We arrange personalised self-drive tours, select safaris, and vehicle hires, as well as fine lodges and other accommodation.

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Accommodation

Accommodation establishments can be loosely grouped into three categories

1. Private accommodation establishments;
   
2. National resorts (partially government-owned, including all accommodation within the national parks);
   
3. Namibian community tourism establishments.
   

Private establishments include hotels, pensions (i.e. smaller private hotels), game lodges, guest farms, guest houses, bed and breakfasts, and backpacker hostels. As with all private enterprise, some establishments offer excellent value for money and others not. National resorts offer either bungalows, chalets or camping. These are always of a reasonable standard but some are better than others. Community tourism ventures normally offer only camp sites, but occasionally they offers some sort of traditional hut or homestead. Most of these resorts offer very basic facilities, so do not expect flush toilets or hot water (even if advertised).

Alcohol

Alcohol is available at licensed 'bottle stores', supermarkets, bars and restaurants. Supermarkets only stock wines and malts, while bottle stores sell spirits as well. Bottle stores close at 5 p.m. on weekdays, 1 p.m. on Saturdays, and all day on Sunday. Supermarkets, even although open longer, may only sell alcohol during these hours. However, you can buy low-alcohol beer (e.g. Windhoek Light) from supermarkets at any time. The larger towns have thriving shebeens (unlicensed drinking places), which are usually found in the poorer areas or townships. Alcohol is nearly always available there but it is best if you visit them with a local.

Beer is readily available almost everywhere, sometimes unofficially. Namibian Breweries produces several beers, while South African beers are widely available but not as popular!

Note: In Namibia, 'light' refers to the fact that the beer has low alcohol content, and not necessarily low calorie content.

Almost all the wine that is sold in Namibia is of South African origin. There is a wide range, it's reasonably priced, and it is available in restaurants, supermarkets, and bottle stores throughout the country. Because of the climate, very little wine is produced in Namibia.

Namibia does not produce many spirits, but bars and bottle stores all over the country have fairly good stocks of imported liquor. Particular favourites are brandy (often imbibed mixed with Coca Cola!), amarula (a sweet South African liqueur) and schnapps (the Stoterbekker range is produced by Namibian Breweries)

 

Cellular phones (cell phones/mobile phones) 

Click here for information about cell phone reception and rental in Namibia.

Climate

As desert or semi-desert conditions are the norm over most of Namibia, the climate is exactly what you would expect. Daytime temperatures are hot (extremely hot in summer) and nights are cold; in fact, some areas in the high central parts, including Windhoek, frequently go below freezing in winter. During most of the year, in the interior the humidity is low, which improves the comfort level, even on very hot days. The good news for visitors is that most of the country averages more than 300 sunny days per year.

Rainfall is sparse with the north-eastern areas of Namibia getting the most rain (this area is tropical) and rainfall decreasing as you travel southwards and westwards. The Namib Desert runs along the coast and rain in this area is rare. The rainy season in central Namibia might start in October, might sputter along until December, and then should start in January and continue until the middle of April. Further north, the rains begin earlier and as you travel south the season becomes shorter. It is fairly safe to say that if you travel in the winter months you will hardly see a cloud, except for the deep south where occasionally winter rains do occur.

Namibia's coast is different; it only ever gets really hot in winter (when the east wind blows), almost never rains, and is frequently blanketed by fog. A strong east wind can make the coast and adjacent desert very unpleasant, as it can cause severe sandstorms.

Cultural Events

Only a few of Namibia's cultural events are open to outsiders. These include Independence Day celebrations on 21 March, which is probably the most important day on the calendar of most Namibians. Independence festivities occur in every village, town and city and will often include speeches by members of parliament, as well as singing and dancing. Everyone is welcome to attend. Maherero Day is observed in Okahandja on the weekend closest to the 26th of August. Thousands of Herero people gather in traditional dress for a memorial service to their chiefs. This is a spectacular and colourful occasion that is suffused with cultural and historic significance. If you are in Namibia around this time, it is worth visiting this festival. Namibia also has several German-style beer festivals, the most notable being Oktoberfest in late October.

If you want to experience more of Namibia's culture it is probably worth visiting one of the community tourism endeavours.

 

 Currency and Banking

Namibia uses the Namibian Dollar (N$) which is linked to the South African Rand on a one-to-one exchange basis. The Rand is legal tender in Namibia, but the N$ cannot (easily) be used in South Africa. N$s can also be changed to Rands without commission in Namibia, but the same transaction in South Africa will attract a fairly hefty commission. If you want to purchase currency before arriving in Namibia, it is easiest to buy Rands as Namibian Dollars are seldom available in banks outside of Namibia. To summarize, visit Namibia with Rands in your pocket, and make sure you exchange any N$s you have back to Rands before you leave the country.

Credit cards are accepted at most supermarkets, restaurants, and accommodation establishments in urban Namibia (Visa and Mastercard are most commonly accepted, and American Express is quite widely used.) However, outlets in rural areas are more likely to only accept cash payment.

NOTE: Credit cards can NOT be used to buy petrol.

Banks can exchange travellers cheques into N$ for a commission. Only a few establishments accept travellers cheques, so it is best to cash some whenever you find a bank. Banks are open 9am -3.30pm on weekdays and 9am -11am on Saturdays. ATMs are freely available in most urban areas on a round the clock basis.

Customs Regulations and Duty Free

An individual may bring the following into Namibia free of duty: 400 cigarettes; 50 cigars; 250 grams of tobacco; two litres of wine; one litre of spirits or other alcoholic beverages; 50 ml perfume; 250 ml toilet water. Persons under 18 are not entitled to the tobacco and/or drinks allowances. In addition, additional goods, new or used, of a total value not exceeding N$ 10 000 per person are permitted. However, as conditions apply and regulations change, it is advisable to obtain official and up-to-date information on this matter.

Hunting rifles need a permit, issued by customs when entering the country. Handguns are not allowed

Driving and Roads

For Namibian driving conditions, we recommend that our clients should rent either a 2X4 (two-wheel drive) or a 4X4 (four-wheel drive) light utility vehicle, with single- or double-cab, depending on the size of the group. These vehicles, called 'bakkies' locally, have higher clearance, better suspension, and bigger tyres than sedan cars, as well as being far more rugged all round. 4X4 capacity is seldom if ever required on most tourist routes, so we almost always recommend a 2X4 vehicle (double-cab pictured below). They cost more than a sedan car to rent, but they are worth the extra price - as many drivers have found when they have had to drive on a sandy, rocky, corrugated, or perhaps muddy, piece of 'gravel road'.

In Namibia, traffic drives on the left. Drivers must carry their driving licences with them at all times. Seat belts must be worn and drivers may not use cell phones while driving. Speed limits are 120 kilometres per hour on open roads, generally 100 kph on other non-urban roads, and 60 kph in urban areas. Be advised by the signs, as speed limits might vary locally, according to road conditions.

The road system in Namibia is generally good to very good. The 'B' roads and many 'C' roads are tarred (i.e. hard-surfaced) and are usually well maintained, while other roads are 'gravel' (to use the local term for 'dirt roads'). These roads are usually well maintained, especially in areas of relatively high traffic density, which includes the popular tourist destinations. However, conditions can vary from time to time and from place to place. For instance, a few years ago we drove from Aus to Windhoek via the C13. This is a gravel road but, at the time that we drove it, the first 40 kilometres would more correctly have been called a rock-and-shale road, so poor was the surface. We bounced and crept along until, at the junction with the D707, things improved dramatically. From there on, it was a pleasure to drive on the C13 and then on the C14. The reason for the stark difference in quality was that different local authorities paid different degrees of attention to maintaining the roads under their jurisdiction.

Accidents involving visitors occur far too often. In our experience, most of the accidents result from drivers who are inexperienced on gravel ('dirt') roads and therefore travel too fast to allow them to adjust to the variable conditions that are always found on such roads. For instance, a road might be firm and hard for a long distance, but might suddenly deteriorate with loose gravel or sandy patches. When they hit these patches, drivers who are travelling too fast and/or are inexperienced could easily lose control of their vehicles. In addition, drivers become tired and therefore less alert because of the concentration that driving on such roads requires, and/or they are in too much of a hurry to reach their destinations. Our advice is that drivers on gravel roads should always travel at speeds that will allow them to respond safely to any change in road conditions - say, a speed of no more than 90 kms per hour at most - even when the road looks to be hard and smooth. Drive as if someone has spilled a barrel of marbles over the road just ahead of you!

