The North of Namibia (16-Day Self-Drive)

Fifteen nights through the north of Namibia, entirely independent, in a hire car with the accommodation arranged, with the price quoted on application.

The operator pitches this at people who have been to Namibia before, and that is the right framing: it skips Sossusvlei entirely and goes north instead, into the Kunene and the part of Etosha that was closed to visitors for decades.

Windhoek opens it, then west through the Erongo Mountains into Damaraland. Opuwo follows, the administrative centre of the Kunene region and the gateway to the Kaokoveld, then the Grootberg Pass, a steep climb onto a plateau with a lodge on the rim. Epupa Falls comes next on the Angolan border, where the Kunene drops through a gorge among palms, with a visit to a Himba village and time on the green riverbanks, which after the dry country behind is a considerable contrast. The route then runs south into the western section of Etosha, long restricted and now open, and finishes at the Okonjima reserve.

A 2×4 or 4×4 depending on the itinerary and the accommodation throughout are included; international flights, fuel, most meals and the optional activities are not. The price is given on application. The dry season from May to October is the window. No wildlife sighting can be promised. A village visit is worth arranging through the lodge rather than approaching independently, since access depends on the community’s own consent. Sixteen days arranged this way covers the Kunene properly rather than glancing at it, and the western section of Etosha sees a fraction of the traffic the main gates do.