Namibia
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Travel Tips
The Namibian Dollar is exactly on par with the South African Rand - and surprisingly both currencies are happily accepted throughout the country. The Namibian economy is still in its infancy (Namibia was only granted independence from South Africa in 1990) and is very dependent on the SA economy. It's probably wiser to visit Namibia with your cash in rands rather than in dollars, as it's very difficult to change Namibian Dollars back into your home currency outside Namibia.
Thirteen kilometres west of Seeheim, the remains of a 1906 German fort are viewable after a 15-minute walk. This is definitely worth seeing - a real piece of history (recognised as a National Monument). However, to view the fort, one has to enquire for a key at the Naiams farm. The fort is not signposted, so look out for the farmhouse along the side of the road (on your left, travelling from Seeheim). The key opens a gate leading off the road. The fort is accessible by 4WD, but normal cars will probably have to park off the road, and thereafter the fort is about a 15-minute walk through a riverbed and up a koppie.
John Woodland, South Africa (Oct 03)
If you try to get pulas for traveling in Botswana, you can't get them in Grootfontein or Rundu. The banks don't have them (we think they didn't want to sell them). Even if you try to change your Namibian dollars for South African rand (because rands are accepted or easily changed in Botswana but Namibian dollars are not) it is not possible at the banks. Try the local supermarkets. Just across the border in Shakawe, Botswana you can change money. But the bank is only open on the last Thursday of the month!!
Gep Aadriaanse & Teun van Metelen, Netherlands (Feb 03)
In the north of Namibia (across the foot and mouth disease-fence) it's virtually impossible to find an ATM or bank. If you go to the north take enough Namibian cash with you. You'll find people who are willing to change dollars or euros but they will charge ridiculous amounts of money. Even in Kamanjab you can not find an ATM. Fill up your wallet earlier.
Daphne Huineman & Jochem Wijnands, Netherlands (Jan 03)
'Crazy Dune' or 'Big Daddy' is apparently the biggest dune in the Sossusvlei area and a fab climb. It's the big dune on the south wall of Dead Vlei, a slog of 250m to the top. We climbed it from the other side and came running down onto Dead Vlei. It was very good fun! The guys driving the shuttle bus told us where to start climbing it from.
Julie Odell & Tim Day (Oct 02)
While spending a couple of days in Swakopmund we decided to take a flight over the Namib. Flying over the rugged Kuiseb Canyon, the vast sea of sand dunes of the Sossusvlei and back along the Skeleton Coast with shipwrecks, seals and flamingos was a fascinating experience.
Marion & Anke Borgwaldt, Germany (Oct 02)
Diamonds: While Namibia is one of the biggest gem quality diamond producers in the world, don't expect to get an uncut one (I was told its illegal to possess them) and don't expect they will be cheap because they're local. There is a diamond monopoly, and prices are quoted in US$. If money is no object (alas, not my situation), very high quality cut diamonds can be obtained in Namibia.
Smoking: Namibia doesn't seem to have caught up with the rest of the world in relation to smoking in dining areas. They seem to smoke like chimneys, and if you are allergic to cigarette smoke as I am, it would be best to find outside eating areas or ask for a non-smoking section (there may not be one). I got caught big time at one place when a guy at the next table lit up a cigar. The management couldn't understand what the fuss was about (although, interestingly, they did have a non-smoking rule in the dining room at breakfast time). For non-smokers with respiratory problems, dining in Namibian pubs is definitely NOT recommended!
Money: While this is covered in my edition, it could perhaps be made a little clearer. Most Australians will access Namibia via South Africa - they need only change their money into rand in SA, and they will be fine for both countries. If you use rand to buy things in Namibia, the change will usually be in Namibian dollars, so travellers should be careful to spend their Namibian cash first, since (as you have noted) they will lose value trying to change Namibian dollars back into rand.
Keith Hart, Australia (Feb 02)
Moving About
The convoy in the Caprivi Strip is very organised and they orientate their speed on the slowest vehicle (they ask beforehand how fast one can drive), which was 90km/h in our case. Two breaks were taken along the way. One police escort even stayed with a minibus taxi that had a flat tire on the way.
