Namibia- northern region self drive and wildlife spotting. March 2026

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INTRODUCTION:

If travelling around on well maintained roads and sighting incredible wildlife in a sparsely populated chunk of the planet is your jam then visiting Namibia is a solid recommendation.

My first trip to Southern Africa was way back in 2007.  

I drove a stock standard Corolla around South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland (now eSwatini) and ducked into Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana but always meant to return and explore lesser known Namibia in the west.

It was well worth the wait.  

Glorious desert skies, iconic animals trundling around everywhere, a safe and stable nation.

You can easily get around self driving and self catering or jump on a tour or do a bit of both. 

Map sourced from Google maps.

GETTING THERE:

I flew into Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, from Johannesburg on Airlink.  Flight time was 2 hours.

The tiny airport is around a 45 minute drive from Windhoek, no train line runs from the city so it's a taxi, pickup from a tour or rental car provider or legging it if you need the exercise.  

There was a 90 minute wait at Immigration and Customs which sucked immensely.  

I had a pre paid, validated online Visa to enter Namibia and stay for up to 90 days.  

Cost was $160 AUD.  Official Visa site here. 

A charter flight had just swung in from Germany and the place was packed and chaotic.

It actually ended up that those unprepared folks that jumped on the Visa-on-arrival desk whizzed through much faster as the online Visa tech just wasn't ready and set up correctly.  

Anyway, once through Customs you can acquire a local sim card for your phone and hunt down your driver to whisk you away and kick off and see some cool shit.

TRANSPORTATION AND ROADS:

I hired a rooftop camper from Heino and Benita at Bushbundu.  Really cool people, happy to recommend their firm.

We obtained a pickup from the airport to the Bushbundu depot base in South central Windhoek.  The highway into town was busy with weekend fitness junkies running and cycling as vehicles blew past.  Not your usual African sightseeing. 

Signing up and doing the legal entities and then observing a full demonstration of the camping and vehicle equipment took 2 hours. 

I rented a 2025 4 door Hilux with a pull out roof top tent for a week costing $19,000 NAD with reduced insurance excess and 2 of us listed as drivers.  

It worked out to around $1600 AUD or $1200 USD at the time.

All the equipment you need for self sufficient camping and touring is provided including tyre inflation compressor, cooking kit and gas bottles.  Everything was in top order and very clean.

Roads: mostly very good.  Car traffic was light given that Namibia is a developing country and vehicles are somewhat of a luxury.  

Loads of trucks plying the highways though and the 120 km/hr speed limit was treated as a suggestion by most road users.  

Fuel was often available from full service petrol stations that expect a small cash tip for assistance.  

The gravel roads leading out to the coast on the C35 passed through gritty tribal Damara and Himba roadside settlements where toddlers were sent out with empty water bottles to try to flag down tourists.  It was downright scary grinding through these habitations with kids running all over the highway.  Really hope none of the little ones get hit.

We were pulled up at a roadblock occasionally but didn't get the full shake down or request for a bribe.

Map sourced from Google maps.

AREAS WE VISITED:

Waterburg Plateau.

We kicked off our road trip by heading north from Windhoek to the Waterburg area.  

Loads of hiking and wildlife encounters under sheer red cliffs. 

Etosha National Park.

Etosha is fantastic!  Iconic animals of Africa everywhere, plenty of places to stay.  Birdlife is next level.  We camped at a private luxury lodge and went on a sunset game drive and then self drove around the National Park over a few days and camped just outside at Etosha Village.

Walvis Bay.

Fog and desert sand dunes greeted us as we emerged from the interior.  We jumped on a day trip to kayak amongst thousands of cape fur seals and spot flamingoes and jackals on the beach.  

Spitzkoppe.

This incredible outcrop of orange granite was easily the walking and camping highlight for us.  Amazing sunset and sunrise, cute critters all around.  It is the perfect spot to chug a cold Windhoek draught and feel blessed for being alive.

THINGS TO KNOW:

• The official currency: the Namibian Dollar NAD, is pegged 1 to 1 to the South African Rand ZAR.  You will receive NAD from ATM machines and as change from shops.  You can also freely use ZAR in Namibia, but not vice versa.  South Africa accepts ZAR only.  I brought over a wad of ZAR from Johannesburg and spent most of it while travelling around Namibia, receiving change in NAD.  

• Camping in Namibia can be quite luxurious if you snag a pitch away from the crowds and get the under cover cooking area and private bathroom options.

• As Namibia is a Commonwealth Nation member, you drive on the left hand side of the road and give way to traffic on the right.  I carried an Australian International Driving Permit but was never requested to produce it when stopped by Police or during the rental vehicle sign up process.

• There are a couple of well stocked supermarkets worth hitting before heading off into the boonies if you are starting your journey as we did in Windhoek.  The Grove Mall and Maerua Mall are both safe and have paid car parking.  

• No alcohol sales on Sunday or public holidays. 

THOUGHTS:

My plan was to tack on a quick trip to Namibia as a prelude to my Madagascar hiking adventure (the main event), not expecting to enjoy it so much as what I ended up doing.  I'm a big fan of self propelled journeys but every now and then I like mixing things up with a road trip into territory I haven't visited before. This self drive journey was easy on the brain, not overly expensive and exuded good energy.

Namibia ticks all the boxes for a stress free, safe, active, independent African escapade.  

