Windhoek Transportation

Namibia has an excellent road network, for somewhat unexpected reasons. Namibia was governed by South Africa (some would say 'occupied') between the end of World War II and independence in 1994 and for the latter part of that period, there was a full blown war along the Angolan border. The then South African Defence Force needed to be able to mobilise men and equipment quickly, and so established a well engineered and very efficient road network in what is, after all, an exceedingly sparsely populated country that wouldn't really seem to warrant it. Anyway, enough of the historical context - the upshot of this is that the roads were excellent on independence, and have been encouragingly well maintained since then.

B roads are the main highways, and are well constructed tar roads, with some bypasses and dual carriageways in the vicinity of large towns. C roads are also usually of a high standard, and although usually unsurfaced, they are kept well graded. D roads are always dirt roads and are a bit of a mixed bag, especially after rain - sometimes they can be unexpectedly good, and sometimes they are unspeakable, so perhaps ask for up-to-date information from your hotel/lodge or a petrol station before venturing on these roads, especially if you don't have four wheel drive (4WD).

Road signage is fine, but (like South Africa) Namibia has an annoying tendency to signpost the next little cattle post along the route rather than the final destination. For this reason, I find it much more sensible to rely on the road numbering: just make sure that you pick up a good road map (usually tourist information has reasonable maps available free of charge and there are several excellent commercial maps available). If you have a GPS, then it should be possible to download maps of Namibia, but just exercise some common sense and don't treat the GPS directions as 'gospel' - I would personally rather recommend using a combination of GPS and maps, but then I'm a Luddite and therefore not a GPS convert.

Forget the charming whimsy of this warning sign ... this is a serious risk if you're self-driving in Namibia (or in virtually all of Africa for that matter).

The risks are threefold: people, livestock and wildlife. Fortunately Namibia is very sparsely populated and villages tend not to be located right on the road (with the exception of the more densely populated Owamboland in the north, which is away from the main tourist centres) so your major risks are livestock and wildlife.

Let's deal with livestock first and step through the hierarchy of traffic cluenessness from the bottom up. By far and away the most random and stupid livestock you are likely to encounter are sheep: my experience is that sheep have suicidal tendencies, and if given a choice, will almost invariably put themselves into the situation that poses greatest danger to its welfare! Fortunately there aren't too many sheep in Namibia ...

One step up from sheep are cows and donkeys have precious little road sense, but tend to be a little slower moving and slightly more predictable in their movements (admittedly this is fairly faint praise). There are lots of donkeys in Namibia and they love to stand in the middle of roads.

Despite the fact that they wander across roads with gay abandon, goats are generally nimble and canny, and in 25 years of driving in Africa, I have never come anywhere near to running over a goat or known anyone who has (although I have seen many accidents caused by people swerving to avoid one). My personal feeling is that goats are well able to look after themselves, and so you’re much more likely to do greater damage to yourself, your vehicle and other bystanders by trying to avoid them. Goats are by far the most numerous domestic animals in Namibia.

Next, onto wildlife (probably one of the reasons you decided to come to Namibia in the first place). One of the many charms of travelling in Namibia is that you will encounter all sorts of wildlife along the roads, even outside of the established game parks, much of it quite large.

By far the most dangerous times to travel are dawn and dusk (driving after dark is downright stupid, so I'm not even going to elaborate on that). The animals are generally more active in the cooler hours, and also become dazed and bemused by headlights, which mess with their distance judgement. So if you decide to travel after dark - which I would strongly recommend you don't - the chances of a kudu - which is about the size of a small cow - misjudging your proximity and trying to leap over your bonnet (and defaulting to join you in the front seat via the windscreen) are very real and potentially catastrophic. This is not just a myth and happens regularly.

By the way, your caution shouldn't just be restricted to the large herbivores - a collision with a substantial tortoise (hard to make out on a dirt road) could cause substantial damage to you, your car and him, and I wouldn't recommend hitting large birds either.

