Great Adventure Trips

South Africa

Self-drive / Family / Walking / Romance / General Tours
Horse Safaris / Camping Tours / Victoria Falls extension

Cape to Namibia Self-Drive

A magnificent tour in Southern Africa is our three week STANDARD/ PREMIER self drive tour from cosmopolitan Cape Town in South Africa north to Windhoek, taking in the Winelands, the Cedarberg, Namaqualand, the Fish River Canyon, the Namib Desert, Swakopmund, Damaraland and Etosha.

Meals As in text below
Accommodation Mix of Standard and Premier Accommodation
Departure Dates On request
Transport Group B rental car with unlimited kilometres. Upgrades to larger vehicles easily arranged.
Price Includes Meals and accommodation as shown in text, Group B car rental
Price Excludes International flights, visas, items of a personal nature, meals not specified
Minimum Number 2
Climate Desert climate with hot summers and warm winters, summer afternoon rains from December to March
Best time to go Suitable all year round - ideal from April to October
Health Requirements Anti-Malarial precautions essential north of Windhoek

Day 1 : Arrive Cape Town, 3 nights, Welgelegen Guest House, Bed & Breakfast
On arrival in Cape Town you collect your rental car and drive to Welgelegen House for a 3 night stay. Welgelegen is a stylish boutique lodge set in two pretty Victorian buildings, in a quiet cul-de-sac in the Gardens area - adjacent to trendy Kloof Street with its inviting bistros, restaurants and shops. Bedrooms all have telephone, air-conditioning, TV, bar-fridges and tea and coffee tray and are decorated in an understated contemporary style. There is a courtyard garden with a plunge pool, ideal for alfresco breakfasts.

Day 4 : 2 nights, Franschhoek Country House, Franschhoek, Bed & Breakfast
Today you drive to Franschhoek in the Winelands of the Western Cape. Franschhoek Country House, a restored Victorian Manor House, overlooks the majestic mountains of the Franschhoek Valley and surrounding vineyards. The 14 luxury rooms and 4 suites are stylishly appointed and a number of them feature open fireplaces, underfloor heating, private verandahs and balconies. The in-house Monneaux Restaurant serves modern cuisine and votes as one of the top 10 restaurants in the country.

Day 6 : 2 nights, Ndedema Lodge, Clanwilliam, Bed & Breakfast
Today you travel north to the Cedarberg region, a dramatic landscape of craggy canyons, rivers, dams and waterfalls. Ndedema Lodge is a warm and friendly guest house is in picturesque Clanwilliam, a lovely old town of white washed Cape Dutch houses surrounded by orchards and vineyards, set under the mountains. This lovely Victorian homestead oozes character, with old wooden floors and Cape antiques.

Day 8 : 1 night, Mountain View Guesthouse, Springbok, Bed & Breakfast
Today you drive further North to Springbok in the Namaqualand region. The Namaqualand encompasses the narrow Sandveld coastal strip between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Karoo to the east. Stay overnight at Mountain View Lodge in Springbok designed and decorated to please even the most discerning guest. Your visit to Mountain View Guest House will engender a feeling of nostalgia on your departure from this captivating Northern Cape Town.

Day 9 : 2 nights, Canon Roadhouse, Fish River National Park, Bed & Breakfast
Travel to north to Namibia and enjoy a 2 night stay at Canyon Roadhouse. The Canon Roadhouse is situated on the Gondwana Canon Park and only 20km from the main viewpoint of the Fish River Canyon. The Roadhouse offers everything the weary traveler needs. The 8 individually decorated en-suite rooms are gathered around an inner courtyard, creating a feel of tranquil homeliness. The à la Carte restaurant is open all day and makes dining here an intimate and cozy experience.

Day 11 : 1 night, Dabis Guestfarm, Helmeringhausen, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Drive, via the castle of Duwisib, to Dabis Guest Farm in the Schwarzrand . This is a modest but friendly place at which to break your journey.

Day 12 : 2 nights, Kulala Desert Lodge or Sossusvlei Lodge, Sossusvlei, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Today you drive to Sossusvlei Lodge for a 2 night stay. This is an area of stark natural beauty, which is best enjoyed at first light. The lodge is eco-tourism at its best, a luxurious place which is in sympathy with the fragile eco-system of the desert. Enjoy sundowners on your private veranda, as you watch the sun set over the mountains.

Day 14 : 2 nights, Sam's Giardino hotel, Swakopmund, Bed & Breakfast
Drive to Swakopmund. Reaching the sea again after the boulder-strewn landscape is quite a joy to the senses. Sam's Giardino Hotel is an oasis of tranquillity. It is a hotel with a mixture of culture, quality, style and heart, coupled with a host of surprises. The focal point of the hotel is the kitchen, offering a wealth of Swiss specialities. The appeal of the town lies in strolling about, perhaps stopping at one of the several good seafood restaurants or coffee houses. There are many interesting places to visit in the area and all within easy driving distance of Swakopmund, such as the Seal Colony at Cape Cross, the Welwitschia forest and the Lunar Landscape.

Day 16 : 2 nights, Palmwag Lodge, Damaraland, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Your next stop is an appealing wilderness game farm, Palmwag Lodge, the ideal place from which to explore the Damaraland region. The lodge offers an a la carte restaurant, shaded swimming pool and a pool bar. This is a wonderfully remote area, where desert elephants come to drink at the waterhole. A visit to the fascinating rock engravings at Twyfelfontein, a prehistoric art gallery, and the fossilized tree trunks of the Petrified Forest, are equally absorbing.

Day 18 : 2 nights, Okaukuejo Restcamp, Etosha National Park, Room only
Continue to the Okaukuejo Restcamp in the south of the Etosha National Park for your two night stay. The first tourist camp of the three in Etosha, Okaukuejo serves as the administrative hub and is the home of the Etosha Ecological Institute. The floodlit permanent waterhole at Okaukuejo is its chief feature and it is still the most impressive. There are benches just beyond a low stone wall and you can spend several hours just watching to see what wildlife comes into this almost 'stage set-like' environment. Among the regulars are elephants and jackals, while lion and black rhino often visit in the dry season.

Day 20 : 1 night, Okonjima Main Lodge, Central Namibia, Dinner, Breakfast and Activities
Drive south and into the Omboroko Mountains to stay overnight at Okonjima Main Lodge. This comfortable guest farm in the Omboroko mountains has 10 en suite chalets in the Main camp with a lovely pool. It is famed for its Africats rescue project, a non-profit project to preseve and rehabilitate large cats so visitors learn a great deal about leopard and cheetah, and can view them at close range in their natural habitat, as well as take the fascinating Bushman walking trail.

Day 21 : Return rental car to Windhoek
Today you drive to the Windhoek airport to drop off your rental car in time for your onward flight.

Price per person sharing: May 1- June 30, 2006 = 17880 rand, July 1-Sept. 30 = 19070 rand, Oct. = 20130 rand