This tailor-made Namibia trip takes you through one of Africa's most photogenic countries in 16 days, entirely privately. You see the red dunes of the Kalahari, sunrise over Sossusvlei, seals at Walvis Bay, the rock engravings of Twyfelfontein and two full days of game viewing in Etosha. You choose how: behind the wheel of a 4x4 that is waiting for you, or with a private driver who knows the gravel roads.
Namibia is space. You'll drive for hours on gravel without meeting another car. It is my recommended route, and you can start on any date and change whatever you like. It's for travellers who enjoy that emptiness, don't mind a few long driving days and would rather not join a tour group.
At a glance
- Type of trip: fully arranged private tailor-made trip: you travel as a couple, family or group of friends, with no tour group and no fixed departure dates
- My recommended route: 16 days (13 nights on the ground, 2 overnight flights), adaptable from 12 to 21 days
- Transport: self-drive with a rental car or a private driver, your choice
- Three levels: Budget, Comfort or Premium, depending on the type of hotel or lodge
- Indicative price: from €2,340 pp excluding flight, based on 2 travellers; flight approx. €700–1,200 pp, not included, depending on the month
- Four travelling together: about 13% off per person · travelling solo: supplement of about 62%
- Best months: May to October (advice only; you start whenever you like)
| Level | Self-drive (rental car) | Private driver |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | €2,340 | €4,000 |
| Comfort | €3,870 | €5,530 |
| Premium | €5,050 | €6,710 |
Prices per person, based on 2 travellers, excluding the international flight. All prices are indicative estimates and become final once local partners have quoted.
Best time to travel
The dry season from May to October is the best period. Vegetation thins out and animals gather at the waterholes of Etosha, so you see more. Because of a malaria outbreak in the north, Wanda (update 22 September 2026) now also advises malaria tablets for Etosha from June to August, so discuss prophylaxis with a travel clinic whenever you travel. Be aware that desert nights in June to August can drop close to 0 °C, so bring warm layers. October and November get hot. Lodges near Sossusvlei and Etosha fill up fast from July to October, and so do rental 4x4s, so deciding 9 to 12 months ahead gives you the best choice.
The route and why it runs this way
The route is a loop from Windhoek, running south first and then north. Everything below is arranged for you in advance.
You are met at the airport; self-drivers collect their 4x4 in Windhoek with a thorough briefing. After a night in Windhoek you drive 3 hours on tarmac to the Kalahari, an easy start. Then the gravel roads begin: about 4.5 hours to Sesriem, on the edge of the Namib, past endless grass plains and the Naukluft mountains until the first orange dunes appear. You stay as close to the park gate as possible, so you're through at opening time for sunrise on Dune 45 and the walk to Deadvlei.
From the desert you head to the coast at Swakopmund (about 5.5 hours), the longest drive and one of the most beautiful: the moonscapes of the Gaub and Kuiseb canyons and, at the end, dunes running down to the ocean. Two nights there, with a catamaran trip at Walvis Bay and a free afternoon. Then north along the Skeleton Coast to Cape Cross and inland past the Brandberg to Damaraland, through a desert of red rock and table mountains. Etosha comes near the end, with three days from west to east. The last stop is Okonjima, about 3 hours from Windhoek, so the final drive is short.
Most driving days last 4.5 to 5.5 hours. That's the reality of Namibia's distances, but the long drives are not lost time: you drive through some of the most beautiful landscapes in Africa. Two-night stays give you breathing space in between.
See the full day-by-day itinerary
What travelling privately changes here
You stop where you like: a herd of oryx by the road, the light on the Brandberg, an extra half hour at an Etosha waterhole with the engine off. Lodges near Sossusvlei and Etosha have limited rooms; two or four travellers are easier to place close to the gate, and you choose between Budget, Comfort and Premium.
There is no guide travelling along, and no guide by default. Only at the best-known Twyfelfontein engravings and with the leopards at Okonjima do you go out with someone local, because that is compulsory there. Prefer a guide? I can add a local guide to any activity, from a Katutura township walk in Windhoek to a private guide in Etosha.
Self-drive or private driver?
The same route, two ways to travel it. You choose, and you can mix.
Self-drive. Namibia is Africa's self-drive country par excellence: little traffic, clear roads and a lodge expecting you every evening. You get a 4x4 with two spare wheels and zero-excess insurance, a thorough briefing in Windhoek and a road book with driving times, fuel stops and road conditions. Fuel is paid locally (indicative ± €390 per vehicle for the whole route; there are no toll roads). You drive on the left, at 80 km/h at most on gravel and never after dark. Driving days take 3 to 5.5 hours; most roads off the main routes are well-maintained gravel. The long drives are not lost time: you drive through some of the most beautiful landscapes in Africa. You stop wherever you like for a photo or a picnic.
Private driver. Rather not drive on gravel yourself? Then you travel the whole route with one dedicated driver in a 4x4. He speaks English and Afrikaans (which Flemish speakers understand well), knows the roads and the waterholes and also drives you through Etosha. That way you can enjoy the landscapes to the full along the way. Fuel and your driver's accommodation are included.