Thus, because of the risk of colliding with pedestrians/livestock/wildlife on unlit roads after dark, I would strongly advise that you simply don’t even consider venturing out on the roads after sundown and exercise extra caution in the early morning and late afternoon.

Namibia is a long way from anywhere, and doesn't receive mass tourism, so it isn't necessarily the easiest or cheapest place to get to. Nevertheless, some options are quicker and easier than others, so here are a few ideas on how to secure a reasonable and flexible fare.

From Europe, the only direct flights are from Frankfurt on Air Namibia - not surprising as Namibia was a former German colony (South West Africa) and Germans still comprise the largest single group of tourists. However, because of the lack of competition on this route, this can be an expensive option (but check it anyway when you start your research in case there is a special on offer).

Many tourists find that the easiest way is to fly in via Johannesburg, as this is a heavily trafficked route on which there is considerable competition between carriers. From Jo'burg, it's only a two hour flight to Windhoek - the main port of entry for most tourists to Namibia. Air Namibia, SA Express (the regional service operated by SAA) and the low cost carrier Kulula (in partnership with British Airways) fly the Jo'burg - Windhoek route, so there are several flights a day and some welcome competition to drive down the price.

It's also possible to fly in to Windhoek via Cape Town - which also takes about two hours - although there are fewer flights (and thus, less flexibility) on this route.

One other option that you may not have considered is to fly into Walvis Bay, which is 30 minutes drive south of Swakopmund on the Atlantic coast. There are a couple of flights from Johannesburg a day operated by Air Namibia and SA Express. If you are hiring a car, then it might well be worth investigating the possibility of flying into Windhoek and out of Walvis (or vice versa) to save yourself the extra driving time and additional hire car and fuel costs involved in driving a circular route.

Some nationalities require a tourist visa for Namibia, but there is a long list of exceptions (see the website below) including tourists from the UK, USA and Germany and neighbouring states, who do not require a visa.

In the Olden Days, when I first started visiting Windhoek, the flights landed at the charmingly named Eros airport, just on the edge of the CBD. It could be a little hair raising on the final approach - particularly if there was a thunderstorm brewing - and it was only a matter of time before a new airport was established to cater for the heavier traffic and larger planes.

Windhoek's Hosea Khutako international airport is located 45km east of the city. This means that you need to allow yourself at least 45 minutes to get there from Windhoek (more in rush hour), which people often overlook. The airport is small but fairly modern and offers all the basic amenities that you are likely to need (including all the usual car hire companies).

For those who are not hiring a car, there are a number of shuttle services available, although these can be expensive, especially if you are travelling by yourself. See the airport website below for more information on these (and other information on the airport itself).

We just recently got back from a holiday to Namibia. It's generally advisable NOT to walk around in Windhoek unless you look like a local. Instead you can easily organise a taxi. We used Corrie van Wyk at L&C Transfers & Chauffeurs. Great service with a smile :)

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Outside of Windhoek and Swakopmund I never saw a single policeman or car anywhere in Namibia. Drive as fast as you want to, even on paved roads, except here. There is a heavy Police/Security presence here in Windhoek near buildings of National importance. There are also fixed and portable speed cameras here. I have pictures of the fixed ones. Also, do not jump red lights. A good piece of advice anywhere, but the cameras pick that up too. Take it easy in town and go nuts when you drive out of town.

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Hosea Kutako is the name for the International Airport in Whindhoek.
Round trip flights from Johannesburg could be purchased for about 350 euros.

The following airlines fly to Hosea Kutako Int'l Airport:

Air Berlin
Air Namibia
British Airways
South African Airways
South African Express
TAAG Angola Airlines

Public transport is not very good here and I think if you are not planning to drive yourself, it is better to try and book a safari tour. I guess the other option is to join a safari tour, this way you do not need to worry about finding your way or miss any special attraction, but you will be compromise on your comfortability and flexibility.