Namibia

Overview

About Namibia

Namibia, a country in southwest Africa, is distinguished by the Namib Desert along its Atlantic Ocean coast. The country is home to diverse wildlife, including a significant cheetah population. The capital, Windhoek, and coastal town Swakopmund contain German colonial-era buildings such as Windhoek’s Christuskirche, built-in 1907. In the north, Etosha National Park’s salt pan draws games including rhinos and giraffes.

Namibia Safaris-Namibia offers a wide range of exceptional attractions which are easy to view while on a guided safari. The large destination is divided into 3 sections; Northern Namibia, Central Namibia, and Southern Namibia each with stunning attractions. The northern section of Namibia is typical wilderness famous for great wildlife, large open landscape and the Skeleton Coast, Etosha national park, and the Damaraland Mountains. This is a region where that harbors elephants and rhinos among other games. A safari through Central Namibia takes you through the coastal land of Sossusvlei to Swakopmund and Walvis Bay to watch the whales. Most of the trips ride through the beautiful desert with views of the distant surrounding areas. Southern Namibia is on the Northern border of the Republic of South Africa and the main attraction here is the Ai-Ais Transfrontier Park with river Orange crossing through, River Canyon which attract diverse wildlife, NamibRand nature Nature reserve is home to animal species like oryx, zebras, springbok among others and Luderitz colonial town at the coast. Do not miss to experience the breathtaking adventure of canoeing on river Orange that gives fascinating views of the desert.

The county’s youngest national park, Sperrgebiet National park is in southern Namibia together with the diamond mining area.

Some of the major wildlife destinations that offer great attractions for safari tours in Namibia are Etosha national park, Namib-Naukluft national park, Tsau national park, Skeleton Coast national park, Mudumu, Nkasa Rupara, Bwabata, Dorob, Khaudum, Magnetti, Buffalo, Kwando, Core Area, Mahango, Mudumu, Daan Viljoen national parks. It’s amazing how numerous animals live in most of these open landscapes of the game parks.

Central Namibia has less wildlife and interesting landscape and would therefore not be rewarding for those with highly interested in wildlife. It and the northern section however have impressive activities available for visitors, including visiting the Nakambale museum at the former Finnish missionary station.

Other activities to do on a Namibia Safari are boat tours on rivers Okavango, Zambezi, Oranje, Kwando river where hippos, elephants, birds are spotted or at Walvis Bay and Swakopmund at the ocean. Namibia has a number of trails for hiking; the Fish river hiking trail leads to the Fish River and also provides a chance to spot more animals and birds along the way, the Tok Tokkie trail takes 3 days and takes a maximum number of only 8 people. There are chances of spotting backing gecko, ostriches, oryx, golden mole, and more that may avail them for view. Not to forget a visit to one or more of the villages with indigenous people like Himba village, a night visit to the Okaukejo Floodlit waterhole which attracts many animals, hiking to Damaraland mountains, visiting the ancient rock engravings at Twyfelfontain. Souvenirs for remembrance of the safari tour in Namibia can be purchased at the Okahandja market.

Some of the animals in the national parks of Namibia are the elephants which are easily viewed in the deserts, giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, cats like lions, brown hyenas and leopards, white and black rhinos, wild dogs, cheetahs and spectacular marine animals like the southern white whale and Heaviside’s dolphin at the ocean. There are more than 200 species of reptiles including snakes, lizards, turtles, and more than 640 bird species.

HOW TO GET TO NAMIBIA

At Windhoek the main city of Namibia a number of airlines operate flights to and from Namibia, this includes Air Namibia, South African Airways, Kenya Airways, Air Botswana.

GETTING AROUND NAMIBIA

Domestic Namibia flights from Eros Airport to Ondangwa, Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Luderitz, Oranjemund, and Katima Mulilo, Air Namibia is your best bet.

For another Namibia travel option, train service runs to South Africa through the Shongololo Express, as well as other companies like Bushveld Train Safaris, Rovos Rail, and Desert Express. Schedules are available at all stations, and overnight sleeping cars can be arranged for longer distances.

The Interscope Mainliner runs bus service between bigger towns and connects with Johannesburg, Cape Town, and South Africa.

Best Time To Visit

Best time to visit Namibia

The perfect period to visit Namibia is during the dry season from June to October because the chances of sighting many animals in the same locality are high, which is around waterholes to drink and cool their bodies. Between September and May is the wet season and is when most animals welcome newborns. The wet season is also good for bird watching because migratory birds have arrived. However, it can be visited at any time of the year though the results for game viewing are low.

Etosha national park is the main destination and the best time to visit it is from July to October when large numbers of animals from different corners of the park meet at the waterholes.

Safari Parks & Reserves

Namibia Safari Parks & Reserves

Etosha National Park

Etosha National Park is unique in Africa. The park’s main characteristic is a salt pan so large it can be seen from space. Yet there is abundant wildlife that congregates around the waterholes, giving you almost guaranteed game sightings. At the same time, Etosha National Park is one of the most accessible game reserves in Namibia.Read More about Etosha National Park

Safari Camps and Lodges

Mokuti Etosha Lodge, Etosha Mountain Lodge, Hobatare lodge, Mokuti Etosha Lodge,,Okutala Etosha Lodge,Etosha Safari Lodge,Toshari Lodge, Mopane Village Lodge Etosha, Mushara Lodge, The Mushara Outpost, Epacha Game Lodge & Spa.

