Namibia Blog

The country Namibia in southern Africa has been visited by me only once so far. On the way from Windhoek, past Waterberg in the north to the Caprivi Strip to the border with Botswana. Here you will find many travel tips and experiences for self-driving in Namibia (rental car with roof tent).

I couldn't visit most highlights such as Fish River Canyon, Etosha National Park, or Damara Land back then. That's why I must travel to southern Africa again.

Have fun planning your trip to Namibia!

Etosha National Park

Fish River Canyon

Damara Land

Namib Desert

Walvis Bay

Sossusvlei

Deadvlei

Swakopmund

Namibia is an ideal country to explore on your own by rental car. You don't have to book a group tour, as traveling individually is much more enjoyable. You can stop wherever you like and set up your roof tent at the campsites in the national parks, watching elephants pass by. Most Namibia travelers rent cars (4x4) with roof tents. There really is no better way to travel.

Capital: Windhoek

No time difference (summer)

Visa required starting April 1, 2025. You can apply for the visa online and it costs 30 Euros.

Best travel time: May - September (dry season)

Currency: Namibia Dollar (NAD), South African Rand also commonly accepted

Namibia is a country you can travel to all year round. It hardly ever rains. Therefore, there is generally a water shortage throughout the country. I was in Namibia in August - September. This is the end of the dry season and there is extremely little water available everywhere. Generally, during the rainy season, there is water everywhere and everything is greener than in the other months. However, it is harder to find animals, as there is water everywhere.

For Namibia, it applies: It hardly ever rains. You can actually travel there all year round. I enjoy the green rainy season as I find it a challenge to spot animals. I am, however, not an average traveler, as I have been to southern Africa and East Africa many times, and have frequently seen all kinds of animals (it never gets boring).

I have written down all tips for the best travel time depending on locations here.

A one-week trip to Namibia is not worthwhile. Namibia has so much to offer that you should plan at least 14 days. On my first trip to Namibia, I didn't see nearly everything, as we crossed the border into Botswana after one week in Namibia (Windhoek, Waterberg, Caprivi Strip) and spent 3 weeks there.

I recommend planning for 3 weeks to explore Namibia stress-free. Friends have been to Namibia three times already and spend most of their time in the north at Etosha National Park observing animals. In 2 weeks, you have time to explore highlights like Fish River Canyon, Skeleton Coast, Etosha National Park, Sossusvlei, and Waterberg. Windhoek should automatically be planned for 1-2 nights to arrive, pick up the car, and stock up on supplies in the supermarkets.

Alone in the north, I would probably plan for 3-4 weeks to visit the endangered forest elephants and the Himba tribes.

Starting April 1, 2025, Germans will need a visa to enter Namibia. You can apply for this online in advance. The cost is 30 Euros. With the visa, you can stay in the country for 90 days.

If you apply for your visa at the embassy in Berlin, it will even cost 80 Euros.

Why is the visa being introduced? Because Namibian citizens cannot travel to Germany visa-free.

Note: Make sure that the correct date is entered in your passport, a problem that often occurs in Africa.

No special vaccinations are required for Namibia.

Whether you need Malarone or standby medication (most doctors also prescribe Malarone here) for Namibia can be advised by your family doctor. Generally, there is a high malaria risk in the north, unlike in the south, where there is no risk. Since we were in the Caprivi Strip and also in Botswana, we took Malarone.

Overview:

High malaria risk, especially during the rainy season (November - June): In the north

Lower malaria risk (July - October) in the same regions.

No malaria risk in southern Namibia.

Generally, I recommend consulting a doctor about vaccination before traveling. They can tell you exactly which vaccinations you need and whether there is a high or low malaria risk during your travel time.

In the Namibia Forum (German), I received many useful tips and information for planning our route.

I also bought the Dumont Travel Guide for Namibia and the Lonely Planet for Namibia and Botswana before the trip. If you're not planning to travel to Botswana, the Dumont Guide is sufficient.

I read it before traveling to Namibia. The book is about two Germans fleeing the war to the Namib Desert. Their daily struggle for survival poses the question: is war or the desert more dangerous? The book is moving, gripping, and is recommended by Namibia fans as the 'Namibia Bible.'

Here's the link to the book.

...is a book by Gesa, who underwent training to become a ranger with Eco Training. I have already traveled with her in South Africa. What connects us is mainly one thing: a great love for the continent, nature, animals, and people. Therefore, she originally took a break to undergo training as a ranger in Botswana and South Africa. It turned into so much more. In this book, she writes about it! Absolute reading recommendation - not just for Africa travelers.

