14 Days Cape Town to Windhoek
Duration
14 Days
From
US$780
Trip Type
Lodge Safaris
Activities
Birding, Game viewing, hiking,
14 Days Cape Town to Windhoek
14 days Cape Town to Windhoek tour; on your third, you embark on Orange river canoe in the morning. It is the best time to cool down given that in the week ahead you will be in the World’s true desert. The Karoo desert which you had already experienced the past 2 days, winds down slowly merging with the Namibia desert. Shortly after crossing the Orange River, which marks the border with South Africa, Namibia just became a massive bear. Along the Orange River, the vineyards flourish on rocky soil. As you head far away from the river you would not believe the beauty of the landscape. Hills crop up every few kilometres drive, with hardly any sign of life.
Namibia Africa
Namibia is a country in Southern Africa. Africa is a continent with 53 countries and over 1 billion inhabitants. South Africa borders Namibia in the South and Angola in the North. Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia intersect at Kasane forming a quadripoint on the North-eastern part. On the west is the Atlantic ocean. Geographically Namibia lies 22° 0′ 0″ S, 17° 0′ 0″ E.
Formerly known as South-West Africa, Namibia attained its independence in 1990. Initially a colony of Germany it then became under the administration of the former South African apartheid government from 1948. Namibia is a massive country covering 825,615 sq km that’s almost 1 1/2 times the size of France. With a population of just 2,3 million people, it is one of the least populated countries in the World. Its population density is 3 people per square kilometre, that’s so much space! Windhoek is the capital city of Namibia. Other towns include Swakopmund and Walvis Bay on the coast. On this 14 days Cape Town to Windhoek Tour we pass through these towns.
Since we are travelling from neighbouring South Africa our entrance border on the South is the Vioolsdrif. Having checked off South Africa both on the immigration and the police check you drive shortly to cross the Orange River. Read here for Covid-19 Requirements and regulations to observe in Namibia. You may need to be very patient during these times of the pandemic, it’s safety first. The procedure to check in your passports and necessary Visa requirements at normal times should take slightly less than an hour depending on traffic of the day and time.
Namibia Climate
The Namib desert is 55 million years old, probably one of the oldest deserts. Annual precipitation is 2mm in the most arid regions while the less arid region can receive up to 200 mm rainfall a year. This coastal desert spans about 2000 km from the Carunjamba river in Angola through Namibia to the Olifants River in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its width is the range 75-100 km. This part of Namibia is the rockiest and mountainous with sand dunes.
Then there is the central plateau from Kunene and Okavango river valleys in the North to the Orange River in the south. This central plateau is the most arid area of Namibia, largely savanna and shrub, with mountains and hills in distant places. The Brandberg mountains with an altitude of 2,573 metres and the Fish River canyon lie in the central plateau. Gradually savanna merges into the Kalahari in the east which becomes more distinguished in Botswana.
Namibia’s climate is generally warm to very warm, especially in summer. Summer runs from November to February and the winter months are between May and August. Inland the air is dry while along the coast there is moisture. The sky is usually clear with temperatures rising to as high as 38 degrees celsius. Night temperature drops to just above 25 degrees although in winter temperatures overnight can be 10 degrees.
14 Days Cape Town to Windhoek
I decided to drive parallel to the Orange River for a few kilometres to see the green grape farms under irrigation. In this rocky sandstone desert, to see the expanse of the farms on either side of the river is so beautiful. I took the C37 gravel road to link the D316 that took me to Ais-Ais, my overnight campsite today. I’m surprised already by the long drive with no other cars in sight. Dry grass, dark rocky kopje, barren plains of sand, shale of stones with little sign of how life can survive here, and short sparsely distributed shrubs. It is calm most of the time. Mountain ranges surround me from very distant places but also rocky and barren, just the stones.
Warm air blows in the car with the windows wide open but then again the trail of dust behind the car is like a storm. Most roads in Namibia are gravel in the vast desert except for major roads linking towns and business areas. Roads are well maintained throughout the year but one has to be careful driving on such roads.
4 Fascinating places to visit in Namibia
In the first part of the Namib desert adventure you can not miss these 4 destinations; Ais-Ais, Fishriver Canyon, Sossusvlei, and Namib-Narkluft national park. It should take 4 days to traverse the desert at a relative pace that gives one ample time to enjoy and rest. These 4 fascinating places to visit in Namibia if you intend to have a quiet time in the desert.
