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Travel Advice

Get to know the ins and outs of travelling Namibia

NAMIBIA TRAVEL ADVICE - ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

As local tour operator, we are part of your journey from planning to organising and running your Namibia trip. We have many years’ experience in ensuring that you have a smooth trip and don’t need to worry about a thing. But there are a few things you should keep in mind before traveling to Namibia. Here, we share our detailed expert travel advice for your Namibia trip.

Best time to visit

The most popular travel time in Namibia is the dry season between June and October. These months are also the best time to visit Etosha National Park. If wildlife viewing is not at the top of your list, travelling in the low season can have advantages. We share advice on the best time to travel depending on different regions and seasons.

Getting to Namibia and getting around

Windhoek is the starting point for most trips around Namibia. But which visa do you need to get here and how do you get to your next destination? Find out whether a self-drive trip, guided tour, or fly-in package is the best option for you.

Money, Travel Budget & Tips

Find out which factors determine the price of your trip, which currency to use in Namibia, and how much you should budget for tipping. It’s always better to now before you go!

Health & Safety

From road safety to malaria risk and things to consider when on safari. While Namibia is considered a safe and low-risk malaria travel destination, we share expert travel advice on how to stay safe on its lonely gravel roads and beyond.

Packing List

Just don’t pack too much! We could end our packing list here, but if you want to know a few more details on what to bring to Namibia and in which type of bag to put it all, study our packing list and travel packing advice.

NAMIBIA AT A GLANCE

824,292 km² (318,261 sq mi)

ca. 2.23 Million

Important city for tourist activities

Official languages.

English is the official language of Namibia; but other frequently spoken languages include Oshiwambo, Khoekhoegowab, Afrikaans, RuKwangali and Otjiherero.

Namibia Dollar (NAD), South African Rand (ZAR)

Country code

The majority of the population identifies as Christian, while around 10% identify with Islam, Buddhism, or traditional beliefs.

Dry season: May – October (winter, cooler temperatures) Green season: November – April (summer, hot temperatures)

Temperature

Namibia generally has a warm and dry climate, and it doesn’t rain much. During the hot summer months, especially January and February, temperatures can climb up to 33°C and even 40°C (91°F to 104°F). Temperatures along the coast, are cooler and you can experience cold foggy mornings. Night-time in the desert can get rather cold as well.

Important airports

The main international airport and point of arrival and departure is Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH, HKIA). Domestic airports are serviced by private charter planes. There are hardly any domestic scheduled flights.

Visa regulations

A comparably large number of nationalities do not need a visa to enter Namibia for tourist purposes. Please consult the Namibian embassy or consulate in your home country for visa advice ahead of your travels.

Experience Namibia with us

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Organization Location: Namibia

• Religious Beliefs In Namibia

Religion in Namibia

Namibia is a secular state which means that the government is neutral in religious matters and is neither a proponent nor an opponent of any religion. The government practices the separation of religion and state and treats all residents equally, regardless of their religious beliefs. The constitution allows for freedom of religion, and the government generally respects this right. The country has not taken any religious prisoners nor forced any religious conversions. The Government of Namibia does, however, recognize some important Christian dates as official holidays. Below is a look at the commonly practiced religions within the country.

Lutheran Christian

Approximately 70% of the population identifies as followers of the Lutheran Christian faith. This large following is due to the work of German missionaries who began working here in 1842 and Finnish missionaries who began their efforts in 1870, focusing primarily on the Ovambo people (50% of the population) and the Kavango. Three main churches comprise the entire United Church Council; one of these, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia, strongly opposed apartheid in the country and supported the Namibian fight for independence.

Traditional Beliefs

Two tribal groups report practicing traditional beliefs: the San people, which make up approximately 3% of the population, and the Himba, which are less than 1% of the total population. In the belief system of the Himba, their natural environment plays an important role in shaping the religion. Typical Bantu beliefs (the majority of tribes and ethnicities in Namibia are related to the larger Bantu group) include the existence of a supreme god that is related to the sun in some way and lives in the sky. Common creation stories explain that human formed out of a plant or that they crawled out of caves. In total, 15% of the population report practicing traditional Namibian beliefs. This large percentage could be because of the number of people who attend the Zionist Church. This church mixes traditional beliefs with Pentecostal Christianity. Missionaries of this faith came to South Africa (to which Namibia once belonged) in 1904.

Roman Catholic

Additionally, 10% of the population identifies their religion with the Roman Catholic church which receives spiritual leadership from the Pope in Rome. The beliefs in God, Jesus as his son, and the creation of humankind are shared with other Christian sects. Some of the earliest successful Catholic missionaries were German settlers arriving in 1883. However, a mission built in the town of Omaruru in 1872 (which helped establish the town) was attached during the Herero Wars in 1904. This mission was executed to rise against the German presence there. The Catholic association with the German colonizers was not always a positive influential factor in conversion attempts.

Other Beliefs

Around 5% of the population reports practicing other religions. These include smaller sects of Christianity (like Baptists and Methodists), Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Mormon, and the Baha’i religions. People who report following these particular religions are most likely new immigrants or descendants of immigrants (not considering colonizers as immigrants). These individuals are more likely to live in urban zones than rural areas. Most Muslims belong to the Nama ethnic group, and the majority of them follow the Sunni denomination. Twelve mosques are available for practitioners.

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Where once there were Christian missionaries

Wherever and whenever I travel, I rummage through all the travel guides looking for "wine", "vines", "wineries", "viticulture" - in the worst case, if nothing else can be found - "food and drink" will have to suffice. This time I was unlucky, there was really nothing to be found in Namibia. Not in the Polyglott, not in the Baedeker, not even in Dumont's "Richtig Reisen", but then, in the Marco Polo the first hint under "Essen & Trinken": "A special treat are some of the wines from Namibian cultivation." Just as I thought! For too long - 75 years - Namibia has been under South African rule. This must also have influenced the beer bliss of 31 years of German colonial rule.

Already on the drive to the capital Windhoek, I ask the driver who picked us up at the airport whether Namibian wines were available. "Not any more," he tells us and shows us a small hill built over near the Catholic church. "There used to be vines there. They were grown by the missionaries. These needed the wine for Mass and even more to quench their thirst!" Indeed, today the chic gourmet restaurant "Am Weinberg" stands where vines once stood and where there is a magnificent view over the city.

I remember my Uncle Paul, the missionary in what was then Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), telling me on his home leaves that they planted vines on their mission station in addition to vegetables and fruits. He did not say how the wine tasted. I didn't ask him either, because I was still almost a child at the time.

Our driver then immediately told the first wine story: "The wine "from the "vineyard" in Windhoek, the "Catholic" one, is said to have been the better one, while the other one, the "Protestant" one, tasted rather acid. Today, both wines no longer exist and neither do the vines.

I also encountered the tradition of viticulture by missionaries in China. At the oldest winery, we were proudly shown the ancestors of modern Chinese viticulture , Christian missionaries as winegrowers , founders of the "Dragon Seal" winery near Beijing.

In Namibia , Christian missionaries were the first white settlers. They were mainly messengers of the faith of the "London Missionary Society" and the "Rhenish Missionary Society", who endeavoured to save the souls of the indigenous blacks and set up farm-like stations in various places, later joining white farmers from Germany economically. But the climate was only suitable for growing wine in the north

Vegetable gardens, wheat fields or even vines. The differences were too extreme: great drought and lack of rain for a long time, followed by a heavy rainy season. When Catholic missionaries came to the country a few years later, there was always a need - on a small scale - to plant vines and make wine.

We only have to think back a little further to find a similar development in Europe. Almost everywhere where monasteries were founded - especially the once stately Cistercian monasteries - wine was also grown (for example "Schulpforta"), wine was traded and a lot of wine was drunk in spite of the warning rule of the order.

Back to Namibia. On the shelves of the shopping centres and of course in the restaurants - especially those frequented by tourists - there is of course also wine, but exclusively from South Africa. European or even Californian wines can only be found in luxury hotels and in a few "wine shops".

But South African wines are offered everywhere, white, red, even rosé. They are mostly simple wines from the big trading companies and huge South African wine farms. The opponents of cork register with satisfaction that among them are a surprisingly large number of bottles with screw caps Wine is not stored in Namibia (it is also much too hot), but mostly drunk very young.

In my search for Namibian wine, I discovered vines on a wine farm south of Windhoek, near Mariental. It is now a fancy farm guesthouse, but it spoils its guests with South African wines. Vines are still present, some in well-tended condition, but there is no in-house wine on the menu. Since large areas of Namibia still lack water for a long time, wine will probably remain more of an experiment and never become an economic factor. Like vegetables and lettuce, it continues to be imported - almost entirely - from the southern neighbouring country of South Africa.

But "The Thonningii farm in the Otavi Valley, whose Shiraz - only 2'000 bottles are bottled annually - is worth every trip there," I read in one of the travel guides. Well, the Otavi Valley is not in our itinerary. A diversion there does not mean - as in old Europe - a diversion of a few kilometres; here in Namibia it is quickly a few hundred kilometres of driving on dusty and bumpy gravel roads. Whether I can convince my friends of the importance of Namibian viticulture or whether I want to make the unplanned journey at all remains to be decided, especially as our next stop is South Africa - and there are plenty of wineries there that are certainly worth a visit.

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Missionary Spotlight – The gospel in Namibia

Namibia was a German colony between 1883 and 1915. Subsequently it was ruled by South Africa until 1990.

The first missionaries to arrive in Namibia were Abraham and Christian Albrecht of the London Missionary Society (LMS). They crossed the Orange River and established a mission station in the deep south of Namibia in 1806. This happened some 35 years before David Livingstone set foot on African soil in March 1841.

In 1814 Johann Heinrich Schmelen established an LMS mission station at Ui-Gantes (Bethanie) — a strategic base from which other mission stations were planted.

Other early missionary endeavours stemmed from the Wesleyan Missionary Society, and the Rhenish and Finish missions. Patrick Johnstone says: ‘Namibia for long had the highest percentage of Christians for any country in Africa.

