Before You Book

PREPARING TO GO TO NAMIBIA

 

CAPITAL

Windhoek

LANGUAGE

English, Oshivambo, Herero, & Namaare the official languages of Namibia

RELIGION

Approximately 70% of Namibians are Christian. Traditionalists & Animist account for the other 30%.

LOCAL TIME

West Africa Summer Time (WAST) is 1 hours ahead of GMT.

ELECTRICITY

240 Volts - sockets are usually of the British, three pronged variety.

PASSPORT & VISA

A valid passport is required by all nationals. All Passengers are responsible for securing proper documentation prior to joining the tour. Please ensure that passport/s are valid for a minimum of 6 months beyond the intended date of return and contain between 2-6 blank “Visa” pages. You should have at least two free pages in your passport. Please access the Travel & Visa Requirements Section on the top of this page for the latest visa entry requirements for the country/ies you are visiting. Passports are required; in addition, travelers are also advised to check with local consulates for full details regarding visa requirements. Please note securing a valid visa for entry is the sole responsibility of the traveler.

LOCAL CURRENCY

The Namibian Dollar (NAD; symbol N$) is in note denominations of N$200, 100, 50, 20 and 10. Coins are in denominations of N$5, N$1, 50 cents, 10 cents and 5 cents. It is linked to the South African Rand (R) on a 1:1 basis (South African Rand = 100 cents). The South African Rand is also acceptable as currency in Namibia.

XE.com is a useful site for currency conversion.

Credit cards:

American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are accepted. Credit cards are not usually accepted at petrol stations, so bear this in mind when you visit the ATM. Setting aside an emergency petrol cash fund is a good idea if you’re planning to drive.

ATM:

Although ATMs can be found in most towns, it’s worth making sure that you’ve got enough cash handy at all times, as towns can be few and far between. Make sure you notify your bank of your travel plans before you go: Namibia is among the countries that trigger an automatic account freeze (fraud protection) if you fail to tell your bank beforehand.

CLOTHING

As a general guideline, clothing should be lightweight, loose fitting, hard-wearing and easily washed. As Namibia is warm during the day all year round, cotton clothing is much more comfortable and practical than man-made materials like nylon. While in the National Parks, you should wear natural, neutral colors – bright colors can make you stand out, meaning that you’re less likely to spot wildlife. In general, shorts are acceptable, although there may be occasions when it is appropriate to where long trousers. Make sure you bring a few items of clothing which cover your shoulders and knees and also several outfits which cover your legs to the ankles and your arms past the elbows. A sarong is an invaluable item to carry as it can be used to instantly cover any exposed areas (i.e. head, legs). Make sure you allow for climate changes and remember that even in very hot countries, night-time and early morning temperatures will be cooler so it is worth taking a fleece along.

COMMUNICATION & EMAILS

Telephone:

Namibia has an excellent fixed-line telephone network run by Telecom Namibia (www.telecom.na). Domestic calls are reasonably priced, although international calls can cost upwards of N$20 (£1.40) per minute.

Mobile phone:

MTC (www.mtc.com.na) is Namibia’s service provider but has roaming arrangements with international provider. Check with your mobile provider whether they will be able to provide coverage through the MTC network during your stay. MTC does offer prepaid service called Tango, which involves a one-off purchase of a sim card and pay-as-you-go thereafter. Although coverage is generally good, it can be sporadic outside urban areas.

Internet:

There are internet cafés in Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and Windhoek. Most youth hostels and some game lodges will offer internet services.

FOOD

What you eat in Namibia depends largely on where you are and who you’re with. Although certain foods are common to all of Namibia’s ethnic groups, each has their own specialties – some more appealing than others. Game meat, particularly kudu, oryx and other antelope is very common and even forms part of the in-flight offering on Air Namibia flights (much better than the chicken, it should be noted). Other game meat on offer includes buffalo, and occasionally, giraffe, while seafood is plentiful and excellent – particularly in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. Braais (barbecues) are very common among Afrikaaner and German groups, while most African tribes eat plenty of mealie pap (a doughy maize paste) and oshifima, the millet version often served with meat or vegetable stews. South African dishes such as bobotie (a meat pie with a savoury egg custard crust) are also common.

