Namibia. Practical Information. Budget.

Transportation. This section is crucial for any travel in Namibia. The public transport is somewhat non-existent. It is possible to travel by bus to major cities but that’s it. Hitch hiking is popular but cars are few in between and sitting in the heat for hours can be exhausting and unpredictable to say the least. Thus renting a car is the best way of travel. Rent your car before you arrive if you can! Not only you will get a better rate per day but you will have a better choice of a vehicle. Most important though, you will have a car waiting for you. We came in November, the slow season, and no rental car agency had a car available when we called. We had to wait for a few days until a car was available. We couldn’t afford a larger 4×4 vehicle so we went for VW Polo for $38/day from Avis. That included only very basic insurance, no windshield and tire coverage.

Roads. Besides the main tar roads all roads are gravel. C roads are better maintained than D roads. With our itinerary we had no trouble getting to where we wanted to go with a 2W drive. The rainy season was just starting so all the roads were in pretty good shape. The only place we couldn’t access with our car was the last 5 km at Sossusvlei. There you can get a shuttle for $10/person return ticket, children the same price. We walked both ways and it was a good way to take in the dessert.

Accommodations. All hotels and guesthouses were too expensive for our budget. Typical cost for a family room was min $70. Doubles go for $56 and up. The good news is that there are plenty of campsite but even camping can get expensive in Namibia as all places charge per person, not per campsite. Typical camping costs are from $8-$15/person, kids half price. We had our own small tent, sleeping pads, sleeping bags and a tiny cooktop we got at Cymot in Windoek. Our camping equipment was very basic but by keeping things simple we could fit in the small car.

In all the National Parks our accommodations came to $46/night for camping (4 people, kids 1/2 price) and in addition to that we had to pay $17 daily park fees (kids under 16 are free of charge).

Food. Most of the food is imported from South Africa so that adds to the cost. Supermarkets in the city are more affordable than small shops in the middle of nowhere so stock up when you get the chance. Restaurants are slightly cheaper than in the USA, but expensive in National Parks – breakfast can cost up to $7, lunch $10, dinner $14 not including drinks. Beer is $8 for a 6 pack. Water is $1.50 for a litter.

We ate out only once and cooked our own meals to save money.

Here is the skinny on our itinerary~

Day 1-3 Windhoek. Taxi from Windhoek to town goes for $15/person. We got one for $30 for the whole family. I recommend getting your own car at the airport if possible and stopping in the capital to rest a night before taking off. I personally didn’t love exploring Windhoek. A day would be plenty but we spent three days hunting for a vehicle.

We stayed at Chameleon Backpackers. I can’t recommend this hostel enough. The stuff is super friendly. It is a great place to get oriented, make friends and chill. Price $10/person camping including breakfast (space for camping is limited and no reservations can be made in advance). Price for a dorm bed was $15. Book in advance as it fills up easily even out of season.

Day 4 Half of the day was spent in picking the car from Avis. 

Note: This is basic information, but we still managed to mess up – You will need your international drivers license and a credit card (not a debit one) when picking up the rental car. We left Windhoek at 3 in the afternoon so drove to Ojivarongo – a three hour trip. Because of the late start we had to sleep in the city. We stopped at Acacia Rest Camp. Cost was $6/person. Cheap campground but you get what you pay for. It is community owned and the money are going towards local people but it is shabby and to be avoided. Wish we were brave and drove all the way to our intended destination Waterberg Wilderness Camp.

Day 5-6 Waterberg Wilderness Camp We loved this camp! Not only the campsites were beautiful but the whole area was stunning and we could explore on foot for hours. We thought it was much better and cheaper option than the NWR Campsite next door. Cost for camping was $15/person/kids under 12 for free. All camps had private abolition blocks (toilets), rain shelter and swimming holes filled with spring water.

Day 7-8 Etosha Okaukuejo Rest Camp On the way to Etosha we stopped at the Cheetah Concervation Fund. Our kids loved getting to see the cheetahs up close and observing them being fed. The CCF had a great little museum and entry included a walk around with a guide who explained about the ongoing programs in detail.

Okaukuejo Rest Camp had great facilities and amazing waterhole, but it was more crowded than Halali and Namotoni. Still I liked this camp the most, maybe because there were always animals at the waterhole. Observing wildlife here was one of the highlight of our trip. Cost for camping was $63/day, park fees included (for a family of four), same cost was valid for all campsites in the park.

Day 9-10 Etosha Halali Rest Camp This campground had a good swimming pool and a beautiful waterhole but the camping facilities were shabbier than the ones in Okaukuejo and we saw less wildlife. One night was plenty, but we stayed for two as there was no space at Namutoni Rest Camp.

Day 11 Camped 20 km before Kamanjab on C40 at the Himba Village Campground $7/person kids free. You could visit the Himba Village on your own without prior reservation. The village would assign you a guide as you arrive. Tour offered was $25/person, kids free.

Day 12 Camped at Abadi Mountain Camp next to Twyfelfontein off D2612 $8/person. Beautiful campsite, better and cheaper than Abba Huab Campsite. Don’t miss the Damara Living Museum on  D3214.

Day 13 Visited Twyfelfontein. Same day drove to Brandenburg White Lady Lodge $12/person. Campsite ok for one night.

Day 14 Visited the rock paintings at the Brandberg White Lady site. Plan to arrive early in the morning as most of the hike is in the sun and can get extremely hot. Then we drove to Swakopmund and spent the night at Youth Hostel Campground across from Europa Hoff Hotel for $2/person. The campsite was safe even though it was nothing more than a walled off field. The bathrooms were run down but the campsite was centrally located and it was super cheap! Swakopmund was a good place to dust off for a night but after a day in the city I was eager to head out to the wilderness again.

Day 15-16 Drove to Solitaire and camped 2 nights at Solitaire Guest Farm for $12/person. This is a wonderful spot! Don’t forget to stop at Solitaire Bakery and stock up on their apple crumble pie.

Day 17 Drove to Sesriem. Stayed at the NWR Campsite for the typical $63/ for a family of four, park fees included. Campsite was basic and expensive for what it was but we could see the sunrise and the sunset at the Sossusvlei dunes because we stayed inside the park and got an extra hour in the morning and in the evening before the gates closed.

Day 18 We spent the night at Betta Campsite on C27. The campsite was comfortable and the stuff was friendly. It was an ok place to spend a night and stock up. The small shops offers a selection of homemade cakes.

Day 19-20 Drove to Fish River Canyon Park and stayed two nights at Canyon Roadhouse for $15/person. This campsite was a better option than Hobas Campsite within the Fish River Canyon Park ($17 entry fees). Next day we visited the canyon and spent the afternoon soaking in Ai- Ais Resort. There we found an amazing pool with mineral spring water. Entry was $2/person.

Day 21 Drove to Lüderitz. We spent a night at Element Riders for $33/room for the family. The hostel was homey, with a central location and a friendly owner.

We wanted to drop off the car here and proceed towards Cape Town but Avis wanted to charge us US$250 one way drop off fee so we drove back to Windhoek.

Day 22 Drove back to Windhoek and hung out there for a few days before we figured out our transportation to Cape Town. We stayed the the Cardboard Box Backpackers this time around to save money. It was a rough spot but it provided the essentials for $9/person/camping/kids half price.

Highlights of our trip ~

Etosha Okuaejo Waterhole and driving around in Etosha
Sussuflei sunrise and sunset
Waterberg Wilderness Camp
Fish River Canyon

and Namibian beer of course:)

~M.