• Walvis Bay (desert dunes dropping into ocean, seal colonies)

• Twyfelfontein (prehistoric petroglyphs, petrified forest, desert elephants)

• Opuwo (Himba people)

• Etosha (self drive safari)

Day 1, driving to Sossusvlei

We planned to do in Sossusvlei:

• Deadveli and Big Daddy dune
• Sunset from Dune 45
• Fly over Namib desert in either baloon or small aircraft
• Sesrem canyon

It takes about 5 hours to drive from Windhoek airport to Sossusovlei. The road is mostly gravel but we could do 90-110 km/h, depending on the "washboard" amplitude. You will cross the tropic on the way, watch for the sign.

There are two lodges asociated with the Namibian Wildlife Resorts (NWR) in Sossusvlei. One is just outside the park gate (Sossusvlei Lodge) and the other inside the park (Sossus Dune Lodge). We stayed inside the park because that lodge is more private. As we arrived after sunset, the security at the first gate needed to show us a way around the second gate. This inner gate gets locked for the night.

Day 2, Deadvlei and the Big Daddy

We started exploration of Sossuvlei in AM. Our first target was Deadvlei and the Big Daddy dune. The place is deep in the park, at the dead end of the road. The distance is about 60 km from the gates or the lodge. There are two parking lots. One is at the end of tarred (paved) road. Then you can either take the shuttle or drive over sand to the 4x4 parking lot. The latter is a walking distance to the Deadvlei area. The best time to go to the place is not sunrise, as commonly recommended, but a bit later, about 10AM. Do not bother with the sunrise as the place is packed with people before noon. If you think of seeing the sunrise from the top, consider that It takes a long time to climb the dune, 1-2 hours depending on your fitness.  The peak is over 300m elevation gain and climbing is in soft sand. The Big Daddy is right behind the Deadvlei pan. If you arrive between 10-11AM, you can walk straight through Deadvlei, start your ascent at the left (south) deep corner of Deadvlei, summit Big Daddy and then have Deadvlei all to youreslf after descent. 

While you have to climb up along the ridge, you can desend straight down the slope. The sand makes funny sounds when you "pedal" down.

Voila!  You have empty Deadvlei just past noon time! The place used to be a "forest" which became dry few centuries ago. It is even too dry for the trees to rot. The wood partially mineralized which added to the concervation process.

Day 3, morning, scenic flight

Our initial booking was for a baloon flight but the wind was too strong and the flights were cancelled for several days. Frankly, it was windy all the time while we travelled along the Skeleton Coast. It seemed that baloon flights are cancelled frequently. We had to switch to a plan B, scenic flight in a small aircraft. As an afterthought, it is a better option if you want to see the entire span of Namib desert to the coast. There are three loops they offer and the middle option was to fly to the coast at a mid-way price. Sand color and dune topography changes as you approach the coast. Then, a sea of sand drops into the ocean of water. We thought it was money well spent as the views are stunning.

Day 3, afternoon

We drove to the canyon which is very close to the Sossus Dune Lodge. There was no water in the canyon except for the very narrow and deep begining at the south end. The canyon slowly expands as you walk north. On our return to the lodge a group of oryxes came to the waterhole in front of our villa. 

Day 3, sunset, Dune 45

It takes about 30 minutes to drive to the parking lot of Dune 45. It is approximately, as the name implies 45 km from the gate. Then it will take you about 45 min to climb the ridge. Check sunset time at the lodge reception and plan to be on the high point some time before sunset. It was a magical sunset.

Day 4, driving to Walvis bay

We got fuel just outside the park gate and hit the road. This stretch of the road was the worse segement of our entire Namibian route. Bumpy washboard and dust from vehicles in front of you. In Walvis Bay you can do:

• Kayak tour to interact with a seal colony
• Driving over the dunes of Sandwich Harbor

Day 5, morning, kayak tour for the seal colony

We booked the tour with Eco Marine Kayak Tours and can highly recommend them. There are two options to get to the Pelican Point where seal colonies concentrate. You either self-drive following the company truck, or you park at the meeting place and then ride in the company vehicle. We chose the self-drive option. The guides deflated our tires to a certain level to make sure we do not get stuck in the sand. It is about 40 km off-road driving but, to be frank driving in Sossuvlei sand was a bit harder as sand is softer. However, not a big deal at either place if you have a 4x4. After reaching the place we had to wait for some time till waves calmed down. The company provided waterproof pants, jackets and small bags for cameras. The bag actually saved our phone and camera. We dropped it while kayaking and were able to pick it up. Just make sure you leave a pocket of air for boyancy when you close the bag. The seal colonies stud the shoreline. There are thousands of seals in the area. Most seals in the water were 6-month old adolencesnts, playful and curious. Seals deliver babies once a year, around December and the kids are all about the same age.