‘The early labours of German and Finnish Lutheran and then Anglican missionaries gave birth to large denominations.

‘The influence of liberal and then black theology eroded that spiritual heritage, and true discipleship and holy living are now in short supply and nominalism widespread.

‘There is a noticeable turning away from Christianity and a lack of openness to the gospel.’

Namibia today

Twentieth-century mission in Namibia has taken place against the background of four developments.

First, mainline Protestant churches have succumbed to theological liberalism and ‘black theology’, the latter associated with the ‘liberation’ struggle. True Evangelicals in these churches are few.

Secondly, Roman Catholicism has grown to be the second largest denomination in Namibia. It has made significant contributions to hospitals, schools and social action, but not to gospel preaching, personal evangelism or true conversions.

Thirdly, the Dutch Reformed Church pursued separate development (apartheid) in its churches until the 1990s. The Church’s credibility has been severely undermined as a result.

Fourthly, the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement has produced many unruly and undisciplined splinter groups. Dreams, visions and spurious prophecies dominate their proclamation.

Evangelicalism

Commitment to biblical preaching and the authority of Scripture has for long been absent from Namibia. The Evangelical and Reformed faith is not well understood. In fact, ‘Reformed’ may be a ‘dirty word’ here, since the Dutch Reformed ethos has left a bitter aftertaste.

Solidly Evangelical denominations are rare. The Southern Baptists commenced a work in 1968, as did the Africa Evangelical Fellowship (AEF) around 1970.

AIM missionaries now work under the banner of AEF, and SIM has, of late, taken over the leadership of both. The AEF has planted ‘Evangelical Bible churches’, which are similar to Baptist Churches.

At the beginning of 1990, three months before Namibia became an independent nation, I was called as Pastor of the Eastside Baptist Church in Windhoek — now a modern city of about 250,000 inhabitants.

Having just graduated from a Baptist seminary in South Africa, I found myself in a challenging situation.

At seminary I had become acquainted with the Reformed faith through books by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spurgeon, and others. I began to compare the work in Namibia, which was carried on by Southern Baptist missionaries in classic Arminian style, with what I now understood to be a biblical view of missions, evangelism and church planting.

Typically, evangelistic work in Namibia had been conducted along the line of Donald McGavran and Peter C. Wagner’s ‘church growth’ methods (it is not difficult to gather people together in the rural areas).

It was evident that the planted Namibian churches lacked the marks of true biblical churches.

Convictions

I realised the deep problems we had — a lack of understanding of biblical pastoral leadership, the need for godly leadership, a sound doctrine of the church, and so on.

With my new-found convictions I began to walk where angels fear to tread. Fortunately youth and ignorance were on my side. I had no idea what was awaiting me!

Providentially, the Lord was pleased to raise up at this time a young Oshivambo man named Laban Mwashekele. He was a shepherd, converted through the evangelistic labours of a German farmer, and displayed an unusual eagerness for the Scriptures.

He was accepted as a student at a South African seminary. Here he too discovered the Reformed and Evangelical heritage through reading Lloyd-Jones, Spurgeon and other Baptist fathers.

When Laban graduated and came back to Namibia in 1993, our hearts were knit together. Since then God has been pleased to use him mightily in evangelistic labours.

In the meantime, we were joined in 1997 by a young Dutch Reformed minister, Jacobus de Koning, son of a well-known Dorothea Missionary, Johan de Koning. He is a gifted theologian and pastor and was encouraged by Eastside Baptist Church to begin an Afrikaans-speaking Reformed Baptist work.

Two years ago, a young man from the Rehoboth Baster people, J. T. Beukes, came to Reformed and Evangelical convictions and joined our growing Reformed Baptist team in Windhoek

He is now the pastor of the Faith Reformed Baptist Church, a small but growing work.

Undoubtedly the greatest encouragement in terms of church growth is found among the Oshivambo people. God has been pleased to use Laban Mwashekele’s radio ministry in the Oshivambo language.

He is eagerly listened to, and when he visits the towns, people flock to hear him. Many have been converted to Christ.

The current HIV/AIDS situation in Namibia is serious. This has become a silent and largely ignored calamity, with between 20-25% of adults and young people infected. There are already 67,000 AIDS orphans.

The Ovambo people are the largest population group and the most severely affected by AIDS. There is no doubt that God is using this calamity to draw people to himself.

A typical service held by Pastor Mwashekele is unlike most ‘crusades’ we see here. He has no posters to advertise his meetings; there is no music group or choir to draw the young people; advertising is by word of mouth.

In evangelism he will characteristically expound the Scriptures systematically, night after night. He makes no altar call in the accepted sense, but invites people to come to see him the next day, where he makes himself available for counselling and discerning the Spirit’s work in the life of the enquirer.

We give thanks to God for his mercy to us. We long for this same work to be done among the other population groups of our country.

Reformation inevitably demands change and upheaval. The Oshivambo word for ‘Reformation’, ovitungululo, is an interesting one. It translates literally as ‘breaking down — building up’.

We have seen plenty of that! For us in particular, it has brought conflict with Southern Baptist Missionaries, whose policies and views are at odds with the Reformed faith.

Sadly this has led to a breakdown in relationships. However, at national level, the Reformed Baptist movement has done its best to maintain excellent relationships with the brethren.

Perhaps it needs to be also said that the ‘Reformed movement’ is very young. Many have yet to reach maturity. Our outworking of the Reformed faith is not always what it should be.

In worship style, Reformed Baptist churches here might be miles apart from those in the UK or North America. However, the Namibian churches earnestly pursue the Reformation essentials — Sola Scriptura, Sola Christus, Sola Gratia, Sola Fides, Soli Deo Gloria!

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Home > Namibia > Namibia Blog Itinerary

Namibia Itinerary and Travel Blog: 14-Days, 4,274km, 1 Big Problem

14 Days, 72 Hours Driving, 4,274 Kilometers, and Only 1 Big Complaint

This Namibia blog shares the highlights, lowlights, and honest insights of our two-week itinerary. See our Namibia Travel Tips , Cape Town to Namibia Guide , and Is Namibia Worth Visiting? for more trip-planning info.

There's only one thing that could've made our Namibia road trip itinerary better.

Other than it, our itinerary was fantastic and we have no real regrets. Given our limited time and budget, we discovered as much of Namibia as we could have hoped. We saw more than our share of dunes, animals, cool plants, and unusual landscapes.

This one thing— our one BIG complaint—was the roads . They're miserable, torturous, wretched, and evil.

Maybe by the time you read this the Namibian government will have gotten their act together and graded them. Either that or hovercrafts will have become affordable to rent.

The latter's probably more likely.

Whatever the case, use this travel blog of our Namibian itinerary to plan yours as perfectly as possible.

Namibia Itinerary Outline

Skip Day 1 if you're not coming from Cape Town like we did.

• Day 1: Cape Town to Vredendal (Day Rating: 7/10)
• Day 2: Orange River (6.5/10)
• Day 3: Fish River Canyon and Aus (8/10)
• Day 4: Namibrand (7.5/10)
• Day 5: Sossusvlei (6/10)
• Day 6: Camp Gecko (7.5/10)
• Day 7: Moon Landscape (5/10)
• Day 8: Swakopmund (6/10)
• Day 9: Spitzkoppe (7/10)
• Day 10: Kamanjab (5/10)
• Day 11: Etosha (the Good Day) (7.5/10)
• Day 12: Etosha (the Bad Day) (5/10)
• Day 13: Windhoek (5/10)
• Day 14: Departure (3/10)

Namibia Blog Day 1: Cape Town to Vredendal

369 km in 5 hours.

So Naive, So Innocent

How sweetly naive we were when we complained that the dirt roads into and out of Lamberts Bay were rough.

By the end of our trip, we would've given our left thumbs for all the roads in Namibia to have been so good.

Fryers Cove

Our biggest highlight of the day was Fryers Cove , "the world's only vineyard this close to the Atlantic Ocean." The tasting room, on a fishing pier beside a lighthouse and an abalone farm, seemed better suited for a fish and chips restaurant, which made it so special.

So special that it easily made our list of the 10 Most Unique and Unforgettable Wine Tastings in South Africa .

Lambert's Bay

Tasting at Teubes Family Wines' at Lambert's Bay surprised us in a couple ways too. First, the lady who led the tasting is studying to be a sommelier but… she doesn't even drink! Second, Lambert's Bay seemed like a funky, fun town with plenty of good restaurants—notably seaside Muisbosskerm.

If we return to Cape Town, we'll come for a weekend.

Fast Forward:

• Highlights: Wine tasting at Friar’s Cove.
• Lowlights: Losing precious wine tasting time waiting for the rental car company to get our paperwork in order.
• Best Food: Chef Keith Burger for me and hake for Kim at Thi Art in Vredendal, which looks like a strip-mall restaurant but doesn't act like it.
• Where We Stayed: Super friendly Airbnb in Vredendal
• Road Quality: About 150km of good-quality dirt road. The rest was paved.
• Day Rating: 7. If only we could've hit the road sooner.

Quick Tip: Load up on wine during this day if you're doing your Namibia road trip from Cape Town because selection decreases and prices increase as soon as you cross the border.

Bonus Ideas if Coming from South Africa

We skipped a ton of huge highlights north of Cape Town because we'd done them previously and wanted to try new things. Strongly consider adding these to your itinerary:

• Darling for its brewery, sweet shop, wine farms, and, especially Pieter-Dirk Uys ' satirical Evita Se Perron performances
• Cederberg , especially around the Sanddrif Resort , where there's an awesome swimming hole, some fun hikes (Wolfberg cracks was much more of an adventure and challenge than we expected), and where they produce excellent wine and beer that's perfect for late-day refreshments.
• West Coast National Park . Worth it for the wildlife, flamingos viewed from lagoon bird hides, easily-accessed hilltop viewpoints, and colorful lagoon.
• Paternoster . A few quirky shops, a nice beach, and a very famous restaurant, Wolfgat .

And definitely read our tips specifically for Cape Town to Namibia road trips.

Namibia Itinerary Day 2: Orange River

426 km in 4.5 hours.