Heed the signs that warn about the dangers of animals such as kudus and warthogs crossing the road. These are real dangers. A collision with one of these at highway speeds will cause extensive damage and injury, even death - and not only to the animal. Because kudus are notorious for making suicidal leaps into oncoming headlights, it is best not to drive at night, particularly in central and northern regions.

Finally, if you are going to travel off the beaten track - and even on some beaten tracks, such as through the Namib - make sure that you carry plenty of water with you. Tourists whose vehicles have broken down have died of thirst in Namibia.

 

Beware of kudus - a frequent and necessary warning on Namibian roads, especially for night driving

 

Electricity

220 volts AC, 50hz. Outlets are of the three-pin, rounded type

Food

Namibians are not particularly adventurous when it comes to their food; most people, irrespective of cultural background, greatly prefer meat, and lots of it, above any other dish. However, supermarkets and even smaller shops do stock plenty of vegetables and dairy products, although the range is not as extensive as in most 'western' countries.

A popular way of preparing meat in Namibia is the braai (barbeque), which is a favourite entertainment in many households on weekend afternoons. It is common to invite friends to a 'bring and braai', which means that the host provides the fire and a certain amount of food and drink, while the guests bring more or less enough food and drink to cater for their own needs. When prepared, the provisions are shared by everybody.

As you can gather, restaurant menus usually have plenty of meat dishes. However, they usually include a few vegetarian dishes. In addition, most chefs are willing to prepare vegetarian dishes to order.

Health

We do not have expertise in this highly specialised area, so for the best advice in this regard you should contact your doctor and local institutes of tropical medicine. In general, Namibia does not pose exceptional health risks. However, health insurance is certainly advisable. Regarding malaria, although more than half of the country lies within the tropics, the northern regions are the real danger spots, such as Caprivi, Kavango, and from the southern boundary of Etosha northwards, i.e. Owamboland, Kaokoland, and Etosha itself. As a rough guide, take precautions against malaria if you are going to travel north of the latitude of Tsumeb, which lies south of Etosha. If you do intend to travel to malaria-endemic areas, consult your doctor before travelling. In addition to any medication, mosquito nets, long-sleeved shirts and trousers as well as insect repellent will help prevent mosquito bites and reduce the risk of malaria. The best remedy against malaria is to keep the mosquitos off your body!

Click here for more extensive advice on malaria prevention in Namibia.

Hepatitis A can occur and Hepatitis B is hyperendemic. Evidence of innoculation against yellow fever is required for persons coming from infected areas of the world. Anti-bite serums for snakes and scorpions are advised.

Unfortunately, Namibia has one of the highest rates of HIV-AIDS infections in the world. Enough said!

In eastern Caprivi, watch out for tsetse flies after dusk. Once again, the best remedy is to keep them away in the first place, so cover your body and take local advice on the subject.

The water in most Namibian towns (such as Windhoek) may taste a little strange to the unaccustomed palate, but it's really quite safe. In more remote areas, you may want to drink bottled water or bring water purification tablets and then boil it again just to be sure. Also, beware of bilharzia, which is prevalent in all of Namibia's northern rivers. In those regions, never drink or swim in untreated water, whether flowing or still. While on the subject of water, remember that there are crocodiles in all of the northern rivers, and some also have hippos. Both of these are hazardous to humans!

Internet Access

All the major towns have internet access, although its not always very fast or reliable. Expect to pay about N$10 per half hour at internet cafes.

Mail

Every major centre has a post office which is open during normal business hours, on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Mailing from Namibia is fairly reliable, but be warned that surface mail is very slow. Mail to Namibia is unpredictable and an airmail letter from Europe can take anything from three days to three months. As Namibia does not have a street delivery service, your address in Namibia should always contain a post box number. Letters that are incorrectly addressed and only contain a street address will only arrive if the post office can trace the name on the letter to a post box, which can take months.

The best place for post restant is the main post office in Windhoek. Mail is sorted alphabetically, and when collecting mail ensure that the clerk looks under your first name, surname and even under M (for Mr or Ms - it happens!).

