Combi travel to Luderitz | Namibia - Lonely Planet Forum

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Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:23:57 +0000

I am going to Namibia in a few weeks' time. The only places I want to visit are Swakopmund and Luderitz, which is just as well because I don't drive.

It looks like getting to Swakopmund should be easy but Luderitz looks more interesting. The guidebooks say that it is possible to take a combi from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop and then from Keetmanshoop to Luderitz. Can anyone tell me:

(1) How frequent are combis between Windhoek and Keetmanshoop? Several a day?

(2) How frequent are combis between Keetmanshoop and Ludertiz? One guidebook says they are "infrequent" but does not indicate whether this means once a week or twice a day.

(3) Is there any other way to get from Swakopmund to Ludertiz by public transport other than combi (or Intercape) Swakopmund->Windhoek->Keetmanshoop->Ludertiz?

Any general advice on taking combis in Namibia very welcome. I'm an experienced male solo traveller and I travel very light so luggage won't be a problem.

Many thanks in advance.

Edited by: alan649

ONLINE

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 18:16:39 +0000

I thought they travelled when full. It is unlikely there will be much demand to get to Luderitz, so who knows how often they will go!?

Depending on how long you have, I would think about only one place (eg Swakopmund). Otherwise you could spend days on tarmac, and days waiting for a combi, and covering the same roads twice.

Feel free to ignore me - I admit to knowing little about combis. Best ask locally.

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Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:06:27 +0000

Hey,
Just wondering how this worked out for you. I'm planning on heading from Windhoek down to Capetown, but would like to stop in Luderitz for a few days.

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Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:35:12 +0000

Just an update:
Luderitz was AWESOME, but getting there was definitely a challenge.

I took the overnight train from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop and a taxi to the gas station where the combi supposedly stops. There were a lot of women also waiting to go to Luderitz and we were waiting for 3 hours. I got the impression that it was an unusually long wait for a combi, but I don't really know.

A semi-truck pulled up and a couple of us got a ride with them. It was cheaper than what a combi would charge (80 NAD vs 100 NAD), but it's illegal and I'm not sure what would happen if you got pulled over by the police. They also have limited space, and it was kind of "first come, first served", so if you decide that you'll take a semi, you need to beat the rush to the truck.

In Luderitz, the truck dropped everyone on a side street, to avoid being seen dropping passengers off. I flew out of Luderitz, but I'm sure it would not be too difficult to find a ride at least to Keetmanshoop with other travelers, but hitchhiking in some places along the highway is illegal.

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