Our 2026 African Safari is our 27th African trip and believe it our not they keep getting better year after year. BUT, going to the Namibian desert this year we are hoping for a little dryer conditions. In 2025 they got their hundred year winter, or something like that. It was not cold but we prefer dryer. Additionally this is our 16th Namibia trip; mainly because we feel comfortable and safe driving ourselves.
Our Safari truck rental company we did not find until 2020. We never knew how bad the prior truck rental companies were until we had our first Safari Car Rental rental experience. So we are proud to say we are repeat customers for the 6th time. Without fail they have meet us at the airport upon arrival and driven us the short distance to their location. The Safari Car lot is just a few kilometer from the airport right on the way to Windhoek, which is how we found it. In 2020 we were looking for a new truck rental after completing our 9th rental with another truck rental company. We thought repeat customers might get the newer trucks. Believe it or not our bumper fell off the truck we were assigned. We had to buy rope to tie it back on. For us was the last straw and Safari Car have been nothing short of fabulous!!!
Day #1=>Depart SFO, on British Airways for a over-night (red-eye) to London's Heathrow Airport. Over the years we have used many different airlines (United, KLM, Qatar, South African, BA, etc) for our trip to and from Africa. Our favorite is BA which has a lot to do with how their staff treat their passengers. The other airlines we have used are not bad they just are not as consistantly good as BA. The BA staff are always very nice and truely want you to enjoy your flight and do everything they can to make that goal a reality. Additionally they don't have noisy parties in the back of the plane when you are trying to sleep. Unfortunately complication from COVID made it impossible for us to use BA for a number of years after COVID. When we were able to return to BA we were excited to learn that their quality of service was unchanged.
Day #2=>We touch down the morning of day#2 where we have a multi-hour layover before boarding another red-eye/non-stop to Johannesburg, South Africa. For us Heathrow has been a very comfortable airport when long layovers are required. We have learned from experience some airplanes have better seat/storage space than others (like upstairs on the big AirBus). So when we have the choice of multi-flights (normal for Heathow to Johannesburg) then we alter our flight time accordingly, which may mean an even longer layover. But when getting on your 2nd red-eye in two days comfort is priority #1.
Day #3=>Arrival at Johannesburg is early morning. Our prior norm when flying BA was to wait for the next Air-Link flight to Windhoek. But then COVID happened which required that you use United for a few years. United had its pros and cons. United's route required a stop on the east coast which we are not a fan of after being impacted by east coast weather in prior years. But the good part is after leaving the east coast it is one flight (red-eye) to Johannesburg. The one eye-red is definately better than the two on BA but United should really take lessons from BA on how to treat their passengers. The timing of the United flight into Johannesburg meant we could check into airport lodging for some quality sleep before taking our Windhoek flight. So now that we are back to BA we have decided to continue using airport lodging in Johannesburg. Which means today after clearing passport control we will walk the short distance to City Lodge located right in the airport. Last year we took a short shuttle to the Premier Hotel for a bigger room. But for our short stay the hassle of finding and taking the shuttle (twice) for a bigger room where the a/c was not working properly was just not worth it. Additionally we like the City Lodge dinning area which has more light which is important when dealing with jet-leg issues.
Our African Safaris are normally split into three segments: 1) days before the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, 2) days in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, and 3) days after the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The map below (right side) shows our route after picking up our Safari Car truck. The locations of the lodges we will visit on the 1st segment of this trip are labeled. The red dot and dotted line on the map represents all our lodges for the 2nd segment of this trip which are in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is actually in South Africa and Botwanna. This route map show the better part of three countries (Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa) with white border lines. The last dot on the blue line is the entrance to the Park which is in South Africa but the red dot also part of the Park is clearly in Botswana. All of our lodges inside the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park are in and operated by South Africa.
Day #4=>Our 3rd and final flight is to Windoek, Namibia. Upon arrival in Windhoek we will be picked up by a representative of Safari Car Rental for the short drive to their location. After the rental check-out we will immediately head south on the C23, a shortcut gravel route to the Jansen Kalahari Guest Farm, which is labelled on our route map. Their chalets are big with a/c and a large frig. Every time we have stayed at this lodge the meals have been excellent. This is a great place to catch our breathe after our flights from SF.
Day #5=>We have to leave Jensen's right after breakfast because this is a long day. You can see from our map the distance to our next lodge Kitchen-51 is significant. But we also have some shopping to do in Mariential which are those 2-dots on the route map below Jensen's. We learned years ago the meat at Ry & Kry Butchery can not be beat. We send an order to their email address and they have all our meat needs nicely package is vaccum sealed frozen plastic bags. They take credit card so it is very fast and easy and our truck freezer by this time has reached freezer temps. At Kitchen-51 lodge we like to request a chalet overlooking their citrus orchard, fabulous rest stop.
Day #6, #7 and #8=>Again we depart right after breakfast for another long day of driving. The route map shows our route turning east shortly after leaving Kitchen-51. Always an unknown is the time it will take for our border crossing into South Africa. During COVID they were so backed up it could take hours. From the South Africa border it is less than 90 minutes to Upington, a small town of 67 thousand but with a fabulous modern mall, perfect to stock up for our Kalahari days. Our lodge in Upington is always
River Place Manor Lodge; which is labeled on our route map and less than a mile from the Kalahari Mall. This lodge is on the Orange River, home to Orange River Winery (renamed the Hedgehog Winery). A great dinner option when staying at the River Manor is to pickup at the Mall and enjoy on our deck overlooking the Orange River. We always plan to spend three nights at this lodge to have time to get all the supplies we will need for our 36 days in the Kalahari park where we have have to make our own meals.
