So, if you are someone who is wondering what to visit in Namibia, we have got everything you need to know about booking your flights, packing the bags, and heading to this nature-filled and plain beautiful piece of heaven on earth.

With the lions stalking around, Blue Wildebeest, and animals enjoying rolling on the sun-burnt grass of savannah, Namibia is absolute heaven if you like adventures.

Honestly, no one believes that Namibia has termite mounds as tall as their houses, but there is so much unbelievable in this place. So let’s dive straight into things!

Where Is Namibia Located?

Resting on the southwestern coast of Africa, Namibia is a country loved by every nature lover. It has got Zambia on the northeast and Angola to its north while Botswana is on the east.

Click on the picture below to see on Google maps where exactly this country is located.

This place is surrounded by the most touristic places (who doesn’t like close flights to other tourist countries, right?).

Namibia boasts a spectacular landscape with a fine combination of savannas, deserts, canyons, and mountains. In fact, there is the Orange River framing the country.

All in all, it has the long yet narrow eastern extension that accesses the Indian Ocean – isn’t this place a miracle?

Which Papers Are Needed To Travel To Namibia?

What can be more boring than checking different cabinets of your home to find all the relevant documents only to see some trees, right?

However, Namibia is worth all the hassle, and we are saving some by sharing which papers are essential for you to travel to Namibia.

First of all, you need to have a visa that’s valid for a minimum of six months in addition to the intended stay in the country (if your trip is for one month, the passport should have seven months of validity, and so on).

In addition, there must be enough pages for exit and entry stamps. The travelers must have a valid return ticket, and all the empty visa pages should be available in the passport book for the stamp.

Also, if you are traveling with kids less than 18 years old, it’s important to carry their unabridged birth certificates.

Which Health Measures Are Needed To Visit Namibia?

Vaccinations can protect you against a variety of infectious diseases that occur in Namibia.

Not only could these infectious diseases spoil your vacation, but also have an impact on your life (it has with mine sadly).

Therefore, always travel well protected! Although, whether you need vaccinations for Namibia, depends on a few things like your personal health situation, the length of the holiday, the areas you are going to, and your accommodation in Namibia.

Let’s make a distinction between obligated vaccinations or recommended:

Obligated vaccinations:

• Yellow fever vaccinations are only mandatory for Namibia IF you have been to a yellow fever country in the seven days before entering Namibia. This applies as well if you have made a transfer in a yellow fever zone for more than 12 hours.
  
• Regarding Covid19 the story gets a little more complicated. What I mean by that is that the situation can change any day.
  
  At this moment (the date when writing this is 23/02/2022), the Covid19 vaccination for travellers is not obligated, but you do need a negative PCR test, which is not older then 72 hours before the travel date and less than a maximum of 7 days.
  
  Then you are allowed to enter the country, but you still need to do a 7-day quarantine at a residence recognized by the local authorities.

Recommended vaccinations:

• DTP ( Diphtheria-tetanus-Polio)
• Hepatitis A
• If you didn’t have the measles as a child or a vaccination, than a MMR vaccination is recommended (Mumps, Measles and Rubella)

If you are staying for longer than 3 months then the next vaccinations are recommended for Namibia (in some cases even for shorter stays):

• Hepatitis B
• Rabies
• in some cases Tuberculosis.

If you are staying not far from the border with Angola, it is recommend to get the vaccination against meningitis. That is if you are staying longer there than 6 months or if you are in contact a lot with the locals there.

Other Health measures.

For this, I will just repeat what I say in other blog posts and that is the next things:

• Do not, and I am serious about this and I repeat, do NOT, go swimming in fresh water. Why am I emphasizing this? Because you can have parasites in your body, like I had Schisozoma Mansoni. And that is not a pleasure, I can assure you! You can still swim in the sea and in desinfected swimming pools, don’t worry.
  
• Be sure to take preventive medicin against malaria and take precautions like I wrote about in my blog post on “what to pack for a safari“.
  
• Beware of traveler’s diarrhea

Overall, I am not a doctor, so please speak to your own doctor about all of this before travelling to Namibia.

Let’s get to the fun part now, shall we?

What To Visit In Namibia?

Namibia is the ultimate dream vacation for anyone who wants to move away from the hustle and bustle of city life because it is the best exploration spot out there. So, let’s see the best places to visit in Namibia:

Epupa Falls

Centered in Kaokoland, Epupa Falls is the result of the Kunene River and spreads over a mile. The falls are surrounded by fig trees, palm trees, and colored rocks.

