Driving in Namibia, Namibia

As they say, when it rains, it pours. The sand and gravel roads turn from acceptable driving surfaces to soft mud very quickly and you will have very limited control of your vehicles. If you are an experienced ice and snow driver things will feel very familiar to you! Most people will probably visit in the dry season, but if you are there during the little rains or rainly season, please take note!

SLOW DOWN! Deep ruts can develop very quickly and your car will follow these rather than where you want to be. Take it easy of the gas (spinning your tires will throw mud around and you won;t have any control) and don't try to brake too hard as you will just slide like on an icy surface.

If you are driving a 4x4, consider switching into 4x4 mode; low or high, depending on the conditions.

The paved B roads can be driven with normal vehicles, but the C and D roads may be problematic.

If you are planning to drive on any unpaved roads, consider getting a 4x4 with high clearance. This applies to Etosha National Park as well. The main roads are fine, but the side ones, especially during rainy season can be problematic if you have a slow slung vehicle and front or rear wheel drive only.

There are some areas on main roads (C and D roads) where you might frun into deep sand. The last part of the drive to the sand dunes near Sessriem and the road up to Nhoma are two places we ran into this.

If you are not an experience deep sand driver (or if you are used to driving in very snowy areas, many of the same skills apply). You can get stuck. If in deep sand, try to drive through it slowly and try to not stop! Don't drive too quickly and you can easily loose control and get stuck. If in a 4x4, switch into 4x4 mode (low) before driving through the deep sand.

Watch where other vehicles have gone and follow the tracks that have gone through the shallowest sand, don't get into the deep stuff if you can avoid it!

If you do get stuck:

1. Try to rock your way out by switching between 1st gear and reverese.

2. If you get really stuck and rocking does not work prepare to dig your way out. Make sure that your front wheels are straight and not turned. If your vehicle has a shovel, great, otherwise use any other tool (bucket, pot, pan, even your hands if the sand is not too hot!) and dig a trench that is 0.75m - 1m / 2ft - 3 ft long as deep as your tires are buried in front of all 4 tires. When done, get into a low gear (4x4 mode if you have it) and drive straight ahead. This should get you going.

3. If all else fails, wait for someone else to show up!

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I have read several of the posts regarding the travel conditions in Namibia, and I must say more emphasis must be placed on personal awareness, each visitor taking their safety completely upon their own shoulders. I say this because I received zero information, instructions, warnings, or any material regarding driving dangers from my rental company. Please see the blog I created specifically to address my concerns for drivers that follow behind us visiting Namibia.

http://namibiandrivingdangers.blogspot.com/

The posts I did read on Virtual Tourist mention actions and factors that lead or contributed to particular accidents. Our story is different, in the fact that we were driving under the posted speed limit, and suddenly, without warning our truck went into a slow-motion clock-wise spin on a smooth straight section of gravel road, resulting in 2 violent rollovers before settling back on our tires. By luck or grace neither my wife or I lost our lives, but I was close as I suffered a head gash that the attending doctor thought was almost miraculous as somehow a critical vein was "skipped over", and if that had been damaged, bleeding out was a distinct possiblity.

I can't stress enough the need to drive with utmost care and caution to secure the health if not lives of yourselves and loved ones with you. I discovered very concerning information regarding deaths on the roads of Namibia AFTER we returned from our trip. Namibian governmental staistics (I stumbled onto a government report online that's a .pdf file), and frank disclosure from car hire companies I communicated with presented pictures of numerous injuries, property loss, and death of tourists and Namibian citizens. Allow me to put it this way - if I knew before going what I discovered post trip, I would've taken much more care than I already practiced. And my wife, during the 2-week trip, already thought I was being too cautious on several occasions! Of course she changed her tune after our horrible experience.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201006240789.html

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I have read several of the posts regarding the travel conditions in Namibia, and I must say more emphasis must be placed on personal awareness, each visitor taking their safety completely upon their own shoulders. I say this because I received zero information, instructions, warnings, or any material regarding driving dangers from my rental company. Please see the blog I created specifically to address my concerns for drivers that follow behind us visiting Namibia.

http://namibiandrivingdangers.blogspot.com/

The posts I did read on Virtual Tourist mention actions and factors that lead or contributed to particular accidents. Our story is different, in the fact that we were driving under the posted speed limit, and suddenly, without warning our truck went into a slow-motion clock-wise spin on a smooth straight section of gravel road, resulting in 2 violent rollovers before settling back on our tires. By luck or grace neither my wife or I lost our lives, but I was close as I suffered a head gash that the attending doctor thought was almost miraculous as somehow a critical vein was "skipped over", and if that had been damaged, bleeding out was a distinct possiblity.

I can't stress enough the need to drive with utmost care and caution to secure the health if not lives of yourselves and loved ones with you. I discovered very concerning information regarding deaths on the roads of Namibia AFTER we returned from our trip. Namibian governmental staistics, and frank disclosure from car hire companies I communicated with presented pictures of numerous injuries, property loss, and death of tourists and Namibian citizens. Allow me to put it this way - if I knew before going what I discovered post trip, I would've taken much more care than I already practiced. And my wife, during the 2-week trip, already thought I was being too cautious on several occasions! Of course she changed her tune after our horrible experience.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201006240789.html

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Elephants! You always wanted to see them, but did you want to run into them with your car? Poor Elephants. It will hurt them when you hit them. They will walk off from the mangled wreckage of your car and body and be sore for days. If you survive your travels will at the very least be over. Giraffes, wild boar, donkeys, horses, children and gemsboks all run or crawl into the road. You need to keep looking and slow down when you see shadows ahead. Driving at night? Not an option. There are no street lights and you are asking for an accident. Also you get bugs the size of your hand that come out to cover your windscreen. If you are driving, get up early and get going. Be careful out there!

When driving in Namibia, on unsealed roads keep your speed down to 80km/h or less and drive with care. This is what happend in this photo. The van was going to fast to take the sharp bend in the road. This photo was taken in Etosha NP About 1km from a leopard sighting, there are also lions in this area

As well as the danger of skidding on the gravel road surface, there’s an additional hazard to be aware of when driving in Namibia – animals! This is particularly true in Etosha of course, but you’re liable to see different types of deer and smaller animals anywhere. On our first day in the country, just 15 minutes drive from the airport, we spotted our first kudu, so don’t think you’ll need to be miles from anywhere to encounter this hazard. There are very few fences and the quietness of the roads means that animals are likely to regard them as a simple extension of their usual territory.