Day 5, sunset drive through the dunes of Sandwich Harbor

There are options to drive over the dunes yourself but there are no marked roads and the route in the dunes changes all the time as the dunes shift. Driving along the water edge is dependent on the tide. You may get stuck in rising water. We also wanted to have a drink at the sunset and chose to book a tour with a driver/guide. We booked the tour through Viator but the company Misty Shores Tours also has a direct site. Driving over the dunes was one of the highlights of our Namibian tour.

Day 6, driving along Skeleton Coast to Twyfelfontein

Swakopmund is your last chance to get fuel if you plan crossing the Skeleton Coast Park from south to north. There is neither filling station around Cape Cross, nor at the park gate and there is no food, fuel or water in the park. You may even drive 200 km without meeting any car.  Our original plan was to refil in Tora Bay, but the staff at the Cape Cross gate told us there is no fuel there. We ended up driving 480 km without a refill. We had to turn off AC and open windows to concerve fuel. Toyota Fortuner turned out to be a very economical vehicle and we had 1/4 of the tank fuel still left when we reached Twyfelfontein. 

You can do several stops along the way:

• Zelia wreck
• Cape Cross seal reserve
• Winston wreck (need to drive off road towards the coast)
• Abandoned oil rig

Cape Cross seal colony was an interesting stop but it cannot replace the kayak tour in Walvis Bay. Driving through the Skeleton Coast park was actually mostly driving through the desert. Sometimes we could get a glimpse of the ocean but it is not a coastal road per se. The views are somewhat surreal as the desert changes colors from yellow to red to totally black.

Day 7, Twyfelfontein

In Twyfelfontein our activities were:

• Petroglyphs of Twyfelfontein
• Damara living museum
• Elephant drive (desert adapted elephants)

• Petrified forest (on the way to Opuwo)

Our first concern in Twyfelfontein was FUEL. The Twyfelfontein Country Lodge has its own pump but it works only during the daytime and accepts cash on;y. The lodge was a very nice surprise as the location is gorgeous. There are also few rocks with petroglyphs at the lodge itself. Petroglyphs of Twyfelfontein are a short drive from the lodge and we went there first thing in the morning. The site is well organized and the guides give extensive explanations. Carbon dating of small finds, like arrow tips etc in the area gave readings between 2000-6000 years, but the scientists could not date the carvings themselves. The carvings appear to be spiritual and educational in nature. Few depictions of animals have 5 fingers which was interpreted as spiritual transformation of the medicine men into animals. Carvings of animal tracks were interpreted as eductaional, to teach the young to track the wildlife.

We went to the Damara Living Museum after our visit of the petroglyphs. The village is a recreation of the past era life of the tribe. It is an interesting short stop very close to the lodge and the petroglyphs. Damara people speak a click language. Turn sound on in the video below.

Day 7, afternoon drive to track desert adapted elephants

Our final activity in Twyfelfontein was a game drive for the desert adapted elephants. This was organised through the Twyfelfontein Country Lodge. We were somewhat sceptical whether we would see the elephants, but the drive exceeded all expectations. As it turned out there are several groups of elephants in the area and they come to specific water holes around sunset. So, your chances to see the elephants are quite high. Moreover, these elephants move around villages and generally are accostomed to people. We could get to them closer than anywhere else we did game drives in Africa. Some of the tourists in the vehicle even started acting as if these were not wild animals. They started talking loudly which immediately alerted one large female elephant. She almost touched the vehicle inspectine us. That was a close call situation. An elephant of that size can easily flip a safari truck. 

Day 8, drive to Opuwo, stop on the way:

• Petrified Forest

• Himba village

There are several signs on the road that say "Petrified Forest" when you drive east from Twyfelfontein. We stopped at the one that was showing on the Google Map. The place had multiple large fragments and near complete petrified tree trunks. They looked like evergreen trees of temperate climate forests, similar to pines or cedar. According to the continental drift this part of Africa was in temperate climate about 200 million years ago. This correlated with carbon dating of the petrified wood which gave readings of 250+ million years. The degree of preservation is remarkable. You can see knots of broken branches, annual circles, insect burrows and other obvious attributes of wood. 

