When to Go
Anytime. Really. The best time to go to Namibia is now. The country’s communal conservancies enjoy more than 300 days of sunshine a year. In some areas the rains are rare, while in other areas rains bring on the “green season” with an explosion of colour from green grass and brilliant bright flowers, and life as springbok lambs pronk and zebra foals bond with their mothers.
In the dry season, April-December, wildlife viewing is at its best as animals move from drinking at temporary rain pools back to more established water points.
Expect hot temperatures from November through to March — or during the main rainy season — from January to April. From March to October, some regions are humid but generally the sky is mostly clear, days are warm and the nights offer a welcome drop in temperature.
Getting Here
Namibia is a little off the beaten path, which is probably why you want to visit, but that doesn’t mean it’s hard to reach.
Several major international airlines fly to Namibia from their hubs in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. From North America, there are several options that make flying to Namibia easy. Check online or with your travel agent, Namibia may only be one or two flights away!
It is also easy to link a trip anywhere in Southern Africa to Namibia. Popular options are charter flights from Botswana or traveling overland from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Getting Around
The best way to experience Namibia is through one of the Joint-Venture tour operators or in the comfort of a rental car. Keep in mind that Namibia is sparsely populated, so distances between towns and villages can be significant. As a result, the public transportation network is limited and is not focused on visiting the major sights. Fortunately, the country has an excellent infrastructure of well-maintained tarred and gravel roads.
From international companies to locally owned and operated businesses, the Car Rental Association of Namibia, a non-profit association whose main aim is to protect tourists and the car rental industry against sub-standard service and quality, lists the car rental operators in Namibia.
Health
As long as you are up-to-date on your immunizations and take basic preventative measures, it’s highly unlikely that you will experience anything more than an upset stomach or diarrhea. The main thing to concern yourself with is ensuring that you’re vaccinated against hepatitis A and B, rabies, typhoid, tetanus, diphtheria and measles. You should also ensure that you have anti-malarial medication for malaria if you’re traveling to an infected region. This is the only major health risk that you face while traveling in this region.
For more information, visit the following websites:
