I’ve spoken of vast lands and wild animals in my previous posts. Finally, here are my top tips if you’re also planning a trip to Namibia:

1. Keep the best bits till the end
Our itinerary was counter-clockwise, which we learned is the opposite to what most people do. We did Windhoek – Okonjima cat reserve – Etosha – Mowani mountains – Brandberg region – Sossusvlei – Namibrand. While the whole trip was mind blowing, Sossusvlei was probably one of my higher highlights. It was probably also the most touristy of all the places we visited, deservedly so. Sossusvlei has the worlds largest dunes and ‘Deadvlei’, a valey with 600 year old dead trees.

2. Be prepared for the long road
You can either do this trip self-driving or flying. Flying is considerably more expensive but will save a lot of time. You can’t do a bit of both because as you’ll learn Namibia is a very desolate place and somebody would literally have to drive your rental car from Windhoek to you, probably taking them 10 hours (not exaggerated). So we drove – partly because it saved us lots of money, and partly because you just get to see more from the ground – interesting landscapes & wild animals that you’d miss from the plane. Driving is doable, but it’s many loooong days on the road (8h and more). My tips: firstly, if you’re not 2 people driving, it’s not a great idea because you’ll get tired after a few hours. Secondly, download lots of audiobooks and podcasts for the road, BEFORE you go. We tried doing this there and most lodges just don’t have good enough internet. Finally, stock up. Always have plenty of water bottles and some snacks in your car. Oh and one more, you really need a robust 4×4, anything else won’t cut as roads aren’t great.

3. If you’re not a big meat eater, tell your lodges
Again, most lodges are very remote. They don’t have a supermarket next door and usually there’s a fixed menu (sometimes a choice between a couple of mains) for dinner. They eat a lot of game in Namibia (kudu, etc.) – if you’re like me and aren’t really into that sort of thing, it’s advisable to tell the lodges in advance so they can make alternate plans. The larger lodges usually always have an alternative they can make for you on the spot, but a couple of the smaller places don’t.

4. Little Kulala is worth its money
We stayed at a mix of basic lodges and also more luxurious places (this was our honeymoon after all!). The best lodge in terms of hospitality, interiors, food and just general friendliness was Little Kulala in Sossusvlei. They try so hard to make your stay unforgettable, and: you can sleep on the rooftop at night, falling a sleep under the brightest stars you’ll ever see.