Namibia travel advice
Cultural travel advice
Silvanus Imongua, known as Pally, grew up in the township of Mondesa, just outside Swakopmund. He first stepped on a sand board at the age of 17 and was hooked. He now runs Ultimate Sandboarding. Here's his Namibia travel advice for visitors to Swakopmund:
"Some people say that township tours are a bit strange, and they refuse to do it because they think it will be like going to a zoo and taking pictures. But Mondesa is lively, people are really nice, and a tour is a way for tourists to give something back to the community. People have to make a living - and if tourism is a way for them to do it, then why not? You get to see all the stuff in the township - the food, the dances, the cultures - it's really good for tourists to see how life is here. It's very different from Swakopmund, where people spend the day indoors and you just don't see anyone outside."
"Some people say that township tours are a bit strange, and they refuse to do it because they think it will be like going to a zoo and taking pictures. But Mondesa is lively, people are really nice, and a tour is a way for tourists to give something back to the community. People have to make a living - and if tourism is a way for them to do it, then why not? You get to see all the stuff in the township - the food, the dances, the cultures - it's really good for tourists to see how life is here. It's very different from Swakopmund, where people spend the day indoors and you just don't see anyone outside."
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Desert tips
Stephan Brückner created the Wolwedans Camps and Lodge in the NamibRand Nature Reserve with the intention of protecting the reserve, promoting sustainable tourism and training and empowering local employees. Here's his top Namibia travel advice: "I have to say Sossusvlei is completely overrated, and NamibRand is totally underrated. These days there are thousands of people going to Sossusvlei - there's very little privacy and it's hard to find a dune that hasn't got tracks all over it. Other places close by will give you a much more intense nature experience, but people just tend to tick off the big destinations - it's a shame how much they miss en-route."Photography advice
Paul van Schalkwyk was an award-winning Namibian photographer and filmmaker. He travelled extensively in search of the perfect shot - while getting charged by elephants and rhinos, and braving extreme weather. He sadly died during an air crash in March 2014. Here is the advice he shared with us: "In Namibia, dust jumps onto the camera sensor like you won't believe. Make sure you change your lens in an enclosed space where there's hopefully less dust around. And bring something to clean your sensor, because you are going to use that on a daily basis.
Finally, I find that some of my best works have come from the journey to the destination, so my motto is 'the journey is the destination.' I think that any photographer visiting Namibia would be well rewarded if they keep that in mind. Once you start tuning into the surroundings, it's amazing what you can actually capture."
Shopping tips
Award-winning travel writer Emma Gregg shares her advice for shopping in Namibia:"You're bound to feel inspired - so take a good camera and leave space in your luggage for souvenirs such as handmade textiles, carvings, baskets and bowls. The Old Breweries Craft Centre in Windhoek is a good place to browse, and the streetside craft market in Okahandja isn't bad. Both sell stuff from all over southern Africa (and beyond), so if you'd like something genuinely local, ask the advice of someone in the know."
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Namibia advice from our travelers
At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travelers are often... other travelers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do - and opinions about what not to.
We have selected some of the most useful Namibia travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your vacation - and the space inside your suitcase.
We have selected some of the most useful Namibia travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your vacation - and the space inside your suitcase.
Packing earplugs might just help you sleep when the lions and jackals are conspiring against it!![]()
- Sarah Schmitz
No need to take lots of spare clothing. Clothes washed at night were dry by morning. - Anthony Mayo
Water is drinkable virtually everywhere, so you don't need to keep buying bottles. - Pat Powell
Safari clothes are that dusty green because whatever you wear you will end up that colour if you do any serious traveling in Africa! - Jane Lloyd Francis
If you go during the wintertime, do not forget warm clothes. A woollen cap is not a "gadget", especially in the south. - Denis Robin
Water is drinkable virtually everywhere, so you don't need to keep buying bottles. - Pat Powell
Safari clothes are that dusty green because whatever you wear you will end up that colour if you do any serious traveling in Africa! - Jane Lloyd Francis
If you go during the wintertime, do not forget warm clothes. A woollen cap is not a "gadget", especially in the south. - Denis Robin
Go with the flow! Three-walled, roofless showers may not be what you'd choose at home but campsites with features like this were one of the highlights![]()
- Helen Bray
Talk with the guides - they are a mine of information. - Stuart Sutcliffe
I learned a new method of washing clothes, stamp on them when you are in the shower - environmentally friendly as well. Remember an alarm clock. - Demelza Potter
In the daytime the dry, warm air was wonderful but it dries up your skin very quickly - so do take moisturising cream. - Anson Paul
Take a water bottle - the local water is safe to drink and it means you don't throw away so many plastic bottles. - Alison Templeton
With so many wonderful sights, being able to charge camera batteries is a must. I took a UK three-socket adapter with a short lead and wired up a plug bought in Windhoek on the first day. This enabled the whole group to charge batteries. - Richard House
I learned a new method of washing clothes, stamp on them when you are in the shower - environmentally friendly as well. Remember an alarm clock. - Demelza Potter
In the daytime the dry, warm air was wonderful but it dries up your skin very quickly - so do take moisturising cream. - Anson Paul
Take a water bottle - the local water is safe to drink and it means you don't throw away so many plastic bottles. - Alison Templeton
With so many wonderful sights, being able to charge camera batteries is a must. I took a UK three-socket adapter with a short lead and wired up a plug bought in Windhoek on the first day. This enabled the whole group to charge batteries. - Richard House
More Namibia articles
The best time to visit is in the dry winter season (from June to October), when wildlife clusters around waterholes.
There may well be an awful lot of sand in Namibia - a country characterised by two vast deserts.
Climb the enormous dunes at Sossusvlei, or go on a game drive across the blindingly white Etosha salt pan.
An enormous salt pan visible from space dominates the arid Etosha National Park.
Forget potholed, muddy tracks; ribbons of dead-straight, smooth tarmac criss-cross Namibia.
Home to some of the world’s highest sand dunes, Sossusvlei and Deadvlei are unmissable.
Travel north in Namibia to find unique and rare desert-adapted elephants roaming dry river beds.
A vacation to Namibia shouldn’t just be about desert landscapes and Big Five safaris. Tribal culture is fascinating.
Parents need to consider their options carefully before traveling, but it can be done.
Here's what happened when our director joined the San on a hunting trip.
Namibia has a fantastic conservation record, but there are still problems.