It is one of the best places for people who don’t like much crowd since it’s a remote place and you have to rent a 4×4 car. There are surrounding lodges out there for you to stay overnight, and you can raft in the whitewater.

( I have rafted the mighty Zambezi, but that story is for another day haha).

Walvis Bay

This is one of the major ports on the coast and has become an extremely popular destination for people who want to enjoy dessert spots.

There are kitesurfing activities available, accrediting to strong winds. In addition, you can head to the inland for snowboarding and dune boarding. (yes, right there on the sand!)

Even more, you can opt for fishing and look for the seal-watching or dolphin-watch cruise.

Here’s a little video of Walvis Bay below and some more explanation:

Skeleton Coast National Park

You must have heard about the biggest ship graveyard, and this coastline is the label for that.

Skeleton Coast National Park is pretty much uninhabited, and there are a few villages that are around the landscape.

For the most part, people travel to witness the magnificence of the Cape Cross Seal Reserve since it’s a historical place.

Here’s another video on this peculiar place in Namibia:

Windhoek

Windhoek is one of the most common spots to visit in Namibia and is the perfect place for people who want a long safari.

In fact, it’s also a great spot for shopping around because it has Maerua Mall with bigger shops as well as small local markets.

Waterberg Plateau Park

Located in northern Namibia, this is the biggest sandstone plateau made of red rock, and it has become the sanctuary for various endangered animals.

It is suggested to opt for a guided tour because you will have better chances of spotting antelopes, buffaloes, and rhinoceroses.

Waterberg Plateau Park has over 200 birds species out there, and it’s a breeding spot for cape vultures.

Luderitz

There are various specks of German influences in Namibia, and it can be seen in the city of Luderitz in its cuisine, language, and culture.

Ranging from the German street names to art nouveau architecture, you will feel like you are roaming around in Bavaria.

This town is located at the Lüderitz Bay, on the Southwest coast of Namibia and it was the first German settlement in South West Africa and it was founded in the Namib Desert during German colonial times.

Not to forget, do yourself a favor and visit Kolmanskop (do you know it was the hub of diamond mining?).

Etosha National Park.

Etosha National park is a park that I briefly visited myself, and I was impressed, because it is one of the largest nature parks in Southern Africa.

Etosha is for the most part a huge salt pan, and surrounded by dry bushveld. Large amounts of game can be spotted and natural and landscaped waterholes help the latter to survive in the dry season.

Tourists that visit this park, contribute a lot to the Namibia’s GDP.

The Fish River Canyon.

The Fish River Canyon is another place that I visited myself, and I even climbed it down (and up again, off course 🙂 ).

This climb is quite doable with a minimum of being in a good shape. Beware to carry along enough water if you want to climb down this canyon, right to the little lake beneath.

The lake beneath is still water, so I would advise you to not swim in it, because of the parasites in it (I know, that can be hard not to do because of the hot weather).

The Fish River Canyon is the second largest canyon in the world, right after the Grand Canyon.

If you want to discover the Fish River Canyon, it is very important to take a guide with you, because the water can rise quickly.

But more about all of that later in another article 😉

What Is The Best Time To Visit Namibia?

If you want to go with the books, you’ve to visit Namibia during July and October because the temperatures are slightly higher than 20-degrees Celsius, and the chances of rain are pretty low. In addition, this time is perfect for watching wildlife.

However, since these are the best months to visit, it’s the peak traveling season, so be careful while planning. Honestly, it might be crowded, but it’s worth speculating the orange sand dunes and cobalt skies.

The Wildlife Of Namibia

The wildlife of Namibia is extensive, and it ranges from roan antelope to African buffalo and common impala to red lechwe.

In addition, there are elephants, reedbuck, puku, tsessebe, and more. You might be able to check out some Nile crocodiles and hippopotamus, but the birdlife is no less than prolific. In fact, if you are around woodlands and waterways, you will be able to see over 400 bird species.

My Final Conclusion.

I have been to Nambia some time ago, and I must say that I was really impressed with the red dunes, but also the Etosha pan, as you can see on my ‘who-am-I-page‘.

Mind you though, as it is mostly desert and sand, and it can really get hot in Namibia. So if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen, haha, and maybe you better choose another African country 😉

If you have any more questions, or if you would just like to chat with me, please leave a comment below or join me on one of my social media channels.

I wish you happy travels!

Kind regards,

Lizzy

• Facebook
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest