Hi - we spent 3 weeks in Namibia in 2010 and had a great time. For one week 3 locations seems a lot to me....we were thrilled with Gemma Dry (owner of Discover Namibia) and highly recommend you send her an email. She was a huge asset to our itinerary planning.

We loved Sossusvlei but wonder if kids will find miles of sand all that interesting? Stayed on Sossus Dune Lodge and recommend it for the early access to Deadvlei.

Blog link here

http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/africa/g-namibia/

Thanks for your reply. Your pictures are wonderful and I had actually already seen them. But I happily looked at them again! Yep, I think Gemma is the one to go with. Great to hear you were so happy. And the Sossus Dune Lodge seems perfect. But dont worry about my kids. They are quite unique having first gone on a safari at age 2 and 4 and since trekking with me all over Africa to find the most unique experiences.

Any thoughts on Damaraland?

Thanks so much.

Damaraland is a long drive from Sussusvlei - we drove to Swakopmund (about 5 hours) and stayed there then drove to Cape Cross (90 minutes) and the next day to Palmwag Lodge (near Hobatere) and that was 4 or 5 hours as I recall. I think with a week it's either the coast or Damaraland/Etosha, but not both - but Gemma's opinion matters more than mine!

Thanks Elizabeth. I am going to contact Gemma tomorrow. Etosha is not on the radar for us this trip. Having gone on 4 safaris in South Africa and 1 in Kenya/Tanzana, for only one week, I'm feeling more of a pull to landscapes than to animals. But up, I may have to give something up. Or add a flight?....that is what I am wondering...

Thanks!

Here's my Namibia trip report http://www.fodors.com/community/africa-the-middle-east/patty-marks-namibia-trip-with-a-little-bit-of-south-africa.cfm

We drove everywhere and I listed driving times. We didn't go as far north as Damaraland but I think a Damaraland/Swakopmund/Sossusvlei combination is do-able in one week. If you're willing to fly, then anything's possible. It just depends on how much driving vs flying you want to do.

Hi,
we just returned from a trip to Namibia.

If you have just one week, Kaokoveld is too far away and probably Damaraland, too. Flying (besides being very expensive and with severe limitations on baggage) does not help much, because you will lose time to get the rental car etc. My recommendation is to go to the Erongo Mountains instead, especially if you are interested in scenery.

Here are my recommendations:

- Sossusvlei is really great scenery. sossus Dune Lodge is the only choice to watch the sunrise. In fact, we watched it from Dune 45 which is about 45 min driving from Sossus Dune Lodge and another 15 min climbing. If you want to watch the sunrise from Big Daddy/Deadvlei, you will need 60 min driving, at least 15 min for the shuttle, and over 30 min hiking and driving to Big Daddy Dune. Sossus Dune Lodge is a worthy experience; I just wrote a review in Tripadvisor (same screen name).

- Swakopmund has small colonial town charme and offers excellent opportunities for outdoor activities (sandboarding etc.). Moon Landscape and Weltwitschia Drive are scenic highlights. We stayed at a luxurious self-catered apartment called "Atlantik Sicht".

- From Swakopmund, you can easily drive to the Spitzkoppe and see more scenery and rock paintings. From there, it is another short drive to Ai Aiba Lodge in the Erongo mountains. You will enjoy more scenery, more rockpaintings, animals and a beautiful lodge. In addition, 2km from the lodge there is a "living museum" where you can meet the San bushmen. They offer several tours from 30 min to 7 hours. We chose the hunting tour which was really great. For us, visiting the bushmen, was another highlight of our trip.

- From Erongo, it is an easy drive back to Windhoek.

That's exactly what we ended up doing, going only as far north as the Erongo Mountains, then heading south to Swakopmund, Sossusvlei, etc.

Hi Patty and Traveller1959,

Thanks for sharing your trip report and your advice. I never thought of the Erongo Mountains but I will now. The experience with the Bushman is very enticing. Traveler, your photos are amazing. This is really good food for thought. Will update shorty.

Thanks!

Patty, you have written the best trip report ever -- with more useful details that I've ever seen. Thank you! I am so sorry that I have to do a little thing like get the kids up for school instead of finish reading it. But I will be back at it this afternoon. I looked at pictures of the Erongo Mountsins -- astonishingly beautiful.