Namibia's wildlife highlights self-drive safari

This morning enjoy a guided cheetah or leopard drive at Okonjima before setting off for Etosha National Park, a journey of around three hours on a good tarmac road. Settle into your room and you enjoy an afternoon safari. You can head out with a professional guide from the camp onto the reserve or self-drive to explore independently. Alternatively, spend the afternoon relaxing at your camp, looking for passing wildlife at the waterhole.

Spend the day exploring the eastern side of Etosha National Park, either self-driving or on a guided safari from your camp. Most of the wildlife viewing here is at the various waterholes. Some are busier than others and Twee Palms and Aroe are good options in the east. If self-driving it's a good idea to take a picnic with you to enjoy at lunch (which the lodge can provide).

Head west through Etosha National Park today to the central area. Make a day trip of it, and along the way, stop to see wildlife, often by the road as well as at waterholes, and take in one of the vista points overlooking the giant Etosha salt pan (after which the park is named). Be sure to exit the Andersson's Gate before the park closes at sunset as you are staying on the private Ongava reserve which borders the national park and is entered from just outside the park, right next to the Andersson's Gate.

Today, you can explore the central area of Etosha, which is very popular with wildlife, either self-driving or opting to join a guided drive through the lodge. The guided drives at Ongava can be in the National Park or on the reserve which has a range of wildlife from lion to kudu, rhino to giraffe and many more. A guided safari on the reserve is a great way to avoid crowds and get off the road for wonderful wildlife sightings.

After breakfast, you depart Ongava for Damaraland — an incredible desert landscape of rugged rocks and escarpments. The drive is roughly five hours and the scenery becomes more stunning the deeper you get into Damaraland. Arriving at the edge of the reserve, you leave your car in a secure car park and are driven up to camp where having settled in, you can enjoy a sundowner drink while taking in the wonderful views.

At Etendeka activities are included and you normally head out for a guided morning walk, when temperatures are cooler, to explore this fascinating landscape, see the plant and wildlife that survives in this harsh environment and take in some incredible views. In the afternoon, after lunch back at camp, enjoy a guided nature drive to get further afield and track desert-adapted elephant.

Set off today for the coastal town of Swakopmund, a journey of around six hours, depending on how many stops you make. We recommend visiting Twyfelfontein en route. Here you can see ancient rock art carved and painted by Bushman tribes thousands of years ago, with over 2,500 engravings and paintings found in the area.

This morning you will be collected by a guide and taken on a half-day 'Living Desert' tour over the surrounding dunes — looking out for those quirky desert species such as chameleons, scorpions and snakes.

Spend your final day further exploring Swakopmund. The nearby dunes provide numerous activity options. We suggest joining the Living Desert tour, where a guide shows and teaches you about the smaller wildlife in the dunes, including geckos, insects and snakes. This can easily be arranged locally or we can pre-book this for you. You may also like to go quad biking or sandboarding through the dunes for an exhilarating end to your trip. Cape Cross, just north of Swakopmund, is also worth a visit to see its large seal colony which can number around 200,000 members.

Today you drive the six hours back to Windhoek Airport, where you drop off your car in time to board your onward flight home.

Arrive home today to complete your journey.