Namibia Travel Tips
# There is no public transport in the country. Only in the cities there are few busses. There is also a train for goods. It goes very slowly: from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop 500 km in 24 hour!
# There are only a few campsites; reservation is recommended. The next campsite could be 200 km down the road. The places are very large and they have a bar (fire place).
# When you have a reservation for a campsite be prepared that the owner of the camping doesn’t know about that because of a bad communication. Take some extra money with you. They don’t send you away but you have to pay extra. That happened to us 4 times.
# If you want to go in wintertime (June and July) take warm clothes with you. In the south the temperature drops at night till zero degrees and at daytime it’s around 15 degrees. In the north it’s a little warmer (daytime 25 degrees and at night about 10).
# Take a torch with you. There isn’t electricity all over the country and if there is they turn off the aggregate at 21 hours.
# Don’t drive in the dark, even the local people don’t do that. Because of the big game on the road it is too dangerous. They said: “an oryx doesn’t step aside for you”. There are no streetlights and there are no lines on the gravelroads.
# The road surface of the asphalt roads is excellent, even better then in Western Europe. Also the roadsigns are excellent. A turn is announced 500 meters before. They drive on the left.
# If you drive a normal 2 wheel drive car never try a road with the sign “4X4 only”. Those roads are really bad.
# Fill up by every filling station. The next one could be 500 km ahead.
# Near the coast, especially around Swakopmund it could be foggy all of sudden.
# There is no restaurant near Duwisib Castle as the Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit says. The owner of the shop can cook you a meal if you want that. It is strongly recommended to ask him for this. It is a lovely man.
# Time management is difficult. It all depends on the road surface. In the Netherlands you can drive 100 km in one hour, in Namibia that takes 1 to 4 hours.
# In Etosha you must buy a book with pictures of the animals. It is cheap and it is very useful and fun.
# There are no organized gamedrives in Etosha. The Lonely Planet says there are but there aren’t.
# Game drive: drive to a waterhole. Park your car so that you have a good view and just wait. After 10-15 minutes you see the animals.
# Game drives: the best results by sunrise (6.15 hr) and just before sunset (16.00hr)
# Take a tank of 5 liters of water with you. If you got stuck in the desert it works against the thirst very well. Maybe you have to wait for 24 hours. When a car drove by in the desert everyone checked if every thing was alright. A safe feeling.
# When a car passes by be careful for the dust. You don’t see a thing for a few seconds.
# The best tip: see Namibia for yourself. The country is beautiful and the people are very friendly
More:
- Namibia colonial history1904: The Herero natives, led by Chief Samuel Mahahero, and allied with Hendrik Witbooi of the Nama, erupt in revolt, outraged at the draconian penalties imposed on native debtors (which included flogging to death) as well as vigilante murders by...
- Tips for Expats living in BruneiYou can buy most things here in Brunei. Except alcohol ! If you are after your old favourites from home then choice can sometimes be limited or stock comes and goes. You soon learn to buy your favourite food items...
- Qatif Travel GuideHighlights : Qatif Thursday Market (Souq Al Khamis) Qatif Fish (Samak) evening Market Portugese Fort in Tarut Island. Getting There : Take the Jubail Highway north, take exit signposted for Qatif (After Airport). 15 to 20 million years ago, most...
- Madagascar Travel InformationOfficial language is Malagasy and French. You have very little chance to make yourself understand with English, especially in rural areas. Time has different value there, so do not haste to arrange anything in half an hour. No way. Do...
- Accra Travel InformationAccra Capital and largest city of Ghana, on the Gulf of Guinea . Accra is an important commercial, manufacturing and communication center. It’s the site of an international airport and focus of the country’s railroad system, including a link to...
- Kumasi Travel InformationThe ancient capital of the Ashanti kingdom, Kumasi is still the heart of Ashanti country and the site of West Africa’s largest cultural center, the palace of the Ashanti king. To add to the appeal, it’s surrounded by rolling green...
- Hofuf Travel GuideThe town of Hofuf is the centre of the Al-Hasa oasis which is one of the largest in the world. Until about a century ago, most of the dates in Europe came from here and the area remains one of...
- Etosha game reservehe Etosha Park is a large area around a salt pan. It covers 22.270 sq. Km (> half the size of the Netherlands) and stretches 300 km from west to east and 110 km from north to south. The great...