u/Confident_Freedom_19

Hi guys! Traveling to Namibia in August.

We’re planning to spend two nights in Swakopmund and dedicate one full day to a Sandwich Harbour excursion. We’re not really into kayaking or catamaran tours, so I guess the main attraction for us will be the landscape.

I see there are a lot of tour operators offering this trip. Only a few seem to offer the option to self-drive in the Sandwich Harbour dunes, with expert guidance via radio. This looks like a half-day experience and seems to tick all the boxes for us.

That said, I have a couple of questions and hope some of you experts can help:

• I assume that if a tour operator offers it, self-driving under supervision is allowed. But I’ve seen conflicting comments, with some travelers saying self-driving there is prohibited—can anyone clarify?
• Compared to a regular tour (with a driver), would a self-drive option mean a different or more limited itinerary? I imagine we’d be slower than their drivers—so is that the trade-off (more personal experience, but less ground covered)?
• Finally, sticking to a traditional tour: how does a full-day tour differ from a half-day one? We’re planning to dedicate the whole day anyway, so we could consider the full-day if it’s worth it.

Thanks again!

Hi guys

We are planning 15 days a self-drive trip to namibia in August. We are renting a 4x4 tented to sleep most nights in.

d1 -- Arrive early morning in WND. Night near Mariental.

d2 -- Exploration in the Kalahari, then drive to Aus. Night in Aus

d3 -- Luderitz, Koolmanskop. Night in Aus

d4 -- long drive to Sesriem. Night in Sesriem

d5 -- excursion to Deadvlei and Soussvlei. Night in Sesriem

d6 -- long drive to Skawopmund. Some stops on the go. Night in Swakopmund

d7 -- Sandwich harbour excursion. Night in Swakopmund

d8 -- Early drive to Spitzkoppe and hike there. Night in Spitzkoppe

d9 -- Drive to twillefontain. Night nearby

d10 -- Some excursion in the morning? Drive to etosha. Sleep in Olifantrus

d11 -- Drive in etosha. Sleep in Halali

d12 -- Drive in etosha. Sleep in Halali

d13 -- Drive in etosha. Sleep outside the park

d14 -- Drive halfway to WND (Waterberg area?)

d15 -- Drive to WND. Flying back in the evening from WND

I think we have a pretty straightforward itinerary but would really appreciate any feedback. In particular, I am wandering if it makes any sense to stay one more night in Damaraland area and cut one of the 2 night on the way back to WND after Etosha.

Really, any feedback appreciated!