Goodbye South Africa

We felt nostalgic on this last day of our six "hectic" months in South Africa.

And it ended with a whimper.

There wasn't much to see on the long highway between Vredendal and Springbok.

But the scenery stepped it up a notch and gave a glimpse of what was to come as we approached the South Africa-Namibia border at Noordoewer, which we crossed with surprisingly little fuss.

Orange River Kayaking and Chilling

After a quick check in at Felix Unite, change, and sunscreen lather, we followed our guide Beaumaris on a 3-kilometer paddle down the Orange River. There were a couple of rapids but nothing strong enough to flip our boat, even though we hit pretty much every rock along the way.

A van picked us up at Amanzi Trails, which had nicer campsites than Felix Unite but none of the amenities, and drove us back, where we chilled by the river and the pool, played some pool, enjoyed a sunset drink, and had a fairly-priced meal at the restaurant.

• Highlights: Kayaking on the Orange River. It didn't live up to all the praise our friends had given it but was definitely a nice way to spend a couple of active hours.
• Lowlights: The lack of attractions on the long road between Vredendal and the South Africa-Namibia border. Unable to find an interesting restaurant, we resorted eating take-out supermarket lasagna at a highway-side rest stop.
• Best Food: Kim's chicken caesar salad at Felix Unite. I had the "famous" peri-peri chicken, which wasn't worth the extra wait.
• Where We Stayed: A bungalow at the Felix Unite Provenance Camp , whose pool, restaurant, bar, and riverside location were perfect for rinsing off and fueling up for the dusty deserts of Namibia.
• Road Quality: 100% paved roads.
• Day Rating: 6.5. Relaxing, almost too much so for our tastes.

Quick Tip: Fill up on gas on the Namibian side of the border, where the price per liter is quite a bit cheaper.

Namibia Blog Day 3: Fish River Canyon to Aus

513 km in 6.5 hours

A Great Start

Enhancing our eager anticipation as we ventured into Namibia's desert for the first time was the fact that we couldn't see anything but stars in the pitch-black early morning.

As we passed the gas-station-less settlement of Aussenkehr, the sun broke the horizon and we had to turn off our audiobook to fully embrace the awe-inspiring scenery that we had all to ourselves. Optimistically, we thought this was just the beginning and expected the rest of our Namibia road trip to get better and better.

This section of road ended up being the most pleasant of our entire trip , largely because we were all alone and the roads weren't trashed by a steady stream of tourists in camper trucks.

Fish River Canyon

We arrived at Fish River Canyon three hours after setting off.

The view of the canyon didn't take our breaths away, as the breathless blogs and guides claimed. But at least we had the opportunity to stretch our legs on the ridge trail and take photos of the canyon and the quiver tree beside it.

We stopped at Cañon Roadhouse , which is as kitschy as advertised and had better-than-expected homemade burgers, then at Naute Kristall Distillery , where the owner Katherine gave us samples of a variety of schnapps and the world's only date cognac.

On Katherine's suggestion, our next stop was Alte Kalkofen , home of the world's only lithop sanctuary… which probably means as little to you as it did to us.

We'd never heard of these crazy little "living stones" before, either.

But as soon as the manager Marika led us into the nursery and explained lithops to us, we were enthralled. Some looked like hippos' mouths, some like brains, others like rocks, and they were all so delightfully weird.

We had some apple pie at Alte Kalkofen's restaurant, thinking the cabins there would be a good spot to spend a night if we ever returned, then drove on to the one-garage, one-shop, one-restaurant town of Aus, where we took advantage of each of those establishments.

The food at the restaurant, part of the Banhof Hotel, was good if a little overpriced.

• Highlights: The lithop sanctuary at Alte Kalkofen and the early morning drive from Orange River towards the canyon.
• Lowlights: The Fish River Canyon wasn't a negative, but it didn't impress us as much as the bad road into it from Hobas annoyed us.
• Best Food: The apple pie at Alte Kalkofen was the best of our Namibia road trip.
• Where We Stayed: Airbnb in Aus .
• Road Quality: Good quality dirt road with a big exception of the road between Hobas and Fish River Canyon. The last 180km to Aus on the B4 is paved.
• Day Rating: 8. Pleasant surprises and mostly good roads made for one of the best days of our entire Namibia road trip.

Quick Tip: Fuel up and take some air out of your tires in Noordoewer because the next garage isn't until the Cañon Roadhouse.

Namibia Blog Day 4: NamibRand

275km in 6 hours.

Klein Aus Vista Hiking

Once again, we got up before the sun to go for an early-morning hike at Klein Aus Vista and get a head start on what we had been warned would be a long day of driving.

The 1-hour, 6-kilometer Mountain Trail hike at Klein Aus Vista wasn't nearly as noteworthy as ones we were to do later in our trip at Spitzkoppe, Sossusvlei, and Goanikontes, but the setting of the cabins they have there is worth considering a night or two.

Helmeringhausen

After showering back at our Airbnb and buying supplies for tonight's braai (a.k.a. barbecue), we took off for a slow, empty, initially-interesting-but-soon-becoming-boring ride north.

The drive was made extra slow by Kim's cautiousness (today was her turn to drive) more so than the quality of the dirt roads, which was fine.

Just over 100 km in, we hit Helmeringhausen , another middle-of-nowhere outpost like Canon Roadhouse and Solitaire that somehow was busy with a couple of busloads full of French and German tourists. We had another self-proclaimed "best apple pie in the world," which wasn't as good as yesterday's from Alte Kalkofen, then hit the road.

And the road hit us back.

Namibian Desert Torture Begins

From Helmeringhausen, the road steadily deteriorated for four hours. We felt each and every one of those 14,400 seconds. Eventually, our speed (around 35 km/h) was lower than the temperature outside (around 40°C).

I coined it "Namibian desert torture," a dry version of Chinese water torture that we were to face a lot of in the coming days of our Namibian road trip.

But in this case our destination, NamibRand Family Hideout , made it all worthwhile.

NamibRand Family Hideout

Our Venus campsite was in the middle of nowhere with a huge private bathroom area that we could've easily slept in and backed by our own private sand dunes.

At sunset, we brought a blanket and the bottle of Hectic Route wine we'd saved for a special occasion to the top of the dunes.

And man was this occasion, with the 360-degree views of the technicolor desert and not another human in sight, special.

Amateur Campers

This was our first night camping of our Namibia road trip and it showed.

Our biggest mistake was not bringing any fire starter. The bag of wood we bought only had big pieces that a match could never get aflame and, since we were in the middle of the desert, finding kindling was a major challenge. We resorted to using up almost all our matches and every piece of paper we could scrounge up to get it started.

Dinner Under the Stars

Once we got the fire going, Kim worked her magic and made us a magnificent meal that we ate under the stars.

We were all alone…

…aside from a bunch of fearless dune hairy-footed gerbils (mice with a fancy name) that at first were cute but soon became a nuisance for nibbling at our feet.

• Highlights: Dune-top sunset views and wine at NamibRand Family Hideout will likely remain our most lasting positive memory or our entire Namibia road trip.
• Lowlights: The frustration of trying to make a fire without fire starter.
• Best Food: The meat, veggies, and potatoes Kim made over the braai were worth the struggle to get the fire going.
• Where We Stayed: NamibRand Family Hideout's Venus campsite.
• Road Quality: Ok to start then degrading down to really bad by the end.
• Day Rating: 7.5. The road took away from what would otherwise be an unforgettable day.

Quick Tip: NamibRand doesn't sell wood or food, so buy everything beforehand, including some fire starter.

Namibia Itinerary Day 5: Sossusvlei

279 km in 5.5 hours

Cornelius from NamibRand Family Hideout came over in the early morning to show us around the reserve. As the sun started to shine on the desert in a display that equaled last night's performance, Cornelius also enlightened us. He taught the history of these, the oldest dunes in the world, and interesting facts about the plant and wildlife.

We would've loved to spend another day in paradise at NamibRand , but we had to pack up and leave for another looooong drive.

Following Cornelius' advice, we took the longer route from NamibRand to Sesriem , the gateway to the famous sand dunes of Sossusvlei , along the D827 instead of the D27 (which a couple we met later confirmed was virtually impassable).

The D827 was in decent shape but the C19 and then the D826 into Sesriem was a different story.

What may one day have been a road had devolved into a sea of sharp gravel and stones with waves of corrugations that endlessly ate away at our good mood until we were at each others' throats.

Even as the scenic dunes of Sossusvlei and the colorful Naukluft mountains came into view, we could barely appreciate them because we were too distracted by the road.

A Hard Truth in Sesriem

Once we finally arrived at Sesriem, we confronted a hard truth:

The gates only open at sunrise then it's 60km from there to the dunes, so even if we got to the entrance ahead of the other 60 to 100 other cars who start lining up as early as 1.5 hours in advance, there was no way to truly see the dunes in the perfect light.

Well, no way other than staying inside the gates at the official NWR (Namibia Wildlife Resorts) camp , whose spots had sold out months ago.

Sunset was out of the question too . Sesriem's gates close before sunset, which at this time of year meant 6:30 pm.

So we swallowed this hard truth we made what turned out to be an excellent decision….

We went to the dunes in the middle of the day.

We were car number 146, but almost everyone before us had already come and went. There were only a few cars on the perfectly paved road to the dunes and only two others at the parking lot at the end of it, where we were all alone on the overpriced (170 each) but necessary shuttle to Sossusvlei.

From the shuttle drop-off point, it was a 1.1km walk in 39.5°C (103°F) heat through the sand to Deadvlei .

At least it was a dry heat and there was a bit of a breeze so I barely broke a sweat. Kim didn't tolerate the heat as well, but not enough to affect her mood.

There was only another pair of friends when we got to Deadvlei. We took photos for each other then they left and we had the whole place, Namibia's number one tourist attraction, to ourselves!

It's like being alone in Machu Picchu, the Great Wall of China, or the Pyramids. We couldn't believe it.

Unwinding in the Wind

On our drive back to Sesriem the breeze became a full-on sand storm and we could barely make out the dunes to the side of the highway.

