Namibia itinerary, day by day

From the red dunes of Sossusvlei to the Skeleton Coast and the waterholes of Etosha, by 4x4: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

🗓️ 3, 7 or 14 days📍 4 stops☀️ Best time: May to October

Windhoek · Photo Timon Cornelissen / Pexels

Route map (numbers = order of the stops).

Namibia in 3 days

2 stops · 12 things to do · ≈ 350 km

1Windhoek

Day 1

A small capital with a German colonial past still visible in its churches and street names, and the starting point for every road into the interior.

🎟️ Worth booking

City tour and craft marketHalf day · from €15
A half-day around the capital and its craft market, a first look at the country before heading into the desert.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Daan Viljoen game reserveHalf day · from €25
A small reserve on the edge of town, with walking trails among zebra, kudu and oryx.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Christuskirche · The colonial quarter · The Penduka craft project · The view over the surrounding hills

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Chameleon Backpackers (€30 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Heinitzburg (€120 a night) · Luxury: Olive Exclusive (€230 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Seoul Food ↗ ★ 4.9 · 580 reviews
Leo's Garden Restaurant ↗ ★ 4.7 · 253 reviews
ZEST - Mediterranean Restaurant ↗ ★ 4.5 · 371 reviews
Francesco Restaurant ↗ ★ 4.5 · 225 reviews · €€
Joe's Beerhouse ↗ ★ 4.4 · 6766 reviews · €€

Photo Charl Durand / Pexels

🚙 4×4 · 5h · 350 km

2Sossusvlei (the dunes)

Days 2-3

Red dunes among the highest in the world, in the Namib, the oldest desert on earth. At their foot lies Deadvlei, a white clay pan dotted with the dark skeletons of long-dead camelthorn trees.

🎟️ Worth booking

Sunrise on Dune 45, then DeadvleiFull day · from €40
The climb up Dune 45 as the sun comes up, then the walk across the sand to the dead trees of Deadvlei.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Hot-air balloon over the desert1h · from €350
A dawn flight over the Namib, drifting above the dunes as the light changes their colour.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Deadvlei and its dead trees · Sesriem Canyon · The red dunes · The night sky

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Desert Camp (€80 a night) · Mid-range: Sossusvlei Lodge (€220 a night) · Luxury: Dead Valley Lodge (€450 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Big Daddy Dune ★ 4.9 · 186 reviews
Dead Vlei ★ 4.8 · 1701 reviews
Namib Sky Balloon Safaris ★ 4.8 · 433 reviews
Hoodia Desert Lodge ★ 4.8 · 156 reviews
andBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge ★ 4.8 · 143 reviews

Photo Hub Jacqu / Pexels

Namibia in 7 days

4 stops · 24 things to do · ≈ 1 170 km

1Windhoek

Day 1

A small capital with a German colonial past still visible in its churches and street names, and the starting point for every road into the interior.

🎟️ Worth booking

City tour and craft marketHalf day · from €15
A half-day around the capital and its craft market, a first look at the country before heading into the desert.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Daan Viljoen game reserveHalf day · from €25
A small reserve on the edge of town, with walking trails among zebra, kudu and oryx.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Christuskirche · The colonial quarter · The Penduka craft project · The view over the surrounding hills

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Chameleon Backpackers (€30 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Heinitzburg (€120 a night) · Luxury: Olive Exclusive (€230 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Charl Durand / Pexels

🚙 4×4 · 5h · 350 km

2Sossusvlei (the dunes)

Days 2-3

Red dunes among the highest in the world, in the Namib, the oldest desert on earth. At their foot lies Deadvlei, a white clay pan dotted with the dark skeletons of long-dead camelthorn trees.

🎟️ Worth booking

Sunrise on Dune 45, then DeadvleiFull day · from €40
The climb up Dune 45 as the sun comes up, then the walk across the sand to the dead trees of Deadvlei.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Hot-air balloon over the desert1h · from €350
A dawn flight over the Namib, drifting above the dunes as the light changes their colour.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Deadvlei and its dead trees · Sesriem Canyon · The red dunes · The night sky

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Desert Camp (€80 a night) · Mid-range: Sossusvlei Lodge (€220 a night) · Luxury: Dead Valley Lodge (€450 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Hub Jacqu / Pexels

🚙 4×4 · 4h30 · 340 km

3Swakopmund (the coast)

Days 4-5

A colonial seaside town built by the Germans where the desert runs straight into the Atlantic, with half-timbered houses facing a cold, foggy sea.

🎟️ Worth booking

Quad biking and sandboardingHalf day · from €55
A half-day on the dunes between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, with the ocean in sight.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Kayaking with seals (Walvis Bay)Half day · from €45
Paddling among the Cape fur seals of the lagoon, with flamingos and sometimes dolphins nearby.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

German colonial architecture · Swakopmund jetty · Where the desert meets the ocean · The seal colony at Cape Cross

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Skeleton Beach Backpackers (€30 a night) · Mid-range: Hansa Hotel (€110 a night) · Luxury: The Stiltz (€180 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Village Cafe ↗ ★ 4.7 · 1679 reviews · €€
Gabriele's Italian Pizzeria ↗ ★ 4.7 · 737 reviews · €€
Ankerplatz Restaurant and wine bar ↗ ★ 4.7 · 493 reviews
Old Steamer Restaurant ↗ ★ 4.7 · 395 reviews · €€
Wild Rocket Cafe ↗ ★ 4.7 · 277 reviews

Photo Dorota Semla / Pexels

🚙 4×4 · 6h · 480 km

4Etosha National Park

Days 6-7

A park built around a vast dry salt pan. In the dry season the animals gather at the waterholes, where you can simply wait for them to come.

