Namibia Travel Information

Quick Facts about Namibia

• Location: Namibia lies in Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa.
• Surface Area: 824,292 sq km (318,261 sq miles)
• Population: 2 million (UN estimate 2005)
• Capital: Windhoek with Population: 223,364 (2001)
• Main harbors: Walvis Bay and Lüderitz
• Independence: on 21 March 1990.
• Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700, Sat 0900-1300. Some bigger supermarkets are also open Sun 1100-1300 and 1600-1900. Craft vendors sell their goods every day of the week.
• Language: English (official language but the first language of only 7 % of the population).
• Religion: Christian 80% to 90% (mostly Lutheran) and indigenous beliefs 10% to 20%.
• National airline: Air Namibia.
• Other Airlines to Namibia: British Airways, South African Airways, LTU and TAAG

Namibia is situated in the South West of Africa, above South Africa and below Angola. Its neighbor to the east is Botswana; and to the west is the Atlantic Ocean. Namibia is a sparsely populated country full of wide-open spaces including the spectacular Namib Desert and the bleak Skeleton Coast. Namibia is also rich in wildlife and has the magnificent Etosha – one of Africa’s best game reserves.
Geography
Fundamentally an arid country, Namibia has contrasting landscapes. The barren Namib Desert is renowned to be the oldest in the world, with its high dunes and awe-inspiring sense of space. The central plateau, with its thorn bush savannah and rugged mountains, rising abruptly from the plains, gives way to the majestic Fish river Canyon in the south. In the north of the country, landscapes range from dense bush and open plains of the great Etosha Pan, to woodland savannah and lush vegetation.
Working Hours
Government Departments: Monday to Friday: 9 am – 4 pm
Private Business: Monday to Friday: 8.30 am – 4.15 pm Saturday: 9am -noon (Some organizations)
Internet
There are Internet cafes located all over Namibia.
Main Attractions
Your Namibia Travel will take you to some unique and compelling wildlife sanctuaries.

• Etosha National Park – home to huge numbers of big game. Etosha, one of the finest wildlife sanctuaries Southern Africa’s is the third largest in Africa. Declared a National Park in 1907 and covering an area of 22 270 square km, it is home to 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and, surprisingly, one species of fish.
• Fish River Canyon Park – one of the largest canyons in the world, thought to have formed about 500 million years ago. Particularly during the cooler season between May and September you can hike a canyon.
• Other Game reserves and parks include Brandberg Nature Reserve, Caprivi, Daan Viljoen, Khaudom, Mahango, Mamili, Namib-Naukluft Park, Namibrand and Waterberg Plateau Park.
• Skeleton Coast National Park -The Skeleton Coast is the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean coast of Namibia and south of Angola from the Kunene River south to the Swakop River, although the name is sometimes used to describe the entire Namib Desert coast. The Skeleton Coast, more commonly today it refers only to the Skeleton Coast National Park. The park stretches from the Kunene River in the north for about 500km to river Ugab in the south; it harbors about one-third of Namibia’s coastline.

Economy
Today Namibia is a peaceful country which is economically prosperous as a result of its productive mining, fishing, tourism and agricultural industries. The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export.
Flying to Namibia
The major Namibian airports are: Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH), Swakopmund Airport (SWP) and Walvis Bay Airport.
Domestic Namibia Flights also operate at the following airports:

• Eros Airport, Windhoek (ERS)
• Rooikop Airport, (also known as Walvis Bay airport) Walvis Bay (WVB)
• Luderitz Airport (LUD)
• Mpacha Airport (MPA)

There are over 300 known airfields, of which only 16 are licensed.
Shopping
Windhoek offers a selection of fashionable shops. Local crafts can be bought in some specialized shops, as well as at the Windhoek Street Market, held every second Saturday.
Crafts. Good buys include diamonds and semi-precious stones, Herero dolls, hand-carved wooden objects, jewellery, karosse rugs, liqueur and chocolates made in Windhoek and Swakara garments.
When to Go
The best time to travel to Namibia is from May to October when the weather is a condusively cooler.
Getting to There
Most travelers touch down in Namibia by air through South Africa (Air Namibia, Lufthansa, South African Airways and Air Berlin have regularly scheduled flights). You can also reach Namibia by land with buses traveling to Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa. There are also Buses routes available from neighbors Botswana and Zambia. Visitors are cautioned not to land at unlicensed fields. Aircraft fuel is not usually available at landing strips and landing must be arranged in advance.