Namibia is a self-drive country. The distances are the trip. You will cover 300 to 500 km between stops, most of it on gravel, most of it empty. Plan ten days at minimum, fourteen if you want the coast and Etosha in the same run.
The landscape does the work here, not the wildlife. Etosha is a serious big-game park, but the rest of the country is rock, sand and space. If you have three weeks in Africa and lion and leopard come first, go to Botswana, Zambia or Kruger. Come to Namibia for the country itself.
It is dry and it is high. Winter nights from June to August drop below freezing at Sossusvlei and in the Kalahari, and the same afternoons reach the mid-twenties. Pack for both in one day.
When to go
| Months | What it is like |
|---|---|
| May-Aug | Dry, cool, clear. The best light on the dunes and the least haze. Mornings can be below zero; afternoons sit around 22 to 25C. Etosha's game is starting to gather at the waterholes. |
| Sep-Oct | Peak game viewing at Etosha, because the waterholes are the only water left and animals queue at them. Hot by October, 35C and up. Etosha's rest camps book out months ahead. |
| Nov-Dec | Heat builds and the first storms are possible. Etosha turns patchy and green, and sightings drop. Midday light on the dunes is harsh. Rates are lower and the roads are quiet. |
| Jan-Apr | The rains, such as they are. Gravel roads wash out and dry riverbeds can flood for a few hours at a time. Etosha's animals scatter into green bush and are hard to find. It is the best window for birds, newborn antelope and a green desert, and the worst for a first safari. |
Before you go
- Namibia changed its entry rules recently and several nationalities that used to enter free now pay for a visa on arrival. Check your own passport's requirement a few weeks before you fly, not from a year-old forum post.
- Central and southern Namibia, which covers Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, the Fish River Canyon and the Kalahari, is malaria-free. Risk starts in the north: Etosha's northern edge, Kavango and the Zambezi Region, mainly during and just after the rains. If your route goes north, get current advice from a travel doctor.
- The Namibian dollar is pegged one to one with the South African rand and rand is accepted everywhere. Cards work in towns. Carry cash for fuel in small places, and fill up whenever you pass a pump rather than when you need to.
- Gravel is the norm. Keep to 80 km/h on it, slow right down for corrugations and loose sand, and expect a puncture on a two-week trip. Check the car has two spares before you leave the rental desk.
- Do not drive after dark. Kudu and warthog walk onto the road at night and the collision usually ends the trip. Plan every leg to finish before sunset.
- Hosea Kutako International, the main airport, is about 45 km east of Windhoek.
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