Cape Town to Windhoek – Self Drive Tour

Arrival
Arrival at the Cape Town International Airport. After having cleared customs, you proceed to the arrival hall and proceed to the car rental kiosk to collect your rental vehicle.

After collection, proceed to your hotel where the remainder of the day is set aside for leisure.

Arrival
Cape Town is one of the world's most beautiful cities and a top international destination. Large numbers of tourists travel to Cape Town to enjoy this unique city with its fascinating history, interesting culture, natural beauty, award winning wines and laid-back lifestyle.

These next two days is spent at your leisure to explore the vibrant city and its surroundings. There a range of activities to choose from such as a Cape Town City Tour on a hop-on-hop-off double decker bus, visits to Cape Point, Table Mountain, or Winelands Tour.

Arrival
Departing Cape Town in the morning, proceed through the Cedarberg Mountain Range to Citrusdal, where most of South Africa’s citrus fruits are grown and where the famous ‘rooibos tea’ is produced. Your journey continues via Clanwilliam through breathtaking mountain scenery to Calvinia, where you will spend your first night.

Very worthwhile is a visit to the Calvinia Agricultural Museum, where the history of the settlement area is documented. Your guest house is situated within the town and offers you personal service and a friendly atmosphere.

Breakfast included.

Arrival
After breakfast you depart Calvinia and travel via the Hantam and Rebunie Mountains towards the Augrabies Falls. The entire route takes you through the magical scenery of the Northern Cape and offers you marvelous photographic opportunities.

Your accommodation for the night is situated in the town of Kakamas, famous for its hospitality and history. Relax in the tranquil surrounding of your lodge and get spoilt with the renowned variety of meats from the carvery restaurant in the evening.

Breakfast included.

Arrival
After breakfast you travel the short distance to the Augrabies Falls. With vast quantities of turbulent water plunging down from a height of 65 meters, the Augrabies Falls forms the 6th largest waterfall in the world and the largest in South Africa. This usually placid river churns through a narrow gorge just above the falls before cascading into a pool 92 meters across and 130 meters deep.

Legend has it that this frothing cauldron of black water guards a fortune in alluvial diamonds. The thundering cascade of water led the original Hottentot residents to believe that evil spirits were active here, and so they named the waterfall Ankoerebis, "place of big noises". Apart from the falls you have several attractive hiking trails in the Augrabies Park leading to Arrow Point (1 hour), to the Potholes (1 hour) and to the Moon Rock (1 hour).

Breakfast included.

Arrival
This morning you travel north to the town of Upington, your gateway to the Kalahari Desert and its main attraction, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

In the afternoon you can already explore the Kgalagardi Park and stop at a variety of waterholes to view some of the animals inhabiting the area. Red sand dunes, sparse vegetation and the dry riverbeds of the Nossob and Auob show antelope and predator species off to spectacular advantage. Kgalagardi is also a haven for birders, especially those interested in birds of prey.

Arrival
In the early morning enjoy watching the herds of gemsbok, springbok, eland and blue wildebeest grazing in the riverbed, or huge black-mane lions resting in the shade of imposing camelthorn trees, which also serve as the vantage point for leopard and many raptors.

Formed from the amalgamation of the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in South Africa and the Gemsbok National Park in Botswana, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park comprises an area of over 3,6 million hectares – one of very few conservation areas of this magnitude left in the world. After an eventful game viewing day travel back to your rest camp in the late afternoon.

Arrival
Travel out of the park in a southerly direction to reach the Namibian border at Rietfontein. Having checked through the border post, you first travel via the red sand of the Kalahari and then over endless rocky plains interspersed with majestic mountain ranges to your next lodge, situated in close vicinity of the Fish River Canyon.

Your charming chalets are nestled between huge granite rocks and afford you an unforgettable view onto the untouched plains of the Nama Karoo, a half desert covering the southern and central parts of Namibia.

In the late afternoon you have the option of taking a scenic walk up a granite hill to enjoy the sundowner with a cold drink in hand before returning to your lodge.

Arrival
After breakfast, travel the short distance to the Fish River Canyon, set in a harsh, rocky plain dotted with drought resistant plants. With a length of 170 kilometers and an average depth of 550metres, the canyon represents the second largest canyon on earth after the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

Take a scenic walk along the rim of the canyon to explore the area and to experience the play of shadows within the canyon as the morning progresses.

After the visit you travel further west to the edge of the Namibian escarpment and the Succulent Karoo. Your lodge awards you a magnificent view onto the desert plains, which unfold in a carpet of flowers and an explosion of bright colors after the winter rains. It is one of the 20 most important biomes in the world and counts as the most specie diverse desert on earth. It is also the home of the world-renowned wild horses of the Namib Desert which you can visit in the afternoon.

Breakfast included.

Arrival
Before continuing into the southern Namib Desert, we recommend an early morning excursion to Kolmanskuppe, a Ghost Town established after the first diamonds were discovered here in 1908. In the 1950’s, no more diamonds were found, and the town was left in the relentless hands of the Namib Desert. Travelling north, your next stop is situated in solitude desert landscape along the foot of the stunning Tiras Mountains and the scenic D707 route.

Dinner included.

Arrival
Your lodge is situated on 33 000 hectares of unspoiled nature, contrasting landscapes that are never-ending, with rippled sand dunes glowing in the magical light of sunrise and sunset, mountain vistas perfectly framing breathtaking views, rocky outcrops studded with quiver trees and awe-inspiring savannah and desert vistas.

The lodge focuses not just on the rehabilitation of the land but also to conserve and protect the wildlife of this fragile environment.

Dinner included.

Arrival
This morning you travel via endless plains and along striking mountain ranges into the Namib Desert, the oldest desert on earth. Your lodge is situated very close to Sesriem, the gate to two of Namibia’s most celebrated attractions: Sossusvlei, with some of the highest sand dunes on earth, and Sesriem Canyon. Both are molded and shaped by the brute force of the Tsauchab, a non-perennial river that meanders through this majestic ocean of sand with its ever-changing colors.

At your lodge you have a wide variety of activities on offer, some of which include scenic nature drives, sundowner drives or quad bike rides over the private nature reserve. Alternatively relax on the large verandah of the lodge with a view onto a frequented waterhole.

Breakfast and Dinner included.

Arrival
The best time to experience the Sossusvlei area is at sunrise when the light paints the dunes and desert palette into deep red, apricot and purple – this part of the day is also the most forgiving, as you are not exposed to the hot afternoon sun when clambering one of the mighty dunes.

From Sossusvlei visit Dead Vlei, a surreal white clay pan surrounded by monumental dunes and dotted with age-old camelthorn trees. Traveling back, visit the Sesriem Canyon, an 18 million year old gorge eroded into the conglomerate floor. Having returned to your lodge, cool off in the sparkling pool or take a refreshing drink in the bar overlooking the waterhole.

Breakfast and Dinner included.

Arrival
After a relaxed breakfast, travel up the Khomas plateau and back to Windhoek, where you return your rental vehicle and where the tour ends.

Breakfast and Dinner included.