Do
- keep in mind that Namibia is a beautiful and safe country
but expensive!
- Camping is a better option
if you have a tight budget but can be very cold in
- June, July and August;
- make your own itinerary according to your interests and
timeschedule. Because
- of very long distances you
might want to skip the far south;
- book lodges and hotels ahead, especially in high season!
If you book them
- through the internet, you
will get the same for less money;
- rent a car and make sure you have enough space in the
trunk (even category B
- can have small trunks, so
ask for a saloon car, 4 or 5 doors). If possible take
- airconditioning, it will
keep some of the dust out;
- buy a good map of Namibia at a bookstore upfront, the
map of the rental
- company can be ok, but might
not give all details;
- fill up when you can;
- visit the south first (if you go there) and save Etosha
till the end. This way you
- will still appreciate the
less frequent wildlife in the south;
- have a look at Namibia Wildlife Resorts (www.nwr.com.na)
if you want to go to
- Etosha. This Governmental
site is perfect for information and making
- reservations. Because of
new management some rules have changed (sharing a
- campsite isn't possible anymore)
so make sure you have a reservation when you
- arrive;
- visit
the Kalahari Desert, Fish River Canyon (if you have plenty
of time),
- Sossusvlei, the dunes around
Swakopmund (for quad biking and sandboarding)
- Damaraland (for the black
rhinos and desert elephants), Kaokoland (for the
- Himba), Etosha and the Africat
Foundation at Okonjima;
- stay at nice places like Kalahari Anib Lodge, Canyon Roadhouse,
Sossusvlei
- Lodge (not cheap but worth
every penny), the bungalows/rooms at Etosha (all
- have been renovated in 2007)
and Okonjima Lodge;
- buy your souvenirs at the craftsmarket of Okahandja but
keep in mind that you
- have to wrap it yourself.
Windhoek airport has no wrapping service!
Don't
- book through Vamonos travels if you are making your own
itinerary. We booked
- some lodges through them
because we wanted to save some time but instead it
- has cost us much more time
and a lot of irritacion. Their communication is sadly
- to say very bad and 'sorry'
is obviously the hardest word to say;
- forget to look into time differences, Namibia has summer
and wintertime!
- expect a sunrise experience at Sossusvlei unless you camp
at Sossusvlei. You
- won't be allowed to enter
the gate untill after sunrise;
- leave your doors unlocked when driving through cities.
Namibia is a very safe
- country and we never experienced
anything bad but heard a story of people where
- someone tried to steal something
of the back seat;
- drive
the 'Welwitschia Drive' with a 2WD, the road is so bad,
we had a puncture;
- rush in Etosha but drive carefully. At some parts we drove
around 20km/h and
- because of that we saw a
leopard at Groot Okevi and a black rhino at the Rhino
- Drive;
- forget driving on the left side of the road!
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