Namibia Tour Route 12 with Map Noordoewer to Sossusvlei to Swakopmund




Namibia Self Guided Tour Route 13 - Noordoewer to Swakopmund via C14 Road

6 Day Self-Drive Tour:

Should you want to visit all of the attraction points on this route we consider a 6 day tour to be the minimum practical time frame, but extra days can be added to suite your personal schedule. The route makes use of tarred and gravel roads in a ratio of about 15 / 85. You should estimate about 1400 km driving. The distances indicated in the side able do not include around town and detour driving.

Day 1 is counted as the day you enter Namibia at Noordoewer and...

Day 6 is counted as the day you Arrive Swakopmund.

Day 1: Cross border into Namibia. Drive (125km / 2hr) to and overnight Ai-Ais Resort

Day 2: Relax at Ai-Ais overnight Ai-Ais.

Day 3: Drive to Fish River Canyon viewpoint and then on to and overnight Helmeringhausen

(422km / 8hr including site-seeing)

Day 4: Drive to Duwisib Castle and then on to (+-285km / 6hr including site-seeing) overnight Sesriem

Day 5: Morning Tour Sossusvlei. Afternoon Sesriem Canyon. Drive to (+-83km / 1,5hr) overnight Solitaire

Day 6: Drive to Swakopmund (+- 235km / 4hr). overnight Swakopmund

Back to Tour Routes 2

Notes:

Gravel Road Driving:

Gravel Road Driving: Some tourists prefer to rent sedan cars, but for long distance driving on gravel roads you should consider the usability of the more robust 2x4 pick-up trucks and 4x4 pick-up trucks having their load boxes fitted with canopies. For added security of your luggage etc. it is preferable that the canopy be of the enclosed steel or aluminium type with no windows. We recommend you carry emergency supplies of: extra fuel. in Jerry-Cans, a minimum of 15lt of drinking water, food supplies, an emergency medical kit.

Please read the page about your Personal Safety and Security.

Map Sections: Seeheim to Walvis Bay

Noordoewer to Seeheim

Distances
Noordoewer
125
Ai-Ais	125
73
The Canyon	198
172
Seeheim	370
63
Goageb	433
34
Bethanien	467
80
Helmerinhaus	547
106
Duwisib Castle	653
179
Sesriem	832
83
Solitaire	915
205
Walvis Bay	1120
30
Swakopmund	1150

Grunau District Attractions



	7 Ai-Ais Hot Springs Resort offers an ideal stay over right along-side the Fish River at the lower end of the Canyon. Accommodation ranges from luxury apartments to shaded camp sites with water and power The resort is closed during the summer (and rainy season ) months owing to the heat and possibility of flash flooding. Time Budget 4-6hr+

	8 Fish River Canyon is 2nd only to the Grand Canyon in size and is one of 'Africa's Must Sees'. Here you can see where the waters of the Fish River have, over a period of 1,000 million years cut through the surrounding hard rock to a depth of over 550 meters. There are sections of the canyon that are about 27km in width. There is a NWR camp site at Hobas. Time budget 2hrs+

Solitaire & District Attractions



	Solitaire. OK it's a photo of my mate, but I know that most tourists traveling the C14 also think this is a good place to snap a holiday picture. It's a pretty remote place and when you reach the tiny settlement at Solitaire you can tank-up with fuel for your truck, and then sample some of the Moose's renowned Apple Pie that is served without cream. Thinks !! nobody ever mentions the heavyweight bread this guy bakes

	15 Sesriem is where the entrance gate, offices and camp are located. The park gates are open between sunrise and sunset with a lunch break 13h00 to 14h00. About 4.5km from the complex is the Sesriem Canyon. 2 million years ago a great ice-age spread across the northern hemisphere and caused the world's ocean levels to drop. The increased flow rate of the Tsauchab River carved through the sedimentary layers and formed the canyon. Time budget 1hr+

	16 Sossusvlei is a 65km drive west from Sesriem. It is a spectacular dune area. It is advisable to make your tour of the dunes early, as the mid-day temperatures can be above 40°c. Always carry enough water with you and appropriate clothing with a hat or cap for your head. It is a 1km hike to the dead vlei, so a good pair of hiking boots will be needed. Sand temperatures can get to 70°c 5hr Time budget 4hr+

	14 Duwisib Castle was built in 1909 by retired Schutztruppe Captain Hansheinrich Von Wolf, the castle stands on the high ground overlooking a valley that is situated in the semi-arid lands about 70kms south west of Maltahohe. It's a bit unusual to see a Castle in the middle of nowhere. Having swords, shields, guns and all those German-things hanging on the walls. It's all very interesting if you have time for the detour. Time budget 1-2hr

Walvis Bay & District Attractions



	Walvis Bay is Namibia's Premier Port and centre of our fishing industry, but this town has also geared up for tourism. The Wetland Bird Reserve is home to about 60,000 of Southern Africa's Flamingos. The Lagoon has proved itself to be one of the best places in the world for speed wind & Kite surfing with many records captured here. Take a Dolphin & Seal cruises in the lagoon and get served some of the locally grown Oysters with champagne.

Swakopmund & District Attractions



	There's a lot of things to do and see in and around Swakopmund, so you need a minimum of 3 days here. Below, are a couple of useful links for you.

Local Area Map and Directions for: Ai-Ais and Fish River Canyon Maltahohe / Duwisib Castle / Sesriem Sesriem / Solitaire / Walvis Bay Northern Naukluft Park inc. Welwitschia Drive