namibia

[twoboots]

its a long time away.....
planning a child free holiday to namibia end Apri/May.
has anyone done self drive? what are your experience?
can't make up my mind between guided tour and self drive, i think price will probably be the bottom line.

I'm VERY jealous

I've been there twice (a very long time ago) on cheap studenty minibus tours.

I don't think I'd like to self-drive just because the distances are huge and I wouldn't want to spend so much time driving.

fish river canyon?
sossusvlei?

muddleduck what do you think of this itinerary?

its tricky.

on the one hand I'd say try and include fish river canyon if you can, but that does hugely increase the distances involved.

what made you choose Namibia in the first place? what appeals?
For me it is the big dessert landscapes which is why fishriver and sossusvlei were the highlights.

i love the idea of dessert landscapes, dunes and safari. so to me sossusvlei, damara land and etosha are musts. i wish i had more time and money!

looking at various itinerarys most that do the "northern" highlights will take you to sossusvlei. fish river looks amazing, perhaps more so than the skeleton coast/swakopmund.

have been in touch with wild dogs to see what sort of tailor made thing they can offer.

did you camp? how was it?, obviously almost exclusively camping brings the prices down drmatically.

The tour I did was very non-luxury. I think we camped for about 2/3 of the nights and stayed in chalet type accommodation for the rest. I was still a student at the time so was keeping the costs as low as poss.
check the night-time temperatures for that time of year - it can get cold at night in some areas.
I prob wouldn't camp if I could afford it, but it depends what they mean by camping . Some of the companies have some very nice 'tents'.

FWIW sunset at fish river was the absolute highlight of my trip.

I'm v jealous - went to namibia pre dd! and working on getting back.
We hired a pickup with roof tent for two weeks and followed this itinerary - Windhoek, Waterberg, Etosha, Damaraland, Brandberg, Swakopmund, Soussosvlei, Windhoek. We decided fish river too far for this trip! Swakopmund didn't do much for us to be honest.
Camping was so easy and the roof tents are lovely and cosy. All sites were well laid out, plenty of space, facilities etc.
Enjoy!!

i have emailed a few companies with my budget and wish list. I am going to see if we can arrange a combination of self drive and guided.
We both have a love-hate relationship with driving and I'm not sure if we'd want to do it for the whole holiday.

I've also asked about both lodges and camping, which would be a nice combination.
I think I will leave fish river off the itinerary sorry muddleduck.
What time of year did you guys go?

I would advise a guided trip, unless you're really good at roadside car repairs. Or a self drive through a company that can rescue you if the car plays up. Namibia's roads aren't as bad as some African countries but all that desert driving can take it's toll on even sturdy cars ( or at least tyres!). I was there a few years ago in July- still warm in the days but cold at night especially when camping in the desert.

We went to Namibia for our honeymoon. We planned nothing beforehand. Actually, I lie - I booked the first nights accommodation as the hairdresser was trying to do my hair for the wedding. I think we had also booked a car. We arrived and took off. Was wonderfull. If you want a splurge, go to Kulala Desert Lodge. Soussosvlei was wonderful.

we did a month plus long trip (self-drive)from cape town up to Etosha NP and back down through to Windhoek. Driving was no problem at all - Some very swanky lodges to stay at along the way but we did a mixture of guest houses, camping (that was an experience with all of the wild animals pounding around outside the tent!) and a couple of luxury nights. I was actually in the very early stages of pregnancy but didn't realise it!! Swakopmund/Skeleton coast okay but highlights were Etosha NP, Sossuvlei, Fish River Canyon and the drive itself. You can always base yourself in the nearest town to the 'sights' and take a guided tour from there - there are literally dozens to choose from for the above sights. Much cheaper than booking from the UK and you can go at your own pace.
Arm yourself with a recent 'rough guide/lonely planet', a good map and you can plan the route in advance.
Hope you have a great time - it was a very special trip for us!

i have decided on this i cant wait!

bumping again
if anyone has been did they do the hot air balloon ride over the namib? costs £300 per person!

twoboots DH has done ballooning in Namibia and said it was breathtaking. He's also done the dune buggy thing which he always bangs on about so must have been good I did skydiving in Swakop and it was fab! Such a great experience freefalling over the desert.

Really of your trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sossusvlei Lodge is fab if you are not camping. Bringing back memories now!!!!!!!!!!

Hi PDR what time of year did you go?
We have booked sossusvlei lodge for one night and wolwedans dune camp for two nights.
I'm still undecided about the ballooning. £600 for two of us for one hour!

I went in aug/sept time - was quite cool around Swakop so take warm clothes too. There are loads of shops there so great for getting supplies. Nice restaurant according to DH is the lighthouse but I can't remember the food tbh! DH has been quite a few times.
What vehicle are you getting? Although the roads in NAM are better than other African countries DH says a 4x4 would be preferable. He also says watch the timings if you go into the parks as they change daily according to sunset and once the gates are closed that's it. Everything looks the same so make sure you have a verygood map or gps!

Yes ballooning is very expensive - always though no matter where you are and it will be amazing over the dunes. Who is quoting that price the tour operater? I would have thought the lodge could organise it for you so maybe ask them as might be cheaper...

My impession is that the price is quite standard. I will do a bit more research.

We are getting a 2x4, most people have advised that this is OK unless you are going really off road or in the rainy season.

Ok - we have taken a 2x4 vehicle in SA only because of the roads. Does the company you are hiring the vehicle from have a comprehensive back up system? DH broke down once not far from Swakop and ended up staying a week there whilst MAN ordered a part for his truck. Does the company offer hire of sat phones? Gosh, I seem to have lost a lot of my spirit of adventure since having DC !

ok i need to start thinking of whether i need new stuff:
my feet are permenantly wider and larger since dd very few of my old things
at the minute my wardrobe is boots, ballet flats, fashion trainers and one pair of stinky gym shoes.
i got these on ebay for a song.
i have a pair of heavy duty waking boots circa inca trail 2005, will they do or should i be getting a more lightweight all rounder.

Wow, jealous

No tips, never been to Africa, but very envious of yoru chance!

Amazing holiday, we woke up every morning feeling like we were in a coffee ad.
Thanks for all the advice.
Self drive was fine, a few hairy moments, one flat tire: 200m from a repair centre
I just wish i had more time and money.