Upon your arrival at the Cape Town International Airport you collect your rental vehicle and depart immediately for the start of your tour. From Cape Town you travel north along the icy Atlantic ocean to the holiday town of Langebaan. Along the way you can stop at Bloubergstrand to photograph the picture postcard view of Table Mountain across Table Bay. Just before reaching Langebaan you drive through the West Coast National Park, renowned for it’s rich birdlife and magnificent wild flowers during August & September.

Further north and then inland to an exclusive private nature reserve in the spectacular rock formations of the Cederberg mountains. Kagga Kamma Private Game Reserve, located in an untouched wilderness area just south of the magnificent Cederberg mountains, is well known for it’s scenic beauty and dramatic rock formations typical of the Cedarberg. The reserve has a rich cultural heritage with hundreds of Bushman/San rock paintings of up to 6000 years old. On the celebrated San Cultural Tour guests can appreciate the ancient Bushman living sites at first hand and get an in-depth interpretation of the rock paintings from one of the expert local guides. On open 4x4 safaris guests can also learn more about the various species of plants and animals that inhabit this arid area, experience the Southern night skies by powerful telescope and enjoy a sundowner with spectacular views from the escarpment into the Ceres-Karoo lying 700m lower.

Travel north and cross into Namibia, “the land of the wide open spaces". Your destination today is the magnificent Fish River Canyon, at 160km long and up to 550m deep the 2nd  largest canyon in the world. You have the rest of the afternoon and a full day tomorrow to explore the area and visit one or more of the viewpoints that look out over the rugged and breathtaking canyon landscape. The Fish River Canyon was formed when the plates of the African continent split, and was gradually deepened by the flow of water over the course of hundreds of millions of years. Today, in the midst of rugged plains and mountains, travellers can look down into its depths and see the geological history of Namibia written in its layers.

North and then west along the B2 highway as far as the small town of Aus, and then even further north into the forbidding semi-desert interior of southern Namibia. Namtib is a privately owned biosphere reserve covering an area of 16 400 hectares situated at the edge of the Namib Desert in the Tiras Mountains. Farming and human activities are adapted to suit the arid climate prevailing in southern Namibia. The fascinating landscape of the farm offers an abundance of breathtaking views and hosts a wealth of fauna and flora.

Further north to the harsh & forbidding Namib desert, the oldest desert in the world. Sossusvlei, situated right on the edge of the sand sea of the Namib Desert, allows travellers to experience the contrasts of life in the harsh desert environment. You have a full day to explore this fascinating area. A visit to the dunes just after sunrise provides the opportunity to watch the sunlight unfold over the desert from the crest of Dune 45, unveiling red dunes marching off into the distance. As the sun rises higher, the dunes change colour, revealing pastel hues that are so beloved by photographers. The dead camelthorn trees of Hidden Vlei and Dead Vlei make magnificent photos, casting jagged silhouettes against the velvet textures of sand. And in certain years, when the rains have been good, there may be a magical opportunity to see water amidst the dunes. Sossusvlei is also a place of life, with opportunities to see desert adaptations that the desert requires. Oryx survive at temperatures that kill other mammals, dune lizards perform a dance to cool down their feet, and the head-standing ‘tok-tokkie’ beetle drinks condensation that runs down its back towards its mouth. But perhaps the greatest magic of Sossusvlei is the opportunity to experience it’s timelessness, solitude and silence.

Through the barren semi-desert landscape to the cold Atlantic Ocean and Swakopmund, a perennial Namibian favourite, a place to which travellers happily return. Swakopmund’s appeal lies in the contrast of a small but sophisticated coastal resort, with old German architecture predominating, set amongst the harsh dunes of the Namib Desert.
You have a full day to explore this beautiful coastal town and it’s interesting surrounds on your own.
A popular excursion in the area is the The Welwitschia Drive, a half-day, self-drive circuit of the Namib Naukluft Park in the vicinity of Swakopmund. Travellers can view the gravel plains of the Namib, the awe-inspring “moon landscape”, the “living fossil” Welwitschia mirabilis plant and a number of sites of historical interest. A permit to enter the Namib Naukluft Park is required, please enquire at your guest lodge. Activities in and around the town include quad-biking, sand-boarding, boat trips and fishing excursions.
The day could also be set aside for a visit the seal colony at Cape Cross, about 120km north of Swakopmund along the barren Atlantic Coast. A trip to Cape Cross is not just an opportunity to see Namibia’s largest seal colony, with between 80,000 and 100,000 seals. It is also a journey through history. Diego Cao first landed here in 1482, perhaps attracted by the wild beauty of the area, and erected a cross to commemorate his visit, a replica of which can still be seen at this wild and desolate place.

There are two options for the route to Windhoek. The first option is taking the B2 via Usakos to Okahandja, and from there via the B1 to Windhoek. This is a good tarred road for the entire length of the drive. The second option is shorter in distance, taking the scenic gravel road via the Khomas Hochland and the Bosua Pass, but will probably take as long if not longer to drive than the first.