Day 8, afternoon, stop at a Himba village on the way to Opuwo

You are likely to see several signs for Himba villages on the road. We stopped at Omusaona Traditional Himba Village which was on the way to Opuwo. The place was authentic enough, although the village was maintained to attract tourists. Later we visited a non-tourist family and can say that Omusaona village was a bit more refined and commercialized, but generally authentic. You can get a performance like dancing and signing at the commercial village. I will leave descriptions of Himba culture to the non-tourist village visit which we did from Opuwo.

Day 8, visit real-life Himba family

Although our original purpose to drive to Opuwo was to visit the Ovahimba Living Museum. we discovered at the Opuwo Country Lodge that we can visit a more authentic real-life Himba family.  Our guide was a young Himba man who was chosen to be sent to school as a boy. He took us to his uncle's family. Men can have several wives and one child from a wife is usually sent to school. The remainng children continue the lifestyle Himba people lived for centuries.

Originally Himba people were nomadic. They migrated from Angola to northern Namibia and eventually became sedentary, raising animals and growing crops. A man's wealth is measured by the number of animals. A small boy is initially given a chicken, then a goat and if he takes a good care of these they multiply and by teen years he can have a small herd. Then he is sent to live on his own, with a girl of his age to help him. If he manages to keep the herd, he continues on to grow his family. If he eats all animals, he ends up as a failure. A man can have more wives if he has enough animals to support the wives and their children. A family lives in an enclosure where each wife has a separate hut and a kitchen. The huts are built around the circle. There is another enclosure in the middle where animals are kept at night. The gate to this inner enclosure is aligned with the cheif's hut and the line connecting the two entrances forms a "holy line". Women cannot cross it, they have to walk around either the hut or the animals' enclosure. A family also owns several fenced fields where they grow crops, mostly corn. Several families spread over a large area form a "village" which is usually centered around a water source. Waterhole does not belong to a specific family, it is common and cannot be owned. Cheifs of the families form a communal authority in the village to make decisions and regulate life in the village.

Women, except for those who were sent to school as girls, maintain a strict traditional dressing code. Their hair are collected into dreadlocks whcih are further covered by a clay-like mix of ground ochre and butter. The dreadlocks are extended by animal hair. Their is also a head dress made out of goat skin. Goat skin is also used to make a skirt with a large apron like flap at the back which is used to carry small babies. The women also have abundant ornamental necklaces, bracelets and a belt. There are also tall cuff-like ankle bracelets with vertical stripe-like decorations. A woman with one child has one stripe, with more than one child - two stripes. The women cover their skin with butter wixed with smaller amount of ochre. This cream protects the skin from insects and sun as well as gives a uniform cosmetic color to the skin. 

All butter extracted from milk is used for hair and skin. Himba drink only soured defatted milk.

As water is scarce they use aromatized smoke for hygenic purposes, to deodorise the body and clothing. 

While driving through Opuwo we saw Himba women walking through the town in this traditional outfit, doing shopping and other errands. As morning tempreature can be quite low they add some modern dress components, mostly blankets and shawls.

The traditional dressing code appeared to be not just for tourists but rather the actual way they maintain their traditions. We saw only few tourists this much north. Himba tribes were never colonised which explains their ability to keep the traditional lifestyle. In contrast, Herero tribe that lived further south was colonised and they adopted a modified closing style of the German women of that time, except for the head dress. This unusual "hat" is a tribute to cattle which was the source of wealth of the tribe. 

Day 9: Driving to Etosha National Park
Generally, the roads get better as you get closer to either Etosha or Windhoek. There is a real highway between Epuwo and Windhoek. It passes next to Etosha and the speed limit is 120km/h. You just need to watch out for the goats and cattle. We booked Okaukuejo Lodge which is inside Etosha National Park, approximately in the middle. Google maps showed us a way around the park, entering through the southern Anderson gate instead of taking a shortcut through the park. via the Galton (western) gate. The latter is right on the highway from Epuwo and we took it to enter the park. The shortcut was also a game drive as we could explore the entire western half of the park, which is almost 200km. Buy the park map at the gate. It will give you the road routes and the waterhole locations. It took us pretty much a half-day to get to the lodge. We were stopping at each waterhole on the route and frequently along the way when we saw animals. After checking-in we discovered that we are next to the waterhole in the lodge/campsite. It is illuminated at night. There are almost always some animals at the waterhole in late afternoon and till midnight.

