Itinerary advice Vic Falls, Okavanga, Namibia to Cape Town

Hi,
We're arriving in Livingstone on 12th Dec and have until 3rd Jan to fit in Vic Falls, Okavanga Delta, Etosha, Skeleton Coast/Dunes, Fish Canyon, Stellenbosch, Cape Town for NYE. Can anyone advise if this is going to be ok time wise and if we've left any major 'must dos' out? Any tips on cheap 4x4 hire in Namibia would also be much appreciated!
Cheers,
S

hi,

I think 18-19 days for that route theoretically might be possible but it will be rushed.
There is no reason to visit Okavango or Ethosha if you just spend a night or so in the park.
I spend 3-4 days in Etosha, which was perfect, but certainly not too much.
Also, there are several areas/parks on that route which you miss: Chobe in Botswana, Waterberg Plateau in Namibia. Do you mean Sossusvlei by 'dunes'.

Some more questions: do you intend to drive all the time, or only in Namibia?
Also: from Okavango, are you going into Namibia through the Caprivi strip or directly west towards the Gobabis/Buitenpos borderpost, which connects to Windhoek?

I would skip Ethosha and the Skeletoncoast, as it's the longest detour. Instead I would concentrate on Chobe and Okavango, cross into namibia and visit the Sossuvlei/namib naukluft National Park, south to Fish River Canyon and on to Cape Town.
for example: 12-14 dec: vic falls
14-16 dec: chob
16-19 dec okavango
19-22 dec: en route to Sossusvlei
22-25 Sossusvlei and on to Fish River Canyon
26 and 27: Fish River Canyon
28-29: drive to Cape Town.
This leaves some days open, which is always better than fitting in too much.

Cheers
Michael.

[quote]There is no reason to visit Okavango or Ethosha if you just spend a night or so in the park.

Completely agree, at the end of the day the reason for visiting different parks is usually getting to experience wild animals in their environments - there is no point doing a rush job through 2 and risk seeing nothing when you could settle down in one for a few days and have a much more fulfilling experience.