Camelthorn 10 Day Self-Drive

10 Days

Although the Camelthorn is a 10 day self drive safari aimed at the budget end of the market, it still manages to offer a decent variety of accommodation in a selection of Namibia's major tourist attractions. The camelthorn is a well-known and one of the most common trees in Namibia. It prefers sandy soils and grows up to 20m high with a characteristic spreading crown.

Waterberg Plateau is the ideal first destination for this tour. There are some great hiking trails of varying lengths and the scenery is great. Although the plateau is fairly dry on top, there is a lot of surface water and strong permanent springs at the foot of the mountain. This lush and green flora attracts a diverse array of fauna.

Etosha National Park offers an extraordinary wealth of animal and plant life. The Etosha Pan is usually dry, except for periods of heavy rainfall and when northern flood-water flow into i when this happens large flocks of flamingos use the pan for breeding. The park's waterholes are a magnet for attracting game and stunning wildlife action. Self-driving allows for flexible and timely game-viewing.

The drive through Damaraland is an adventurous one. Even though the San rock engravings at Twyfelfontein, the Petrified Forest and the 'White Lady' at Brandberg cannot be missed, the fortunate might get a rare sighting of desert-adapted elephant. Black rhino have converted to the inhospitable conditions, so well in fact that the region hosts the largest population of this species outside of a national park.

Time for a change of scenery. Many tourists consider Swakopmund to be in a bit of time warp. As far as the impressive German architecture goes, it still is. But for the adrenalin junkies and adventure seekers, this is the place to be! Slide effortlessly across the sand on a board or a bike, drift on the sea in a canoe or a cruise, or the birds-eye view from a hot-air balloon.

It's back to those gravel roads for that last excursion, this time into the Namib Desert. Sossusvlei is an enormous ephemeral pan surrounded and protected on 3 sides by sand dunes measuring up to 300m. Deadvlei and Hiddenvlei are 2 other lovely spots worth the effort. From the dunes you take a scenic drive back to Windhoek.

Although it is possible to book this itinerary 'as is', as with all our self drive trips this is entirely customisable. We can add or delete days, change the accommodation used and generally design the tour to suit your individual requirements. Visitors who might prefer a break from driving themselves can arrange a guided safari.