Namibia at your own pace

Landing at Windhoek international airport, where the rental company meets you and drives you into town. After a full briefing, you collect your vehicle: the adventure can begin! A first evening in the capital, to enjoy the calm of the highlands and settle in.

You head south, where the landscape quickly changes to reveal the famous red sand dunes. Check in at your lodge, before enjoying an off-road drive to discover the incredible colours of the sunset and the region's fauna and flora.

After breakfast, you set off again towards Sossusvlei. You arrive at your lodge in the afternoon, where you can relax by the pool, before an evening under one of the clearest starry skies in the world.

An early start to enter the park as soon as it opens and, for the bravest, climb the dunes, among the oldest and highest in the world. The others will enjoy the changing light while wandering among the ancient acacias of Deadvlei, frozen on a white clay pan facing the orange dunes: an unreal setting. In the afternoon, explore the gorges of Sesriem Canyon.

The landscapes change along the way: canyons, gravel plains, then the desert plunging into the Atlantic. Arrival in Swakopmund, a charming coastal town with colourful German colonial facades and a relaxed atmosphere. Check in at your guesthouse. Spend the afternoon strolling around the town and its many shops, then dinner at your leisure in one of the many restaurants, where you will be spoilt for choice.

Choose your programme from various options: a catamaran cruise in Walvis Bay to see seals, dolphins and pelicans, a “Living Desert” tour to discover the secret life of the dunes, or a 4x4 excursion to Sandwich Harbour, where the dunes plunge into the ocean. For another side of the town, a guided tour of the Mondesa district lets you meet its residents and discover Namibia's cultural diversity, from the Herero to the Damara. In the evening, dinner at your leisure in one of the town's restaurants.

You leave the ocean behind and head inland. Arrival at the Spitzkoppe, Namibia's iconic granite peak nicknamed the “Matterhorn of Namibia”, in the heart of the Erongo region. You check in at your lodge before admiring the sunset from one of the site's majestic rocks. A guided outing also introduces you to the nature and the rock paintings left by the Bushmen.

After breakfast, you set off for Damaraland, where you will be struck by the geological formations, spectacular mountains and vast plains. You will visit the Damara Living Museum: the Damara people share their traditional skills, their songs and their very special click language, a warm and authentic encounter. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

A whole day devoted to the desert elephants, adapted to one of the most arid environments on the planet. With a guide, you follow the dry bed of the Huab River through wild landscapes to observe them in their natural habitat. Time permitting, a visit to the rock engravings of Twyfelfontein, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, rounds off the day perfectly. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Head for Etosha National Park, one of the finest wildlife sanctuaries in southern Africa. On the way, a possible detour lets you meet a Himba community, a semi-nomadic people with preserved traditions, with respect for their way of life. Depending on your arrival time, a first safari around the waterholes, then an evening by the floodlit waterhole.

A full day of safari crossing the park from west to east, along the vast salt pan. Elephants, giraffes, zebras, lions, rhinos, oryx… the waterholes offer incredible scenes. You go at your own pace, at the wheel of your own vehicle. Before the park gates close, you reach your lodge.

Another day to explore the east of the park, renowned for its busy waterholes. Another self-drive safari, or a quiet afternoon at the lodge to enjoy the peace of the bush.

You leave Etosha for the centre of the country and a peaceful private reserve. In the late afternoon, a sunset drive introduces you to the reserve's wildlife.

A morning at the Cheetah Conservation Fund, a leading centre for cheetah protection. A drive lets you observe these big cats up close and understand the work being done to ensure their survival. The rest of the day is free to enjoy the lodge.

A last drive to Windhoek, your head full of images. Return of the vehicle, then the rental company drives you to the airport for your flight home. Goodbye Namibia… see you soon!