Ais-Ais is a hot spring resort in the desert surrounded by high mountains. It is at an altitude of 400 m and lies at the end of the Fish River Canyon. The experience is magnificent just chilling in a hot swimming pool overnight in the desert. During the winter months, many hikers take part in the 85km hiking trail from Hobas to Ais-Ais.
Fish River Canyon The Fish-river canyon is a gigantic ravine of landform that is 550m deep at the main viewpoint and winds like a snake with patches of pools of water on the river bed. It spans 160km and the widest part is 21km. The hiking trail however is 88 km from here at Hobas entrance to the Ais-Ais. For hiking enthusiasts, you have to have a hiking permit having satisfied the health requirements; it is a real challenge of 4 to 5 days in this graben where temperatures go up to 48 degrees during the day and 30 degrees during the night.
Sesriem, Dune 45 and Sossusvlei The dunes are believed to be 5 million years old and cover the whole area of the Sossusvlei(32 000 sq km) in the Namib-Naukluft national park. Striking to the dunes is the red colour which is attributed to the iron oxide swept from the Kalahari through the Orange River to the Atlantic Ocean.
Itinerary
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You will meet your Guides and truck at Holiday Inn Hotel in St Gorges street just behind Long street in Cape Town central business district. You then proceed to Paarl Wine region established in 1652. You enjoy the scenery of the Western Cape as you drive through the mountain range to Citrusdal
Enjoy the start of the desert already as you make your way to Springbok town in the Karoo desert. A short stop here in case you need to buy a few items as you will be in the desert for a couple of days without grocery shops. You camp on the banks of the Orange river. The campsite is Fiddlers Creek Campsites. There is good sighting for birds here including the fish eagle and grey heron
The morning starts with a River-canoe activity. It is a 10 km downstream lap which should not be so much of a challenge. Bear in mind also you are already in the desert and a bit of cooling in the river is still good enough.You cross the border at noon into Namibia.
Your late afternoon activity will be a tour of the biggest canyon in Africa, the Fish River Canyon. There is a 2 km walk along the edges of the canyon to the main-view point. It’s a wonderful sight to have sunset on the Canyon here.
It’s going to be a long exciting drive today as the land forms here is such beautiful but then again its a different type of desert. You will have stops along the way for lunch and other land marks. There is an opportunity to see wildlife as well. You drive through the little town of Bethane with the oldest church in Namibia. You will probably arrive at Sossusvlei lodge/campsite just before sunset. Enjoy refreshing up with a cold drink in the restaurant as dinner is being prepared.
Today it’s an open day for relaxing after some time in the Desert and also time to experience Swakopmund. The Swakopmund museum, the lighthouse, the marine museum and the Railway Station are part of the colonial era that are worth to visit. You have a choice of optional activities that you can book for the day
You drive through the skeleton coast to see one of the sea wreckage in the history of Namibia’s coast. By noon you will have a walking tour of the Spitzkoppe. Get to know the Damara land and the history of the ‘bushmen’.
Namibia is well known for cultural preservation and today you meet one of the many cultural groups of the himba tribe. Opuwo is an an exciting town to mingle and to relate with Himbas and the Herero people.
Safari in Etosha national park; It’s Africa’s biggest game reserve situated in the semi desert part of Namibia. The grass is dry so is the land, short shrubs and bushes with isolated acacia trees. The animal kingdom congregates at a few waterholes, the prey has to be extra cautious. The eagles and vultures sitting high on the trees; as the ostrich ad the secretary birds can be seen in this open veld.
Enjoy game viewing at it’s best in this extra-ordinary game reserve. The Etosha pan, a salty white dry lake covers 21% of the park.
From Safari to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. In the late afternoon you have a city tour of the country’s administrative buildings in colonial times and other landmarks in the town. Get to know modern day Namibia.
End of Tour!!!!!
Included on Tours
Included in package | Excluded in package |
Ground transportation in customized vehicles | International Airfares; Excess baggage charges; |
Guiding in English and/or translations in German, French and Dutch | Country to country Visa fees |
Accommodation as indicated on the itinerary | International vaccinations and inoculations |
Meals as shown (breakfast/lunch/dinner) | Personal items |
All Park Entrance fees | Beverages, Communication charges, laundry etc |
Postage and Porterage fees, Tips and gratuities for your driver/guide and lodge staff | |
Shopping charges for personal items | |
Optional activities unless specified | |
Any other services not shown or indicated as included on the itinerary |
Justice organised some super experiences for me, and my family visiting from Sweden. He made sure to source local companies giving us an authentic experience. The sunset cruise was the best ! My cousin’s son loved the white water rafting. Thank you for giving them a true adventure experience of Zambia 🇿🇲!
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