Your first trip to Namibia (especially if it’s also your first trip to Africa!) can mean you may have lots of questions and be unsure what to expect. Here are ten practical things to know before your first visit to Namibia to make you feel like you know exactly what is going on:
- When driving in and out of Windhoek, you will pass police checkpoints on the road. The officer will ask you where you are going but they will not ask you for any money. There are no toll roads in Namibia.
- If you park your car at a craft market or in one of the bigger towns like Swakopmund, locals will “watch your car” for you and expect some money in return. This is normal and expected, and is a way for these folks to make money so plan to have some change to pay them when you return back to your car – you do not need to pay them in advance. In general, 50-100 Namibian dollars is good, even though they may push you for more.
3. When you arrive at a craft market, vendors will likely come up to you and offer to be your “guide” and show you the shops. In return, they will expect you to buy something from their shop or their friends’ shop. It’s best to politely decline and explore the market on your own. As a foreigner they will likely quote you a very high price for the souvenir. Bartering with vendors is acceptable and expected, but be reasonable. There’s no need to barter back and forth over what equates to only a couple of dollars. That money may not mean much to you, but it could to them.
4. At petrol stations, attendants will pump your gas for you. They will also likely wash your windshield as it gets dusty very quickly from the roads. Plan to tip these attendants 20 to 50 Namibian dollars at a minimum.
5. Tip 10% – 15% at restaurants. Most restaurants should take credit cards, and always select to be charged in the local currency.
6. Make sure your rental car has a spare tire. The roads in Namibia – especially once you get off the main highways – are dirt roads and can get super rough and bumpy (they don’t refer to car rides in Namibia as ‘African bush massages’ for nothing!) Try as you might to steer clear of potholes, speed bumps, grooves, and other objects in the road, it’s not unlikely for you to pop a tire during your Namibian road trip. If that happens, you’re definitely going to want an extra! If you don’t already know how to change a tire, watch a few YouTube videos before you leave and download some instructions to your phone.
7. Most rental cars by default will be manual transmission (AKA stick shift). If you want an automatic transmission, make sure to select that option when reserving your rental car. It will likely be a bit more expensive than the manual transmissions, but if you are not comfortable driving a stick on normal roads you certainly don’t want that in Namibia.
8. Namibian cuisine is very heavy in red meat, as they are known for game meat like kudu, oryx, and ostrich. Especially if you are away from the coast, you may have a hard time finding good vegetarian or pescetarian options. It may be worth bringing some extra snacks with you in case you end up having to eat mostly bread for dinner!
9. Drinking tap water is not recommended, so always always drink and brush your teeth with bottled water.
10. Avoid drinks with ice unless you can be absolutely certain the water used to create the ice was filtered. If you’re at a nice restaurant or nice resort, there’s a good chance your water is filtered and you should be fine, but this is one of the sneaky ways I’ve gotten ill while traveling in the past so be careful!
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