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Just finished a 10 day tour in Namibia and offer these observations/tips. @kpc and @bPeteb also recently visited and may wish to offer theirs.
In no particular order:
* Windhoek is a pretty modern city; not a lot to do here, but a few things in the city centre
* Maerua Mall SE of the city centre is the best place for shopping. Taxi fare was A$1.20 to get there from the city! Taxis are numbered on the side, fixed prices for the several I took to/from city. No Uber here.
* Namibia in general is safe, usual precautions an avoidances . Its also very tidy. I saw virtually no roadside or other litter anywhere - better than Australia
* It is cheap. Excellent dinner for one in Windhoek with wine abt A$35. Muffin and coffee at the roadside cafe A$2 Premium accommodations priced per what you would pay anywhere
* Tipping culture is universal, but the service is almost universally good and friendly. Nearly all our tour tips were included in the tour cost, but on several occasions I tipped separately, partly out of western guilt and partly to thank excellent service.
* ATMs are everywhere - even petrol stations in remote areas. I usually got slugged equiv of A$4 fee. Nedbank ATM in the Maerua Mall in Windhoek had contactless ATM that worked with my Wise card on my watch; however elsewhere I tried, it didn't work with contactless ATM.
* Credit card machines everywhere, even in remotest roadside shop we stopped at (didn't do any 'markets' though). Not in taxis.
* Almost every petrol station, even in remote areas operated as a 'convenience store'
* Price of unleaded petrol and diesel in Windhoek today (Aug 26th '24) N$21.3/l = A$1.75 Its subsidised by the government.
* SA Rand accepted everywhere as a norm, not as a favour. Namibian $ pegged 1:1 with ZAR. Nab$ not accepted in Sth Africa
* You could self drive, but I would not recommend that unless you were experienced with 4WDing on dirt roads. If you do the usual tourist loop, there will be hours on end of corrugated dirt roads in remote areas.
* Gondwana is a Namibian chain of lodges and hotels - range of standards but mainly upper end. They also have hire cars; I didn't use but heard a lot about them - worth checking out, for sure.
* Sealed roads are in very good condition, the unsealed roads are God-awful. Tyre repair places dotted around! Roads north and south of Windhoek single or double lane highway; sealed north of Swakopmund and starting to the NE, towards Damaraland
* Etosha game park about 4.5 hrs nth of Windhoek, good road all the way. Outjo, an hour south of Etosha, has a fabulous bakery
* Visiting in the 'dry', albeit 'winter', it was mid 30s during the day and probably <10 at night out in the inner areas. Bring a jacket and a face protector! You'll be doing dawn starts for wildlife viewing and in an open vehicle and there may be 15-30 mins travelling at 60km/hr on the highway before the park, if staying outside the park. It is really cold!!
* The coast subject to fog for most of the year
* Etosha is classified as being in a malaria area; I took malarone but decided not to use, due to (I think) an affect on my sleep, plus it was so dry, it was hard to imagine many mozzies about, although there were some. Google search says no malaria during the dry and rare during the wetter months.
* If you are concerned, buy some insect repellant when you get there, as only one of my accommodations supplied in the room.
* As a 'third world' county, I give Namibia 8/10 for ease of visiting and lack of safety concerns. Driving on the dirt roads is the major hazard, I think.
In no particular order:
* Windhoek is a pretty modern city; not a lot to do here, but a few things in the city centre
* Maerua Mall SE of the city centre is the best place for shopping. Taxi fare was A$1.20 to get there from the city! Taxis are numbered on the side, fixed prices for the several I took to/from city. No Uber here.
* Namibia in general is safe, usual precautions an avoidances . Its also very tidy. I saw virtually no roadside or other litter anywhere - better than Australia
* It is cheap. Excellent dinner for one in Windhoek with wine abt A$35. Muffin and coffee at the roadside cafe A$2 Premium accommodations priced per what you would pay anywhere
* Tipping culture is universal, but the service is almost universally good and friendly. Nearly all our tour tips were included in the tour cost, but on several occasions I tipped separately, partly out of western guilt and partly to thank excellent service.
* ATMs are everywhere - even petrol stations in remote areas. I usually got slugged equiv of A$4 fee. Nedbank ATM in the Maerua Mall in Windhoek had contactless ATM that worked with my Wise card on my watch; however elsewhere I tried, it didn't work with contactless ATM.
* Credit card machines everywhere, even in remotest roadside shop we stopped at (didn't do any 'markets' though). Not in taxis.
* Almost every petrol station, even in remote areas operated as a 'convenience store'
* Price of unleaded petrol and diesel in Windhoek today (Aug 26th '24) N$21.3/l = A$1.75 Its subsidised by the government.
* SA Rand accepted everywhere as a norm, not as a favour. Namibian $ pegged 1:1 with ZAR. Nab$ not accepted in Sth Africa
* You could self drive, but I would not recommend that unless you were experienced with 4WDing on dirt roads. If you do the usual tourist loop, there will be hours on end of corrugated dirt roads in remote areas.
* Gondwana is a Namibian chain of lodges and hotels - range of standards but mainly upper end. They also have hire cars; I didn't use but heard a lot about them - worth checking out, for sure.
* Sealed roads are in very good condition, the unsealed roads are God-awful. Tyre repair places dotted around! Roads north and south of Windhoek single or double lane highway; sealed north of Swakopmund and starting to the NE, towards Damaraland
* Etosha game park about 4.5 hrs nth of Windhoek, good road all the way. Outjo, an hour south of Etosha, has a fabulous bakery
* Visiting in the 'dry', albeit 'winter', it was mid 30s during the day and probably <10 at night out in the inner areas. Bring a jacket and a face protector! You'll be doing dawn starts for wildlife viewing and in an open vehicle and there may be 15-30 mins travelling at 60km/hr on the highway before the park, if staying outside the park. It is really cold!!
* The coast subject to fog for most of the year
* Etosha is classified as being in a malaria area; I took malarone but decided not to use, due to (I think) an affect on my sleep, plus it was so dry, it was hard to imagine many mozzies about, although there were some. Google search says no malaria during the dry and rare during the wetter months.
* If you are concerned, buy some insect repellant when you get there, as only one of my accommodations supplied in the room.
* As a 'third world' county, I give Namibia 8/10 for ease of visiting and lack of safety concerns. Driving on the dirt roads is the major hazard, I think.
