Cape Town to Windhoek Budget Camping Safari

This affordable Southern Africa Camping Safari explores top wilderness areas, game parks and travel destinations in South Africa and Namibia.

Starting in Cape Town with the cultural experience of a Cape Flats township tour and travelling north to Namibia via the Orange River. This budget camping tour takes you to the Namibia's Fish River Canyon, from there you venture into the world's oldest desert in the Namib-Naukluft Park to climb the Sossusvlei dunes and explore the flat desert valleys on foot.

This safari adventure visits Swakopmund for adventure activities and sightseeing and then goes on to the Bushman rock paintings in the dramatic Spitzkoppe area. Next its off to Etosha National Park for game viewing, before heading to Namibia's capital, Windhoek, where this camping adventure ends.

Experience the wide-open spaces, vast silence and open skies of Africa on this diverse journey through the breathtaking landscapes of Southern Africa!

Tour Highlights:

• Cape Flats Township Tour and South Africa's Orange River
• Look out over Namibia's immense Fish River Canyon
• Explore Namib Naukluft Park and Sossusvlei Sand Dunes
• Relax in Swakopmund and choose adventure activities
• Visit Spitzkoppe and Etosha National Park to view game 
• Discover the capital city of Namibia, Windhoek

DAY 1 – 2: Cape Town to Orange River – South Africa

This budget camping safari starts in Cape Town, known as the "Mother City" of South Africa.

We recommend that you arrange to spend a few days in the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town before your safari adventure. One of the most beautiful cities in the world, Cape Town has something for everyone, from outdoor activities and wineland tours to world-class shopping and a lively nightlife. 

Leaving the landmark Table Mountain and scenic city of Cape Town behind we make our way to the Cape Flats for a township tour of some of Cape Town's famous townships. 

Our Cape Flats township tour gives us a chance to experience some of the vibrant local township culture. Visit community projects and meet some of the local people in South Africa’s dynamic informal settlement areas. This exciting township excursion offers insight into the turbulent history and current state of the country, as well as the daily lives of these South Africans.

Our journey continues north through changing landscapes of South Africa's Western Cape, starting with winelands, fruit farms and green hills.

We spend our first night of camping under African stars in the northern part of the Western Cape Province en route to the Orange River. We stay near the small town of Citrusdal and on the first night you will have time to get to know your fellow travellers a little better and get into the swing of being on the road in Southern Africa.

Next we travel through open fields of wildflowers (in spring) to rockier and more arid terrain closer to the Namibian border.

With its source in Lesotho’s Drakensberg Mountains the Orange River is South Africa’s longest river and almost traverses the continent of Africa. We camp on the banks of the Orange River on day two of this Southern African Safari, enjoying a marvellous African sunset.

DAY 3 – 5: Fish River Canyon and Namib Naukluft Park – Namibia

Today we continue north crossing into Namibia, a land of stark contrasts, best known for its impressive desert dunes.

We drive to the Fish River Canyon, the largest canyon in Africa and the second largest in the world. This beautiful natural wonder is around 500m deep and over 160km in length. We explore this scenic area enjoying spectacular views over the sharp “Hell’s Bend” corner of the canyon. We camp overnight not far from the immense canyon in this rugged part of southern Namibia.

From the Fish River Canyon we continue our drive north heading into one of the oldest deserts in the world, the Namib. We enter the Namib Naukluft Park, one of the largest game parks in Africa and Namibia’s largest conservation area, covering 50 000 sq km of dunes, plains and estuarine terrain.

In the Namid Naukluft Park we visit some of the world’s tallest sand dunes, reaching over 300m high, at Sossusvlei. The towering orange-red dunes at Sossusvlei are ideal for photographic opportunities, especially for sunrise or sunset desert landscape shots from the top of a tall sand dune. From the spectacular dunes and flat pans we travel deeper into the park to explore the pristine valleys and saltpans on foot.

DAY 6 - 7: Swakopmund – Namibia

After the silence of the Fish River Canyon and Namib Desert we carry on north to Swakopmund, located between the Namib Desert and the Atlantic Ocean. The quaint colonial town of Swakopmund is Namibia’s premier seaside resort, featuring palm-lined avenues and beachside promenades.

Take a sightseeing stroll though the unique town and relax at one of the street-side cafes or get your adrenaline pumping on one of the adventure activities. There are plenty of adventure activities to choose from at Swakopmund including kayaking, quad biking, sand boarding and skydiving as well as scenic flights and guided desert walks.

DAY 8: Swakopmund to Spitzkoppe – Namibia

Departing from Swakopmund our safari adventure takes us north into the Damaraland region of Namibia making our way to Spitzkoppe, also called the "Matterhorn of Namibia". The remote Spitzkoppe area is scattered with exposed granite formations that we explore to see the ancient rock paintings of Bushman tribes.

DAY 9 - 11: Etosha National Park to Windhoek

Our next destination is Etosha National Park, the "Great White Place" dominated by a vast saltpan.

We stay in Etosha for the next two nights, camping near one of the park’s watering holes, all of which are floodlit at night offering exciting nocturnal game viewing. This opportunity to watch wildlife at the watering holes in the night is the game viewing highlight of a trip to Namibia! Commonly sighted wild animals include elephant, giraffe and zebra, as well as sometimes lion and hyena.

The 20 000 sq km Etosha Park is home to thousands of wild animals and is considered one of the most important game reserves in Southern Africa.

This vast game park is inhabited by around 340 bird species and over 100 mammal species, notably the endangered cheetah and black rhino, as well as black-faced impala, tsessebe, roan antelope and gemsbok. In the rainy season shallow lakes form on the pan, with the watering holes supporting Etosha’s wildlife all year-round.

Next we drive south to Windhoek, Namibia’s capital city and our last stop on this camping safari. We arrive in Windhoek, located in the center of Namibia, in the late afternoon bringing our safari adventure through Namibia and South Africa to an end.

We recommend arranging a few days in Windhoek after our camping safari to enjoy some nightlife and explore Windhoek and its' colonial German atmosphere and architecture.

Tour Transport

Transport on this tour is in a 24-seater, custom-built safari truck. The self-contained truck is fitted with onboard tables, individual lockers (70-litre) and a freezer, as well as safety features. The safari truck also features plug sockets, a library and an i-pod jack.

Meals on this Tour

The following meals are included: 

• Breakfast (B) x 10
• Lunch (L) x 8
• Dinner (D) x 8

The group prepares the included meals in camp and help with preparation is invited. Most dietary requirements can be catered for on the road, upon request at the time of booking.

Game Park Visits

Some of our National Park visits and game viewing drives are conducted using local services, to ensure the best quality game driving and to comply with local authority rulings. Using local African guides and service providers also adds to our safari experience and allows us to contribute to the local communities. These local services are included in the Local Payment of the tour.

Looking for other tours to Namibia? View all Namibia Budget Safaris