Namibia has particularly beautiful stamps which are available at the philatelic section of the main post office in Windhoek.

Map of Namibia

Click here for a map of Namibia.

National Parks, Resorts, and Reserves

A more comprehensive account can be found by clicking this link. These parks and resorts are all controlled by the government-owned Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR).

The Northern Region of Namibia

Less than 100 kms north of Windhoek is Gross Barmen hot springs resort, which has bungalows, camping, and a restaurant.

The Etosha National Park, a major destination for a holiday in Namibia, 22,270 sq kms in extent, is one of the most famous game reserves in the world. It is open throughout the year. There are three well-equipped camps with rondavels, rooms, restaurants, shops, and camping facilities.

Waterberg Plateau Park, Namibia's only mountain resort, has striking red sandstone cliffs and is home to many rare and endangered species of game. It is a popular stopover for visitors on their way to Etosha National Park.

Kaudom Game Reserve is in a remote part of the southern Kavango. There are two camping areas, but no built accommodation or other facilities.

The Popa Falls Rest Camp in eastern Kavango is on the banks of the Okavango River. Close to it is Mahango Game Reserve, open for day visitors only, with elephants, buffalo and lechwe.

Further to the east is Caprivi Came Park, bordered by the Kwando, Linyanti, Chobe and Zambezi rivers. South-east of it are the Mudumu and Mamili National Parks, which offer fishing and boat trips on their swamps and flood plains.

 

 

The Southern Region of Namibia

The Fish River Canyon park is in the south of the country. It is claimed that the canyon is second only in size to the Grand Canyon. The Ai-Ais hot springs resort is in the southern part of the canyon. It has bungalows, rooms, and camping.

With its many German-era building and unique location, Luderitz is also a popular holiday destination with NWR accomodation facilities, in addition to privately owned establishments.

Newspapers

Public Holidays and General Holidays

Namibians love public holidays, and most services, government and private, close on holidays. Supermarket do open on most public holidays (except Christmas and Easter), but you can expect most restaurants and other services to be closed. The good news is that the travel industry goes on almost as usual. Here is a list of public holidays in Namibia:

• New Years Day - 1 January
  
• Good Friday (Easter Friday)
  
• Easter Sunday
  
• Easter Monday
  
• Ascension Day
  
• Workers Day - 1 May
  
• Cassinga Day - 4 May
  
• Africa Day - 25 May
  
• Heroes' Day - 26 August
  
• Human Rights Day - 10 December
  
• Christmas Day - 25 December
  
• Family Day - 26 December
  

If the public holiday falls on a Sunday, then the following Monday is a holiday. If elections are being held or if the president is in an unusually good mood, there could be a few additional holidays.

Namibian resorts, particularly Etosha and the coast, are busiest during South African and Namibian school holidays. Because the dates vary from province to province in South Africa, and change slightly from year to year in Namibia, we won't give details here. However, you can be sure that the busiest times of all are around Easter and - these are absolutely the busiest! - during what is known as the 'Christmas holidays', which stretch from about 10th December to about the end of the first week in January. During the latter period in particular, it is almost impossible to find accommodation anywhere on the coast, from Walvis Bay as far north as Terrace Bay, including Swakopmund (which bulges at the seams at this time) and all of the coastal camping sites.

Radio and TV

The national broadcaster is called the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation; it operates the only Namibian television channel as well as several English and local language radio stations. A foreign journalist once labelled NBC-TV the worst service in the world, but that was probably an exaggeration. (Perhaps only a slight exaggeration...!) The good news for TV addicts is that the South African satellite-transmitted Multichoice channels are widely available. These include movie channels, sitcoms, and 'international' news services such as BBC World and CNN. Sports fans need not worry as sport is a near-religion in Namibia and Multichoice's range of sports channels cover most major sporting events.

There are a few private radio stations, most of which are only receivable in Windhoek. Radio reception is not available once you travel any distance from a town.

Souvenirs

Namibia is not widely celebrated for its local crafts. The wood carving markets at Okahandja should provide a few useful souvenirs. Other notable crafts include the woven grass baskets, wooden salad bowls, and wire ornaments. There are a number of weaving workshops in which local craft workers produce attractive carpets and hangings.

