Ive gone into lots of details in case anyone should stumble across this while planning an African vacation for themselves. I pieced together all the information I needed from searching on this subreddit.If your interested in seeing pictures here is a link: https://ift.tt/2nJr10M travelled through Namibia with some time in Cape Town and Johannesburg. We considered camping but changed our mind when we saw that the price of renting campers turned out to be comparable to actually booking rooms in the lodges. The majority of the trip was self drive- with the exception of a few tours we booked. We never felt unsafe and found the people in Namibia to be very kind.Flying from the east coast of the US we found that going through ATL or JFK were the only options to avoid crazy travel times as long as 30+ hours.I planned everything myself, but if you are not interested in self-planning I learned that Cardboard Box Travel has great itineraries too.-CAPE TOWN: We started in Cape Town and stayed there for only 1 very packed day which included HIKING up table mountain then taking the cable car down and doing the beautiful scenic drive around Chapmans peak. We squeezed in high tea at Mt Nelson (which is skippable). We are not big into city-exploration and minimized our stay in the city since we were anxious to get to the adventure. I have read from many previous posters that they love Cape Town and wish they'd stayed longer. For us 1 day was perfect and we were able to fit everything into the 1 day. Adjust as needed if you think you will need time for jet lag. (Be sure to check that cable car is open on your dates- it closes during off-season)-CAR RENTAL/DRIVING TIPS IN NAMIBIA- we arrived to Namibia via Walvis Bay which was an extra charge from the rental company but well worth it for us to save on time. Its IMPORTANT to rent a 4x4 and make sure you know your details about tire pressures! We had a flat tire at one point in the trip and learned the hard way about tire pressures.Gravel roads= reduce to 180 psi, Sandy dessert dunes in last 5km of Sossusvlei= reduce to 150psi, Plan to drive a LOT slower than you anticipate bc most of the roads are gravel and very bumpy. Add a couple hours to whatever google maps tells you.Navigation: We downloaded maps for all relevant areas ahead of time on google maps app. This allows you to use your phone for navigation while still on airplane mode. Its still smart to seek advice from locals on which routes to take because it is more than likely that the shortest route which google will recommend is not always the best route- due to road conditions.There is no driving after sunset, it will void your rental insurance. Sure you can push it but you will probably regret it when something unexpected like a flat tire occurs. Almost everyone we met during the trip had a flat tire experience so go ahead and plan for that and pay for the extra tire at your rental agency.- WALVIS BAY, NAMIBIA: I cannot recommend Pelican Point Kayaking enough! It was so much fun and the amount of playful seals is unreal! They are all around your kayak jumping, playing, and rolling over onto their belly for cuddles. On the way to the inlet you drive past pink salt mines and fields full of flamingoes. The guides are very knowledgable and we learned a great deal from them about Namibia- SWAKOPMUND is like a little oasis town in the desert. You drive through a lot of nothing until all of a sudden you reach a bustling little town with stores and restaurants. We highly recommend Jetty Restaurant or the Tug restaurant for dinnertime. Theres a lot to do here but we had a very quick stop and no time for any of it. Again. we were anxious to get to Etosha.-UIS was one of few options we could find as a stopover to split the drive to Etosha. We didnt have the best experience here. Just somewhere to sleep. I would recommend just getting up early and driving straight to Etosha from Swakopmund.-TWYFELFONTEIN: We made a pit stop on the way to Grootberg at Twyfelfontein. The roads on the way here are awful- so bad that I would not recommend this for nervous drivers. We passed through the KUNENE REGION while here and the different sightings of tribes people was fascinating.- GROOTBERG, PALMWAG NAMIBIA: Wow. so beautiful. Get here as early as possible and dont be dum-dums and miss the sunset like we did. The view, the food, the accommodations, and the people here are incredible. They helped us buy a new tire to replace our spare and set up the entire transaction for us at a nearby town. Superb hospitality. One of our favorite parts of the trip.ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK: The highlight of the trip and the reason we came! I recommend 3 days minimum here. We moved through the park and changed lodges as we traveled to avoid back-tracking. This worked great for us and we didnt mind moving every night. We came during dry season in August and animals were everywhere! Really a life-changing experience. Newbrowni and Okakuejo watering holes were our best animal sightings. Also, lots of black rhinos at Halali and we saw no animals at Namutoni.WINDHOEK: great stop on the way to Sosussvlei. Highly recommend Urban Camp "Glamping" which was very affordable, clean, and far exceeded our expectations.SOSSUSVLEI: 2 days was perfect. Upon arrival we explored Sesriem canyon right outside of Sossus Dune Lodge and in the morning we woke up very early to take the guided sunrise tour with a guide up Big Papa, Deadvlei (at the base of big papa), and Dune 45. We chose to do this with a guide because we were not comfortable driving in the dark and after our flat tire we didnt want to risk getting towed out of the dunes too! That same day we went back on our own to watch sunset from the top of Dune 45. To watch sunrise from the dunes you must stay in the park. There are only 2 options camping or sossus dune lodge.JOHANNESBURG: necessary stopover on the way to Madikwe. We slept here and then on our way out early the next morning.MOTSWIRI LODGE, MADIKWE: 2 game drives per day. Again, loads of animal sightings and this time with a guide. We saw a leopard eating its impala up a tree, white rhino trailing the scent of an opposing male, daily lion sightings, cape buffalo, jackal, wild dogs, and a clan of spotted hyenas feasting on zebra. The animals have daily strolls to the watering hole outside the lodge as well. We woke up from a nap at one point to find 20+ elephants outside our balcony having a blast in the watering hole. Elephants came around lunch time everyday and Cape buffalo came late at night everyday. Aside from the animals and knowledgable guides, this lodge is the lap of luxury. Everything is meticulously planned and a chef comes out to get your thoughts on the evenings dinner menu. Food was excellent. It was a big splurge for our anniversary and we loved it. We avoided Kruger because we were avoiding crowds- although if you do this trip and dont want to be in the lap of luxury- Kruger is the best option. We've never been to Kruger but it seems like everywhere we went people would compare it to Kruger. So now we must obviously go back to experience Kruger.​We planned this trip last minute, 5 weeks before departure date. The order of our itinerary was primarily based on what lodges had availability. Almost everything can be booked online for Namibia through booking.com or NWR's website. I love planning trips and sharing what I've learned in the process. Hope you enjoy!​​https://ift.tt/2nHbRJn via /r/travel https://ift.tt/2nT2dmT https://ift.tt/eA8V8J