NAMIBIA
CONVINCE ME
OK, we’re talking sub-Saharan Africa – it’s not exactly a shopping weekend in New York. But a road trip in Namibia is relatively safe for lone female travellers because it’s politically stable and one of the least populated countries in the world – just over two million people live in an area four times larger than the UK, so you’ll see plenty of wildlife and desert, but not many humans. This is one worth saving for.
SINGLE-MINDED
If you’ve got a few solo experiences under your belt, this could be the intrepid adventure you’re after. Start and end in capital Windhoek, where you can pick up a 4x4 hire car (Okavango-carhire.com has vehicles with GPS, offers 24-hour assistance by phone, breakdown service, transfer to the airport and even has a small hotel if you need to spend a night in the city), and hit the road to Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert. It’s famous for enormous red sand dunes, meercats (yes!) and tiny settlements like Solitaire, which has a petrol station and bakery selling amazing apple strudel (strange but true). Stay in one of the dreamy camps, like Betesda Lodge, which is carved from local rock and offers quad-bike excursions and balloon flights above the dunes (Sossusvlei. org, from £125 per night).
Just south of Sossusvlei lies NamibRand Nature Reserve, a beautiful desert wilderness, where scenic drives to catch a glimpse of giraffes, zebras, leopards and hyenas are often combined with picnic lunches, courtesy of Dunes Lodge (Wolwedans.com, from £531 per night), where you’ll stay in a luxury chalet. If that would blow your budget, for close-up elephant viewing, drive north to Etosha National Park, to new tented camp Olifantsrus (Etoshanationalpark.org, from £16 per night). And make sure you visit the city of Swakopmund for extreme sports – you’ll meet plenty of other singles keen to throw themselves out of a plane, or paraglide across the bay (Daredeviladventures.com).
SOLO TIPS
Avoid driving at night, as wildlife poses a serious hazard. Also, you’re self-driving – there’s not going to be anyone to lend a hand if you need to change a tyre, so practise changing one before you fly, and find out where the spare is in your hire car. Stockpile the boot with water, food and a can of petrol, just in case of emergencies. They are hot on signposts, but hire a GPS with the car so your mum won’t worry, and take out comprehensive travel insurance.