Namibia is a nature lover's delight that is fairly easy to travel around. You just have to remember that the distances are large and the terrain is mainly different kinds of plains and deserts. Also, unless you are staying full board, you need to be well-prepared and plan ahead; a small town on the map might be one house and a tree.
Check Information
There have been economical changes in Namibia, so most guide books are out-of-date. Check all prices for accommodation on the internet, especially those of the government owned Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR).
Best Time to Travel
Winter is the best time to go – August to September. There is no rain in this season and the average daily temperatures are around 22 degrees centigrade, depending where you are.
Five of Namibia's Highlights:
Waterberg National Park
The Waterberg National Park is situated about four hours north of Windhoek. Waterberg is a beautiful park with lots of varied hiking trails located on the Waterberg Plateau .
The NWR Waterberg camp situated in this park is a very clean and organised place for camping.
Etosha National Park
The wildlife found in Etosha National Park is mainly zebra and giraffe. Although, you’ll probably see black rhino, the largest elephants in the world and hear the lions belly roar at night. If you’ve been on safari in other parts of Africa, and you are short of time, there is little need to visit Etosha.
In most camp sites in Etosha, you can pitch your tent two minutes walk from a water hole. In the high season in the Namibian summer, book accommodation in advance even if you are camping.
Swakopmund
Swakopmund is a windy, sandy, misty, historical town, well-known for its sport activities and the birth of Shiloh Jolie Pitt, Brad and Angelina's daughter. Swakop is a great place to recharge, eat, shop, drink coffee and sample the German cake shops and admire the German architecture.
There is plenty of choice of accommodation in Swakop. Highly recommended are the Municipal Bungalows where most of the new version of ‘The Prisoner’ was filmed.
Solitaire
Solitaire consists of a tiny bunch of holdings and eateries in the middle of nowhere. It's a great place to stay, especially since the bakery has the best apple and meat pies.
You can camp at the Solitaire Country Lodge and drive back and forth to Sesriem which is about an 80kms drive.
Sesriem and Sossuvlei
It is compulsory for everyone who visits Namibia to see its amazing sand dunes. The dirt road from Solitaire to Sesriem is very tricky but it's worth the trip. You start your journey to Sossuvlei by entering the park at Sesriem NWR park gates. After which there is a 30-40-minute drive on a decent road to the NWR centre. No one can enter the park before sunrise and everyone has to leave before sunset unless you have booked camping or accommodation in the park.
Organise accommodation in advance if you want to be close to Sesriem, especially if you’re camping. The nearest, very basic, campsite to Sossuvlei is the NWR at the Sesriem park centre.
Travelling Back to Windhoek
If you're returning to Windhoek from Sesriem, eat well in Solitaire because there are no breakfast and coffee stops on the way back to Windhoek. On the main road north, you only bump into Rehovot, a very small uninviting town of mainly houses and a petrol station and a shop.
Enjoy Namibia. There's no real need for a 4x4, it's easy to travel around and the people are friendly. Just remember, plan well because the distances are long and there are no service stations and shops around the corner if you run out of milk.
Lesley Lanir - Freelance writer, lecturer and teacher trainer Lesley Lanir, writes on foreign language learning disorders, linguistics, and literature.
