The Grand Namibian Circle

The full circuit, about 3,110 kilometres in fifteen days, from the canyons of the far south to the waterholes of Etosha in the north. This self-drive loop out of Windhoek covers Namibia end to end without doubling back.

The south comes first and gets the opening five days. The Quiver Tree Forest and the Giant’s Playground near Keetmanshoop, then two nights at Fish River Canyon, the second largest in Africa and deep enough that the view from the rim takes a while to resolve. Luderitz follows on the coast, a German art nouveau town stranded on a bare rocky shore, with the sand-filled diamond ghost town of Kolmanskop just outside it.

The middle is the famous part. Two nights at Sossusvlei for the dunes and Deadvlei at sunrise, then two in Swakopmund on the cool Atlantic, then two at Spitzkoppe among granite peaks with rock art and very dark skies. Etosha closes the trip with two nights of game viewing at the waterholes on the edge of the great salt pan.

Sandura Tours plan and book the itinerary, and they include all accommodation, route planning, park and reserve entrance fees and 24-hour support throughout. Flights, meals, optional activities, insurance and gratuities are separate, and the vehicle can be added through their own planner or arranged yourself. Fourteen nights sounds like a great deal until you look at the distances involved, and this is the one itinerary in their range that does the whole country properly rather than picking a corner of it.