Self Drive Namibia Wildlife and Culture Safari

Lion laying on a rock in Etosha National Park, Namibia

What to expect on this itinerary

On this journey, take a self-driving adventure through the heartland of northern Namibia, where awe-inspiring landscapes, thrilling encounters with desert-adapted elephants and rhinos, ancient rock art sites and the incredible big game and wildlife of Etosha and Ongava await you. Finally, you spend two nights deep in the Kalahari wilderness with a remote community of San Bushmen, where you gain a remarkable insight into an ancient hunter-gatherer lifestyle that has remained unchanged in millennia.

Countries Visited

Namibia

Places Visited

Okonjima, Damaraland, Etosha National Park, Ongava, Waterberg

Suggested Duration

13 Days

Customizable Itinerary

Expand All
Day 1

Okonjima Reserve – Welcome to Namibia

On arrival at Windhoek International Airport, you collect your rental vehicle, which will be a large and comfortable 4x4, guided by a GPS system. You then set off on a beautifully scenic drive northwards to Okonjima. Once you have settled in at your first safari property, you can wander over to the main building for a delicious high tea and to meet your guide for the afternoon’s game drive. The Okonjima Reserve was created specifically to rehabilitate large carnivores, and the 20,000- hectare reserve hosts a number of free-roaming cheetah, leopard and spotted hyena that are radio-collared to allow researchers to monitor them. These animals freely hunt oryx, zebra, duiker, and impala that are present on the reserve. Your activity for the afternoon involves radio-tracking leopard, where you take a game drive in an open, custom-built game-viewing vehicle to track down and encounter these magnificent cats.

Tracking will be the primary focus of the afternoon, but along the drive you will also see many of the other species that call this reserve home. The rolling hills, acacia thickets and open grasslands provide a beautiful backdrop as you encounter giraffe peering curiously at you over low trees, eland, the largest antelope in Africa, wildebeest, warthogs and greater kudu, along with many more smaller but equally fascinating creatures.

Discovering a leopard will obviously be the highlight of the afternoon, and the sight of one is an awe-inspiring experience. Beneath their beautifully spotted coats, their superbly muscled bodies move with a feline grace belying their incredible ferocity, agility, and power. Their greenish eyes are like searchlights into your soul, constantly picking up any movement, their ears pricking up to the slightest sound. After a few breathless minutes, they regally move off, disdainfully ignoring the vehicles, and slip into the undergrowth like a wraith, their superb camouflage concealing them in an instant.

With your nerves jangling and a huge sense of elation, you return to the lodge for a much-need sundowner drink, where you stand gazing at the glorious colors of sunset, reliving every moment of your extraordinary experience.

What's Included:

Accommodation
Activity
Transfer
Dinner
Day 2

Okonjima Reserve – Enjoy the Marvels of Okonjima

Day 3

Damaraland – Drive Into Damaraland

Day 4

Damaraland – Visit the San Rock Art

Day 5

Damaraland – Visit the Himba

Day 6

Ongava – Into Etosha National Park and Ongava Reserve

Day 7

Ongava – Rhino Tracking

Day 8 - 9

Etosha – Exploring Wildlife

Day 10

Etosha – Northeast to Namutoni

Day 11

Bushmanland – Into Nyae Nyae Conservancy

Day 12

Waterberg – Drive South into the Waterberg

Day 13

Windhoek – Depart to Home

Trip Highlights

  • Interact with the Ju/'hoansi Bushmen in a meaningful and uncontrived way
  • Join a hunt, and learn of their ancestral skills and bushcraft
  • Visit cheetahs at the AfriCat Foundation
  • Track desert elephants and rhinos in Damaraland
  • Visit the enigmatic Himba tribe
  • Experience thrilling big game encounters at Ongava and Etosha National Park
  • Track rhinos on foot at Ongava

Starting Price

$10,000 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

  • Accommodations
  • In-country transportation
  • Some or all activities and tours
  • Expert trip planning
  • 24x7 support during your trip

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist.

28,000+ Verified Traveler Reviews
Zicasso in the News