It also made it impossible for us to start a fire back at our camp, Sossus Oasis , so we settled on buying some crappy bread and making sandwiches in front of the gas station.

On the table beside us was a group of cyclists who'd come all the way from Egypt on a Cairo to Cape Town tour . They told us the road they'd just cycled—the same as we had come in on—were easily the worst they'd encountered.

Way to go Namibia!

Congrats on the ignominious title of having worst roads in Africa.

• Highlights: Having Deadvlei all to ourselves at 3 p.m. in the afternoon.
• Lowlights: The C19 "highway" didn't break our car but certainly broke our spirits.
• Best Food: Macadamia nuts we brought with us from Cape Town.
• Where We Stayed: Sossus Oasis . Nothing special, but the best alternative to the NWR Campsite inside the gates.
• Road Quality: The worst. Like driving in a gravel pit.
• Day Rating: 6. The undeniable highlight of Sossusvlei couldn't overcome the lows of the bad roads.

Quick Tip: The Sossusvlei sand's hot in the middle of the day, so wear decent walking shoes if you want to hike around the dunes.

Namibia Itinerary Day 6: Camp Gecko

178 km in 4.5 hours

Road Blocked

As we left Sesriem after sunset and just as the Sossusvlei gates opened, we counted 56 trucks in line, waiting to race each other and the sun for photos. This reinforced our happiness for deciding to go yesterday afternoon instead.

The shitty roads quickly stole that happiness from us.

Fed up, we stopped at the nearest lodge, Hoodia Desert Lodge , to ask the owner how the roads are between there and the Olive Trail we hoped to hike that morning.

She crushed our dreams.

Even with her top-notch off-road truck she told us she avoids that road, which is the direct route to Windhoek, to takes another that's twice as long and still no good but not as bad.

No Olive Trail for us. We took her advice and abandoned our plans.

Three hours later, we got to Solitaire . As the only pit-stop between Sossusvlei and Swakopmund, it may be in the middle of nowhere, but there was nothing solitary about it. Fellow road-shaken travelers were everywhere.

We had a snack at McGregor's Bakery . The game meat pies (only NA$30 each) were much better than the chalky-crusted but once-renowned apple pie (NA$35).

And at the gas station ATM machine was broken. "Maybe later," said the employee we asked if it would be fixed anytime soon.

The roads improved after we turned off towards Camp Gecko , where we were spending the night.

Since we missed out on our hike, we did the fly-infested but entertainingly-interactive 3km Adventure Walk loop at the camp. The trail ended by the beautiful campsites on the other side of the hill that looked over a wild, 20 kilometer mountain-backed plain.

Our campsite was not nearly as beautiful but was close to the natural swimming pool, where we cooled off with the tadpoles.

Spreetshoogte Pass

With time to kill before dinner, we did the unthinkable:

We went for a drive.

Voluntarily.

Our Rough Guide , our hosts at Gecko, and a fellow camper all recommended Spreetshoogte Pass , so we folded ourselves back into our car to brave the roads again.

But the roads turned out to be fine on the 25-minute drive to and up the pass. The pass itself was even paved. And the late-afternoon views from up top were spectacular.

Back at the camp, we joined Camp Gecko's Swiss owners, Renee and Heidi, and an Austrian couple for a sunset drink then dinner in the spectacularly-situated lapa atop the hill.

The wood-fire-cooked oryx potjie ( oryx is an animal and potjie is a local stew) was extra tasty for us spice enthusiasts because Renee had mistaken chili for paprika.

It was a bit pricy (NA$250 each), but easily worth it for the chance to get to know Heidi and Renee, hear stories about their zaniest guests, and get the inside scoop on the struggles of trying to run a business in corrupt, inefficient Namibia.

• Highlights: Dinner and conversation at Camp Gecko. Honorable mention to Spreetshoogte Pass.
• Lowlights: Having to abandon our initial plans because of bad roads.
• Best Food: The meat pies at Solitaire.
• Where We Stayed: Camp Gecko campsite.
• Road Quality: More horribleness, but at least less time on it.
• Day Rating: 7.5

Quick Tip: Spreetshoogte Pass would be even more incredible at sunrise with the sun behind you. Try to plan an early morning breakfast at the picnic site there.

Namibia Blog Day 7: Moon Landscape

334 km in 7 hours

Zebra Mountain

Have you ever noticed that many places are named after animals you never actually see?

For example, we didn't see any geckos at Camp Gecko.

But Zebra Mountain, where we did a 3-hour morning hike, lived up to it's name.

There was no missing the zebras. It was so quiet out in the middle of desert scrub and rocks we could hear their footsteps and snorts from hundreds of meters away.

The quiet, the sunset, the animals, and the exercise was all magical.

Civilization

After four hours of miserable driving and one hour of regular paved road driving later, everything changed.

As we hit the coast, the weather went from dry and hellaciously hot to foggy and freezing. Relatively freezing. 15°C (60°F).

And we hit civilization.

Houses! Grass! People not in camping apparel! Other small sedans like ours! Traffic signals!

There was nothing appealing about the suburban spread of the Walvis Bay / Swakopmund area, but it was quite the contrast. We had pizzas at recently-opened Godenfang in Walvis Bay to mark the occasion.

Dunes and the Moon

We passed two underrated landscapes after lunch.

First was the ocean-side dunes between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. We'd heard about sandboarding and ATVing the dunes, but their proximity to the ocean and scope impressed us more than we'd expected.

Second, was the moon landscape . Before coming to Namibia we'd heard all about its unique landscapes, but not a peep about this one. To us, it was among the most unique as we'd seen, especially with the late-afternoon shadows.

Goanikontes

In the middle of the moon landscape, and only 30 minutes from Swakopmund on atypically well-maintained dirt roads, was Goanikontes Oasis . We were excited to spend a couple nights in one of its A-frame cabins there.

The friendly staff seemed excited to have us too. They welcomed us warmly and we had the pleasure of having a long chat with René, the matriarch of the family that recently purchased and refurbished the property.

It was actually more of a listen than a chat.

She entertained and impressed us with more tales of Namibian incompetence and her ability to work around it to get Goanikontes up and running so fast.

• Highlights: Hiking and zebras on Zebra Mountain
• Lowlights: Not having enough time to look around Walvis Bay because of bad roads.
• Best Food: Pizza at Godenfang in Walvis Bay
• Where We Stayed: A-framed cabin at Goanikontes Oasis
• Road Quality: Just as bad as the previous two days up until 100km before Walvis Bay, when the roads flattened. From then on, the roads were good.
• Day Rating: 5. Nice hiking but too much driving.

Quick Tip: We were glad to have decided to stay at Goanikontes instead of some hotel or Airbnb in Swakopmund. Consider doing the same.

Namibia Itinerary Day 8: Swakopmund

100 km in 1.5 hours

Moon Walking

For the first time in Namibia, we weren't rewarded with a sunset for waking up early. The fog from the coast beat the sun to Goanikontes.

On the bright side, it made for a uniquely eerie atmosphere during our easy, 1.5-hour, early-morning hike on the moon landscape's Weitzenberg Trail.

From Fears to Reality

The inevitable happened.

Our car, which so valiantly survived the dozens of hours of painfully corrugated roads it wasn't made for, had a flat tire. Two of them actually.

One was ok to drive on into town. The other, we replaced with our spare and the help of two well-intentioned but poor-planning Goanikontes employees. They broke our jack by using it upside down.

Luckily we had time to spare, René was around to lend us her jack, and at TyreRack in town they had true professionals who made our wheels good as new for just NA$100 each.

Enough of Swakop

Any concerns we had about the time we wasted fixing our tires dissolved when we got into central Swakopmund and found little to do.

Swakop may be nice compared to other Namibian towns. But not compared to anywhere else in the world.

We found very little to do . We wandered around, stopped in some souvenir shops in the pedestrian mall by the Brauhaus , the Kristall Galerie , and Peter's Antiques , but couldn't find the appeal of the place.

We enjoyed our meals at Tiger Reef and Tug , and their settings, though.

Equally enjoyable was getting a day off from driving, as spent a second night at Goanikontes.

• Highlights: Taking photos in the abandoned buildings towards the end of our moon walk.
• Lowlights: Seeing our car's flat tires for the first time.
• Best Food: Calamari from Tiger Reef and the solid-sized serving of stir-fried veggies it came with.
• Where We Stayed: Second night at Goanikontes
• Road Quality: Great!
• Day Rating: 6.

Quick Tip: Get a puncture repair kit like this one for your car. René gave us this tip when we were putting on our spare, we bought one in Swakopmund, and we soon put it to good use.

Namibia Blog Day 9: Spitzkoppe

323 kilometers in 5 hours

Amusement Park

As we approached Spitzkoppe , two hours from Goanikontes, its unnatural-looking big boulders and giant-pointy mound looked like an amusement park.

And, fitting of an amusement park, people outside tried selling us trinkets and souvenirs. Except it was kids (pushed forward by their parents) trying to sell to adults, not the other way around.

Inside, was a lot of fun. For us, more fun than an amusement park.

Scrambling up, down, around, and sometimes under the grippy rocks was the most fun activity of our whole Namibia road trip . And, contrary to many other reports we'd read, we didn't need a guide to scramble along the mountains. You only need guides to see the rock art.

Something's Erongo

We sped along the paved roads to Outjo where just outside of town was the most peculiar place: Erongo Mountain Winery , the biggest of the only four wineries in Namibia.

The vines were ragged and sparse and the surrounding farms were suffering from drought but somehow this sparkling new facility's cellars were full of wine.

We heard quite a few conspiracy theories about where it all came from.

The wine itself was unexceptional, but Boppie, who led our tasting did an excellent job and the other drinks we tasted like the Gravino, brandy, and cream liquor were nice to try.

Camp Mara had easily the nicest room of our entire Namibia road trip .

The person who designed them obviously put a lot of thought into the details, like the little lights and switches built into the live edge bathroom mirrors. And the kitchen was better stocked than ours back home!

