Tips for a family car rental for a 4-week trip in Namibia

Hello everyone,

First of all, my apologies for writing in English. I don't speak German, but this forum is such a goldmine of information that I really wanted to post here anyway! Please feel free to reply in German—I will simply use a translation tool.

We are two families traveling together (our family has three children aged 4 to 10, plus two older children in the second family) for one month next July in Namibia. Out of these four weeks, we are planning 7 to 10 days in the Kaokoland (for instance: Palmwag – Elephant Song, maybe via the Palmwag concession – Puros – Etambura – Opuwo – Epupa). The rest of the trip will be fairly classic, starting with NamibRand and ending with Etosha.

We want to rent two vehicles, and I am hesitating between a setup with two rooftop tents or a Bushcamper configuration. Setting aside the price difference, the Bushcamper option (available through Bushlore https://bushlore.com/toyota-hilux-double-cab-4x4-bushcamper/ and Africamper https://africamper.com/vehicles/4x4-max-explorer/) seems potentially more practical for day-to-day life, but I am worried we might feel cramped as a family of five—especially in the Bushlore, where the beds measure 175 x 140 cm and 190 x 130 cm—and that there won't be much storage space for our luggage.

Alternatively, two hard-shell rooftop tents with Namibia2Go or Safari Car Rental are another option (there is also the Land Cruiser option with Savanna Car Hire; their newer models seem fine, though reviews for the older ones are not great.) We do not want ground tents.

Has anyone here tried the Bushcamper setup with three children? Any specific advice regarding the vehicles or the itinerary?

Thanks in advance!

Ben

I once had the "Family-Bushcamper" on a Hilux from Savanna Car hire with two "beds". On in the top and one transverse to the direction of travel. I was alone in that car, had apperently enough space for me but I would not recommend it for five people. It's way to small for sleeping and for the luggage. 

I would go for a Landcruiser with two root top tents and room for luggage and seating. Even there you will struggle a litle bit with the probably needed warm clothes and thick sleeping bags or blankets in July. 

Have a nice journey. 

br Wolfgang

Hi Ben,

Welcome to our Africa-loving community (some people might say obsessed 🤫)

For five people, I would always choose the extended version of the 4x4.

After all, you need to accommodate the equipment, food and luggage for five people as well.

Logi

Hi Ben,

People have already commented on the vehicles, so I think you’re well-advised there.

Here are a few more tips for the route, especially in the northwest. We booked the following campsites:

Spitzkoppe: The kids will love the rocks and the landscape there.

Madisa: Nice pool and a great campsite; alternatively, you could camp at the White Lady Lodge near Brandberg. Both are great, and with a bit of luck, you might spot elephants.

Palmwag Lodge (Gondwana): Great camping pitches, a high chance of getting very close to elephants, and overall a fantastic, well-maintained facility with a pool and delicious food. We spent three days there and didn't regret it for a second.

Ongongo Waterfall Campsite: I’d definitely include this in your plans with the kids. The campsite itself isn't anything special, but swimming at the waterfall is spectacular. The kids will love it. You can also just stop by for a break and a swim. We spent two days there, and it was hard to get the kids out of the water.

Camp Aussicht: It is simply spectacular there. It’s a bit remote and secluded, but wonderful. The view is immense. The highlight is the porcupines that come onto the main lodge's terrace in the evening; if you’re careful, you can even pet them. Our kids still talk about it often. Plus, there are lots of birds.

If you're interested: Giribies Plains, with its countless fairy circles. On the way, you might discover a "stony surprise."

Personally, I wouldn't drive any further north; instead, I’d head via Opuwo to Hobatere Camp and then into Etosha from there. If you exit towards the east, Abenab—with its gigantic cable car—might also be an interesting stop.

Ben51 schrieb:

We want to rent two vehicles, and I am hesitating between a setup with two rooftop tents or a Bushcamper configuration. Setting aside the price difference, the Bushcamper option (available through Bushlore https://bushlore.com/toyota-hilux-double-cab-4x4-bushcamper/ and Africamper https://africamper.com/vehicles/4x4-max-explorer/) seems potentially more practical for day-to-day life, but I am worried we might feel cramped as a family of five—especially in the Bushlore, where the beds measure 175 x 140 cm and 190 x 130 cm—and that there won't be much storage space for our luggage.

Has anyone here tried the Bushcamper setup with three children? Any specific advice regarding the vehicles or the itinerary?

Hi Ben,

The Bushlore HilCam is a fantastic vehicle. We rented it last year for just the two of us and loved it. This is obviously quite different from your setup, but the benefits of a bush camper still apply despite your larger group size. 

I agree that it may feel cramped with 2 adults + 3 kids. But from what I understand you‘re looking to rent two vehicles anyway? How about going for the bush camper plus one regular Hilux with two rooftop tents? I don‘t know if setups with two hardtop tents are available, or if the dual tent setup always comes with the more basic tents.