Namib-Naukluft National Park

The Namib-Naukluft Park is a national park of Namibia encompassing part of the Namib Desert and the Naukluft mountain range. With an overall area of 49,768 km², the Namib-Naukluft is the largest game park in Africa and the fourth largest in the world.

Our top 25 hotels and places to stay in Namib-Naukluft National Park

The options are to camp at the basic national park’s site, or to use one of these guest farms as a base. The mountains are also within a few hours’ drive from most of the lodges in the Solitaire and Sesriem areas.

Ask us for more details of what’s where, and what’s likely to suit you best!

Kulala Desert Lodge, BullsPort Lodge & Farm, Hoodia Desert Lodge, Sossus Dune Lodge, Desert Homestead, Zebra River Lodge, Little Kulala, Rostock Ritz, Barkhan Dune Retreat, Sossusvlei Lodge, Desert Homestead Outpost, Desert Camp, Corona Guest Farm, Elegant, Desert Lodge, Desert Quiver Camp, Namib Naukluft Lodge, Desert Hills Glamping Camp, Le Mirage Lodge, Namib Desert Lodge, Solitaire Country Lodge, Dead Valley Lodge, Desert Grace, Camp Sossus, Sonop, The Nest at Sossus.

Skeleton Coast National Park

Safari Camps and Lodges

Wildlife

Wildlife and Birds in Namibia

Wildlife

In Namibia, you will encounter games and many wild animals. They live mainly in national parks and private games reserves, where the wildlife is protected from hunters, but you can spot many of the animals also when you just drive in the countryside. Among the many animals which you can see in Namibia are lions, elephants, giraffes, hippopotamus, cheetahs, black and white rhinos, wildebeest, hyenas black-backed jackals, ostriches, zebras, seals, dik-diks (a tiny antelope species), baboons, springboks, wild dogs, kudus, and oryx.

Birds

The avifauna of Namibia included a total of 676 confirmed species as of May 31, 2017, according to the Namibia Bird Records Committee (NBRC) An additional 19 species have been added from iGoTerra through August 2019. Of the 695 confirmed species, one is endemic and four have been introduced by humans. One or both sources classify 96 species as vagrants and 24 as near-endemics. An additional 35 species are unconfirmed and are not included in the total above.

This list’s taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families, and species) and nomenclature (English and scientific names) are those of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 2019 edition. Differences in common and scientific names between the Clements taxonomy and that of the NBRC are frequent but are seldom noted here.

The following tags have been used to highlight several categories of occurrence.

(V) Vagrant – a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Namibia.
(E) Endemic – a species endemic to Namibia.
(NE) Near endemic – a species with “90% or more of its population in Namibia” per the NBRC.
(I) Introduced – a species introduced to Namibia as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions, and which has a self-sustaining population.
(U) Unconfirmed – a “species reported to occur in Namibia but for which there is as yet no unequivocal evidence” per the NBRC.

Safaris Lodges

Namibia Safari Lodges

Namibia safari lodges – Waiters, waitresses, and other attendants at the lodges in Namibia are hospitable and kind, professional, and provide the best services during the stay at their lodges.

At Etosha national park, Epacha game lodge and spa are perfectly located on top of the hills of Epacha game reserve and provides some of the breathtaking activities at the park. Other accommodation centers at Etosha are Gondwana Etosha safari camp, Toshari lodge, Emanya lodge, Etosha village, Eagle Tented lodge, and spa, Mushara Bushcamp greatly accommodates families.

Shipwreck Lodge at Skeleton coast national park

Ais resort at Ai-Ais Transfrontier national park with a good view of Fish river canyon, Kwando camp, Liansulu lodge near Muduma national park, Kwando Bush camp at Bwabwata park, Namushasha lodge, Ngepi camp, Ongova lodge, Serra Cafema Camp, Dunes lodge, Little Ongava to mention but a few, all readily attend and prepare delightful meals to any number of groups on the safari.

Weather & Climate

Namibia Weather & Climate

Mostly, Namibia has a subtropical desert climate characterized by great differences in day and nighttime temperatures, low rainfall, and overall low humidity. Namibia experiences winter and summer at opposite times as Europe and North America and they correspond to the Dry and Wet seasons

Dry Season

Usually, no rainfall occurs between June and September. The annual precipitation average of the last 20 years for Windhoek is 370 mm. Of this 296 mm of rain were received from January until May, 5.2 mm from June to September and 76 mm from October to December.

Wet Season

The annual mean ranges from 5 mm in the west to about 85 mm along with its eastern limits There is extraordinary variation in rainfall between years, with the driest areas of the desert having the highest variation. The low rainfall of Namibia has two causes.

Safety

Is Namibia safe for tourists?