That designer turned out to be Ecki, Camp Mara's very-German but born-and-raised-in-Namibia owner. During our pleasant candle-lit dinner with him and the camp's two other German guests we tried to loosen him up, but could barely crack him. He was probably thinking of the next addition to his rooms.

• Highlights: Climbing around Spitzkoppe.
• Lowlights: The unanticipated 45-minute wait for our sandwiches at Namib Oasis when we were in a hurry to make our appointed tasting at Erongo.
• Best Food: It's too bad the wait ruined our experience and we had to scarf it down too fast to fully appreciate it, but Namib Oasis's food was good.
• Where We Stayed: Camp Mara
• Road Quality: All good and mostly paved, with the exception of the 30 kilometers from the B2 highway to Spitzkoppe and back, which was in rough condition.
• Day Rating: 7

Quick Tip: Take advantage of the showers at Spitzkoppe's camp if you come as a day visitor and get sweaty from bounding up and down its boulders.

Namibia Itinerary Day 10: Kamanjab

490 km in 6 hours

Boring's Better than Bad

With a large distance to cover we made a depressing decision : to take the long route on boring paved roads rather than risk a shorter, potentially more exciting route on bad dirt roads.

The other way would've taken us by Brandberg Mountain , but some fellow bloggers said it was the biggest disappointment of their own Namibia road trip itinerary and other attractions in the area like the Organ Pipes had especially bad reviews .

We tried to throw in a bit of spice by making a detour to Vingerklip and the Ugab Terraces , but for us it was one of those places where the photos look better than real life.

Kaman-Giraffes

After seven hours of driving, we made it to our destination, Kamanjab Rest Camp .

There, we were happy to have the chance to stretch our legs with a 3-kilometer loop around Kamanjab Rest Camp's reserve. The first two-and-a-half kilometers were nearly as uninspiring as our drive until…

Kim spotted the giraffes.

They were so still at first that Kim thought they were fake, but as we moved in for a closer look, they moved away.

We'd seen plenty of giraffes before in Kenya and at Kruger but the novelty of seeing them, especially when on foot instead of in a vehicle, made our day (even though that didn't take much doing.)

All's Well that End's Well

We booked at Kamanjab Rest Camp first because of its convenient location en route to Etosha game reserve but second because of the good reviews of its food.

The dinner delivered.

I had a three-course meal with zebra (my second zebra steak of the day!) and Kim had a two course with oryx. Both steaks were superbly seasoned and topped with a tasty pepper sauce, and accompanied by a nice salad and fresh fries.

After dinner, we chatted with Elodie and M.D. the younger-than-us Belgian-Namibian couple who'd taken over Kamanjab Rest Camp in August.

Elodie shared her experiences of settling into Nambia and M.D. outlined his own perfect Namibia road trip itinerary. It didn't overlap with ours at all. It centered around the rarely-visited far-northwest of the country and required serious off-roading expertise.

• Highlights: Spotting giraffes on our walk around Kamanjab Rest Camp.
• Lowlights: "Giving up" on adventure and staying on paved roads.
• Best Food: Belgian-cooked zebra and oryx food at Kamanjab Rest Camp.
• Where We Stayed: Kamanjab Rest Camp
• Road Quality: All paved roads except the detour to Vingerklip, which was in ok condition.
• Day Rating: 5. At least we weren't home on our computers.

Quick Tip: Go to the Farmhouse instead of Outjo Bakery in Outjo. The Farmhouse used to be the only spot in town, got too comfortable, then Outjo Bakery came along and stole all its business. Now, the tides have turned. Outjo Bakery seemed charm-less and uninspiring while Farmhouse's food was tasty, well-priced, and had excellent service. Oh and apparently "the best coffee in Namibia."

Namibia Blog Day 11: Etosha (The Good Day)

225 km in 7.5 hours

Forty-five minutes after we'd hastily packed up because I set my alarm for 6 p.m not 6 a.m., we made it to the Galton Gate entrance to Etosha National Park .

We didn't see many animals for the first hour-and-a-half in the remote western edge of the park…

…But over the following five hours we saw more wildlife than we'd seen at any park in Kenya or in South Africa's Kruger Park .

By 3 p.m., we'd seen every animal we had extra tentatively, because we were visiting off peak season, included on our wishlist!

Around 11 a.m., we stopped at the Olifantrus Camp where we lost track of time watching wildebeest, oryx, zebra, and red hartebeest jostle over drinking spots from the two-story animal hide.

Aside from the hide the camp was basic and had "sold out" of all its firewood and meat, so we regretted having reserved a night there. Luckily, the manager managed to change our reservation and get us the last campsite in Okaukeujo instead.

Unbelievably, the road from Olifantrus to Okaukeujo was worse than any we'd experienced on our Namibia road trip.

When we finally made it to Okaukeujo camp, we found and fixed two punctures in our back left tire. Thank goodness we purchased the tire repair kit in Swakopmund. Without it we would have had to abandon our next day in Etosha and drive 117km to Outjo to get it fixed.

Okaukeujo is more of a village than a camp with shops, various types of accommodation, a big tower in the middle, and, most importantly, an animal viewing area.

Sitting on benches semi-encircling a waterhole, we watched oryx and elephants drink at sunset and, after a braai with some new Spanish photographer friends where an opportunistic jackal circled for our scraps, returned at night to watch more elephants, giraffes, and black and white rhino under the floodlights.

What a show!

• Highlights: Watching three female lions saunter into Jackalswater waterhole as all the other animals there lost their shit and fled.
• Lowlights: The long, featureless, animal-less, and miserable road from Olifantrus to Okaukeujo, especially from Ozonjuiti on.
• Best Food: We grilled our own food rather than pay a premium for whatever uninspired food was available at the camp restaurants.
• Where We Stayed: Okaukeujo (o-ka-koy-yo). Dirty, crowded, and overpriced, but worth it for the animal viewing at sunset, sunrise, and at night.
• Road Quality: Until Olifantrus, the roads were OK, but the roads from there to Okaukeujo almost gave us and our car a K.O.
• Day Rating: 7.5. Four hours of bad driving was worth it for animals.

Quick Tip: Book at a camp inside Etosha well in advance to ensure you get a spot. Watching animals from the hides at sunset, sunrise, and at night is an incredible experience you cannot have if you stay at better, cheaper camps outside the park.

Namibia Itinerary Day 12: Etosha (The Bad Day)

271 km, 8.5 hours

Fewer Animals, Too Many Bad Roads

We saw plenty of animals—elephants, a honey badger, lions, and all the other common game—but made even more mistakes on our second day in Etosha.

• Starting our day driving to Pan's Edge, a "viewpoint" at the edge of Etosha's salt pan that, from our point of view, was a complete waste of time.
• Forgetting to download and bring the guide to Etosha waterholes our friends had sent us the link to. We should have gone through it and carefully planned our route.
• Electing to drive a loop to Halali Camp and back. The bad roads were too much for us. We would've enjoyed our time more had we picked a couple waterholes near Okaukeujo and stayed there.

Quick Tip: Get The Photographer's Guide to Etosha National Park . Our friends told us it was super handy for learning about Etosha's watering holes, animal patterns, and some added photography tips.

Halali Camp

In the mid-day heat, we took a break at Etosha's Halali Camp .

The camp itself isn't much more than a big dusty parking lot of campsites, basic cabins, and a restaurant but we relished the opportunity to cool off in the swimming pool then watch a big group of elephants do the same at the waterhole while bullying away the oryx and zebra who wanted to join.

• Highlights: The elephants at Halali Camp's waterhole.
• Lowlights: Realizing our mistake of not planning our day better before we set out.
• Best Food: Vegetarian braai at our campsite to finish off everything we'd bought.
• Where We Stayed: Taleni Etosha Village , just outside Etosha's Anderson's Gate on the road to Outjo. So much nicer in every way than the campsites in Etosha… except for the all-important waterholes.
• Road Quality: Rock bottom.
• Day Rating: 5

Quick Tip: Don't get over-eager like we did. We would have enjoyed Etosha much more had we spent less time driving and more time sitting at waterholes watching animals.

Namibia Blog Day 13: Windhoek

443 km in 5 hours

Driving from Etosha to Windhoek

We looked hard for things to do in the 400 kilometers between Etosha and Windhoek, but found little.

Waterberg Plateau Park is the biggest attraction, but we'd heard mixed reviews and that you can't go on unguided hikes there, so we skipped it.

Discouraged, we sped straight to Windhoek. The roads are great and straight so it took us only 4.5 hours including stops for gas in Outjo, for food at Bohemia Books & Coffee , and for some biltong and dried fruit in Okahandja.

We had low expectations for Windhoek , Namibia's capital and most populous (around 350,000 people) city.

And Windhoek failed to live up to them.

We found it to be a character-less sprawl of traffic, strip malls, walled homes, and a ratty downtown center.

For one evening, though, it was fine.

We were treated to a sunset thunderstorm (!) at Hotel Thule and found Joe's Beehouse lived up to its legendary reputation thanks to its wild knick-nack decor and decent food.

• Highlights: Watching and experiencing a rare Namibian thunderstorm while enjoying a fantastic sunset and cheap beers at Hotel Thule.
• Lowlights: The lack of attractions between Etosha and Windhoek.
• Best Food: My oryx schnitzel from Joe's Beerhouse in Windhoek.
• Where We Stayed: An Airbnb that wasn't as well-located as advertised.
• Road Quality: Perfect and paved the whole way.

Quick Tip: Feel free to skip Windhoek entirely. You're visiting Namibia for the wilderness anyway.

Namibia Itinerary Day 14: Departure

48 kilometers in 1 hour

Windhoek Craft Centre and Cafe

Unlike similar shopping centers in other cities, Windhoek's Craft Centre didn't sell junky, made-in-China stuff. Each of the 38-or-so stalls sold what looked to be high-quality, original products.

So even though we had no space in our bags, Kim felt compelled to buy a couple things.

Our Airbnb host highly recommended the café there too. The upstairs patio seating was a plus, but everything was 20-40% more expensive than it should be.

Airport Shenanigans

Annoyingly, Windhoek's Hosea Kutako International Airport is 45 kilometers outside of town.

