"The highlight was undoubtedly Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp: unique and almost unreal in terms of location, super-comfortable, and spectacular in terms of activities."

Family Cools

Selfdrive Namibia

In juli 2016 maakte de familie Cools (twee volwassen en vier kinderen tussen de 13 en 20 jaar) een reis van totaal 18 dagen door Namibië. Starttend in Windhoek deden zij per selfdrive Sossusvlei, Swakopmund en Damaraland aan. Daar vandaan vlogen zij voor een driedaags verblijf naar Hoanib Skeleton Coast - en terug - om verder te rijden naar Etosha N.P. 

Dear Joyce, Joseph and colleagues from Untamed Travelling,

Thanks in part to you, we have been able to make a beautiful journey through Namibia. We and our whole family have been able to enjoy this beautiful country and welcoming people in a very comfortable and totally carefree way.

The trip was ideally balanced and perfectly planned, and your service is excellent. Also a big kudos to the local agent for the personal introduction we received at the start of our trip, for the fantastic assistance they offer (we had forgotten a travel bag in Sossusvlei and had only noticed this when we arrived in Swakopmund; within 24h our travel bag was in our room in Luxury Suites!), and for the particularly pleasant guides who accompanied us.

Here's a little feedback on our trip:

Arrival Windhoek: very friendly reception at Olive Grove Guesthouse on our arrival (at 7am!), beautiful rooms (which were already prepared by 9am!), and very good food. We visited Katutura by bike in Windhoek itself together with a local guide: this is definitely highly recommended! Much more fun than walking through the commercial center of the city.

Kulala Desert Lodge: very nice location, friendly staff, pleasant guide.

Swakopmund: beautiful rooms in Luxury Suites. Have dolphin cruise done and a 4x4 trip to Sandwich Harbour: spectacular!

Damaraland Camp was a special experience: beautiful lodge, personal approach by the staff, very pleasant guide, fun activities (the visit to the local village for example, or breakfast in nature on a hilltop).

The highlight was undoubtedly Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp: unique and almost unreal in terms of location, super-comfortable, and spectacular in terms of activities. Fantastic guide who occasionally did some "Out of the Box", fun and unexpected things with us (for example, a short "jogging" through the desert at nightfall, super!).

Staying at Anderson's Camp gave us on the one hand the opportunity to go on safari with our family in Etosha,and on the other hand to enjoy an unforgettable sundowner between the rhinos of the Ongava reserve.

Ideal finish in Na'ankuse lodge: very comfortable, only short activity done (visit wild dogs, karakal), and above all some rest at pool, good food.

Some comments:

  • A 4x4 vehicle would not have been an unnecessary luxury (and is also a lot safer on the dirt roads), but I realise that with six people + luggage this was difficult to achieve
  • We only had very sporadic mobile phone reception via roaming, which sometimes feels uncomfortable if you encounter something along the way. I had inquired at Avis about a satellite phone, but this didn't seem like an easy option to run. We had the impression that the Namibians themselves had a better range, possibly this is down to a Namibian SIM card? We have not been able to sort it out very well, but that could be useful information. It could be that by buying a SIM card in Namibia, you have better accessibility (for emergencies) on your way.

In any case, we would like to thank you very much for making this journey possible for us. The fact that you can enjoy without worries makes it completely successful. And the card when you get home is particularly attentive!

With kind greetings,

Filip, Ineke and children