Here's the link to the book.

In Namibia, you pay with the currency Namibia Dollar (NAD), which is exchanged 1:1 with the South African Rand. This also means that you can pay everywhere with South African Rand and receive change in Namibia Dollars.

I also recommend having a good credit card. To rent the car, you need a card issued in your name or your companion's name, depending on who is listed as the driver and main renter.

I always advise travelers to withdraw money in local currency at the airport ATMs first. This way, you get a) a better exchange rate and b) you don't pay the fees that your bank in Germany would charge.

Locally, you can pay with credit cards at gas stations, restaurants, or lodges. I recommend applying for a good travel credit card so you can withdraw cash at ATMs and also pay without fees.

Be aware that you often have to pay with cash in national parks. In remote areas, there is no internet, so you can only pay with cash here as well. Even if some campsites have card readers, it unfortunately doesn't mean that there is reception. 'This is Africa,' the locals would say.

Currently, the best free credit cards for travel are the DKB Bank Debit Card, GenialCard (Hanseatic Bank), and the Mastercard Gold from TF Bank. With a setup of at least 2 of these cards, you can almost always withdraw money for free at ATMs abroad and pay locally without incurring foreign currency fees!-> Here you can find all tips from my experience for the best travel credit cards in comparison.

Read my detailed test and comparison for the best travel credit cards here.

You can rent a regular car, but you'll be limited. It's important to have ground clearance, so I recommend a four-wheel-drive 4x4 vehicle. You'll encounter deep potholes, gravel roads, and great sandy tracks that you can't navigate without four-wheel drive. That's where the adventure awaits. For us, it was no question, and we found the best rental company in Windhoek with Asco Car Hire.

On our trip, which took us to Botswana and deep sand tracks, we were envied by many other vacationers because we had by far the best tires of all rental companies. This is an important point, as friends who were traveling in Namibia at the same time had two flat tires within a few kilometers. No fun when you're out in the bush. Because you usually only have one spare tire.

However, if you are only driving to lodges and participating in game drives (safari tours) and not driving yourself, a regular car is sufficient. You will then have to accept that you won't be able to reach everywhere. Especially in the north (Caprivi Strip) and Kalahari or Kgalagadi, four-wheel drive is a must.

If you know before your trip that you'll only be staying at lodges or other accommodations, you do not need a roof tent. We only slept in accommodations (rooms) in Windhoek and the Waterberg Lodge and spent the remaining 4 weeks always in the roof tent. In southern Africa, there is nothing better than hearing the sounds of animals through a thin tent wall up close. It is very hot during the day and you have warm blankets for the nights. Because in the deserts (Kalahari), it gets quite cold at night.

Asco Car Hire even now has vehicles with a setup (Toyota Hilux with box), which I find almost cooler, as then you don't always have to set up and collapse the roof tent when you need to use the bathroom at a campsite. This is primarily prohibited in Botswana, as there are no fences and in some regions, mainly predators, are always nearby.

(We were almost thrown off a campsite once because we didn't drive the 20 meters with the car, because we are Africa experts and learned on many bush walks what to pay attention to and how to react when an animal suddenly appears.)

Check at pickup whether the tire tread is good and have new tires put on if necessary. A tire always bursts when you are in the middle of nowhere without cell reception. I speak from experience. You should also have at least one spare tire on hand. Some 4x4s even have 2 on board. An important detail is a second tank. This is usually included with all Toyota Hilux and Land Cruisers. Because there are no gas stations in the bush. So, you can drive longer distances. Keep in mind that you need more fuel in deep sand and consumption increases.

Rental cars like our Toyota Hilux are expensive. For 4 weeks we paid about 3,500 Euros. However, the complete camping equipment is included. We chose the best insurance to be secure (we had to drive through rivers and also in deep sand).

Fees for crossing the border with cars not registered in Botswana are 50 Pula road usage fee (Road Permit), 50 Pula for liability insurance (MV Insurance), and 50 Pula Road Fund. That's a total of 150 Pula (approximately 13 Euros).

For crossing the border into Botswana or South Africa, you do not need a Carnet. This would cost extra. Therefore, crossing the border was no problem for us because we had registered the crossing with Asco and had the document for the entry and exit of the rental car with us.

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