Routeplan Namibia

Most of you are german speaking, but sorry, I don't speak german, so hopefully you can answer me in English.

We want to travel for 5 weeks in Namibia and are both wildlife photographers, so that's the part we are most interested about, but also of rest of Namibia.

Places they suggest us to visit are:
Windhoek - Kalahari Namibia - Fish River Canyon - Aus - Sossusvlei - Namib - Swakopmund - Brandberg - Damaraland - Kaokoveld - Etosha National Park (6 nights) - Otavi Mountain Region - Kavango - Bwabwata National Park - Mamili game Reserve - Windhoek

But don't know how long to stay where?
If we are missing great spots in Namibia?
Maybe spots in our plan, are not interesting enough?
Which / where do we have to pre book camp spots?

Hope someone can help us?

Hi Moswic,

welcome in Forum.
Yes, 5 weeks are o.k and necessary for this journey.
Prebooking depends of the time, when you want to do the journey. Hot times for tourists in Namibia are the months June to October. Thsi is the dry season and you will see most of the animals at the waterwholes. But also the other seaons are very nice especially in the rainy time in February, when Namibia is green, Also in this time you have to prebook in Kalaghadi Transfrontier Park, Sossusvlei and Etosha.
Try to stay minimum 2 days at one place! And try not to drive more than 300 km a day. More than 2 days you should stay in Etosha, Swakopmund (3), KTP (4) and Kaokoveld and Bwabwata (3).
Try to make a route, post it here again and we will help you then. But you must know, that different people with different interests will answer you!
Kind regards:
Burschi

Thanks. Here the travelplan so far, but don't know if it's a good route, if we miss something , stay to short or too long.
IF anybody have more advice where we must go as wildlife photographers, let us please also know.

Day 1 Windhoek
Day 2 Gateway to Kalahari, Lapa Lange Lodge
Day 3 Gateway to Kalahari, Lapa Lange Lodge
Day 4 Fish River Canyon, Hobas camp
Day 5 Fish River Canyon, Hobas camp
Day 6 Klein Aus Vista
Day 7 via Hemeringhausen to Sesriem
Day 8 Sesriem
Day 9 Nakluft Mountain
Day 10 travel via Kuiseb Canyon and Walvis Bay to Swakopmund
Day 11 Swakopmund
Day 12 Swakopmund
Day 13 Swakopmund
Day 14 Travel via Brandberg to Twyfelfontein
Day 15 Travel via Brandberg to Twyfelfontein
Day 16 Kaokoland/Damaraland
Day 17 Kaokoland/Damaraland
Day 18 via Grootberg pass and Kamanjab into western Galton Gate into Etoscha to Olifantsrus campsite
Day 19 Olifantrus campsite
Day 20 Okaukuejo
Day 21 Okaukuejo
Day 22 Halali
Day 23 Halali
Day 24 Roys Camp near Grootfontein
Day 25 Gondwana on the Kavango river
Day 26 on to the Popa Falls next to the Bwabwata Game Reserve, camping at either Camp Ngepi or the Mahangu campsite directly on the river
Day 27 on to the Popa Falls next to the Bwabwata Game Reserve, camping at either Camp Ngepi or the Mahangu campsite directly on the river
Day 28 through the Bwabwata to the Mudumu and Nkasa Rupara National Park, camping at Namushasha Lodge of Gondwana
Day 29 through the Bwabwata to the Mudumu and Nkasa Rupara National Park, camping at Namushasha Lodge of Gondwana
Day 30 through the Bwabwata to the Mudumu and Nkasa Rupara National Park, camping at Namushasha Lodge of Gondwana
Day 31 back to Rundu
Day 32 to waterberg NP
Day 33 Waterberg NP
Day 34 Windhoen

Hi Moswic,
your route-plan ist o. k.
Only a few things:
Day 5: Spend only 1 day at fishriver canon and add this day to Klein Aus Vista. You can visit the wild horses at Garub and Kohlmannskuppe.
Day 9 is not really necessary.
If you want to visit Kaokoveld and stay then at Opuwo perhaps, you have a very long travelling day from Opuwo to Olifantsrus.
Make one overnight stand at Grootberg!
In Swakopmund: Dolfin tour and Living desert tour!!!!
Day 24: If you want to visit the San people at Grashoek, you need one more day at Roy´s Camp!
Kind regards:
Burschi

Hi Moswik,

if you can afford two or three more nights make day 7 to 2 or 3 nights Wolvedans. This is a private game reserve close to Sesriem with hundreds of Oryx, not really shy of humans. So as a wildlife photographer a must im my opinion.

What I saw there you can see here in my report

Very nice Plan you made. We have done almost the same in 2014 exept the other way round...
I would suggest you make a few changes based on our experience...

Day 4: The Hobas Camp is not realy nice, but you are very close to the canyon for some early morning photos. And then move on 😉 I would skip Day 5 , in my opinion 1 day for the canyon is enough.
Aus is ok for a one night stop and then I would move on to the D707 (not via Hemeringhausen) and look for a Farm there for 2 Nights... It's beautiful there! We were at the Koiimasis Campsite. Very clean and you can do some horseriding in the desert.
One day Sesriem is perfect as well, try to get a spot on the Sesriem Campsite from NWR, so you will be the first at the dunes...
Get some Applecake as you pass Solitaire. It's delicous.
Day 14: DON'T go to the White Lady Campsite it was the worst campsite on our trip.. (It smelled like shit everywhere... 🤢 )
Day 18-23: I would only stay in Etosha for 3 nights there are way too many tourists there...
Day 24 stay at the Tigerquelle [Good Food] The food is awesome and home grown. Be aware, Mäuser the owner is a very special kind of human beeing... But lovely.
Extend yout Time in Mudumu and Mamili nationalpark. Stay there as long as you can. We were there July 2014 and it was just awesome. The big5 in one day!!!
We stayed with Dan from Britain Mudumu (Boattour with swimming elephants)
And with Adolf from Germany MAMILI
Day 33: I would even skip one day at Waterberg (they can't offer anything you haven't seen by the time you are there..) for more time in Mamili and Mudumu...