Safari
Price Per Person
Vast and sprawling, Namibia is an iconic safari destination. Characterized by endless stretches of empty road, extraordinary scenery, rewarding wildlife experiences and a coastline that is strewn with shipwrecks, Namibia is an African country best explored by road.
This 9-Day Namibia Self-Drive Safari offers you the opportunity to experience some of Namibia’s highlights which include the capital city, Windhoek, the dramatic dunes at Sossusvlei and 2-million-year-old Sesriem Canyon on the edge of the Namib Desert, the coastal towns of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, glimpses of the Spitzkoppe and ancient Erongo Mountains and open-safari vehicle game drives in the untouched wilderness of Erindi Private Game Reserve
9-Day Namibia Self-Drive Safari
Namibia emergency number: +264 81 127 0564
Approx. 85% of Namibian roads are untarred. We strongly advise you to rent a four by four. Also, Hosea Kutako International Airport in Namibia is 45 km east of Windhoek where most rental car companies are located. Please arrange with your rental car company to be collected from the airport and transferred to Windhoek where you can pick up your rental car. We would be happy to arrange a rental car for your convenience if you prefer. Rates on request.
When you arrive at Hosea Kutako International Airport in Namibia, make sure to exchange money and purchase an MTC telephone card for your cell phone before proceeding to the capital city, Windhoek. There, you will collect your rental car and drive to Am Weinberg Estate Boutique Hotel which will be your accommodation for the night.
Once you have checked in and collected your info pack which contains maps, routes, important contact numbers and other pertinent information, you can head out on your own and explore some of Windhoek’s turn of the century landmark sights such as the Tintenpalast, Christuskirche and former fort turned museum, the Alte Feste. You also have the option to book a guided, three-hour sightseeing city tour with us in advance.
Am Weinberg Estate offers a wide range of dinner options from sundowners and tapas at the Sky Lounge to sophisticated cuisine at the Wine Lounge, from the largest variety of locally sourced ingredients in Namibia at Olivia’s Kitchen to fresh seafood at the Cape Town Fish Market and great steaks at Butcher Block.
Distance travelled:
Approx. 45 km from Hosea Kutako International Airport to Windhoek
Please note:
Most rental car companies are located in Windhoek, 45 km to the west of the airport. If you book your car rental through us, we will arrange for a representative of the car rental company to meet you at the airport and transfer you to Windhoek where you can collect your four-by-four and proceed to your hotel. Rates on request. Airport transfer and the rental car not included in the price of the safari.
After a leisurely breakfast at Am Weinberg Estate Boutique Hotel, it is time to start the first leg of your 9-Day Namibia Self-Drive Safari. If you head off at around 09h00, you should arrive at Sossusvlei Lodge which is situated directly at the entrance gate to the Namib Naukluft Park at approximately 14h00. The route starts tarred, allowing our European clients to get used to driving on the left side of the road, before turning to gravel further on.
You can stop en-route to take photographs of the rural Namibian landscape but you should aim, if possible, to arrive at your destination no later than mid-afternoon if you have pre-booked a sundowner nature drive. The sundowner nature drive is optional, so guests who would prefer to relax at the lodge instead, are free to do so.
We do, however, recommend that you visit the Adventure Centre after you check in to find out about other optional activities such as:
Meals at Sossusvlei Lodge are served al fresco on a terrace that faces a waterhole framed by Elim Dune in the distance. It is not unusual to see wildlife such as oryx, springbok and jackal drinking at the waterhole. There is also a bar, a sundowner deck and a cosy beer garden with a fire pit beneath centuries-old Acacia trees.
Recommendations for Day 3:
No trip to Namibia is complete without an early morning excursion to Sossusvlei, a salt and clay pan surrounded by majestic dunes, or a visit to nearby photographers’ favourite, Deadvlei, where 900-year old petrified trees rise from the bleached-white pans and form a striking contrast against a backdrop of red sand and blue skies. A visit to the ancient caves and fascinating rock formations of the Sesriem Canyon are also a must.
We strongly recommend you ask the staff at Sossusvlei Lodge’s Adventure Centre to help you plan your excursion to Sossusvlei, Deadvlei and Sesriem Canyon, especially if you want to avoid getting caught in the midday sun which sees temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius. If you feel your level of fitness does not allow for long walks or hiking up dunes, the Adventure Centre will be able to suggest alternative options that require less physical exertion.