Day #9 thru #44=>The next 36 days will be in the Kalahari animal park. The entry gate is located at the last big white dot on the blue line and extents to the red marker. Accommodations in the Kalahari are mostly government run(South Africa National Parks) which typically means not fancy, but with a bathroom, shower, etc. The location is everything and thus these are by far the hardest reservations to get in our entire trip. The Kalahari is the best place in the world to see cheetah and leopard hunting and the big black main lions. Camps in the Kalahari are UNFENCED, thus accommodations are either raised or have some fencing around each unit. During our days in the Kalahari we will utilize a number of lodges which are detailed below.
Day #9 thru #12=>Our first Kalahari lodge is the largest Kalahari camp located at the southern gate, Twee Rivieren Rest Camp. This camp is the administrative headquarters of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park and has a store, restaurant, pool and fuel station. Twee Rivieren camp is locate at the intersection of the Nossob River Bed and the Auob River Bed. This is a perfect location allowing for a lot of game driving options and also a great place to get our bearing and find out where the most promising stights are currently at.
Day #13 thru #18=>Our second Kalahari lodge is our favorite, Kieliekrankie Wilderness Camp. Kieliekrankie is a self catering wilderness camp on top of red sand dunes, with endless views of the red Kalahari sands. The camp has 4 dune cabins. Each unit has 2 single beds, a bathroom, a kitchen equipped with gas fridge and freezer, solar power for lights, gas for hot water and bbq facilities on a deck.
Day #19 thru #25=>Our next Kalahari lodge is another one of our favorites Urikaruus Wilderness Camp. We were able to book the honeymoon chalet this year. Just like Kieliekrankie, it is located in the central Auob river basin area and only has 5 chalets. Besides its location, Urikaruus has one of the best waterholes in the Kalahari which is exclusive only for Urikaruus guests. The camp is centrally located in one of the best animal activity areas.
Day #26 and #27=>Our 1st lodge in the Nossob River basin is in huge demand, Grootkolk Wilderness Restcamp. Grootkolk Camp consists of only four chalets or Desert Cabins, made from canvas and sand bags. This camp is neither fenced nor raised and lions love it. Claw marks in the sand bags of these cabins reminds you to ALWAYS be aware of your surroundings.
Day #28 and #29=>Our next lodge also in the Nosob river basin is the Nossob Rest Camp. We love to come here because the River Chalets are so nice and they have a/c, a great kitchen and deck for animal watching. A rest stop before heading back to the Auob River basin with its longer animal searching days.
Day #30 thru #35=>Our next Kalahari lodge is a 2nd booking at Urikaruus Wilderness Camp. Since it has been a few days since we were last at this camp it is very likely that the sightings have all changed. Maybe this time a its water-hole or maybe just north. Every visit is different.
Day #36 thru #40=>Then another 5 night visit back at our favorite Kieliekrankie Wilderness Camp.
Day #41 thru #44=>Our last Kalahari lodge is back the the lodge we stated with, located at the southern gate, Twee Rivieren Rest Camp. Since this camp does have a restaurant we might feel like not self-catering all of our meals while at this lodge.
Day #45=>After our Kalahari days we will exit the park through the Mata-Mata gate, back into Namibia. The route map to the right is our route for the end of this safari. The blue line starts at Twee Rivieren our last lodge in the park and also has Mata-Mata which is the Namibian border and exit-gate for the Park. Our first lodge outside the park is very close as you can see on the route map, so we are not rushed if we have good sightings on our last day; the
Kalahari Game Lodge.
Day #46=>Our next lodge the
Gondwana Kalahari Farmhouse also shown on the blue route line, which is our turning point to the west. This is a new lodge for us. The decision to stay at this lodge was largely based on its location. A couple of the remaining lodges are self-cratering so we need a grocery store which we will find in Mariental after our stay at Gondwana. Notice Mariental is located just a short distance west of this lodge.
Day #47, #48, #49 and #50=>Our next lodge we tried for the first time in 2024 and again in 2025, love it. The villas at Kronenhof Lodge are fabulous. The villa compound is a mile or so from the main lodge, fully fenced with a great view, a garage for our truck and a total of four chalets like the one pictured to the right. In addition there is a common room with a huge full kitchen, a round dining table for 10 and 8 leather recliners. Outside the common area is a cover area with a splash pool, a braai and a full size pizza oven.
Day #51 and #52=>The next lodge is again new for us and a good mid point between the villas and our next lodge. The Tsauchab River Lodge is rustic but looks fun.
Day #53, #54 and #55=>Our last lodge before Windhoek we first stayed at in 2025. The unique chalets of the Namib Grens Lodge built into the rocks are spacious with great views of the mountains. This is a self-cratering lodge for us but without getting their great bread to enhance our dining experiences.
Day #56=>Our last lodge is just outside Windhoek the Trans Kalahari Inn, locate at the red dot on route map. This lodge is conveniently located on the east side of Windhoek on the B6, just 2km from Safari Car retun lot.