Self-Drive in Namibia

Hit those long scenic Namibian roads - when and where is up to you: Namibia is a more than suitable destination for you to explore the game-packed Etosha National Park or majestic dunes of Sossusvlei by yourself. For inspiration, check out our recommended African self-drive holiday itineraries.

With an enviable network of tarred or decent gravel roads, well-spaced fuel stations, good maps and no traffic jams Namibia has long been the African country of choice for adventurous self-drivers.

How to do it? Fly in, hire a car and head off into the jaw-dropping vastness of one of Africa's safest countries - what could be simpler? Contact us and we can take care of all the arrangements - and the good news is that self-drivers get reduced rates at some of Namibia's top lodges and safari camps.

In fact it's been made even easier for you: our Best of Namibia Self-Drive tour has a superb route already mapped out for you taking in all the Namibian highlights from Etosha National Park to Damaraland, and from Swakopmund to Sossusvlei. We've done a lot of driving around Namibia and have put together some useful information for you.

Driving & Safety

Like the rest of southern Africa, Namibia drives on the left, and cars are fitted with the steering wheel on the right. The tarred roads tend to be in good condition and well signposted while most gravel roads are well-maintained - but it's always good to get up-to-date local information, particularly after rain. Gravel roads should be treated with respect - especially when cornering and braking.

The speed limit on national roads is 120kph and there are often speed traps and police roadblocks in and around the urban centres. The authorities take road safety very seriously and offences like speeding or drink driving could land you in real trouble.

Given the lack of traffic, the greatest dangers on Namibia's roads are wandering domestic or wild animals. Avoid driving at night (if you have to, slow down considerably) and always assume that the donkey or cow you can see motionless in the distance will do something really stupid by the time you're within braking distance.

The other great danger is speed. The firm, open roads and long distances encourage fast driving - something that should be avoided, particularly on the gravel roads. No matter how smooth they see, there is always the possibility of a nasty surprise in the form of an axle-breaking pothole or heart-stopping blowout.

4X4 or 2 wheel drive?

Depends where you're going, but bear in mind that most of Namibia - including Etosha, Damaraland and Sossusvlei - can be explored from the comfort of a normal 2 wheel drive sedan.

A 4X4 vehicle is really only necessary if you are planning to visit the far northern Kaokoveld, the game reserves of the Caprivi Strip or the eastern wilderness of Bushmanland and the Kaudom National Park.

Don't worry about the details when you get to your lodge: you can arrange to join their 4X4 game drives or take shuttles to the dunes at Sossusvlei.

Distances

The most important thing to remember about distances in Namibia is that you shouldn't think purely in terms of kilometres. A 200km journey on a dusty gravel road in the middle of nowhere will take far longer than a similar distance on a sleek European autobahn. Namibians tend to think in time when dealing with distances: if you ask how far it is to, say Sossusvlei, chances are you'll be told 4 hours.

That said, here are some distances between some of Namibia's top destinations.

• Windhoek - Etosha (Okaukuejo gate): 430km
• Windhoek - Swakopmund: 356km
• Windhoek - Sossusvlei/Sesriem: 319km
• Windhoek - Waterberg: 336km
• Windhoek - Damaraland (Khorixas): 457km
• Sossusvlei/Sesriem - Swakopmund: 297km
• Swakopmund - Damaraland (Khorixas): 318km
• Damaraland (Khorixas) - Etosha (Okaukuejo gate): 265km
• Etosha (Okaukuejo gate) - Waterberg: 280km
• Etosha (Okaukuejo gate) -Western Caprivi Strip (Popa Falls): +/-850km
• Etosha (Okaukuejo gate) - Eastern Caprivi Strip (Katima Mulilo): 1128km
• Etosha (Okaukuejo gate) - Chobe National Park (Kasane, Botswana): +/-1250km
• Etosha (Okaukuejo gate) - Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe): +/-1330km

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