Much more annoyingly, nobody told us that rental car companies don't accept patched tires. Even though we'd gotten our tire professionally patched and it survived a further 2,000 km on Namibia's horrible roads, the agent told us they'd have to replace it. We were charged accordingly: NA$1,100 for the tire and NA$500 for "administration."

One last bump in the road for our very bumpy but undeniably scenic Namibia road trip.

• Highlights: The Craft Center actually had some nice stuff.
• Lowlights: Dealing with rental car issues.
• Best Food: The 25 foods we ate during our 24-hour layover in Taiwan on the way back to Canada.
• Where We Stayed: Seat 52F and 52E of the airplane.
• Road Quality: 100% paved.
• Day Rating: 3. Who likes airports and traveling?

Quick Tip: If you're returning your rental car at the airport, fill up your tank in Windhoek. We didn't get penalized for using up the 45 km worth of gas to get from there to the airport.

Read This Next:

Namibia Travel Tips: 20 Things to Now Before Your Self-Guided Trip

Before Planning a Cape Town to Namibia Road Trip, Read This

Is Namibia Worth Visiting? Yes, But Prepare Yourself

Disclosure: Whenever possible, we use links that earn us a cut if you pay for stuff we recommend. It costs you nothing, so we'd be crazy not to. Read our affiliate policy .

2 thoughts on “Namibia Itinerary and Travel Blog: 14-Days, 4,274km, 1 Big Problem”

Too critical You should research your destination before arriving. Namibia’s tarmac roads are among the best in Southern Africa. There are many thousands of kilometers of gravel roads and it is very expensive keeping them in perfect condition. Don’t you appreciate that you contributed virtually nothing to Namibia and the majority of the population while there and expect services to be equal to what people living in cities Europe and USA have. You hired a car that was cheap and unsuitable for your route when research before arriving would have.made it obvious that a 4×4 (and knowledge of how to adjust tyre pressures depending on road conditions) was a much better choice. You are financially very fortunate to live in the cosseted West and have spare money for leisure trips around Africa. Namibia (and the rest of Africa can be an amazing experience but if you are not super rich you should not arrive with a critical mind. Accept it as it is even if it might take you out of your comfort zone. Don’t you appreciate that your lifestyle is partly at the expense of exploited countries around the world. Corruption mainly benefits major foreign companies who approach incompetent and corrupt politicians (traitors) who are prepared to sell their countries future prosperity for a relatively minute amount. I lived in Namibia for five years and know some of the difficulties there. My opinion is that if you can appreciate being away from suburban life, temporary solitude, and amazing nature and wilderness you will probably want to return again and again. If you are a committed suburbanite you are probably better to stay away.

I think my perspective is worth sharing and closer to my real experience than the fawning stuff others write. Readers can balance my perspective with others for their planning.

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I’m Brittany, and I’m a Christian who loves to travel.

It’s more than a worldly passion for me.

Travel can be an incredible tool for transformation in the life of a Christian, and it’s something I’ve personally experienced in my own walk.

I’m so glad that you’re here.

On this site, you’ll learn how to can turn your vacation time into a personal pilgrimage that enriches your life and strengthens your faith.

This trip you’re planning?

It’s going to have an eternal impact.

Why I Started a Christian Travel Blog

When I first started traveling to Europe in 2016, the only options I could find for tours seemed to focus on partying and heavy drinking.

Though I was a young adult at the time, I was a married Christian, and doing a tour like that just didn’t sit right with me.

Not to mention, I didn’t just want to be on a vacation .

I only had a few weeks off per year.

I wanted my trip to mean something .

To make a difference in the world, and to come home changed.

I’d considered taking mission trips before, and – it’s not something I’ve totally ruled out. Maybe I will in the future.

But if you’re anything like me, you need to work.

And you only have so much PTO in a year.

When this is the case for you, it’s really hard to be on mission for months at a time – and, that’s usually the minimum of how long it takes to complete a meaningful project for a church or community.

I ended up traveling Norway, Denmark, Germany, and Sweden for 3 weeks – planning all of it with the help of my sister.

That trip yielded its own challenges, but it helped me see that traveling in a Godly way was a Christian was not only possible – but it was a tool for sanctification.

A process through which, you’ll be challenged to learn and grow.

What is Christian Travel?

I get it if you’ve stumbled across this page and you’re a bit skeptical.

If you don’t know me, your’re trying to figure out if you cnan trust me (fair enough).

And if you DO know me, and especially if we’re close – then you know how much of a sinner I am (saved by Grace, thank GOD – literally ).

But the question here is, what makes “Christian travel” different from any kind of travel?

Is “Christian travel” different from a Christian just traveling?

Yes… and no .

Any trip could be God-honoring and sanctifying as A Christian, sure.

But if we’re being honest with ourselves?

We’re usually not traveling with intention, or really thinking about what we want to learn or how we want to grow because of a trip we’re planning.

I hope to help you change that.

Why Travel is Great for Christians

I’m sure that, if you’re here, you don’t really need any convincing.

And, hey – if you disagree with me that’s totally fine too.

But here’s what I’ve found as far as benefits of travel for Christians when it comes to pursuing holiness and getting closer to Christ

Travel helps Christians to:

• Better understand events in the Bible
• Connect with others in the worldwide, universal Church
• Personally connect with figures mentioned in the Word
• Gain context for Scripture by living and experiencing it
• Share God’s love and truth with people all over the world

When we’re able to visit biblical sites, pursue personal pilgrimages, and travel to places that are important in Christianity, the Bible comes alive for us .

Imagine being ON Temple Mount, reading Matthew 5-7.

Imagine experiencing a storm on the Sea of Galilee to physically understand the fear the disciples had when in the boat with Jesus.

And imagine seeing Jerusalem firsthand – to truly comprehend what this significant city has suffered through millennia.

I can’t wait to share my own journeys with you, and for you to experience the power of a personal pilgrimage for your own faith walk.

Welcome, fellow pilgrim. ♥

What is Christian destination?

Why do christians travel, how do i start my christian journey, what are christians who travel called, what does god say about traveling, what is the religious word for travel, do christians do mission trips.

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Egypt Chevron

Cairo Chevron

In Cairo’s ‘Garbage City,' One Coptic Community Is Telling a Sustainability Success Story

In a part of Cairo known as the Garbage City, Magada Bamy’s hands move so swiftly that they nearly blur as she sifts through a bag of trash. “Grade A, grade B,” she mutters to herself, placing the plastic into piles based on thickness. Bamy, a middle-aged woman with a stern face framed by a bright-orange headscarf, sits on her doorstep as she half watches her grandchildren playing amongst the towers of trash filling the street. The youngest pulls a pair of swimming goggles out of a pile and puts them on, making the other children giggle.

Bamy is a resident of the Cairo neighborhood of Mansheyat Nasir, the home of a Coptic Christian community who have handled the city’s garbage for generations. Despite discrimination and poverty, the Zabbaleen—meaning “the garbage people,” in Egyptian Arabic—have developed one of the world’s most efficient recycling systems , as measured by the percentage of waste recycled. They sort everything by hand and use simple machinery to prepare raw materials for reuse: Upcycled products like jewelry, rugs, quilts, and stationery made in this neighborhood are shipped internationally , and some locals run tours to show visitors their working methods.

“The men collect trash from around the city and bring it back for the women to sort and recycle,” Bamy tells me as she points down a garbage-filled alley in Mansheyat Nasir. High buildings of raw brick and stacks of waste loom over us on either side, giving the feeling of being stuck in a maze. On the narrow street, many women just like Bamy are sorting through sacks while sitting cross-legged on the pavement.

Once the bags’ contents are sorted, some materials will be reused locally, Bamy explains. Oil canisters become tin roofs; organic waste is fed to pigs. Others are shipped further afield. Are any of your clothes made of synthetic fibers? If so, there’s a chance that they come from Mansheyat Nasir; the plastic Bamy collects is sent to a recycling workshop a few blocks away, fed into a machine, broken into pellets, and sent to textile factories in China .

The Monastery of Saint Simon, also known as the Cave Church, sits in the district of Mokattam Hills where the Zabbaleen—literally “garbage people”—have developed one of the most efficient waste reduction systems in the world

Bamy gestures to a door behind her and points out that the first floor is a workshop, and the Zabbaleen live on the upper floors of their houses. This explains the low whirring sound of machinery that pervades the street. “There are different machines for different materials. We mainly handle plastics on this street, but elsewhere, people take care of metal, glass, and everything else,” she explains. As we walk through the neighborhood, I peer past open doors to spot a teenage boy flattening aluminum sheets in a roller machine, and an older man repairing and selling used car parts.

The work in Mansheyat Nasir is meticulously divided, and everyone plays a role. This is one of the secrets to a highly efficient recycling system: The Zabbaleen reuse 80% of the garbage they collect . Compare that to an average 32% diversion rate in the United States , 27.5% in Canada , and 44% in the UK . The Zabbaleen are so successful at what they do that they have made themselves practically irreplaceable in Egypt. In 2003, the Egyptian government attempted to formalize garbage management and contracted four international firms to do the Zabbaleen’s work. It was a resounding failure . Neighborhoods sat filled with trash, as the large trucks used by the companies could not enter the narrow streets of Cairo to collect the population’s garbage. Complaints from the city’s residents mounted, and the government backpedaled on the entire effort .

“The Zabbaleen do a great favor to the city of Cairo,” says Nahla Ahmed, an Egyptologist and the founder of Egypt Female Tour-Guide , the country’s first woman-led tour company. Since 2004, Ahmed has taken travelers on off-the-beaten-track tours of Cairo and its desert environs, including visits to the Garbage City. “They have managed to save us from tons of trash—and make a successful business.”

