Namibia is a country with diverse landscapes.  There is much more to see than just the wildlife.  My advice would be to rent a truck and explore it on your own.

There are a number of reasons we chose Namibia over other safari locations.  Namibia is a safe country and doesn’t require booking a tour or traveling with a group.  Unlike many other countries, Namibia allows visitors to visit the parks in their own vehicle.  By not being forced to book a guided safari, you’ll be able to save a considerable amount of money.  Those are a few of the many reasons Namibia was the ideal option for us.  Once we settled on Namibia as our destination, we began the difficult task of deciding what we would see.  Unfortunately, with only thirteen days in the country, there were several highlights we didn’t have time to visit.  I’d recommend planning a visit of at least ten days to get a good overview of the country.  Our time was split nearly half and half between wildlife activities and other sights.  Be warned, it required a lot of driving but was easily worth the time.  We rented a 4×4 truck for our journey.  It featured a fold out tent above the truck bed and was well stocked with all the supplies required to make the experience enjoyable.  We primarily used the tent to cut cost while inside the national parks, choosing to stay in other accomodations in most of the other areas.  We started in western Namibia to allow us to finish our trip viewing the wildlife in Etosha National Park.

Namib-Naukluft National Park – We didn’t have time to visit much of this vast park.  We focused on the sand dunes of Sossusvlei and the petrified tree forest called Deadvlei.

Sandwich Harbor- This unique location allow you to view massive sand dunes ending at the seas edge.  A tour is advised as a special permit is required to drive in this area.

Spitzkoppe – A distinct group of granite peaks rising from the desert plains.  Camping sites are located at the base to allow for exploration of the surrounding area.

Etosha National Park – This is the premier wildlife viewing location in the country.  Here you can see 4 of the big 5 (all but the Cape Buffalo).  In the dry season, you’ll see a large amount of wildlife focused around the remaining water holes.

Waterberg Plateau – A prominent table plateau home to a variety of wildlife.  All activities inside the park must be guided.  Take a safari tour for a chance to get up close and personal with White Rhinos.