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FROM US$3,390-US$4,160

Hartebeest Self-drive Safari

This self-drive safari focuses on the best cultural experiences in Namibia. Visit a Himba village and enjoy three days living with the San Bushmen interspersed with some excellent wildlife watching.

Hartebeest Self-drive Safari: Summary

Hartebeest Self-drive in a nutshell

After your first night in Windhoek, the bald granite peaks of Damaraland's Spitzkoppe Mountains await. Scenic hiking trails, cycling routes and ancient San rock art are waiting to be discovered from Spitzkoppen Lodge.

Turning north your next stop is the remote Ozondjou Trails. From here a guide from NGO Elephant-Human Relations Aid (EHRA) will take you to meet the local community and explain how they're working to mitigate human wildlife conflict in the region. You'll also spend a full day with an EHRA guide in search of desert-adapted elephants that roam here.

Next up is a privileged and authentic cultural encounter at Khowarib. Wearing bright red ochre on their skin, the Himba are a fascinating tribe. Visiting them with a guide, you'll have the chance to learn a little about their nomadic lifestyle in the harsh conditions of Namibia's north-west.

Leaving Damaraland behind, the focus shifts from Namibia's people to its wildlife. The Etosha Heights and Onguma reserves offer some superb sightings in their own right and a full day driving across the iconic Etosha National Park to get from one to the other is a real bonus.

Having had your fill of wildlife, it is time to visit another, very different area and tribe, the San Bushmen of the Kalahari. Spend three days living in a San village where you'll do everything they do, be it foraging, hunting or bead making - rest assured whatever you do it will be a transformative and enlightening experience giving you a rare insight into one of the oldest cultures on earth.

Your final stop en route is Ghaub Guest Farm where you can choose to relax or perhaps enjoy a visit to one of the local attractions such as the Dragon's Breath Cave or the Hoba meteorite.

At a glance

Starts: Windhoek International Airport
1 night Villa Violet - Windhoek, Namibia Bed & Breakfast
2 nights Spitzkoppen Lodge - Damaraland, Namibia Half Board
2 nights Ozondjou Trails - Damaraland, Namibia Full Board & Activities
2 nights Khowarib Lodge - Damaraland, Namibia Half Board
2 nights Mountain Lodge - Etosha National Park, Namibia Half Board
2 nights Onguma Bush Camp - Etosha National Park, Namibia Half Board
3 nights Nhoma Camp - Bushmanland, Namibia Full Board & Activities
1 night Ghaub Guest Farm - Central Highlands, Namibia Half Board
1 night Villa Violet - Windhoek, Namibia Bed & Breakfast
Ends: Windhoek International Airport

Villa Violet

Day 1

Villa Violet is a small guesthouse run by helpful owners, Ben and Heidi Dassac. Situated in the suburb of Klein Windhoek, just a five-minute drive from the city's central business district, it's a convenient and comfortable base for an overnight stay in Windhoek at the start or end of a holiday in Namibia.

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Spitzkoppen Lodge

Days 2-4

Set in its own small reserve, Spitzkoppen Lodge sits beneath the craggy mountain that dominates this remote area. Widely known as Spitzkoppe Lodge, it opened in November 2016, offering access to a remote and less often visited part of Namibia, between Usakos and Swakopmund, that was previously accessible only to campers or on day trips.

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Ozondjou Trails

Days 4-6

Ozondjou Trails is nestled among the hills of southern Damaraland, not far from the mighty Brandberg Mountain. Opened in September 2016, it was the first permanent camp from a team with a strong history of running excellent mobile safaris across Namibia. The camp’s name is derived from a Herero word for “elephant”: apt given its proximity to the NGO, Elephant Human Relations Aid (EHRA). Staying here not only affords the opportunity to learn about and see the area’s desert-adapted pachyderms, but also benefits them by supporting EHRA projects including education programmes and efforts to mitigate human–wildlife conflict.

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Khowarib Lodge

Days 6-8

Khowarib Lodge is nestled on the banks of the Hoanib River where it runs through the dramatic Khowarib Gorge in north-west Namibia. Rustic yet comfortable, the lodge is well situated for travellers who want to explore this spectacularly remote corner of the country.

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Mountain Lodge

Days 8-10

Perched atop a dolomite hill, Mountain Lodge has commanding views of one of Namibia’s largest private reserves. This wildlife-rich area, Etosha Heights, covers 600km² and shares a 65km fence with the iconic Etosha National Park. The lodge, more formally known as Etosha Mountain Lodge, was established in 1999 as the original safari destination on the reserve.

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Onguma Bush Camp

Days 10-12

Bordering Fischer's Pan, on the eastern side of Etosha National Park, the private Onguma Game Reserve covers 34km². The comfortable Onguma Bush Camp makes a good base from which to explore the eastern side of the national park, being only 9km from the Von Lindquist entrance gate.

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Nhoma Camp

Days 12-15

Nhoma Camp, located close to Khaudum National Park, is a small, tented camp in a remote area of north-eastern Kalahari, known as Bushmanland, which takes its name from the nearby village of //Nhoq'ma. New owners, Belgian Flora Blommaert and Namibian Moritz von Hase, took over from Arno and Estelle Oosthuysen in January 2021 and, together with their young child Indigo, have made Nhoma Camp their home and the Bushmen their business partners and neighbours.

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Ghaub Guest Farm

Day 15

Situated in the heart of the Otavi Mountains, the 11,800 hectare Ghaub Guest Farm was a mission station from 1895 to 1968. It was then renovated and turned into a guest farm which opened in 1999. The ten spacious rooms and main buildings have retained much of their historical character. The farm changed hands in 2007, but the new owners have kept the style of the rooms and buildings the same, simply sprucing them up with a lick of paint and a few new pieces of furniture.

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Villa Violet

Day 16

Villa Violet is a small guesthouse run by helpful owners, Ben and Heidi Dassac. Situated in the suburb of Klein Windhoek, just a five-minute drive from the city's central business district, it's a convenient and comfortable base for an overnight stay in Windhoek at the start or end of a holiday in Namibia.

View full itinerary
Villa Violet

Villa Violet

Windhoek, Namibia

Spitzkoppen Lodge

Spitzkoppen Lodge

Damaraland, Namibia

Ozondjou Trails

Ozondjou Trails

Damaraland, Namibia

Khowarib Lodge

Khowarib Lodge

Damaraland, Namibia

Mountain Lodge

Mountain Lodge

Etosha National Park, Namibia

Onguma Bush Camp

Onguma Bush Camp

Etosha National Park, Namibia

Nhoma Camp

Nhoma Camp

Bushmanland, Namibia

Ghaub Guest Farm

Ghaub Guest Farm

Central Highlands, Namibia

Villa Violet

Villa Violet

Windhoek, Namibia

About image

Highlights

Our thoughts on five of the top experiences of this Hartebeest Self-drive Safari.

  • Visit ancient rock art on hiking trails around the Spitzkoppe
  • Track desert-adapted elephants with EHRA
  • Visit a traditional Himba village from Khowarib
  • Spot some of Namibia's most iconic species in Etosha
  • Spend three days learning about the Bushmen and their way of life

Activities

Some activities which can be included in the Hartebeest Self-drive Safari: talk to us about those which interest you.

  • 4WD Safari

  • Birdwatching

  • Cultural excursion

  • Guided walking safari

  • Night drive

  • Self-guided walking

About image

Key species to see on the Hartebeest Self-drive Safari

Based on our travellers' observations, we’ve estimated the likelihood of seeing these species during the Hartebeest Self-drive Safari. Click on the animals and our wildlife surveys page for more info.


Black Rhino

100% chance

Elephant

100% chance

Giraffe

100% chance

Oryx

100% chance

White Rhino

100% chance

Wildebeest

100% chance

Zebra

100% chance

Eland

95% chance

Lion

86% chance

Sable antelope

64% chance

Roan antelope

60% chance

Brown Hyena

57% chance

Spotted Hyena

37% chance

Leopard

34% chance

Wild dog

25% chance

Cheetah

20% chance

Aardvark

14% chance

Pangolin

0% chance

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