Denise Werner, Germany (Mar 03)
Whilst we were travelling to Victoria Falls it was necessary to cross the Caprivi Strip. There is a government convoy which now escorts tourists/residents from the most active/dangerous area. This is about 200km from Divindu bridge to Kangolo. This convoy operates from Divindu at 9am & 3pm daily. Basically it is a military escort complete with machine guns. All travellers are advised to use the convoy which also stops twice enroute to collect citizens who live in the area. We hired a car to tour, however if a reader was hitching they could get a lift from the various trucks at Divindu. The trip takes two hours. A strange experience.
Catherine Rawlingson & Ian Randell, UK (Dec 01)
Scams & Warnings
I have travelled to Namibia several times. My last trip, unfortunately, was cut short by a tragic auto accident in Sossusvlei which involved my best friend. She was in a vehicle driven by a lodge ranger. The vehicle flipped and although three people walked away with cuts and bruises, Kelly incurred a paralysing neck injury. The accident occurred on a stretch of road where, I was told by local residents, a number of accidents, some deadly, occur each year. It is imperative that travellers wear seatbelts and exercise caution on Namibia's roads. I know first hand how the wild beauty of Africa can lull one into ignoring the little things we do at home on a day to day basis to keep us safe. In Africa, given the harsh environment, it is even more important to take advantage of those safety measures.
Lisa Baker, USA (Oct 03)
If you visit the Kolmanskop ghost town outside Lüderitz, be wary of signs which tell you to buy a photography permit, for the exorbitant price of about N$200. This permit apparently enables you to take photos of the ghost town for the whole day. Photography without prior purchase of a permit is apparently not permitted. However, when we visited the ghost town, we (and several other groups we saw) just took photographs at our leisure. We were never prompted by officials to show them the so-called permits. Don't bother buying one of these permits!
John Woodland, South Africa (Oct 03)
The Namib-Naukluft Park permit that you buy in the Naukluft mountains is not valid in Sesriem! We got into a lot of trouble by assuming that we could use the ticket we bought that morning in Naukluft to visit Elim Dune in the afternoon, while waiting for a campsite to become vacant in Sesriem. When we returned from our short trip to the dune, we were stopped by the gate and had to talk to the ranger in charge. He kept us in his office for more than 2 hours and treated us like we were two criminals: yelling at us constantly, threatening to call the police and telling us that we were arrested and that we had to pay a huge penalty. We really didn't know that we had done something illegal (which we still doubt) and we apologised. It was obvious that we were going to stay the night in Sesriem and by paying for the campsite we would have paid for the entrance fee anyway (the staff at the reception already knew that we were going to camp, but they told us in the morning that it was better for us to pay in the afternoon, when it was probable that a campsite would be available). But the ranger didn't listen to our apologies or arguments at all. After a few awful hours, he finally made us pay a bribe (N$100) which we paid, because we really wanted to visit Sossusvlei the next day. After receiving the money he suddenly turned very friendly towards us and even invited us to camp in his own garden, which we of course didn't do. It was a terrible and frightening experience (but Sossusvlei was great).
Gerbert Jansen & Jose Groothuis, Netherlands (Mar 03)
I was standing next to our truck in a parking lot talking to friends for not more than 3-5 minutes while my husband was in the bank. When I opened the passenger side door to get back in, my daypack was gone from the floor. Someone had opened the driver side door (very quietly!), reached across and took the pack. We never heard nor saw anything. We are very careful, and this time didn't lock the door because I was standing right there. We learned a hard lesson!
DK & Sue Adams, USA (Feb 03)
Gems, Highlights & Attractions
About 10km out of Aus on the Aus-Lüderitz road, start watching out for feral desert horses. About 20km west of Aus, turn north at the â??Feral Horses' sign and follow the track for 1.5km to Garub Pan. Here you'll find a hide and an artificial water hole, which is pumped to provide water for the horses. There is a most informative and colourful display which has recently replaced the old faded one, including many photographs and recent facts and figures. We were lucky enough to see about 60 feral horses and about 10 oryx and one time!
John Woodland, South Africa (Oct 03)
One of the most beautiful views in Namibia and definitely the best view of the Erongo mountain can be had from the hill 2-3 kilometres from Karibib on the Otjimbingwe Road. Face North at sunset and you´ll see what I mean!
Christian Goltz, Germany (Sep 02)
Cape Cross Seal Reserve: Strongly recommended for any wildlife lovers, particularly if they visit in December to February after all the seal calves have been born. With thousands of the little guys, there is always something going on - a great wildlife spectacle. Inevitably, there will be a few dead ones, so perhaps this experience is not for the very squeamish - otherwise, not to be missed.
Keith Hart, Australia (Feb 02)
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