5-Day Etosha National Park Self-Drive Safari

At a glance

Okonjima and Etosha

Discover Etosha National Park in Namibia on this wildlife centred 5 day self-drive safari. Stay at some of the best lodges on the edge of the park. Your first destination is Okonjima for one night. Go on guided nighttime game drives to look for nocturnal predators and visit the Africat Foundation before you head north to Etosha National Park for 3 nights. Speak to one of our safari experts today to plan and book your safari.

Self-drive is the way most of our guests see Namibia. The roads are quiet and well kept, the distances are honest, and we plan each day so that you arrive in daylight with time for a sundowner. Every lodge is booked and every transfer arranged; the driving is yours.

Okonjima

Night 1 · Okonjima Plains Camp

Etosha East

Nights 2 to 3 · Mushara Lodge

Etosha South

Night 4 · Toshari Lodge

Travel dates

Travel any time · best from May to October

The dry season, May to October, brings cool clear mornings, thin bush and animals concentrated at the waterholes; it is also the busiest, so the lodges book out early. November to April is hotter and greener, with dramatic skies and far fewer vehicles at the waterholes.

Travel dates are yours to choose. Tell us roughly when, and we check availability at every property and on every flight before anything is held.

When to go

May to October is the classic season: dry, cool at night, and the best game viewing in Etosha as the waterholes draw everything in. Desert mornings can be close to freezing in June and July, so pack a warm layer for early starts. November to April is the green season, hot inland with short afternoon storms that clear quickly, newborn antelope and, in a good year, water on the pan. Swakopmund is cool and often foggy in the mornings whatever the month; the fog burns off by late morning.

What is decided: the shape of the trip: the areas, the order, the properties and the number of nights in each. It is the version we would build first for most travellers.

What we confirm together: your dates, who is travelling, room categories and any extensions before or after. Every safari is tailored from here, and nothing is held until you ask us to.

The route

A loop from Windhoek, four nights on the road

The loop runs from Windhoek through Okonjima, Etosha East and Etosha South and back to Windhoek. Most travelling days are four to five hours of driving with stops, and we plan each leg so that you arrive in daylight. Roads are gravel between the desert and the coast and in Damaraland, tar elsewhere, and none of it needs low range: the 4x4 is for comfort and clearance. Roughly 1200 km in all.

OkonjimaRoughly 250 km by road from Windhoek
Etosha EastRoughly 300 km by road from Okonjima
Etosha SouthRoughly 180 km by road from Etosha East, through the park

Distances shown are approximate road distances. Fuel and park entry fees are paid as you go. We plan the daily legs so that you are never driving after dark.

Press play to follow the route. Dashed legs are flights, solid legs are by road. Drag to explore, scroll to zoom.

Day by day

Five days, three properties

Windhoek → Okonjima

Arrival, Okonjima

Hit the ground running on this 5 day wildlife safari. After your meet and greet, you will be taken to the vehicle rental company to collect your vehicle. From there, you will make your way north to Okonjima Nature Reserve. Make sure to arrive before 15:00 so you have enough time to settle in before going on your first game drive. We have included a nighttime game drive at Okonjima, allowing you to spot predators while they are most active.

Included at the lodge: Nocturnal Game Drive, Game Drives
Optional: Nature/Game Drives, Nocturnal Game Drive, Scenic Sundowner Drives

Overnight · Okonjima Plains Camp · dinner, bed and breakfast

02-03

Okonjima → Etosha East

Etosha East

From Okonjima, you head straight to Etosha East for two nights. Here you will stay at Mushara lodge, located a few kilometers from Etosha’s eastern gate at Namutoni. Two scheduled game drives are included in your itinerary at Mushara. During the day, you can self-drive through Etosha to more than 20 water holes through the park

Optional: Birding, Nature Walks, Etosha Game Drives

Overnight · Mushara Lodge · dinner, bed and breakfast · 2 nights

Etosha East → Etosha South

Etosha South

From Mushara Lodge, you will drive through Etosha; this offers you another opportunity to visit and revisit some of the waterholes and lookout points on your way to Toshari lodge. At Toshari, you can enjoy more game viewing activities, do nature walks or spend your time relaxing at the lodge itself.

Optional: Etosha Game Drives

Overnight · Toshari Lodge · dinner, bed and breakfast

Etosha South → Windhoek

Departure

After breakfast, it’s time to make your way back to Windhoek. Once you arrive in Windhoek, you will return your rental vehicle and receive a complimentary transfer to the airport or your hotel of choice.

