Namibia is a semi desert country located in south western tip of Africa with a total land area of 824,292 sq. km, making for the 15th largest country in Africa. With a population of 3,049,510 inhabitants of which 5 people live per square mile, Namibia is one of the least populated countries. She borders the South Atlantic Ocean to the west, South Africa to the southeast, Angola to the north, Botswana to the east, Zimbabwe, Zambia to the northeast. The place where Namibia’s northeastern border merges with Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Botswana, known as the Caprivi Strip is one of the few quadripoints on Earth.
People and culture
There are over 16 ethnic groups in Namibia including Owambo who constitute 50% of the population. The San Bushmen, Himba, Damara, Tswana, Kavango, Herero, Afrikaners, Topnaar. Among groups of people of European descent including the Rehoboth Baster, the offspring’s of Nama and Dutch settlers. Given that the Dutch, German between 1884 and 1919, and the British settled in the country in the 19th century. Namibia obtained her independence in 1990 and English is the official language. However, other languages spoken include the Afrikaans among those of European descent and the Oshiwambo, the main local language spoken by over 49% of the people in Namibia and some parts of Angola. Namibia offers unique cultural experiences including visiting traditional villages of the Himba at Kaokoland and the San Bushmen rock art paintings at Twyfelfontein, a UNESCO world heritage site in Damaraland. Museums in Namibia can be found in Swakopmund, Windhoek capital city, and Damara living museum.
Travel advice
Namibia is politically stable and safe to visit for all people including women and LGBTQ travelers alike. Private taxis are safe for those intending to get around independently. LEFA, Namibia’s first ride-hailing app is convenient way to get around mainly within Windhoek capital city. When using public transport be careful of fraudsters in public places and avoid showing off valuable items, large sums of cash or moving alone after dark. Travel health advice includes proper hydration due to hot and dry climate in the Namib Desert, taking anti malaria medicine before and during the trip and proof of yellow fever vaccination is needed before entry. According to the Center for Disease Control, other essential vaccines and medicines recommended include rabies, measles, hepatitis A and B. Preventable diseases like flu and typhoid can be avoided if you stay away from contaminated water and keeping personal hygiene. Read the CDC health travel packing list. Bring the round 3 pin adapter to charge your electronics and the country operates on 220 volts.
Currency
The official currency is Namibian dollar and is widely used for exchange of goods and services so it’s recommended to have some cash with you. Currency exchange services are available in banks and Forex retailers in Windhoek among other major cities. Visa cards are accepted for cashless payments and at ATM machines and the main banks include Bank Windhoek, NedBank, and Standard Bank.
When to visit
Namibia can be visited anytime of the year depending on where you want to go and what you intend to do. For instance, the best months for wildlife safaris in Namibia are May, June, July, September, and October. Being a dry season, wildlife tends to gather around permanent water sources which create opportunities to view them especially in Etosha national park, famous for harboring the Big Five mammals which include leopard, lion, buffalo, elephant, and rhino. Waterberg Plateau national park offers an opportunity to spot Namibia’s unique antelope species including sable, roan, Oryx, greater Kudus, Tsessebe, Damara dik dik, and eland. The dry season is also good for hiking the sand dunes in Sossusvlei and the gorges and cliffs of Sesriem, and Fish River canyon. This is due to favorable weather that is warm and cool in the mornings, sunny and hotter in the afternoons, and relatively cold at night. The average temperature ranges between 16 °C-28°C during day and 7°C at night. July to September is the peak season and a considerable number of travelers are expected in the main destinations including Etosha, Namib Naukluft, and Skeleton Coast national parks. As such, booking your Namibia safari at least six months in advance is recommended. November and February are the hottest months in Namibia and temperatures can reach up to 40°C in the Namib Desert. The rainy season in Namibia occurs from December to April with mean annual rainfall of 278 mm which isn’t significant to disrupt your travel activities, especially in the protected areas of the Namib Desert due to less than 50 mm of rain. The rainy season also offers an opportunity to see baby animals in Etosha and Ongave private game reserve, the Realm of Rhinos. In the northeastern regions including Etosha national park, rainfall can reach up to 650 mm and is characterized by heavy torrents, which can hamper time for wildlife viewing. April to May, the time between the dry and wet season offers contrasts of lush greenery in places like Damaraland and Etosha national park.
How to get around
There are several ways to travel around Namibia including public buses and taxis, private cars, and light aircraft. Shuttles and minibuses are the most widely used mode of transport given that they operate in almost all major towns across Namibia including the remote Kaokoland to visit Himba communities, Epupa waterfalls, and canoeing in the Kunene River. Self driving is also one of the best ways to explore Namibia and a 4×4 vehicle is required for those intending to travel to rugged places including Damaraland, Etosha national park, Sossusvlei, Skeleton Coast, and Fish River Canyon. Given that some destinations require long distance driving to reach from Windhoek capital city, combining both driving and flying can save time. Guided safaris are the most convenient way to travel around Namibia and are available for booking through a tour operator who helps you to customize your tour according to budget, time, and interests.
Best places to visit
Namibia offers a wide range of attractions including national parks, historical and cultural sites found in various parts of the country.
