10 Day Namibia Self-Drive Itinerary
Ten days is the length we book most often. It covers the classic loop without a single punishing driving day, and it leaves room for a rest day on the coast and three nights in Etosha instead of a rushed two.
- Nights
- 9
- Total distance
- 2,650 km
- Longest drive
- 560 km
- Overnight areas
- 5
What the 4x4 costs for 10 days
Green season (Nov–Mar)
N$17,000
N$1,700 per day · Toyota Hilux 2.4 Auto 4x4, camping for 1–2
High season (Mar–Nov)
N$22,000
N$2,200 per day · Toyota Hilux 2.4 Auto 4x4, camping for 1–2
Vehicle only, unlimited kilometres, read straight from our published rate tables. Accommodation, park fees, fuel and activities are quoted separately.
The route
- 1
Windhoek · 1 night
Guesthouse near the airport road
- 2
Sesriem / Sossusvlei · 2 nights
Sesriem Campsite or Sossus Dune Lodge
- 3
Swakopmund · 2 nights
Swakopmund town hotel
- 4
Etosha · 3 nights
Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni
- 5
Windhoek · 1 night
Guesthouse before your flight
Roughly 60% gravel, with tar on the Windhoek–coast and Etosha–Windhoek legs.
This route suits
- ▪First-time visitors who want the classic route done properly
- ▪Couples and pairs of friends
- ▪Photographers who need two sunrises at Sossusvlei
It does not suit
- ▪Travellers set on Fish River Canyon and the Caprivi in the same trip
- ▪Anyone wanting to reach Kaokoland or Epupa Falls
Day by day
- Day 1
Arrive Windhoek
Vehicle handover, supermarket run, overnight in the city. Sleep off the flight before you drive anywhere.
Overnight: Windhoek
- Day 2
Windhoek to Sesriem
350 km · 5–6 hrsOver the escarpment on the Spreetshoogte or Remhoogte pass and down onto the Namib plain. Set the rooftop tent up in daylight.
Overnight: Sesriem
- Day 3
Deadvlei sunrise
130 km · 1.5 hrs in-parkGate opening, Dune 45 if you want the climb, then Deadvlei before the heat. Afternoon at Sesriem Canyon or the pool.
Overnight: Sesriem
- Day 4
Sesriem to Swakopmund
350 km · 5 hrsSolitaire, Gaub Pass, Kuiseb Pass and the Namib gravel plains. Watch the fog roll in over the last 50 km.
Overnight: Swakopmund
- Day 5
Coast day
60 km · 1 hrSandwich Harbour 4x4 tour or the Walvis Bay catamaran in the morning, town and laundry in the afternoon. The one day of the trip with no distance to cover.
Overnight: Swakopmund
- Day 6
Swakopmund to Etosha South
560 km · 6–7 hrsTar via Karibib, Omaruru and Outjo. An early start puts you inside the Andersson Gate for an afternoon game drive.
Overnight: Okaukuejo
- Day 7
Etosha south and central
150 km · Full day in-parkWaterhole circuit in the cool hours, pan edge at midday, then the floodlit waterhole after dark at Okaukuejo or Halali.
Overnight: Halali
- Day 8
Etosha east to Namutoni
130 km · Slow park transitGame drive east through Halali to Namutoni and the Fischer's Pan loop. Elephants along the eastern waterholes in the dry months.
Overnight: Namutoni
- Day 9
Etosha to Windhoek
550 km · 5–6 hrsVon Lindequist Gate, then tar via Tsumeb and Otjiwarongo. A Waterberg lunch stop breaks it up.
Overnight: Windhoek
- Day 10
Departure
Refuel, return the vehicle and transfer to Hosea Kutako.
The vehicle we put people in
Recommended
Toyota Hilux 2.4 Auto 4x4, camping for 1–2
Camping-equipped Hilux Double Cab 2.4: enough range for the Namib legs, a rooftop tent for Sesriem and Etosha, and the lowest daily rate in the camping fleet.
Alternative
Toyota Hilux 2.4 Auto 4x4, no camping
Lodge-only travellers save the camping surcharge and keep the same vehicle underneath.