Days 10 and 11: Game drives in Etosha National Park
 Our routine was to wake early, have breakfast as the restaurant opens, then drive out of the camp gate. The camp gates open and close at sunset and sunrise. The latter timing is important as you do not want to get stuck outside the campground. The game animals are more active in the early hours and you are more likely to see them in the open, away from the waterholes. As sun and heat become more intense they start coming to the waterholes, usually after noon. There are two types of waterholes, natural and those replenshed by a drilled well. Most of the natural waterholes dry out during dry season and those that do not tend to have high salt concentration. So, the animals prefer the man-made waterholes. Our routine approach was to drive from waterhole to waterhole.  You can also see grazing animals away from waterholes in the fields and giraffes in the places with trees. We saw the larger animals such as elephants and rhinos almost exclusively at waterholes. Elephant population appears to be bigger east of Kaukuejo, around Gemsbokvlakte and Aus waterholes. Our favorite waterholes were (from west to east):

- Jakkalswater (on the way from the west/Galton gate)

- Ozonjuiji m'Bari (on the way from the west Galton gate)

- Waterhole within Okaukuejo camp (all animals except cats)

- Ombika (right next to the south/Anderson gate)

- Gemsbokvlakte (herd of Elephants)

- Aus (LARGE herd of elephants)

- Road around Okondeka and Adamax has large herds of springboks, wilderbeests, frequent ostriches and occasional hyenas

We were told that sometimes we need to wait a bit if there is nothing at a waterhole. We did not have much luck with that approach. It was either we are lucky to see something right away or there was no point in waiting. We saw giraffes and elephants fight and have "honeymoons", suckling babies, springboks pronking like kangaroos and many other aspects of animal life we have not observed during our previous safari trips elsewhere. Driving yourself made it even more interesting.

We were told that sometimes we need to wait a bit if there is nothing at a waterhole. We did not have much luck with that approach. It was either we are lucky to see something right away or there was no point in waiting. We saw giraffes and elephants fight and have "honeymoons", suckling babies, springboks pronking like kangaroos and many other aspects of animal life we have not observed during our previous safari trips elsewhere. Driving yourself made it even more interesting.

When to go
May to September is a drer and cooler period. You will need sweaters or light jackets in the morning. The range in temperatures in the desert between early mornings and afternoons can be quite dramatic. It is almost always sunny in the desert but December to March is a rainy period deeper inland, including Etosha park. There are more animals around waterholes in the drier months.You can check for more information here.

Getting there

At the time of writing there are direct flights to Windhoek from Germany (Munich and Frankfurt), Ethiopia (Addis Ababa) and South Africa (Johannesburg and Capetown). We are Star Alliance point collectors, so we are flying with Ethiopian Airlines for our African trips south of Addis Ababa. Addis Ababa is a decent stopover to break jetlag too.

Where to stay

On our Namibian self-drive route we stayed:

• Sossus Dune Lodge in Sossusvlei. One of the Namibian Wildlife Resorts (NWR) properties. A small boutique lodge inside the park, more private than the larger lodge just outside the gates. Large villas, OK food (do not expect much anywhere in Namibia), a small waterhole and a short drive to the main tarred road and the canyon. Fuel station is just outside the park gates.
• Protea Hotel (Marriott chain at the time of writing) in Walvis Bay. Best hotel in town, walking distance to waterfront restaurants and the meeting point for kayak tours. Fuel is in either Walvis Bay or Swakopmund. 
• Twyfelfontein Country Lodge in Twyfelfontein. The best lodge during our Namibian adventure. Stunning sunset views, best food, comfortable villas, beautiful grounds, own fuel station.
• Opuwo Country Lodge in Opuwo. Stunning views, decent villas, probably the best option if you aim to see Himba culture. Fuel is in the town which is 10 min down the hill. Tarred road to Etosha and Windhoek.

• Okaokuejo Lodge/Camp. Another NWR property inside Etosha park. Villas in front of the waterhole are unique and worth the money. But, it had somewhat disorganised operation, no fuel in the filling station, and the worst food during our trip. The ldoge is in the center of the park which is convenient to drive in both west and east directions within the park. Fuel was outside the park gates, about 30km from the lodge on the way to Windhoek.

• Hilton in Windhoek was like any other Hilton, expected standard. It is about 45 min drive from the airport.

Language
Everybody speaks good English in Namibia. Many people speak Afrikaans.

Electricity
220 V, 50 Hz, South African socket with three thick round prongs, but all places had European type plugs as well.