At Comfort level the private-driver option costs about €1,660 per person more than self-drive (based on 2 travellers); with a driver fuel is included, when self-driving you pay fuel locally (indicative ± €390 per vehicle for the whole route). With four in one vehicle the difference per person shrinks.
Airport pickup. At Hosea Kutako airport you are met with a name board. Self-drivers are taken to the depot in Windhoek (approx. 45 min), where the 4x4 is waiting with a thorough briefing; with a private driver, your driver is in the arrivals hall himself. On the last day you return the vehicle in Windhoek and are taken to the airport.
Budget, Comfort or Premium
The route stays the same; the level decides where you sleep.
- Budget: Guesthouses in Windhoek, Swakopmund and Otjiwarongo and simple rest camps and tented camps elsewhere. Truly cheap rooms do not exist near Sossusvlei and Etosha; you stay at a self-catering camp by the gate and a rest camp inside the park. Breakfast included, dinners at your own expense; Okonjima is visited as a day guest.
- Comfort: Boutique guesthouses in the towns and good mid-range lodges in the wild, such as the Gondwana Collection lodges, a tented camp within walking distance of the rock engravings and Okonjima Plains Camp inside the leopard reserve itself.
- Premium: The best lodge in each place: a boutique hotel in Windhoek, a game ranch on a red Kalahari dune, the lodge right at the Sossusvlei gate, an intimate lodge near eastern Etosha and Okonjima's Luxury Bush Camp.
You can mix: every hotel or lodge can be swapped.
Practical tips
- Visa (Belgian passport): since 1 April 2025 Belgians need a visa (N$1,600 pp, approx. €80, indicative price; valid 30 days). I apply for the e-visa for you in advance via the official portal, so you don't queue for a visa on arrival. Send me a scan of your passport photo page, a recent digital passport photo and your flight details. You pay the visa fee yourself. Your passport must be valid for 6 months on arrival and have at least 3 blank pages.
- Meals: breakfast is included every day, and at Comfort and Premium dinner too at the remote lodges, where there is no alternative. In Windhoek and Swakopmund you choose where to eat: I give you my restaurant recommendations, with no obligation.
- Health: no mandatory vaccinations when travelling from Belgium. The south and the coast are malaria-free. For Etosha (days 10–13), Wanda advises mosquito protection plus malaria tablets year-round since its 22 September 2026 update (outbreak; previously September–May only). Discuss prophylaxis with a travel clinic or check wanda.be.
- Money: Namibian dollar, pegged 1:1 to the South African rand, which is also accepted. Cards work at most lodges.
- Flights and time: 12 to 15 hours with one connection, for example via Frankfurt. Namibia is 1 hour ahead of Belgium in winter and on the same time in summer.
Travel advice
The Belgian FPS Foreign Affairs describes Namibia as stable, but crime is rising, especially in Windhoek and Swakopmund, with theft and aggressive robbery by day and by night. So don't walk in towns after dark, use your hotel's secure parking and never leave luggage visible in the vehicle. The gravel roads carry risks too, which is why self-drivers get a 4x4 with two spare wheels, a thorough briefing and clear rules: 80 km/h at most on gravel and never after dark. If that worries you, choose the private driver. Read the latest advice on diplomatie.belgium.be.
Frequently asked questions
Do Belgians need a visa for Namibia?
Yes, since April 2025. The e-visa costs N$1,600 pp (approx. €80, indicative price) and is not included. I apply for it for you in advance; you send me a scan of your passport, a passport photo and your flight details.
Is Namibia cold in winter?
Days are pleasant, but desert nights in June to August can approach freezing. Bring a warm jacket.
How much driving is there?
Most travel days are 4.5 to 5.5 hours on the road, often on gravel. They are not lost hours: you cross the Kalahari, the Gaub and Kuiseb passes, the Skeleton Coast and Damaraland, some of the most beautiful landscapes in Africa, and you stop wherever you like. Two-night stays give you rest days in between.
Self-drive or private driver?
Namibia is Africa's classic self-drive country, and most travellers do it that way. You do drive on the left, up to 5.5 hours a day and often on gravel. If you enjoy driving and have two drivers, take the 4x4. If you would rather look out of the window, choose the private driver.
Is there malaria in Namibia?
Not in the south or on the coast. Etosha and the north are a seasonal malaria area, and because of an outbreak Wanda (22 September 2026) now advises tablets there also from June to August, so all year round. Ask a travel clinic for advice.
Plan your trip
Tell me when you would like to travel, how many days you have and which level suits you, and I will draw up the route for you. Plan a personal intake call via the interest list or email info@steennot-travels.be. Before we start selling trips, we take out the legally required insurance against financial insolvency. Prices remain indicative until then.
Sources
- https://diplomatie.belgium.be/nl/landen/namibie/reizen-naar-namibie-reisadvies/algemene-veiligheid-namibie
- https://visasnews.com/en/namibia-now-imposes-visa-requirements-on-33-nationalities/
- https://gondwana-collection.com/visa-namibia-information
- https://missionofnamibia.ch/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31&Itemid=376
- https://etoshanationalpark.com.na/getting-to-etosha/health-and-safety/malaria-in-etosha/
- https://namibian.org/blog/namibia-raises-park-fees-by-80-to-100-percent
Last updated: 14 October 2026. Prices and dates are indicative estimates and may change.