This will give you sufficient space for everyone to sleep comfortably, and you‘d still have the indoor space, much improved kitchen facilities and storage option the bush camper offers. 

Storage space is generally very good in the bush camper, but it‘s best to pack lightly where possible - it‘ll make camping more comfortable if you‘re able to keep a good overview of where the stuff is. 

I guess the larger bed in the bush camper could also sleep 1 adult and 2 small kids if needed, and the rooftop bed sleeps 1 adult and 1 kid, but note that the rooftop bed in this particular vehicle is a bit on the shorter side. 

Hi,

Akane schrieb:

I agree that it may feel cramped with 2 adults + 3 kids. But from what I understand you‘re looking to rent two vehicles anyway?

As far as I understood, they are two families with three and two children and want to rent two cars in total. Not two cars for this one family. But your approach would be nice indeed, but very expensive ;-)

"We are two families traveling together (our family has three children aged 4 to 10, plus two older children in the second family) "

br Wolfgang 

dergnagflow schrieb:

Hi,

As far as I understood, they are two families with three and two children and want to rent two cars in total. Not two cars for this one family. But your approach would be nice indeed, but very expensive ;-)

"We are two families traveling together (our family has three children aged 4 to 10, plus two older children in the second family) "

br Wolfgang 

Yeah, I picked up on this after the fact as well and thought I had edited my response accordingly, but looks like I didn't save it 😅

In any case, I believe the bush camper is still the superior setup - any constellation with 3 kids + 2 adults in the same car will be somewhat challenging, and two separate tents will note change the fact that one tent needs to sleep 3 people. 

My concern is about the bed sizes (1.75 x 1.4 m and 1.9 x 1.3 m in the Bushcamper versus 2.0 or even 2.2 x 1.4 m for rooftop tents) to fit three children, as well as the available luggage space on top of the camping gear, even though the Bushcamper seems easier to live in.

the larger rooftop tents will be more comfortable for sure, but it comes at the expense of a more comfortable camping life. It probably comes down to how tall the adults in your group are and whether they can fit into the rooftop tent with the 1.75m length somewhat comfortably. For the 1.9x1.3m bed, I would argue that the kids won't feel the difference compared to a slightly larger tent, so I would focus on where to place the adults.

As for luggage, I believe it's a misconception that the regular camper will give you more space. You will need to fit everything into the canopy, and packing/unpacking will be painful. Let's take the Africamper as an example: this is already a decent setup for a non-bush camper vehicle, but you will need to fit everything in here. Pantry, crockery, camping equipment, your personal belongings, water, firewood, etc. You have no space on the roof rack due to the dual tent setup, and apart from the drawer box, everything else will go into the storage boxes. This means if you need to grab an item from a box in the back, you will have to unpack everything as you won't be able to access much from the sides. Imagine a fully packed canopy for a group of 5.

On the inside, you will have fair amount of these compartments for your personal items, and there is additional storage (which is more difficult to reach) under the mattress. It's very likely that you will still need to fully load up the inside of the bush camper with items that won't fit into the compartments (camping chairs, water containers, duffle bags), but you will have to unload much less to access other items compared to the regular canopy. And lastly, you do have some space on the roof rack, in case you want to store firewood or other items bulky items that don't need a lot of protection. 

But of course this does not help if you're not able to get a good night's sleep. It's a trade off, and if you're tall, the upper bed will not be comfortable tbh.

check the extended Landcruiser Version, Logi recommended. That would be the best car for the five of you. I really don't think that five people will fit into any of the bushcampers I have used or seen in the last 10 years. And I love them and use them during my previous four trips, Family-version and two bed versions.

Even with the big Landcruiser from Savanna: https://www.savannacarhire.com.na/car-rental/1400715692/Toyota-Landcruiser-Family-Camper it won't fit from my point of view. And as soon as somebody is sleeping in the lower bed, you can't use the indoor anymore, it's even hard to climb into the upper bed then. And the lower bed consumes *a lot* of the space inside, there is unfortenately not that much room as Akane showed in the pictures, which I suppose is a Bushcamper for two people and has only two beds. 

br Wolfgang

Hi,

Ben51 schrieb:We already traveled for 2 months with the 3 kids in a Hilux with 2 RTT, so I don't think we need the extended version of the LC, the double cab version (Hilux or LC) with 2 RTT version should be enough. Besides, I might be wrong, but I would prefer hardshell tents as I feel they'll save us time on a daily basis (that's what we had on our previous trip).

Ok, if you already have experience then go for a car with two RRTs. No Bushcamper in my opinion. 

br Wolfgang

dergnagflow schrieb:

Ok, if you already have experience then go for a car with two RRTs. No Bushcamper in my opinion. 

Fully agree, if you have done it before, you know what you're signing up for. Go for the hardtop tent in any case, not only for ease of use when setting up, but also because you can leave the bedding in the tent, which will save space in the canopy. With the most basic roof top top tents, you can't really keep sleeping bags and pillows in the tent when folding and stowing away the tents.