Most restaurants will offer Teutonic or international fare, although thanks to Namibia’s desert environment which makes fruit and vegetables especially expensive, menus tend to be heavy on the meat. More German influence can be seen in Namibia’s konditoreien (cake shops), where you can tuck into classics like apple strudel, sachertorte (chocolate cake) and kirschtorte (Black Forest gateau). Afrikaaners also know their way around the dessert trolley, with koeksesters (mini doughnuts dripping with honey) and melktart (milk tart) among the nicest. Breakfasts tend to be a spin on eggs and boerewors (sausage) although don’t be surprised to find a strange meaty extra such as curried kidneys thrown in with your scrambled eggs.

Specialties:

• Biltong (an air-dried meat, which is a bar snack staple, usually made from beef or kudu).
• Rauchfleisch (smoked meat).
• Game such as antelope, ostrich or zebra cooked on a braai (barbecue).
• Potjiekos (one-pot bush stew, usually cooked over a camp fire, and made with just about anything although chicken and vegetable is common).
• Seafood, especially oysters, on the coast.
• Kalahari truffles (a distant cousin of the European black and white truffle varieties found on Swakopmund restaurant menus, served up thinly sliced and drizzled with olive oil alongside a thick ostrich steak.)

Regional drinks:

With a beer culture the equal of anything in the UK, Namibia has endless varieties of beer, many traditional African millet versions. Despite the desert heat, the country has recently started making its own wine – most of which is excellent.

• Windhoek lager (drunk by everyone, the perfect ice-cool sundowner).
• Oshikundu (a yeasty-tasting millet beer that is brewed and drunk the same day).
• Neuras Namib red wine (dubbed the driest vineyard in the world, Neuras is only possible because of a unique set of underground springs. Produced to South African standards, both the Shiraz and Namib red are excellent).
• DAS Pilsner (light beer that is considered a soft drink in Namibia and even forms part of the breakfast menu).
• Mataku (strong fortified watermelon 'wine found in northern Namibia; comes in non-alcoholic version).

MEALS

Approximate costs for meals and snacks not included are shown below:

• Simple snack - $US 1-5
• Light meal - $US 5-10
• 3 course meal - $US 10+

DRINKS

Approximate costs for drinks bought in a shop in the street are shown below. Prices in restaurants, hotels, and cruise boats can be as much as double those specified.

• 1.5l of water - $US 1.50
• 30cl bottle of soft drink - $US 0.80
• 33cl bottle of beer - $US 1-2

It is not recommended that you drink the local tap water in Namibia however bottled water and carbonated soft drinks are widely available throughout the country.

WEATHER & CLIMATE

The climate is generally hot and dry. Average temperature extremes in Windhoek, on the central plateau, are 17° to 29° (Celsius) in summer (December) and 6° to 20° (Celsius) in winter (July). Daily temperatures on the central plateau and in the Kalahari Desert may differ by as much as 30º (Celsius) in the summer. The coast is cooled somewhat by the Benguela Current. Average temperature extremes in coastal Swakopmund are 15° to 23° (Celsius) in January during the summer and 8° to 21° (Celsius) in July. The average annual rainfall in the Namib Desert along the coast is about 50 mm. inland, annual rainfall increases from 150 mm in the south to about 560 mm in the north. What little rain occurs falls from February through May. Most precipitation occurs from October through April. The meager and highly variable precipitation is not very effective in watering the land because of a high rate of evaporation. As a result the territory suffers from prolonged periodic droughts.

Windhoek: (approx)

HEALTH & MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS & GUIDELINES

As a general recommendation, it is advisable to check with your family doctor or travel clinic for latest health information.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

It is highly recommended that you purchase travel insurance from your travel agent. Health plans only provide limited coverage while traveling outside of the country. Indus Travels can offer you a complete travel insurance package. Some credit cards do offer travel insurance, however they do not always provide adequate coverage. Review and understand the terms of your credit card insurance policy. Extra travel insurance can be purchased. Most insurance companies do have exclusions in their coverage.