Etosha National Park
Etosha national park covers an area of 222,270 sq. km of which 4,730 sq. km contains the Etosha Pan, the world’s largest salt pan which attracts flamingos during the wet season. The park is home to 114 mammal species and over 400 birds, making for one of Africa’s best safari destinations. There are 4 of the Big Five mammals which include elephants, black and white rhinos, lions, and leopards. Among other wildlife include cheetahs, sable, springbok, Oryxes, and roan antelopes, springhares, the Southern and Namibian giraffe species. Wildlife viewing in Etosha national park is excellent during the dry season from May to October. There are 33 both artificial and natural freshwater holes on the edge of the main pan where different species tend to gather around the same waterhole which offers a unique in kind of scenes. In addition to wildlife, Etosha’s adjacent local communities including KaoKoland offer unique cultural and adventure experiences including visiting the Himba people, Epupa waterfalls, rafting and canoeing on Kunene River. Kaokoland consists of the 550,000 hectare Palmwag Community Concession, which offers guided rhinos and elephant tracking on foot with a ranger. Among other private concessions in and around Etosha national park include Ongava, the Real of the Rhinos next to the southern Anderson entrance gate, Onguma (34,000 hectares), Mushara, and Khoadi game reserves. These concessions also offer a wide range of accommodation and camping and activities that might not be allowed in the main park. The protected area is 435 km (7-hour drive) north of Windhoek capital city with stop over along the way including Waterberg Plateau and the Hoab meteorite. There are 4 entrance gates to Etosha national park which include Von Lindequist Gate to the east, Galton Gate to the west, Nehale Lya Mpingana to the north east, and Anderson Gate to the south. The park can also be reached by air via several airstrips including Halali, Namutoni, and Okaukuejo airstrips.
Skeleton Coast National Park
The Skeleton Coast is known for its shipwrecks, vast colonies of Cape fur sea seals, brown hyenas, jackals, and occasionally gemsbok and springboks. Situated 620 km (4-hour drive) southwest of Etosha, Skeleton Coast national park is where the Namib Desert meets the South Atlantic Ocean. The protected area spans for 16,845 sq. km from the Ugab River along the park’s southern border to the Kunene River in the north border with Angola. The coastline is associated with the upwelling Banguela current which carries deep ocean cold water rich in phytoplanktons. These microscopic plants die and sink to the ocean floor where anaerobic bacteria breaks them down to produce hydrogen sulfide gas which erupts to the surface of the ocean and is poisonous to fish among other wildlife species. This explains the presence of the rotten-egg like smell and the skeletal remains of marine species including the basking sharks and sea seals. When the cold ocean currents mix with warm air from the desert, a thick layer of fog forms and completely reduce visibility. The fog along with strong south east trade winds is responsible for over 137 shipwrecks found at the Skeleton Coast. The best months to visit when there’s less fog are September to November in spring and April to May in autumn. Due to shipwrecks and skeletal remains of marine animals, the Skeleton Coast was nicknamed as the “Land God Made in Anger.” The park is divided into two sectors which include the south and the north. The south can be visited by car and offers an opportunity to see the sea colonies at Cape Cross Seal Reserve. The northern sector doesn’t permit vehicles and can only be visited by flying safari. It is designated as a wilderness area due to spectacular scenery of the Agate Mountains, Hoarusib River, and oases that sustain wildlife species including elephants, giraffes, Hartmann’s zebras, gemsboks, and predators including brown hyenas, cheetahs, and lions.
Damaraland
Situated between Etosha and Skeleton Coast national parks, Damaraland is semi desert landscape characterized by open grasslands, oases, rivers, gorges, and ancient granite rock formations associated with the Cretaceous Epoch about 550-130 million years ago when magnetic and tectonic movements led to the separation of the Supercontinent of Gondwana. Damaraland is also home to wildlife species that have adapted to live in the desert, such as black rhinos, elephants, oryxes, giraffes, ostriches, springboks, and predators which include cheetahs and lions. These species are sustained by grasslands, succulent trees such as butter bush (Tylecodon paniculatus) and the fan palm (hypaene ventricosa), and permanent waters of the Hoanib River and oases found in the northern part of Damaraland. In contrast, the southern section is almost devoid of vegetation and contains spectacular physical features. For instance, the columnar basalts (organ pipes) on Mount Brandberg (Burnt mountain), the tallest mountain in Namibia are a must-visit gem. Among other unique rock formations of Damaraland include Twyfelfontein, a UNESCO world heritage site that consists of over 2,000 African rock paintings of the Khoisan Bushmen. There’s also the Petrified Forest, where trees were converted into stone through a slow process of mineralization. Here, you can see Welwitschia Mirabilis, dioecious plant, endemic to Namibia that grows besides the preserved tree trunks.
Swakopmund
Situated on the edge of Namib Desert, 352 km (5-hour drive) southwest of Windhoek capital city, Swakopmund and walvis Bay are two different towns along the Atlantic coast in western Namibia. The towns serve as stopovers on your Namibia safari when traveling between Etosha, Skeleton Coast, and Namib-Naukluft national parks.
Swakopmund is the second largest town in Namibia with a rich tapestry of the 19th century German colonial heritage that vividly blends with African culture. The city is also known as “Little Bavaria” due to architectural buildings similar to those in the Free State of Bavaria including Woermannhaus public library and the Altes Gefangnis prison which date back to 1900s. In addition to cultural heritage, Swakopmund offers a wide range of adventure activities including quad bikes, sky diving, sand boarding, camel treks to the Namib Desert, and paragliding.
Walvis Bay
Walvis Bay is 32 km south of Swakopmund on a deep sea harbor sheltered by a beautiful lagoon which attracts migratory bird species including flamingos, and pelicans, making for one of the best birding spots in Namibia. The bay is also known for its clean water with a variety of fish species and creatures used for sea food including sardines, oysters, rock lobsters, tuna, horse mackerel, catfish, White steenbras, els such as Kingklip, and Dusky salmon. Walvis Bay offers a wide range of seafood restaurants including the Raft for sports entertainment, Flamingo Villa, and Anchors @ Jetty. Activities you can do in Walvis Bay town include boat trips to see dolphins and fintail whales, birding at the Sandwich harbor, and sand boarding and hiking the surrounding sand dunes including Dune 7.