​​Ahmed explains that the Zabbaleen descended from farmers who migrated to Cairo from Northern Egypt in the 1940s. They settled in makeshift camps on the city’s outskirts and began collecting waste to earn a living. In the 1960s, the government relocated them to a disused quarry at the base of the Mokattam Hills, where they have lived since then (Cairo has expanded and absorbed the Hills into its metro area over time). While this relocation provided the community with a stable home, other issues were not addressed—and have remained prevalent to this day: Collecting waste exposes the Zabbaleen to dangerous illnesses, including hepatitis. There are also no secondary schools nearby, meaning many children cannot access formal education. As a result, opportunities for work outside of garbage management are scarce for the Zabbaleen, especially as they also face the joint stigma of being both Zabbaleen and Christian in a majority- Muslim nation.

Government attempts to formalize waste management in Cairo failed where the Zabbaleen have succeeded, who reuse 80% of the garbage they collect, making them indispensable to the city.

“Employees see that [you are from Mansheyat Nasir], and they immediately send your CV to the bottom of the pile,” says Adham El Sharkawy, who is acting as my translator as I make my way around the neighborhood. Born and raised in Mansheyat Nasir, Sharkawy was featured in the PBS documentary Garbage Dreams , which follows three teens born into the trash trade. He then had the opportunity to spend two years in the United States doing intensive English courses before deciding to return home and look for work.

In recent years, many determined Zabbaleen individuals have found ways of fighting the social stigma they face in Cairo. Among them are a group of women who work with the Egyptian non-profit Association for the Protection of the Environment (APE), established in 1989 to help improve the lives of the garbage collectors through programs that provide education and jobs for the Zabbaleen community. The APE buys everything the women produce and sells it to customers worldwide ; the profits are then reinvested into community projects in Mansheyat Nasir. In their shop of upcycled goods, I see how pull tabs have become handbags , interlinking to resemble fish scales; jewelry is made from Nescafé pods, reshaped into abstract flower shapes; bottles have been flattened into dishes that have the flowing forms of molten glass.

“I love taking trash and making new things that people from around the world might use,” a woman named Hayet Ejela tells me, as she crochets pull tabs together to form a handbag. Ejela is sitting at a table in one of the rooms of the sprawling APE headquarters, set in a large garden on the edge of Mansheyat Nasir. Around her are half a dozen women, each engrossed in a different crafting project, and their materials—scraps of fabric, newspapers, bottle caps—are sorted in sacks around the room.

The women chat and laugh, comparing their work and giving each other pointers. There is a sense of joy and pride in their work, and this same pride is increasingly visible throughout the community. I see it in the small gift shop that has opened on a narrow street, selling recycled handicrafts as souvenirs, and in the tours run by local people, who bring tourists to the neighborhood to show them how they live and work.

Sharkawy was the first to offer tours of the Mansheyat Nasir, starting as early as 2008, when he was still a teenager. After finishing his studies abroad, he wanted to move back to his neighborhood and work towards changing the image other Egyptians and foreigners had of it. He continues to run his tours and, since 2022, rents out an apartment in Mansheyat Nasir , the first tourist accommodation in the Garbage City.

“People from outside used to be afraid to come here,” Sharkawy says. “I wanted to show them how impressive it is.” On his guided tours, he shows visitors the different steps of the recycling process and takes them to meet the women in the APE workshops. “People here are friendly. They like to meet outsiders and show them how they work,” he says.

The Hanging Church, a popular tourist site in Cairo, is also an active place of worship for the city’s Coptic Christian community, including the Zabbaleen.

As I walk around Mansheyat Nasir, people stop to practice their English with me. A woman in a long, leopard-print abaya makes me a cup of coffee, and a man smoking shisha insists that I visit their local church, the Coptic Church of the Virgin Mary, known as the Hanging Church. It's so named because of its nave which is suspended over the Roman-era ground level to avoid flooding. Set in the heart of this often-overlooked neighborhood, it happens to be the biggest Christian monument in Africa. Two little boys guide me around the Hanging Church, show me the tiered seats descending into a vast cave, and then lead me onto a rocky outcrop opposite the church entrance, from where I can see all of Mansheyat Nasir. The trucks are rolling in, loaded with garbage, ready for sorting and processing. Less visible are the ongoing challenges facing the Zabbaleen, and the energy and devotion that many of them pour into their work, determined to improve their material conditions.

“What we don’t achieve for ourselves, we will achieve for our kids. And what our kids can’t manage, our grandchildren will,” Ejela tells me at the APE workshop as she finishes crocheting the last line of her pull-top handbag. Ever the entrepreneur, she asks if I want to buy it. She smiles and tells me, “Your notebook will fit inside.”

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Hello to the new

Celebrating a new journey with the same dedication to sharing namibia’s incredible stories..

As we reflect on the remarkable journey of Travel News Namibia magazine, it’s hard to believe that 30 years have passed since the first issue was shared with the world. During this time, the world around us has transformed dramatically, influencing the way we consume information and news. Last year, we celebrated the magazine’s 30th anniversary.. This milestone not only marked three decades of excellence but also provided us with a moment to pause and consider the future.

In an era where the manner of absorbing news is ever-evolving, we find it timely and fitting to adapt and realign our aspirations to meet the changing needs of our readers and the travel landscape. Therefore, we are excited to announce a significant step forward: rebranding Travel News Namibia to Travel Namibia ® . This new name more accurately represents the essence of our magazine—a celebration of Namibia, its breathtaking landscapes, vibrant culture, and our commitment to promoting sustainable and conscious travel.

Travel Namibia will continue to embody the spirit of exploration and discovery, offering stories that inspire, inform, and connect us with the beauty of Namibia. We look forward to embarking on this refreshed journey with you, our valued partners, as we continue to share the wonders of Namibia and foster a deeper appreciation for mindful travel.

Featured Stories

Wildlife selfies – A conservation crisis

Dwarf Lions of the Desert

7000km across Namibia

Gardens in the desert

On the edge of the Namib Desert, at the gateway to Sossusvlei, lies the village of Maltahöhe. Founded in 1899 and once a hub for tourism, Maltahöhe has been on a steady decline for a number of decades. As it became more dilapidated, this small southern community saw an exodus of businesspeople and a massive spike in unemployment. What had been a welcome stopover was now a place that visitors would rather pass through in a hurry. But this was in the past, and today Maltahöhe is on track to become a thriving desert-based economy thanks to an exciting community revitalisation project called RuralRevive.

Khaudum + Nyae Nyae

Khaudum National Park has justifiably been described as ‘Namibia’s last wilderness’ and ‘Namibia’s lost wilderness’. It is renowned for its large herds of elephants, packs of wild dogs and one of the largest populations of roan antelope in addition to various other species.

A journey from HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Photography Feature: Abner Tshikalepo Simeon’s work as a guide for Wilderness takes him around the country. Along the way he captures exceptional photos of the incredible landscapes, wildlife and people he encounters. Equally remarkable is his career.

A Hike In The Shadow Of Brandberg

At Home Under A Bushmanland Baobab

Videos to inspire, read online.

Our Featured Partners

Editor's picks.

The story of a dove-hunting black- backed jackal at Chudop

Not another GREY GO-AWAY

It’s time to explore the Zambezi

Inspiring conscious travel.

The Kavango-Zambezi transfrontier ELEPHANT SURVEY

Website is undergoing a revamp. Please come back in a few weeks.

GO ON A TOUR WITH

Magic moments.

Click & Travel

- this is us!

namibia CLICK & TRAVEL  you won’t receive a catalog tour, instead you will get a unique tour with an individual touch. We will tailor-make your own personal, customized tour according to your wishes & needs and act as your local contact before, while and after your tour.  We have the necessary skills, experience and know-how to create your own unforgettable African Adventure.  Best of all: our booking service for accommodation, rental vehicles and activities is free of charge! You do not pay one cent more than when booking yourself and receive our years of experience and individual travel documents totally free. " data-lang-de="​Mit namibia CLICK & TRAVEL bekommen Sie keine Reise aus dem Katalog, sondern eine einmalige Reiseroute mit individuellem Touch. Wir stricken Ihnen Ihre maßgeschneiderte Safari nach Ihren Ansprüchen und Wünschen und stehen als Ansprechpartner vorort, während und nach der Reise zur Verfügung. Wir haben die nötige Erfahrung und viele wertvolle Geheimtipps, um Ihnen Ihr eigenes unvergessliches Afrika Abenteuer zu schaffen.  Und das Beste: Unser Buchungsservice für Unterkünfte, Mietwagen und Aktivitäten ist kostenlos ! Sie zahlen keinen Cent mehr als bei eigener Buchung und erhalten unser jahrelanges Know-How, viele Geheimtipps und individuelle Reiseunterlagen gratis.  "> Would you like to immerse yourself into the world of Africa and create your very own unique and special African holiday experience? Then look no further! With  namibia CLICK & TRAVEL  you won’t receive a catalog tour, instead you will get a unique tour with an individual touch. We will tailor-make your own personal, customized tour according to your wishes & needs and act as your local contact before, while and after your tour.  We have the necessary skills, experience and know-how to create your own unforgettable African Adventure.  Best of all: our booking service for accommodation, rental vehicles and activities is free of charge! You do not pay one cent more than when booking yourself and receive our years of experience and individual travel documents totally free.

Namibia Click & Travel

WHAT WE OFFER

Und campingreise"> privately guided lodge and camping tours, tours " data-lang-de="​selbstfahrer reisen"> selfdrive tours, flying safaris, camping tours.

tailor-made tours through the entire country. From absolute luxury and fine dining in lodges to off the beaten track rustic camping, we will create a safari of a lifetime that will suit your every need. " data-lang-de="​​Erleben Sie Namibia mit einem, eigens für Sie bereit gestellten, Guide. Wir teilen gern unser Wissen, unsere Leidenschaft und unser Know-how und führen Sie an die entlegendsten Orte dieses wunderschönen Landes. Ihr AFRIKANISCHES ABENTEUER wird unvergesslich. Wir bieten maßgeschneiderte Touren in ganz Namibia an. Vom absoluten Luxus und ausgezeichneter Küche in erstklassigen Lodges bis hin zu rustikalem Campen in der einsamen Wildnis. Wir erstellen mit Ihnen, auf Sie abgestimmte Touren."> Experience Namibia with your personal trained guide. We will share with you our knowledge, passion and expertise and take you to the most remote places of this beautiful country to make your very own AFRICAN ADVENTURE unforgettable. Magic Moments Tours specializes in individual tailor-made tours through the entire country. From absolute luxury and fine dining in lodges to off the beaten track rustic camping, we will create a safari of a lifetime that will suit your every need.

