7-days Roadtrip in Namibia (Desert Hills and We Kebi Safari Lodge)
As a true dry nature and desert lover, I was really excited to plan my trip to Namibia this year. We flew with KLM from Amsterdam, as they got a really good connection to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. On arrival at Hosea Kutako airport, we picked up our car that we made a reservation for at Europcar. As most roads are gravel roads, it’s highly recommended to book an SUV. We got the Toyota Fortuner with 4 wheel drive. Europcar showed us a video on how to drive safely through Namibia, which I thought was super helpful. Apparently, 50 times more accidents happen here compared to European countries. Also, they drive on the left side of the road, but I didn’t experience any difficulties getting used to it.
We first stayed at Desert Hills Lodge that’s located around Sesriem. It took us 6 hours to get there from Windhoek, half of this roadtrip were gravel roads with beautiful scenery. Desert Hills must have been my favorite stay when it comes to comfort and aesthetics. Luxury grass huts overlooking the beautiful (and literally) desert hills. Loved this place so much! We left the curtains open so that we would wake-up with this gorgeous view during sunrise. Breakfast and dinner are always included, as there aren’t any restaurants around in that area. We always started with a sunset wine on their terrace and the dinner was lovely.
Our next stay was We Kebi Safari Lodge which is by the same owners and just a 30 minutes drive from Desert Hills. We Kebi also has cute grass huts but is more focussed on the wildlife. Some zebras are always walking around the property, we spotted a baby giraffe and lots of other animals. I would say Desert Hills feels more luxury, but We Kebi feels more wild and pure – and I loved to experience both of them. We experienced lots of rain during our stay which the locals were super happy with as there’s been a bad drought.
We visited Sossusvlei an early morning and arrived at the gate in Sesriem that opens at 6 am. We had the most stunning sunrise drive from up this point to where you can hike the famous dune 45. I would definitely recommend taking the shuttle to the last bit before you can start the hike, as we saw people getting stuck trying to drive there themselves. I must have had the most “wow” moments this beautiful morning. Namibia’s nature on its best.
Subsequently, we decided to drive to the coast from down south up to Swakopmund, where we booked the cutest Airbnb with a view over dunes. The drive was pretty intense though, and we rarely saw cars passing by (let alone crossing villages), so make sure to do a pitstop at Solitaire. A little town that only exists of a gas station, bakery (have their famous apple pie – I thought it was so good), a bar and lodge. I loved the vibe here though!
Walvis Bay and Swakopmund are two cities on the coasts with beaches originated from the dunes. If you’re a big city lover it might feel a bit boring, but I thought was interesting to see how Namibian people live (especially after several days no culture). In Swakopmund, I loved Farmhouse Deli for breakfast/lunch, and The Tug for dinner which is the most popular restaurant in that area and I definitely understand why. In Walvis Bay, I really loved The Raft, a floating restaurant with a raw and cool vibe.
I was happy to see that the road back to Windhoek was asphalted, as I was getting exhausted from driving gravel roads. We booked our last night at Daan Viljoen, a game reserve close to Windhoek. This is where we were able to see some last animals (like ostriches and giraffes) before we flew back to Europe. Next time, I would love to stay at Erindi Private Game Reserve who protects more species like elephants, cheetas and lions.