Distance travelled:
After breakfast on the morning of Day 4, it is time to depart for Namibia’s adventure capital, the coastal town of Swakopmund where the cool breeze off the Atlantic Ocean will be much welcomed after the desert heat. It can take up to five hours to drive the mostly gravel route with stops here and there to explore some of the highlights en-route and fill up on fuel and provisions.
Some highlights en-route to Swakopmund include:
When you arrive in Swakopmund, check in at the ocean-front Strand Hotel Swakopmund which will be your accommodation for the following two nights. After your road trip, you might want to spend the rest of the afternoon strolling on the beach or exploring Swakopmund on foot. Some noteworthy landmarks that lend Swakopmund its charming German colonial character and other unique experiences include:
You can dine at one of the Strand Hotel Swakopmund’s three restaurants. Brewer & Butcher has an in-house beer brewery, Farmhouse Deli serves Italian and Ocean Cellar is prized for its seafood and comprehensive wine list.
Please note:
Ask reservations to book a table for dinner when you check in at the Strand Hotel Swakopmund. You can also ask them what other dining options they recommend in Swakopmund. The Jetty 1905 Restaurant is a popular choice.
Recommendations for Day 5
There are several activities available in the nearby harbour town of Walvis Bay which is a short 45-km drive from Swakopmund. Many clients leave Swakopmund after breakfast on the morning of Day 5 and spend the day in Walvis Bay doing a combination of the following activities at their leisure:> a morning Dolphin & Seal Catamaran Cruise from Walvis Bay to Pelican Point
Distance travelled
Day 6 sees you departing Swakopmund after breakfast. Keep an eye out en-route between Swakopmund and Usakos for the Spitzkoppe, a group of 120-million-year-old bald granite inselbergs in the distance. When you get to Usakos, you can take an optional detour to pay a visit to the Omandumba San Cultural Village, a living monument to the indigenous hunter-gatherer peoples who were the first to call Southern Africa home. We suggest you call ahead before leaving Swakopmund to book a cultural tour in advance or ask us to make a booking for you if you want to include the San experience in your itinerary.
You should aim to arrive at Old Traders Lodge in Erindi Private Game Reserve around mid-afternoon. That will give you enough time to check in and freshen up before enjoying sundowners and dinner with a view over an active waterhole which sees visits from hippo, crocodile and elephant.
Day 7 sees you embarking on two open-safari vehicle game drives with a knowledgeable safari guide through Erindi Private Game Reserve, a sunrise game drive in the early morning and sunset game drive in the late afternoon. In between, you can enjoy lunch back at Old Traders Lodge. Some of the wildlife you can expect to encounter are cheetah, leopard, lion, hyena, African wild dog, jackal, elephant, hippo, giraffe, eland, waterbuck, springbok, impala, kudu, wildebeest, hartebeest, gemsbok, duiker, steenbuck, klipspringer and zebra.
Please note
If you want to book another early morning game drive on the day of your departure from Erindi Private Game Reserve on Day 8, please speak to reservations on the evening of Day 7.
Distance travelled
The final day of your 9-Day Namibia Self-Drive Safari will see you leaving Erindi Private Game Reserve after breakfast and driving back to Windhoek. There you will check in at Am Weinberg Estate Boutique Hotel. If you have an early flight the next morning, you might want to return your rental car when you arrive in Windhoek before proceeding to the hotel. You can arrange a transfer from the hotel to the airport at reception.
Distance travelled
Day 9 marks the end of your 9-Day Namibia Self-Drive Safari. After breakfast, it’s time to check out of your hotel in Windhoek and proceed to Hosea Kutako International Airport for your flight back home.
Distance travelled
PLEASE NOTE
When you arrive in Windhoek, you will receive an information pack from reception at the first establishment. This information pack will contain important information such as:
Check-in is usually after 14h00 and check-out at 10h00. Should you arrive at your accommodation before 14h00, you might be able to check in earlier, provided your room is ready. However, an early check-in is not always possible, especially during peak season.
Am Weinberg Estate Boutique Hotel
Elegant and exclusive, Am Weinberg Estate Boutique Hotel is situated in Klein Windhoek in close proximity to the National Botanical Gardens, Avis Dam Nature Reserve and the Independence Museum. The en-suite Courtyard Fountain Rooms are air-conditioned and have flat-screen TVs. Despite their modern amenities, the rooms at Am Weinberg Estate Boutique Hotel exude an old-world charm.
Other facilities include
Sossusvlei Lodge
Sossusvlei Lodge is conveniently located at the entrance gate to the Namib Naukluft Park. The large, air-conditioned, en-suite Superior Units have desert-facing patios, twin beds and a refreshment niche with refrigerator and tea and coffee making facilities. Two of the Superior Units are wheelchair friendly. The en-suite bathroom has both a bathtub and a large shower, a toilet and a double vanity.
Other facilities include:
Strand Hotel Swakopmund
The Strand Hotel Swakopmund is located on the beachfront. The elegant, sea-facing, air-conditioned, en-suite Luxury Rooms have WiFi and a TV. The bathrooms have a shower, separate toilet and double vanities. There is also a couch and two comfortable armchairs in the room.
Other facilities include:
Old Traders Lodge
Surrounded by indigenous trees, the suites at Old Traders Lodge in Erindi Private Game Reserve exude an old-world safari charm. The air-conditioned, en-suite Luxury Suites with their bedroom and cosy lounge are well-equipped with minibar, coffee and tea station and large screen satellite TV area. Each has a patio which faces a small but well-frequented waterhole.
Other facilities include
Am Weinberg Estate Boutique Hotel
Same as Day 1.
PLEASE NOTE
Accommodation is subject to availability. If we are unable to book accommodation as stated, we will look for a similar alternative and advise you accordingly.
20% pre-payment at time of booking.
Balance to be settled 60 days prior to travel.
Payment to be made in ZAR (South African Rands).
The customer is liable for any bank charges.
Account holder: Africa Focus Tours Namibia (Pty) ltd
Bank: Nedbank Namibia
Account number: 110 000 707 52
Branch code: 461 696
Swift code: NEDSNANX
Cancellations 90 to 45 days prior to travel forfeit 20% of the full booking amount (ie deposit)
Cancellations 44 to 30 days prior to travel forfeit 30% of the full booking amount
Cancellations 29 to 15 days prior to travel forfeit 40% of the full booking amount
Cancellations 14 to 8 days prior to travel forfeit 60% of the full booking amount
Cancellations 7 days to NO SHOW forfeit 100% of the full booking amount
Special cancellation terms may apply for certain products and services.
General Terms
Price quoted per person.
Minimum of 2 pax required for tour departure.
The hotels mentioned in the itinerary will depend on availability at the time of making the booking and any alternatives will be of a similar standard.
This is merely a quotation and not a confirmed booking.
Seek your doctor’s advice with regards to vaccinations and malaria prophylaxis.
Parents travelling with children must provide an unabridged birth certificate which includes details of the child’s father as well as the mother for all travelling children. This applies even when both parents are travelling with their children.
When children are travelling with guardians, these adults are required to produce affidavits from the children’s parents proving permission for the children to travel.The above applies to foreigners and South Africans travelling to or from South Africa as well as travellers in transit.
Please note that the child must be the appropriate age (according to accommodation stipulated) at the time of travel.
Unless otherwise specified, children under 12 years of age qualify as a child rate and over 12 years of age as an adult rate.
Rates and policies for children under 12 years of age on request.
Price Per Person
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Questions?
Many people don’t see the point in driving through a bushveld looking for animals, but there’s so much more to it. wild animals are seen as a nuisance in most inhabited areas, but if you’ve never seen the magic of animals in their natural habitat, untouched by humans, you’ve been missing out! looking at zoo animals in their enclosures might be considered nice, because you’re almost 100% guaranteed that you’ll see them, but that’s not how they behave in the wild. nothing beats the thrill of finding a pride of lions laying in the shade, or walking across the road right in front of you, and once you’ve felt the reverberations of an elephant’s trumpet through your bones, you’ll be hooked! our clients often come back for more, because you never know what you’re going to see next…
Every single one of our guides have a passion for the kruger park. we love waking up every morning and meeting new people, never mind sharing our love for the bushveld with them. we are highly experienced and have heaps of knowledge about the fauna and flora in the knp at our clients’ disposal. one of our best characteristics must be that we focus on small groups to give each safari trip the best chance of seeing the best sights that the knp has to offer. our safaris depart any day of the week to suit our clients’ busy schedules and will accommodate all your needs as best we can. visit our website for more information on our company…
We operate from hazyview and will collect you from any of the lovely holiday resorts, lodges or nearby locations. our vehicles depart at different times in different seasons… for full day or morning safaris, we leave at 5am in october to march and at 5h30am in april to september. for afternoon safaris, we leave at 13h00 pm in the afternoons. most of the wildlife in the park prefers hiding in the shade during the hot afternoons, so we highly recommend joining us for the earlier safaris to get the most out of your trip.
Anything to do with the word “game” whilst on a safari—like game drives or looking for game—all refers to wild animals in safari context. you might also encounter “game” on the menus of some traditional restaurants, which basically means that you’re ordering wild buck meat, or even warthog.
Even though the knp falls in a malaria area, most foreigners are pleasantly surprised at how few mosquitoes are actually encountered whilst on a safari. these mosquitoes breed in water, and even in the middle of our rainy season in december, we don’t consider them to be a relentless menace. despite what you might have been told, mosquitoes are not a plague in the knp and although we are always cautious about malaria, the locals in and around the knp do not run around with repellents all the time.
If you’re really worried and consider yourself or anyone joining you on the safari to be particularly susceptible to this rare disease, be sure to consult your gp. there are many places in the park where you can buy mosquito repellent containing deet—this is the most vital ingredient in insect repellents as it has been proven to repel the malaria-carrying mosquitoes effectively.
Even though the kruger park is basically a giant protected bushveld and sparsely populated, there are many little “towns” and camps where you can find anything from grocery stores, souvenir stores, petrol stations and much more.
As mentioned before, there are many places in the knp where we can stop over for lunch where you can buy take-away food or choose to have a meal at the various restaurants. we usually have lunch at skukuza, but this is not set in stone.
Two words: comfortable and practical. seeing as you’re going to be driving around for the majority of the time on your safari experience, it is advisable that you wear clothes that are not too tight and not too hot. winters can be cold, so check the forecast beforehand, but summers are the opposite—just take a jacket with you in case it gets chilly, and stay away from high heels, ladies! we might stop on top of rocky mountains to give you an in-person taste of the spectacular views in the knp. trust me, it’s spine-chilling raw beauty.
You’ll be surprised at the true meaning of this term—it actually refers to the five most feared animals in the bush. they are extremely dangerous to hunt on foot and also rather rare. the big 5 consists of african lions, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino. it really is a tourist attraction and many safari companies utilise this term as a major marketing strategy.
We cannot guarantee that there will be sightings of all five animals in the big 5, but we can guarantee that we will do our best to find them. elephants are massive, this is true, but in the lush untouched bushveld of the kruger, if they don’t want to be seen, they can easily disappear behind the trees mere meters away from you. they tend not to be too shy, unlike leopards. rhinos are extremely scarce, but our guides know where their usual grazing spots are, and a pride of lions would attract so much attention that our radios would notify us if there’s a sighting nearby. nevertheless, you are guaranteed to see a very diverse variety of animals in the kruger national park.
Children under 8 are more than welcome on privately hired open vehicles, yes. this is purely out of consideration for our other clients who do not have children and might not have the patience for their unique outlook and excitement about each wild animal we encounter. all children under 12 have discounted safari rates, as well as half-price conservation fees to enter the kruger national park.
You can visit our website to view the current prices for our safaris, make a booking online to receive an invoice, and then make an online payment before the safari takes place, or contact kurt safari for any enquiries you might have regarding other payment options.
I cannot even begin to list the most amazing experiences we’ve had whilst on safaris in the knp! there are too many to count, each encounter very different but equally remarkable. if you consider the size of the knp and how many animals call it their home, you can only begin to imagine the things we’ve seen—from a ride of lionesses to the birth of a brand-new baby giraffe. each time our jaws drop at the splendour of mother nature. you will have to come and see it for yourself.
Placing yourself in the middle of a nature reserve where there are numerous predators and dangerous animals could sound pretty intimidating, but rest assured, kurt safari guides all have in-depth knowledge about the behaviour of these animals and would never put your life in danger. elephants can be aggressive if they have young ones to protect and even lone elephant bulls have charged at cars that don’t know when to back away, but obtaining injuries from wild animals whilst on a safari is very rare and you need not be worried—just enjoy the ride.