All photos by Shiny & Safari.

Wicklow Way- Ireland. 130km. May 2026

 

OVERVIEW:

Sli Cualann Nua.  The Wicklow Way.  

Ireland's oldest and most popular walking path runs 130 kilometres from the sleepy village of Clonegal northwards to Marley Park in the southern suburbs of Dublin. 

Wandering along the Wicklow you are guaranteed to encounter;

• Prolific greenness
• Sheep, many, many sheep
• Ancient ruins, mighty stone bridges, pretty country lanes and quaint hamlets
• A surprising amount of birdlife and deer
• Rain, sun, sleet, wind, views, no views, crowds and solitude
• Rock boundary walls to the horizon
• Gut busting pub lunches
• Serenity and quietude 

Pumped for Ireland.  

My partner Shiny and I flew into Dublin from Paris and immediately starting grinning as a frigid, dank rain pelted down while we waited for our airport bus.  

Landing in Dublin felt fun, it honestly felt like 'home', as the cliche goes.  

This good vibe and excitement continued for the entirety of our stay on the island whether walking, car touring or just poking around.  

The Wicklow Way is an easy stroll close to major services and showcases a lovely area of the country; Wicklow County.

You pass Lough Tay and Powerscourt where much of Vikings was filmed.  

There is the 6th century monastic settlement ruins of Glendalough.

The summit of Djouce pokes high up in the clouds above the surrounding heather moorland.

Sweet hiking.

Map sourced from wicklowway.com

GETTING TO THE TRAIL:

You have a choice of starting at Dublin in the north and heading south to Clonegal or vice versa.

We knocked over the logistics and hassle of getting to Clonegal first and walking to Dublin.

Given the Wicklow's close proximity to Dublin, there are a number of possible public transportation combinations you could employ to access Clonegal.  

We caught a train to Carlow from Hueston Station in Dublin and hired a taxi to drive us to the start of the trail in Clonegal.  

All up that took around 90 minutes. 

There are also bus services that can get you from Dublin quite close to the southern terminus at Clonegal.

I tried hunting down a shuttle service to facilitate a direct pick up and drop off to the southern terminus from Dublin but didn't get a hello or reply from any that were advertised to undertake that service.

Map sourced from Googlemaps.

Thrush.

CAMPING AND NAVIGATION:

The path is well signed with turns and directions indicated when you need them.  

There's a mix of quiet road walking, slipping over sheep fences and high mountain path tracks. 

I utilised Alltrails offline mapping on my phone in conjunction with the 'Wicklow Way Map Guide- Direction: Clonegal to Marlay Park, Dublin' guidebook I purchased for 11 Euros at the Great Outdoors gear store on South Great Georges Street in Dublin.  I also grabbed a gas cannister there too.

Camping on the Wicklow Way is tricky but doable.  There are 3 official mountain huts and the area around each that allow camping.  The poky huts weren't really my jam and they get busy on the weekends but they are there as a respite from the weather and an option if you aren't picky.   

We paid for a pitch at the Dying Cow Pub and wild camped near the Mucklagh Hut and up in mountains near Mullacor overlooking the Glendalough region.  

You could easily pay for accommodation every night if that floats your boat.

Day 1- Camping at Dying Cow Pub

Day 2- Camping near Mucklagh Mountain Hut

Day 3- Camping near Mullacor

Day 4- Room at Heather House in Laragh

Day 5- Room at Knockaree Hostel

Before and after our Wicklow walk we stayed at the NYX Hotel in Portobello, Dublin.  We were able to leave our main pieces of luggage in storage with the hotel while on trail. 

Chugging obligatory pints of Guinness at the Dying Cow Pub. 

Campsite near Mucklagh Hut.

WATER AND RESUPPLY:

Water can be sourced along the trail from streams, taps in settlements and water tanks at the hut sites.

We also carried enough water from paid lodgings like the Dying Cow and Heather House to last most of the day.

A decent food resupply can be purchased from McCoy's XL shop in Laragh.

We grabbed cold beverages at the Dying Cow Pub (kilometre 28 heading north from Clonegal) and various establishments in Laragh.  Great breakfast at the Wicklow Heather in Laragh too. 

The Glenmalure Lodge was right on trail and served up another filling breakfast as well. 

The Wicklow is only 130 kilometres long, an easy food carry with a resupply half way at Laragh.

I also spied basic food items for purchase behind the reception counter at Knockaree Hostel.

Blue tit.

Bluebells, encountered everywhere.

THE GOOD BITS:

• The road walks were peaceful and lacking in heavy traffic.  Roadside verges full of wild flowers and rockwalls, quite enjoyable.
• Friendly locals knew what we were doing and where we were heading.
• The official website here is chock full of information and maps for planning your hike.

THINGS TO KNOW:

• If you are keen on wild camping you may need to get creative and keep a sharp eye out for private, flat(ish) spots.  Most of the forestry area suitable for camping is run by Coillte the state agency.  Trees seem to be planted very close with no access roads or lanes carved out and then just left in a heap of stumps when harvested, meaning flat pitches are tricky to locate.
• The Wicklow is a popular pathway, the majority of folks choose to stay in B&B's and if you want to do the same then booking ahead with a firm plan is advised.
• Weather is very changeable.  As in rain one minute, get your sunscreen out the next.

All photos by Shiny & Safari.