Namibia on a Budget

Ten nights in a loop from Windhoek, self-guided and tailor-made, across Namibia in a 4×4, at the budget end of the operator’s range.

The route covers the same ground as the more expensive Namibian itineraries at roughly half the price, with simpler accommodation doing most of the work and the driving unchanged.

The Kalahari opens it, then Solitaire, a filling station in the middle of nowhere that is known across the country for its apple cake, and two nights at Sossusvlei for Deadvlei and Sesriem Canyon at sunrise. Swakopmund follows for two nights, with its colonial architecture and optional catamaran and Sandwich Harbour trips. Damaraland comes next, with the Organ Pipes, the Petrified Forest and the rock art at Twyfelfontein, a world heritage site where the Khoisan have been present for the best part of six thousand years. Etosha takes two nights, then the Waterberg, with the Cheetah Conservation Fund and the AfriCat Foundation at Okonjima, and the woodcarvers’ market at Okahandja on the way back.

The 4×4 hire, the accommodation, the meals and tours listed in the itinerary, the airport transfers and the ground agent’s services are all included; flights are not. The price shown is per person excluding flights. The dry season from May to October is the window. No wildlife sighting can be promised, though Etosha in the dry months gives the odds as good a run as Africa offers. Eleven days at this price is the best value self-drive in the operator’s African range, and the only real compromise against the dearer version is a night fewer at Etosha and simpler places to sleep. The driving and the distances are identical.