Namibia Essential Information
Much of Namibia enjoys a minimum of 300 days of sunshine a year. The best time to travel is during the winter dry season from May to October when you can expect clear, warm and sunny days and cold, clear nights. During the rainy season between January and March, temperatures can become uncomfortably hot and roads may be difficult to negotiate but you can witness the impressive desert bloom into flower.
Health and Safety
Malaria occurs only in parts of Namibia: take appropriate precautions if your travel plans include the Caprivi and Kavango regions, the Owambo country and northern areas of the Kunene Province, especially around Epupa Falls. All of these areas are in the far north of Namibia. We recommend you visit your GP at least six weeks prior to departure to ensure all of your inoculations are up to date and you are properly prepared to visit Namibia.
Take care of what you eat and drink, as food and waterborne disease occur in Namibia. Bottled water should be used for drinking, filtered water is usually available on safari and is perfectly safe to drink, all the precautions that you would normally take when traveling in less developed countries are a must, do not buy food from street vendors and avoid ice made from unpurified water in your drinks.
The major and most underestimated health risk is the heat. Sun block is essential, with sun glasses and a wide brimmed hat recommended, especially during the early part of your holiday to avoid sunburn. Dehydration is also a very real risk, so drink plenty of fluids when on safari.
As in any major city of the world when traveling, reasonable precautions are required, do not show off expensive camera equipment or jewelry, or display large amounts of currency.
Visas
You require a passport valid for at least 6 months after your return, at present tourist visas are not required by nationals of the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada.
Money
The currency is the Namibian Dollar. The Namibian Dollar is linked to the South African Rand in value and the Rand is widely accepted through out Namibia. It is quite difficult to get hold of the Namibian Dollars in the UK, so we recommend you get South African Rand. ATM's are available to withdraw money in Namibia, but only in populated areas - major towns and cities. Credit Cards are accepted at some hotels and lodges, but not all and there is often a considerable surcharge of over 5% per transaction.
Electricity
220v - sockets take either two-pin round plugs, or three-pin round plugs.
Flight Info
There are no longer any direct flights from the United Kingdom to Namibia. You can either fly via Frankfurt with Air Namibia or fly via Johannesburg or Cape Town in South Africa with a number of carriers including British Airways, South African Airways or Virgin.
Distance from London to Windhoek - 8,401 km (5220 miles). Approximate flight time 12 to 14 hours, depending on the route.
Flight costs can start from as little as £550 per person, however with last minute bookings and during peak times (school holidaysand Christmas) costs rise to between £650 and £800 per person.
You can't do much about the fuel efficiency of aircraft, but if you need a holiday or if you're traveling on business, you can help reduce your personal contribution to global warming by making your flight Carbon Neutral. That means we organise for the CO2 associated with your flight to be ‘balanced out’ by forestry and climate friendly energy projects that absorb equivalent amounts of CO2 for everyone of our clients at no extra cost.
The Carbon Neutral scheme involves the planting of trees to neutralize the carbon dioxide produced from your long haul flight. Your return flight from London to Windhoek will cover 16826 Km and produce 1.85 tonnes of CO2A. Through the project we dedicate 3 trees (at a cost of £10 per tree) to make your flight Carbon Neutral. The trees will be planted on your behalf in a forest of your choice within the project. For further information, please click here
What to take on Safari
To ensure you enjoy your safari / self drive to Namibia, we have compiled a small list of essential items that we recommend you take with you.
Photography Tips
The best time to photograph the dramatic desert scenery of Namibia is at sunrise and sunset, when the light changes constantly, with the dunes casting deep shadows.
The choice of the correct camera equipment and film will determine the quality of your photographs on the trip. For good photography of birds and animals, a good SLR camera and telephoto lens is necessary. A zoom lens can be extremely useful on safari and the minimum recommended size is 200mm. Consideration should be given before travelling with any lens bigger than 400 mm as most interesting shots are taken using hand held equipment. The new high-resolution digital cameras are outstanding and give great quality images, especially if you are using a digital camera body which takes normal camera lenses. Camera bodies like the Canon D60 and 1D are superb. The advantage of digital photography is that one can get instant feedback and adjustments can be made in the field to your techniques to ensure that your photographs are the quality that you would like. Colour reversal film (slides) will give far better quality than prints. The guides have found that they are getting the best results using Fuji film. Fuji has brought out a good high-speed film that gives good colour with very little grain (less so than any of their competitors). This is especially useful when using a big lens in low light situations. The guides' personal preference is the slower film (either 50 or 100 ASA) as this gives almost perfect quality for normal light. However, you may consider going to 200 ASA for a larger lens in low lighting conditions. The new Fuji 400, we believe is giving great results too. The only disadvantage with the low ASA film is that you need a tripod for the early morning and evening shots. A UV filter will help prevent any haze when you are taking landscape pictures.
Planning your safari
Step One - Enquire
If you see a suggested safari/self drive that interests you on our website, would like to discuss your holiday options, have any questions or you simply relate to our philosophy of being far from the madding crowd and would like us to tailor make a safari/self drive for you then call us on 0845 644 9397, contact us by e-mail on adventure@wild-africa.co.uk, or complete our booking form.
We will discuss with you your safari/self drive needs and requirements, taking into consideration your budget, tastes and interests, then using our extensive first hand experience of Namibia we plan your itinerary together. Providing you with a tailor made colour itinerary, including pictures of your accommodation, activities and the spectacular scenes you will witness on safari, plus background information and brochures for your destination.
All of our itineraries are tailor made to meet our client’s specific interests and tastes. We welcome your suggestions and ideas, then build them into your personal itinerary.
Step Two - Reservations
Once we have discussed and met your requirements, and you are happy with your proposed safari, we require a 25% deposit to confirm your reservation. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Switch (there is a 1% surcharge on all card transactions)and cheques.
Step Three - Confirmations
All of your accommodation, activities and flights are reserved and confirmed. We then send to you a confirmed colour itinerary.
Step Four - Payments
We then require full payment 56 days prior to your departure. A final confirmation will be sent to you at this time.
Step Five - Going on Safari
We will post to you 2 to 3 weeks prior to departure your travel documents (including flight tickets, pre-paid travel vouchers, maps and detailed route instructions for self drives) , along with useful information, tips and advise on what to take and what to expect on your trip, and background information on your destination to help you enjoy your safari to the full.
If at any time you have any questions or require further information we are always here to help.