Namibia, Botswana, Victoria Falls

A 21-day trip from Namibia to Botswana, passing through Victoria Falls

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I bet you’ve heard many people talking about Namibia, where the desert meets the ocean, and Botswana, the most authentic destination for safaris; well let me tell you, what this trip will give you is far beyond your imagination.

First of all, this journey would not have been possible without our families and friends who gifted us with this honeymoon, so I would like to thank them all once again; you made our dream come true!

Anyways, I will cut to the point because there is plenty of material and not enough time, so if you want more detailed pages about the 3 biggest National Parks we visited, you can directly look at the following links for tips: Etosha, Chobe, and Moremi.

Our road trip started in Windhoek to avoid getting in the car after a 11-hour flight. The city has not many activities I would suggest, if not going to the Bushman Art Gallery, the Namibia Crafts Center, and Joe’s Beerhouse.

The next day we took our rented car (we booked via an agency called Info Namibia and the vehicle was from Britz), which consisted of a 4×4 Nissan with a rooftop tent. It had a double gas tank (super important), a fridge and all the utensils.

After stopping at the supermarket to get some groceries, we drove to our first stop: Sesriem (349 km-4h40), the last village (made by a gas station and 2 camping sites) before Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. We arrived a little before sunset, so we climbed Elim Dune, the closest one to the camp and the most beautiful one for admiring the sunset (that is what we were told). The next morning we woke up at 5:30 to enter the park at the opening time (6:00) and drive to Big Daddy during the sunrise. Bear in mind that the last part to reach the parking of this enormous dune (and then Deadvlei) you need a 4×4, or you can just walk or ride the vans provided by the park. The climb was amazing, it took us 1 hour to reach the top and we were amongst the first 10 people to do so, therefore we had the top to ourselves. We decided to run down the dune to reach Deadvlei, and it took us 2 min, a lot of fun and laughters, definitely the best way to descend!

Before reaching our second stop (Walvis Bay, 315 km-4h), we went to see Sesriem Canyon, dry due to the season. The following day in Walvis Bay we met at 8 am with Hans from Atlantic Desert Tours for our tour in Sandwich Harbour, where you can see the dunes with the ocean. We were the first ones of the day to reach the Harbour, and then we had lunch and we drove around to see the wildlife. In the afternoon we drove to Swakopmund (35 km-30 min), where unfortunately everything was closed due to a Rugby Match, but the town is super nice. The following morning we went to Pelican Point to kayak with otaries. They are so friendly and funny, and the experience was wholesome.

After a quick shower we drove off to our third stop, Damaraland (400 km-4h40); it is incredible how the environment changed throughout these first 4 days. We reached our incredible hotel from which we could admire the desert. Unfortunately, we could not hang out the following day because we punctured a tire from Sesriem to Walvis Bay, and a rock cracked the windshield going to Damaraland, so before going to Etosha National Park, we wanted to have these issues fixed in Outjo (100km-1h), one of the getaway towns to the park. In Etosha, we slept one night in Okaukeujo (119 km-1h20), and the following one in Namutoni, then we left the park. For more information about Etosha, follow this link with the details. In general, it is sufficient to choose a waterhole and wait for the thousand of animals to come!

Our next destination was the Caprivi strip, but to reach it we spent one night in Rundu (426 km-4h20), where we had the most amazing dinner (at Tambuti lodge). Not much to see in the town, so I would suggest you spend the morning in Etosha and start driving at noon. The first stop in the Caprivi strip was Bwabwata National Park (204 km-2h15), where we went seeing Popa Falls and the amazing and almost unknown Mahango Game Reserve, before sleeping at Ngepi Camp in our mesmerizing tree house on the hippo’s “infested” river. It was incredible falling asleep with the sound of animals.

The second stop in Caprivi was Mudumu National Park (257 km-3h), where we did a cruise on the Kwando River organized by the amazing Mukolo Camp. This was the last stop in Namibia, and the following day we passed the border at Ngoma Bridge to enter Botswana, and we drove to Kasane (237 km-3h), where we spent 2 nights. The city does not have much to offer, therefore I would suggest you reach the border passing through Nkasa Rupara National Park. While in Kasane, we went to Victoria Falls on a day trip, where we also rode the helicopter. Totally worth it.

After Kasane, we went to Chobe Riverfront, full of wildlife! Keep in mind that the last gas station you will cross before reaching Maun is right before Mabele, so do not miss it! Our camp for the night was at Thobolo’s Bush Lodge (106 km-1h40), 1 hour away from Ghoha gate and 2 hours away from Savuti. I know, not many kilometers, but trust me, the sand slows you down. For more information about Chobe National Park, follow this link.

After going to Savuti, we descended towards Maun (210 km-5h) where we spent one night and recharged our fridge and gas tank before heading to Khwai. There are 2 possible ways to reach Khwai, either passing through Moremi South Gate towards North Gate (the short route will take you 1 hour gate to gate, otherwise you can take the longest one passing through Xakanaxa, about 4 hours), or you can take the boring and bad kept transit road through Mababe (160 km-3h45), which is also the South Gate to Chobe. In effect, you could pass from one park to the other if you have enough food and fuel (the two tanks should be sufficient). We spent 3 nights in Khwai, and one morning we also did a Mokoro ride, which I highly suggest! For more information about Moremi Game Reserve, follow this link!

Unfortunately this was our last stop, so we headed back to Namibia passing through Buitepos (618 km-7h50). We spent the night at the East Gate Rest Camp where the owner had our car cleaned up (it is mandatory to return the vehicle). After the night, we drove back to Windhoek (316km-3h25) to run the last errands, and off we went to the airport.

It was such an incredible trip, leaving us lost and at the same time totally in control of the situation. Nothing can compare the feelings we had in Namibia, the first look we took at Deadvlei or the changing of environment every 100 km, and it is impossible to describe how bewildered you feel in Botswana, where nature still controls the country, but this feeling is something that we have been missing ever since we closed our tent the last day in Moremi.

We thought a lot about this trip, and we do not know if the other way around would be better suited for people coming from big cities; when we arrived in Windhoek, we wanted nature, and we were not impressed with the few cities we saw at first; on the other hand, the 9 days in wild Botswana left us gasping for a sign of “civilisation”, so maybe the bittersweet feeling we had in Windhoek and Walvis Bay would have been different. Anyways, I can only tell you that if you plan in advance (especially for Botswana), you will not need passing through Maun between Moremi and Chobe, but if the 2 tanks are full and the food is enough, you are good to go!