🎟️ Worth booking

A day's 4x4 safariFull day · from €60
A full day with a guide on the park tracks, driving from one waterhole to the next in one of the great reserves of southern Africa.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Evening at the floodlit waterholesEvening · from €25
After dark, the waterholes beside the rest camps are lit, and rhino and elephant come to drink a few metres from the benches.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Lions, rhinos and elephants · The great salt pan · The waterholes · Sunsets over the savannah

🛏️ Where to sleep · Luxury: Onguma The Fort (€420 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Namutoni Camp Restaurant ↗ ★ 3.6 · 136 reviews
Halali Camp Restaurant ↗ ★ 3.1 · 146 reviews · €€

Photo Rino Adamo / Pexels

Namibia in 14 days

5 stops · 30 things to do · ≈ 1 600 km

1Windhoek

Days 1-2

A small capital with a German colonial past still visible in its churches and street names, and the starting point for every road into the interior.

🎟️ Worth booking

City tour and craft marketHalf day · from €15
A half-day around the capital and its craft market, a first look at the country before heading into the desert.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Daan Viljoen game reserveHalf day · from €25
A small reserve on the edge of town, with walking trails among zebra, kudu and oryx.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Christuskirche · The colonial quarter · The Penduka craft project · The view over the surrounding hills

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Chameleon Backpackers (€30 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Heinitzburg (€120 a night) · Luxury: Olive Exclusive (€230 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Charl Durand / Pexels

🚙 4×4 · 5h · 350 km

2Sossusvlei (the dunes)

Days 3-5

Red dunes among the highest in the world, in the Namib, the oldest desert on earth. At their foot lies Deadvlei, a white clay pan dotted with the dark skeletons of long-dead camelthorn trees.

🎟️ Worth booking

Sunrise on Dune 45, then DeadvleiFull day · from €40
The climb up Dune 45 as the sun comes up, then the walk across the sand to the dead trees of Deadvlei.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Hot-air balloon over the desert1h · from €350
A dawn flight over the Namib, drifting above the dunes as the light changes their colour.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Deadvlei and its dead trees · Sesriem Canyon · The red dunes · The night sky

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Desert Camp (€80 a night) · Mid-range: Sossusvlei Lodge (€220 a night) · Luxury: Dead Valley Lodge (€450 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Hub Jacqu / Pexels

🚙 4×4 · 4h30 · 340 km

3Swakopmund (the coast)

Days 6-8

A colonial seaside town built by the Germans where the desert runs straight into the Atlantic, with half-timbered houses facing a cold, foggy sea.

🎟️ Worth booking

Quad biking and sandboardingHalf day · from €55
A half-day on the dunes between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, with the ocean in sight.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Kayaking with seals (Walvis Bay)Half day · from €45
Paddling among the Cape fur seals of the lagoon, with flamingos and sometimes dolphins nearby.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

German colonial architecture · Swakopmund jetty · Where the desert meets the ocean · The seal colony at Cape Cross

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Skeleton Beach Backpackers (€30 a night) · Mid-range: Hansa Hotel (€110 a night) · Luxury: The Stiltz (€180 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Dorota Semla / Pexels

🚙 4×4 · 6h · 480 km

4Etosha National Park

Days 9-12

A park built around a vast dry salt pan. In the dry season the animals gather at the waterholes, where you can simply wait for them to come.

🎟️ Worth booking

A day's 4x4 safariFull day · from €60
A full day with a guide on the park tracks, driving from one waterhole to the next in one of the great reserves of southern Africa.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Evening at the floodlit waterholesEvening · from €25
After dark, the waterholes beside the rest camps are lit, and rhino and elephant come to drink a few metres from the benches.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Lions, rhinos and elephants · The great salt pan · The waterholes · Sunsets over the savannah

🛏️ Where to sleep · Luxury: Onguma The Fort (€420 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Namutoni Camp Restaurant ↗ ★ 3.6 · 136 reviews
Halali Camp Restaurant ↗ ★ 3.1 · 146 reviews · €€

Photo Rino Adamo / Pexels

🚙 4×4 · 5h · 430 km (return)

5Windhoek

Days 13-14

A small capital with a German colonial past still visible in its churches and street names, and the starting point for every road into the interior.

🎟️ Worth booking

City tour and craft marketHalf day · from €15
A half-day around the capital and its craft market, a first look at the country before heading into the desert.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Daan Viljoen game reserveHalf day · from €25
A small reserve on the edge of town, with walking trails among zebra, kudu and oryx.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Christuskirche · The colonial quarter · The Penduka craft project · The view over the surrounding hills

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Chameleon Backpackers (€30 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Heinitzburg (€120 a night) · Luxury: Olive Exclusive (€230 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Charl Durand / Pexels

Hotel prices are per room per night, activity prices per person, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links (Booking, GetYourGuide): we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

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Good to know before you go

🍽️ What to eat

Game meat: kudu, oryx and springbok, grilled and served as steaks or stews.
Braai: the southern African barbecue, a social ritual as much as a meal.
Biltong: strips of dried, spiced meat, the snack for every long drive.
Oysters and fresh fish from the cold Atlantic, in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.
German heritage: pretzels, apple strudel and beer brewed to the old German purity law.

⚠️ What to avoid

On gravel roads, carry a spare tyre and plenty of water, and keep your speed down: loose gravel rolls cars.
Drive by day only: animals cross the roads at night.
Book camps and lodges months ahead, especially inside the parks.
Drink far more water than you think you need: the air is dry and the sun is strong.

Plan this trip

📒 The free printable Namibia guide→ 🗓️ Best time to visit Namibia, month by month→ 🎟️ What to book before you go→

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