r/Namibia • u/Sensitive-Vast-4979 • Nov 25 '24
Advice on going to Namibia in the future Tourism
So in the future I want to go to Namibia. Which towns , cities , villages and natural beauties should I visit . Obviously i wanna go to Windhoek but idk where else to go .
What would be my best way to get to Namibia my closest airport is Newcastle second closest is either Leeds Bradford, teesside of Edinburgh
Are Namibians OK with brits (just asking this on all the subs I'm posting on since we aren't liked in some places. )
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u/redcomet29 Nov 25 '24
Usually, people fly: Frankfurt, Ethiopia, and then Windhoek. I don't know if starting in the UK changes that.
People here don't dislike the British for being British as far as I know.
I'd day it depends greatly on the planned duration of the trip. It's a big country to do the whole thing in one visit, especially if you want to spend a few days at the places you're visiting. Many people tour the north or the south with Windhoek acting as the middle point.
The north includes Etosha, which adds a lot of appeal. The south is more arid and dessert, still has tons of cool stuff, both natural and historical, but for the animal watching, safari vibe a tour of the north is better. Swakopmund is a nice little coastal town. It has good weather often in December and January, and it is also lively around the time with good places for drinks with locals and other tourists.
I wouldn't budget tons of time for Windhoek. Odds are, you've been to nicer cities. It's not bad or anything, but coming from larger European cities, you'll probably prefer seeing other stuff.
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u/Sensitive-Vast-4979 Nov 25 '24
Thank you . Mainly I'm wanting to see history, but culture and natural beauty are obvious big ones.
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u/Kavandje Nov 26 '24
One of the most direct ways to fly is from Frankfurt with Discover Airlines.
Namibians are on the whole good with Brits. One of my best mates is a Brit and he’s been here for ten years.
You’ll want to work out an itinerary in advance. There’s a number of tour operators and travel agencies who can help you figure out what’s feasible depending on the time you have and budget you’re working with.
A few destinations:
Sossusvlei has huge majestic sand dunes. It’s what a lot of people immediately think of when they think Namibia.
Etosha is a national part 2/3 the size of Belgium. It’s great for animal sightings, including elephants, rhino, lions, and approximately 15 trillion springbok antelopes.
Swakopmund is a weird little colonial town by the sea. Very German. But also a good place to do a bunch of adventure stuff: skydiving, sandboarding, quadbiking, and so on.
Twyfelfontein is a UNESCO heritage site - thousands of rock engravings depicting animals, maps, people, and so forth. Thousands of years old.
Epupa Falls is a wonderful place where you can chill by the Kunene River, sipping Gin and Tonic while looking over at Angola. It’s an area where you can also go spend time with the ovaHimba people, one of the last semi-nomadic people in Namibia.
Lüderitz is another cute little harbour town, really remote, but also near Kolmanskop, a diamond-mining ghost town. Worth a visit.
Fish River Canyon is astounding.
Just be careful you don’t bite off more than you can chew. Namibia is massive. People over-estimate what they can cram into their 2-3 week holiday. You can be in Namibia for months and still only scratch the surface.
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u/Spykertjie69 Nov 26 '24
Namimia is one of the most beautiful countries to visit.
Vast open spaces and towns are fairly far apart, so driving is a big part of the trip.
Your best bet, is to rent a 4x4, best is an automatic transmission, in case you get stuck or don't know how to drive stick.
Id recommend starting in Windhoek, then either go north or south. Close to Windhoek(in Namibia close is around 400km), is the cheetah foundation, where Rudi Van Vuuren(who took 7 wickets against England in a crisket world cup match) does conservation with big cats. Some of the cats are tame and can be touched/petted.
In the south, the canyon is amazing, Sossusvlei, with it's massive dune, Sesriem and then down to Luderitz, where you can visit Kolmanskop(the ghost town).
Going up to the north, there is loads of amazing lodges heading north from Windhoek. Omaruru Game Lodge and Erindi are absolutely stunning to visit, with amazing game drives, though no day visits, only stay overs. In Otjiwarongo there is the crocodile farm, where you can eat crocodile(tastes like a mixture of chicken and fish). From there, Etosha National Park. There they have the big 5, although the roads are absolute crap, but they have set aside millions to upgrade and repair.
From there, up north on the way to Grootfontein, where you can see the meteorite(absolutely huge). Then to the Kavango and Caprivi regions. From Grootfontein it's hard driving. Grootfontein to Rundu is 266km, where you reach the Kavango region halfway and start getting villages and people along the road. Watch out for donkies and cattle next to the road. From Rundu to Divundu is another 200km drive, but gets more and more beautiful the further you go.
About 30km-40km before Divundu, i can recommend Mobola Island lodge, which is amazing. They have a swinging bridge going from the lodge, to the camp sites and bar. Amazing fishing with Georg and the coldest draught beer to drink.
From there to Divundu, where you can visit the Mahango park and Buffalo park, with loads and loads of animals.
Then another 200km to Kongola, with some amazing lodges also, although the river does nog have as much water as the Kavango or Zambezi rivers.
From there another 110km to Katima Mulilo, with more amazing lodges, but i will recommend Caprivi Houseboat Safari's, where you live on a boat on the river for a few days. Eat, drink, fish, all on the boat. Ask for Freddie personally as a guide...
Then off to Victoria Falls, where you can view and experience the might of the Zambezi river at the falls.
You can leave your rental car there and charter a flight back to Windhoek.
Hope this helps a bit
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u/finemayday Nov 25 '24
Namibia is huge compared to the UK and not as well connected with trains and the like. There is a shuttle service now with Gwandana, but in my opinion a self drive is the best way to experience the country. There is the chobe in far North that can be combined with Botswana and Victoria falls. There is Etosha National park with the big 5 (country has had droughts this year so might be slightly run down/recovering. There is the Sand dunes in Swakomund/Walvis Bay where the dunes meet the sea. Skeleton coast and The ghost town in Luderitz. The biggest meteorite in the South.
I would say it is impossible to do all these activities, so knowing what interests you most will help tailor your experience and time there.
People are friendly and not bothered much where you are from.
Airports you can fly into Windhoek or Walvis Bay, there are no direct flights from the UK