Overnight · Departure day

Where you stay

Where you sleep

Night 1 · Okonjima

Okonjima Plains Camp

Okonjima Plains Camp, your base in Okonjima for one night, on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis.

+ Read more

Visit website

SettingOkonjima

BasisDinner, bed and breakfast

Included activitiesNocturnal Game Drive, Game Drives

OptionalNature/Game Drives, Nocturnal Game Drive, Scenic Sundowner Drives

Nights 2 to 3 · Etosha East

Mushara Lodge

Here you will stay at Mushara lodge, located a few kilometers from Etosha’s eastern gate at Namutoni.

+ Read more

Two scheduled game drives are included in your itinerary at Mushara.

SettingEtosha East

BasisDinner, bed and breakfast

OptionalBirding, Nature Walks, Etosha Game Drives

Night 4 · Etosha South

Toshari Lodge

From Mushara Lodge, you will drive through Etosha; this offers you another opportunity to visit and revisit some of the waterholes and lookout points on your way to Toshari lodge.

+ Read more

At Toshari, you can enjoy more game viewing activities, do nature walks or spend your time relaxing at the lodge itself.

Visit website

SettingEtosha South

BasisDinner, bed and breakfast

OptionalEtosha Game Drives

The practical side

Good to know

The vehicle: A 4x4 with two spare wheels, a cooler box and a full handover briefing at the airport. Gravel roads are the norm between the desert and the coast and in Damaraland; nothing on this route needs low range. Keep to 80 km/h on gravel and you will have no trouble.
Driving days: Four to five hours on most travel days, with stops. We plan every leg so that you arrive in daylight, and the tour file gives distances, fuel stops and the numbers to call if anything changes.
Fuel and park fees: Both are paid as you go and are not included. Fuel is available in every town on the route; park entry fees are paid at the gate, per person and per vehicle, and cover the day.
Meals: Bed and breakfast in the towns, where the restaurants are the attraction, and dinner, bed and breakfast at the lodges, where they are not optional. Lunches are at your own arrangement unless a property is on a fully inclusive basis.
Optional activities: Scenic flights, dolphin cruises and desert excursions on the coast, hot-air ballooning at Sossusvlei and guided drives at the Etosha lodges are all bookable in advance and paid locally or added to your itinerary.
Connectivity: A local SIM card is available at the airport on arrival. The lodges have Wi-Fi in their main areas; coverage on the road is patchy, which is part of the appeal.
What to pack: Layers: desert mornings in winter are cold, afternoons hot. A warm jacket for early starts and night drives, a hat, good sun protection, closed shoes for walking, and soft bags rather than hard cases.

Included

Your journey includes

Meet and greet on arrival with your tour file
4x4 vehicle rental for the duration of the safari
Four nights' accommodation at the properties listed above
24/7 in-country support from the Secret Namibia team
Meals and beverages as indicated for each property
Complimentary activities as indicated
Luxury safari care package

Not included

Please budget separately for

International flights to and from Namibia
Personal travel insurance
Visas and visa applications
Gratuities
Items of a personal nature

Next steps

From this sample to your own safari

Tell us what appeals.Use the enquiry button on this page, or write to hello@secretnamibia.com, with rough dates, who is travelling and anything you would change: more nights, a different lodge, a few days somewhere else at the end.
We tailor it.Within a day or two you have a version built around you, the same shape if you like it or a different one, with a firm quote for your dates and party.
We hold the rooms.Once the shape is right we place provisional holds at every property and on the flights, at no cost and with no obligation, usually for a week or two.
Deposit and confirmation.A deposit turns the holds into confirmed bookings. The balance is due before travel, and we look after everything from there until you are home again.

This page is a sample itinerary, not a quote, and nothing on it is booked or held. If it suits someone you know, send them the link; we are just as happy to start from scratch for them.

Etosha National Park,
Self-Drive Safari

Okonjima and Etosha

When to go

A loop from Windhoek, four nights on the road

Five days, three properties

Arrival, Okonjima

Etosha East

Etosha South

Departure

Where you sleep

Okonjima Plains Camp

Mushara Lodge

Toshari Lodge

Good to know

Your journey includes

Please budget separately for

From this sample to your own safari

Shall we plan your version?

Safaris

Namibia

Secret Namibia

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