GUIDED SELFDRIVE TOURS

"> Our guided selfdrive tours offer you the possiblity of experiencing and enjoying the most remote areas of Namibia while travelling in the comfort of your own hired vehicle. Together we will create a safari that meets your every expectation. We will meet up with you at a camp of your choice and take you off the main roads to explore remote and seldom visited wild areas of Namibia. The length of the tour depends on you.

​ D SAFARIS" data-lang-de="​Geführte Safaris"> GUIDE D SAFARIS

" data-lang-de="​Wählen Sie zwischen Lodges oder Camping oder einer Mischung aus Beiden. Wir erstellen Ihnen eine Tour die Ihrem Budget und Ihrem Sinn für Abenteuer entspricht. Wir bieten Touren zu allen Zielen in Namibia, speziell Wüstentouren. Das berühmte Kaokoland, Damaraland, Buschmanland und der Caprivizipfel sind nur einige der wunderbaren Gegenden in die wir Sie begleiten können."> Choose between lodging or camping or a mix of both. We will create a tour to suit your budget and your sense of adventure. We offer tours to all destinations in Namibia, specializing in desert guiding. The famous Kaokoland, Damaraland, Bushmanland and Caprivi area are but a few of the breathtaking areas in Namibia we can take you to.

BEHIND THE SCENES

" data-lang-de="​wer wir sind ">who we are.

namibia CLICK & TRAVEL is based in Swakopmund , Namibia. Birgit Garny and Nina Holtrup combine not only a close friendship, but also the dream of owning a tour company for travel to Namibia. With namibia CLICK & TRAVEL this dream came true. Young, fresh and full of energy they provide exceptional personal service . With their years of experience in tourism, and their passion to this country will ensure, not only a memorable but a perfect holiday, that will go beyond any travelers expectations. " data-lang-de=" ​ namibia CLICK & TRAVEL ist ein in 2012 neu gegründetes Unternehmen mit Sitz in Swakopmund , Namibia. Birgit Garny und Nina Holtrup verbindet nicht nur eine enge Freundschaft, sondern auch der Traum einer eigenen Firma für Reisen nach Namibia. Mit namibia CLICK & TRAVEL geht dieser Traum in Erfüllung. Jung, unverbraucht und voller Tatendrang stehen die Beiden mit Rat und Tat jedem Reisenden persönlich zur Verfügung. Die jahrelange Erfahrung im Tourismus und Leidenschaft zum Land garantieren jedem Reisenden einen unvergessenen und einwandfreien Urlaub. "> namibia CLICK & TRAVEL is based in Swakopmund , Namibia. Birgit Garny and Nina Holtrup combine not only a close friendship, but also the dream of owning a tour company for travel to Namibia. With namibia CLICK & TRAVEL this dream came true. Young, fresh and full of energy they provide exceptional personal service . With their years of experience in tourism, and their passion to this country will ensure, not only a memorable but a perfect holiday, that will go beyond any travelers expectations.

unser team

The namibia CLICK & TRAVEL family - and that's us ... " data-lang-de="​Da unsere Gäste keine einfache Nummer im grossen Aktenschrank sind, sondern perönlich beraten werden, möchten wir uns vorstellen. Die namibia CLICK & TRAVEL Familie – und das sind wir... "> Since our guests are not a simple number in the large file cabinet, but are personally advised, we would like to introduce ourselves.  The namibia CLICK & TRAVEL family - and that's us ...

STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO YOUR TOUR

Listed below is an overview on the steps involved from the day you give us the go ahead for your booking until the start of your trip and the conditions that apply accordingly

Why book with us?

namibia CLICK & TRAVEL  is not just any travel portal in the jungle of tour operators. " data-lang-de="​Urlaub von der Stange? Nein Danke! namibia CLICK & TRAVEL ist nicht irgendein Reiseportal im Dschungel der Reiseanbieter."> Holidays off the shelf? No thank you!  namibia CLICK & TRAVEL  is not just any travel portal in the jungle of tour operators.

namibia CLICK & TRAVEL proudly supports several projects in Namibia. " data-lang-de=" ​namibia CLICK & TRAVEL unterstützt mit Stolz mehrere Projekte in Namibia.​"> namibia CLICK & TRAVEL proudly supports several projects in Namibia.

destinations

Far away you are often damn close to yourself.

WHAT GUESTS HAVE TO SAY

We thank you and the entire team of Namibia Click & Travel for the good advice, the planning and all the bookings wholeheartedly. We also really appreciated being able to meet you in person.

Pictures of the days in Namibia appear again and again in front of our eyes, wonderful, impressive landscapes in pastel colors, creatures of the diverse animal world that we were allowed to view, and the faces of all the friendly and established people we met. It was a really nice time.

It was really unbelievably wonderful and I am sure to come back to Africa, your quote "you can leave Africa but Africa never leaves you" is really true !!!

rezensionen

Was kunden sagen.

Everything, without any exceptions, worked out like clock-work

We were allowed to immerse and participate in a completely new world for us and got to enjoy a unique atmosphere.

We were definitely infected by the Namibian Virus

These are unforgettable memories and unfortunately the time has passed too fast!

Throughout the tour, we were overwhelmed by the endless expanse and beauty of Namibia with its fascinating wildlife.

It was much more exciting, more intense, more impressive than I could have hoped for!

Almost every day the landscapes and the colors changed, we encountered  animals that we only knew from the ZOO.

Our inspirational trip to three African countries will be an unforgettable experience. Thank you for your organization, which we can not rate other than 5 out of 5 stars !!!

A very big thank you for the absolutely perfect organization of the trip in advance and also for the support during the holiday

Thank you for planning the trip of our dreams. Everything was  perfect. We enjoyed every second of every day.

As our trip with Namibia Click & Travel has come to an end already almost a week ago, we would like to thank you for designing and organising an unforgettable stay in Namibia for us, for all the help, patience in responding to our numerous questions and finally for the great anniversary gift!!

We are now back home, happy because our trip was just fantastic, we will never forget all these beautiful moments passed in Namibia. 

fax2Email: +264 (0)88 651 5949 skype: namibia-click-travel " data-lang-de="telefon: +264 (0)64 463168 fax2Email: +264 (0)88 651 5949 skype: namibia-click-travel ">phone: +264 (0)64 463168 fax2Email: +264 (0)88 651 5949 skype: namibia-click-travel

[email protected] " data-lang-de="email: [email protected] ">email: [email protected]

P.O.Box 2386 Swakopmund Namibia " data-lang-de="Partick Lungadha Street P.O.Box 2386 Swakopmund Namibia">Partick Lungadha Street P.O.Box 2386 Swakopmund Namibia

[email protected]  Nina Holtrup: [email protected] " data-lang-de="Birgit Garny: [email protected]  Nina Holtrup: [email protected] ">Birgit Garny: [email protected]  Nina Holtrup: [email protected]

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My lil girl MILEY BEAN chillin like a villain

Such a great pet transportation company. I searched for a way to get a puppy to be transported across the US. I had looked into flying and picking up myself, having a company fly with the puppy from the breeder and ground transportation. After weighing all the options, ground transportation seemed the most cost-effective. After receiving multiple bids, Cmoorepets was the best option. Not knowing much about this method of travel, I was reliant on the Facebook page and the reviews that were on the page. I messaged the company and quickly received a quote. The setup process was very easy. I gave the pickup date and location and drop-off location. The payment was 1/2 on pickup and 1/2 at drop-off. A group text was setup between us, the breeder and the driver(Courtney-owner) and her co-driver(Christian-brother). We received many text messages and pictures along the way with location and updated estimated arrival times. This was such a great experience, I highly recommend this outfit if you are in need of transporting a pet. They are friendly, courteous, and trustworthy. I am thankful that in this day and age that there are companies that can be trusted with our most precious cargo.

Stay as far away from this company as possible!! They showed up at my house and approached me in a combative, threatening manner, getting in my face and trying to bully me. We had a disagreement about price because they kept pushing back my dogs arrival time by entire days so they could swing halfway across the country in the wrong direction to add extra stops and keep my dog in a van for 6 days. All they care about is money. When I came outside to get my dog, they wouldn't let me get him out of the car. HE LITERALLY ZIP TIED THE CRATE SHUT IN 3 PLACES and held my dog hostage, getting in my face saying give him the money NOW or I couldn't have my dog. I had to call the police. I had to take my dog to the emergency vet for fluids. He was dehydrated and constipated and severely stressed. They were nasty and argumentative in their communications and anything you say or do, they threaten legal action. They claim no one else ever complained about them being 3 days late to deliver a dog, but I talked to another rescue that dealt with them who had a similar experience. MOST UNPROFESSIONAL COMPANY EVER. Spend the extra money to work with a company who will respect you & your pet!

Business owner information

Courtney M.

Business Owner

Jun 15, 2024

Hello, this comment is not correct, and this lady also lives in Florida - not San Francisco. I would advise you to take this and remove on your end , as the finalized text I sent was within 24 hours. This lady owns a rescue and did not call the police, for 1, I have documentation and proof of all this. Quite frankly, my team felt very unsafe . We had to bring up defamation laws because of the extreme prejudice and cruelty this customer / business was causing.

2 other reviews that are not currently recommended

Veterinary Emergency Group

8.4 miles away from CmoorepetsTravel

Gwyneth W. said "I have never encountered a more empathetic and compassionate veterinary office than this one. When my dog suffered a severe ear laceration, the staff went above and beyond to provide the best care possible. Their motto, "Helping…" read more

in Emergency Pet Hospital

White Rock Veterinary Hospital

3.9 miles away from CmoorepetsTravel

Jo R. said "We are not the type of people who write reviews, but my wife and I were so taken back and blindsided (in a good way) by the thoughtfulness and sincerity demonstrated by the entire staff of White Rock Veterinary in Pflugerville, we…" read more

in Veterinarians

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