Your tailor-made holiday will be as unique as you are. These itineraries are just a starting point, a bit of inspiration to show what’s possible. Your own trip all starts with a conversation with one of our Botswana experts, who’ll take the time to understand what matters most to you and design the perfect holiday to match.
Namibia's Caprivi Strip is a classic self-drive destination, with decent roads for most of the way and various good value accommodations in diverse locations. This itinerary crosses into Botswana and visits the Okavango Panhandle, a beautiful, verdant area of water, birds and mammals that offers diverse activities from fishing to mokoro trips and boat cruises. This itinerary is an Okavango-lite introduction to the wonderful wetlands of Botswana's Delta without the prohibitive price tag, and with a little Kalahari Desert thrown in towards the end!
13.5 hours from London
When to go
- All year round
Average temperature
- 30°C
Average rainfall
- 30mm/month
What Makes it Special?
- Head off-the-beaten-track as you drive to the Caprivi Strip to embark on your 4WD adventure through the stunning scenery and vast untouched landscapes of Namibia.
- Relax by the Okavango River and enjoy boat trips along the water, meeting the wildlife and birds that share the riverbank.
- Explore the contrasting habitats and wildlife as you cross over into Botswana and explore the wetlands of the Okavango Panhandle.
- Drift along the waterways in a traditional mokoro, try your hand at fishing and enjoy walking safaris whilst in the Okavango.
- Watch the landscape transform again as you head south the arid Kalahari Desert, where you'll enjoy classic game drive safari and wildlife viewing.
Itinerary at a Glance
Day by Day
Here's a summary of what you might get up to day-to-day on this Namibia and Botswana holiday. As always, this is just an idea. Every single day of your trip will be tailored to suit you.
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Your Botswana adventure begins with an overnight flight from London to Johannesburg.
Connect with a short onward flight to Windhoek, Namibia's capital. Here you will be greeted and driven to your hotel in the suburbs. Your 4WD hire car is delivered this afternoon and you will be briefed on the routes and driving in Namibia. This evening you might want to sample Joe's Beerhouse or NICE, two very different Windhoek restaurant options!
Your first drive takes you north to the furthest reaches of the Central Highlands, just south east of Etosha, for a one night stay on your way up to the Caprivi Strip. The scenery here is superb and you can spend the afternoon relaxing with some leisurely wildlife viewing.
Today you drive north to Rundu, an area which is regarded as the gateway to the Caprivi Strip. Your lodge overlooks a beautiful spot on the Okavango River, with various water activities to enjoy over your two night stay.
You can fit in different activities in the morning and afternoon. You might want to go tiger fishing or bird watching, before a sunset boat cruise with a cool drink.
A drive east today, halfway across the Caprivi Strip before turning south on the C48 to your base just outside Mahango National Park. In this vintage Caprivi area, close to the national park that gives the strip its name, you will stay for a comfortable two nights.
Activities here are varied, from guided game drives in the Mahango National Park to boat cruises on the Okavango and fascinating village visits.
Head south today and cross the border into Botswana for your first glimpse of the beautiful Okavango. Your secluded luxury lodge in the Nxamaseri area is often surrounded by water, so you may have to be picked up and boated into camp for your two-night stay, with beautiful views out to the verdant wetlands.
Activities around Nxamaseri include boat cruises, fishing, birding and trips to the historic rock art at Tsodilo Hills, plus seasonal walking and mokoro excursions.
Driving south this morning, the land becomes more arid and you slowly realise that you are forging into the Kalahari. Close to Ghanzi you will stay for one night at a comfortable lodge, with the chance to enjoy a game drive, guided walk or San Bushman experience.
The drive today takes you just across the border into the Namibian Kalahari, for a one night stay. This afternoon, there are nature drives and walks that could take your fancy, or you might want to relax by the pool, rejuvenating after a busy itinerary.
An early start for the drive of roughly three and a half hours to Windhoek airport, where you'll hand over your keys and board a flight to Johannesburg. Your flight home travels overnight.
Places you'll visit
We have hundreds of partner hotels across the world, with our tailor made trips you can pick from our range of beautiful hotels
What You're Saying
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We have just returned from an amazing 3 weeks in Namibia. What a beautiful country - the scenery is breathtaking and so varied. Wildlife truly amazing, the people so friendly and the food and wine far too good !! Kirsty gave us such good ideas based on her personal experience. From the first iteration she took us through different options (very patiently !) until we came to one that matched our wishes perfectly. Her suggestions of where do stay were spot on and we enjoyed some fantastic locations. The organisation of cars, outings and the brilliant detailed itinerary made the whole trip so relaxed. When (not if !) we return to Namibia we will be back in touch with Kirsty. A very big thank you to her and all the support team in Namibia for making this our best ever holiday.
Chris Wilson
Trustpilot
”
“
This was our first time using Holiday Architects and I really can't recommend them highly enough! We had an amazing trip to Namibia which felt like it had been tailor-made for us. Kirsty was so helpful in listening to our outline plans and set up a wonderful intinerary for us. The coordination between HA and their local agents felt like it was seamless, we had so much local information and support if needed while we were away. The whole experience was just fabulous, Namibia is just so beautiful and each place we stayed seemed to have unique qualities. I really can't thank HA (and particularly Kirsty) enough for their attention to detail and customer care.
Diane R
Trustpilot
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We have recently returned from our 3rd trip to Namibia organised by Holiday Architects, this time visiting the Zambezi region. Yet again an incredible holiday, thoughtfully organised by the very knowledgeable Kirsty. Can’t recommend Holiday Architects, Kirsty and Namibia highly enough. Now to find the bits we have missed to justify a 4th visit!
HB
Trustpilot
”
“
We have just returned from an incredible trip to Namibia. What an experience! Kirsty was amazing and put together the perfect itinerary, we couldn’t have wished for more. I thoroughly recommend kirsty and the whole holiday architects team if you are looking for a truly special adventure.
Stuart Evans
Trustpilot
”
“
We have just returned from a two week holiday in Namibia booked through Holiday Architects. The holiday was absolutely fantastic, too many highlights to mention. The organisation and planning by H.A. was flawless- everything went like clockwork. Kirsty Leggate was excellent providing a very high quality personalised level of service. The agents HA worked with on the ground in Namibia were also excellent. Superb experience very highly recommended.
Andy Gash
Trustpilot
”
“
We have just returned from 2 weeks in Namibia organised by Kirsty at Holiday Architects. Kirsty was very knowledgable and put together the perfect itinerary for us. We were self-driving which was quite an adventure (some roads in Namibia are interesting), however we felt really well supported throughout with excellent local contacts. We gave Kirsty quite a difficult brief as we had to arrange this holiday at short notice on specific dates but Kirsty was able to include all we wanted to do including the Swakopmund parkrun. The organisation was seamless and the communication excellent. Altogether superb. Definitely recommend.
Fran
Trustpilot
”
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Meet our Namibia expert
We offer tailor-made holidays to suit a wide range of tastes. Our expert Kirsty is dedicated to all things Namibia and is here to help you plan your perfect trip.
Kirsty Leggate
Destination Manager
Kirsty’s travelled all over Southern Africa for more than 20 years, and Namibia remains one of her favourite spots. She’s your go-to for remote lodges, unique wildlife encounters and properly otherworldly desert scenery.
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