Namibia is well known for its diamonds and semi-precious stones which can provide good souvenirs and excellent investments. Peters Gems on Stubel Street in Windhoek is a good place to start looking. DO NOT buy illegal diamonds, as this is definitely illegal and very risky. Police entrapment is not illegal and is fairly common. In fact, there is a whole division within the police force that is exclusively devoted to leading the gullible into temptation in respect of buying illegal diamonds.

Namibian artists of note include Tony Pupkewitz (photography), Susan Mitchison (block prints) and a host of lino printers, the most popular (and pricy) of whom is the late John Muafangejo, who now has an international reputation.

 

 

Telephones

The phone system in Namibia is reasonably efficient and public phones are available at all post offices as well as in other public places. The phones are either card- or coin-operated, but phone cards are only available inside the post office or at Namibia Telecom shops.

Phoning internationally from Namibia is expensive and it is normally cheaper to get people to phone you back. The international dialling code for Namibia is 264. To dial out from Namibia the international access code is 00.

In respect of cell phones, a GSM 900/1800 network in use. The main network provider is government-owned MTC (website: www.mtc.com.na). Cell phone coverage is improving all the time and most main routes now have almost continuous reception.

Visitors are usually amused, if not astonished, to discover that there is only one telephone directory for the whole country. The directory includes the country's yellow pages and a separate section for government departments (the green section). It starts with Windhoek but then assumes a more logical alphabetical order.

 

 

Theft

Although Namibia is not the most crime-ridden country in the world, visitors should be careful in major centres and never leave anything in an unattended vehicle. Pick-pocketing occurs in the towns and cities but the risk is minimised if you exercise some caution and do not carry huge day packs or camera bags around with you. Muggings, although becoming more common, almost never include violence. Do not resist if anyone points a knife at you (unless you have that black belt in karate). Fortunately, being held up at gun point is almost unheard of.

Trust local advice and don't be afraid to ask for advice locally.

Time

GMT + 2 from the first weekend in September to the first weekend in April - the same as South Africa, also known as CAT (Central African Time), but GMT + 1 from the beginning of April to the end of August, when winter time applies.

Tipping

A 10% tip is customary in restaurants and for most services. Tipping in bars is uncommon but appreciated. In Windhoek, lcar guards who will look after your vehicle in most parking lots. It is not a scam and it is well worth giving them a few Namibian dollars per hour.

Visas

All travellers to Namibia are required to have passports that are valid for six months after their intended departure from Namibia, as well as a ticket out of the country. Nationals of certain countries do not need visas in order to enter but, as these arrangements change quite often, it is best to make enquiries at the nearest Namibian diplomatic mission or through your travel agent.

Wildlife

Namibia has abundant wildlife and the best place to see big game is Etosha National Park. You can expect to see elephant, rhino, lion, giraffe and a host of antelope species. Cheetah and leopard are common but are easiest seen in specialized sanctuaries. Outside the national parks, visitors are usually surprised and delighted to see animals such as baboons, warthogs, and kudus along the roadside. In fact, it is rare not to see a troop of baboons.

Women travellers

Namibia is fairly safe for single woman travellers. It is not recommended that they should walk around after dark in urban areas but as advised in the section on theft if they use common sense they will have very few problems. Western dress conventions apply.

Working Hours and Calling Hours

Genarally, normal business hours are 8 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2-5 p.m. Nearly all offices take an hour lunch break, as do many smaller retail outlets. Besides weekdays, smaller shops are only open on Saturday mornings (8am-1pm) and everything closes on Saturday afternoon and Sunday. Larger supermarkets are open all day on Saturdays and have Sunday opening times (often 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 3 - 6 p.m.). However, most urban areas have small 'corner shops' (known locally as 'cafes' or 'mini-marts') that open early and stay open late, seven days per week. They sell most provisions and supplies, including fruit, vegetables, newspaper, and alcohol (only wine and beer but not after 13h00 on Saturdays). Most petrol stations on the main routes offer 24-hour service.

As you can see, Namibian business hours begin early and end early. Correspondingly, for instance, most schools start at about 7.30 p.m. That means that many Namibians go to bed quite early by international standards - perhaps at 9.30 to 10.30 p.m. - and rise early, so it's not advisable to phone households after about 9.30 p.m. on weekdays unless you have ascertained that it is acceptable to do so.