Undoubtedly, “is Namibia safe to travel” is the question we’re asked most often about our time in the country. It is, overwhelmingly, a peaceful and welcoming country. However, there are still issues with both poverty and gang violence, which has lead to increased personal and petty crime. Most tourism destinations and safari lodges are secure.

There is a low rate of political violence. In case of any violent demonstrations, the police are able to settle their people down in a short immediately.

Traveling to Namibia through organized safaris with a tour and travel company is the best way to get rid of safety problems. While at the destination, you are advised to follow instructions and guidelines from your guides and attendants at the lodge.

Pre-planning a trip can be really tricky and the visa part of that planning tends to be the biggest nightmare of all. You can outsource the organization of your visa to a travel agency or specialized company, but that means almost doubling the price of the visa. To help you out in the planning stages of your Namibia trip, here is a quick guide to visas for Namibia.

Tourist Visas

Tourist visas are valid for three months and generally take three days to process at the Namibian Consulate or Embassy in your country. Not all visitors to Namibia require a tourist visa – those nationalities which do NOT require a visa (for visits of less than 90 days) include:

South African
Australian
British
Germans
American,
Canadian
Japan

The countries which require a tourist visa are:

Greece
China,
South Korea
Most of the Eastern European countries

Malaria & Vaccination

Yes, some vaccines are recommended or required for Namibia. The CDC and WHO recommend the following vaccinations for Namibia: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, yellow fever, rabbis, meningitis, polio, measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis), chickenpox, shingles, pneumonia and influenza.please contact your doctor for more information,

Tours

Namibia Safaris and tours

Namibia is one of the countries that will surprise you with abundant wildlife especially elephants in the deserts and other destinations alongside other interesting tours of hiking, and non-wildlife activities after or en route the safari tour.

Etosha National Park

Etosha National Park is unique in Africa. The park’s main characteristic is a salt pan so large it can be seen from space. Yet there is abundant wildlife that congregates around the waterholes, giving you almost guaranteed game sightings. At the same time, Etosha National Park is one of the most accessible game reserves in Namibia and Southern Africa.

The park is malaria-free, accessible in a regular sedan car and the rest camps provide a range of accommodation as well as restaurants, viewing decks, shops, and petrol stations. Luxurious camps in Etosha’s remote areas have now added top-end accommodation to the park’s offerings.

Namib-Naukluft Park

Namib Naukluft is the biggest national park in Namibia. It covers part of the Namib Desert and the Naukluft mountain range. Besides wildlife, the park has more exciting attractions and some of them are the ancient archeological sites that have been there for 200,000 years, some of the world’s exceptional landscapes for scenic viewing, sand dunes rarely seen in any other areas and the amazing canyons at Sesriem. Some of the few animals that live in Namib Naukluft national park are springbok, hyenas, jackals, oryx, baboons, and klipspringer.

Skeleton Coast National Park

This park is divided into the northern and southern sections. It is found in the northwest of Namibia and bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the western side. There are about 100,000 animals in this park though it is not a perfect destination for wildlife safari because it is mainly dominated by marine wildlife. Common sightings are Cape-fur seals and on rare occasions, elephants, lions, leopards, and hippos may be sighted.

Ai-Ais Trans frontier Park

Ai-Ais Transfrontier Park is found on the border of Namibia and South Africa. One of the thrilling attractions in the park is the Fish river canyon which is also the largest canyon on the continent and the only area with an arid- biodiversity hotspot in the world. It has stunning views of the rugged mountain desert. Activities to do are hiking and scenic viewing. Few animals are spotted at this park, for example, Hartman’s mountain zebra, caracal, suricate, ostriches among others.

Bwabwata National Park

It’s in 2007 that this national park was gazette as Bwabwata after merging Caprivi Game Park and Mahango game reserve. It is located in the northeast of Namibia with beautiful rivers flowing at its boundaries. Some of the animals at the park are sable antelope, lions, leopards, zebra, Cape buffalo, greater kudu, a few wild dogs, and many others. More birds are in the western part of the park that is in the Mahango game reserve. Bwabwata is one of the most amazing parks to visit in Namibia because of this diversity of wildlife.

The best time for a safari to Bwabwata national park is from May to October because the place is dry and animals converge at water bodies.

Mudumu National Park

Mudumu national park in northeastern Namibia, about 35km south of Kongola is a spectacular destination for a wildlife safari with a great population of African elephants. It is unique with the Kwando River which is a habitat for the number of wildlife featured by the Mudumu fossilized river course. It is mainly covered by woodlands and some grassland and wetland. Apart from elephants, other animals to spot on a safari in Mudumu are buffalo, leopard, lions, cheetah, sable antelope, giraffe, sitatunga, eland, hippo, African wild dog, over 400 bird species including African fish eagle, western-banded snake eagle and fish species like tilapia and tigerfish.

The destination is a perfect choice for game drive, bird watching, and nature walk.

Damaraland and Kaokoland in Kunene region, Khaudum national park, Nkasa Rupara, and more are all great destinations that give the typical wilderness safari in Namibia.