Africa, Southern: Namibia

Namibia's Driving Appeal for South African Visitors

For the ultimate tourist experience, no dinner party conversation is complete without the tales and adventures associated with a holiday journey into Namibia.

At the last count, approximately 190,000 journeys by road were made by South Africans across the various border crossings into the desert landscapes of southern Namibia.

Namibia is an overland travellers delight, where you can witness the rugged and natural scenery of the physical environment, but where you can also take away a soulful experience of liberation and relaxation. As a year round destination, Namibia offers everything the most demanding of tourist will aspire to. We were no exception.

With over 42,000 kilometers of road, Namibia provides endless opportunities for self-drive holidays, allowing families to get out and explore, while staying within their budgets. Major arterial routes link Namibia with South Africa, allowing access to all regions of the country. Infrastructure within Namibia is good, roads are well maintained and clearly sign-posted, making driving options safe and convenient, whether in a 4WD or family car. Visitors can choose routes that suit the time they have available, the vehicle they are driving and the experiences they want to enjoy.

We began planning our very own adventure in the knowledge that the Namibia Tourism Board, the government body responsible for the promotion of tourism to Namibia from their offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town, is embarking on an ambitious cross border initiative to develop and package driving route programmes linking tourists that travel the route to Namibia from South Africa.

Christened the Cape-Namibia Route, we are promised that we will experience 'The journey as the destination'. Planned in cooperation with the Western and Northern Cape tourism departments to provide something to do when traveling into Namibia by road, the routes take the form of a 'meander' or 'journey' highlighting a full variety of sightseeing and accommodation options along the route.

A range of accommodation is on offer throughout Namibia, ensuring that each visitor will find something to suit their pockets. Self-catering options are a popular choice, allowing flexibility in meal times and choice of food available, while an extensive selection of hotels and guesthouses offers flexibility for travellers along the route and throughout the rest of the country.

Our plans centred very much on a new pre-paid bed and breakfast scheme allowing independent travelers such as ourselves to have the freedom to choose where we wanted to go, in the knowledge that our accommodation was paid for in advance, and that bookings can be made just one day ahead.

It is when you want to decide how to spend your time in Namibia that you actually realise how many conversation points you will return with for the dinner party guest speaker roles.

Namibia has a vast selection of malaria free Nature Reserves, which is an important factor to consider, for families planning a wildlife and nature holiday with their children. Tailored bush walks, ensure that the terrain covered is easy to explore, safe and varied enough, and many are easily accessible for visitors wishing to extend their stay to Namibia's capital city, Windhoek, or for those without adequate time to reach Etosha or other National Parks to the north.

For the perfect retreat, Fishing in Namibia will allow you to exert as little or as much energy as you choose. Coastal Angling opportunities abound, and aspects that make angling from the beach especially enjoyable are the peaceful desert environments and the uncrowded beaches, despite the thousands of anglers that flock to the coast during the holiday seasons. Namibia is also a Fly-fishers paradise with the far eastern tip of Caprivi, at the confluence of the Chobe and Zambezi rivers, regarded as a fly-fisherman's paradise second to none.

However, a holiday is not a holiday without time at the beach and Namibia has no shortage of those, with easy access via main routes direct to coastal resorts. The sandcastle playgrounds of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay have a charm all of their own, and exploring the mysterious Luderitz houses half hidden in sand reaffirm the fact that you are in the oldest living desert in the world. A walk along the breathtaking Skeleton Coast is not to be missed, where stories of pirates and shipwrecks come to life. For the best views of these shipwrecks you would need to visit the Skeleton Coast Park either on one of the fly-in safaris or the Skeleton Coast scenic flight from Swakopmund.

Other 4x4 driving options and adventure opportunities abound in the Namib Naukluft Park, where you can surf the rolling dunes or take a more leisurely eagle's eye view of the lunar landscape courtesy of the hot air balloon operators in the region.

Namibia is the perfect destination to combine a full range of activities that go beyond the tried and tested Game safaris and beach experiences. Whether you want to sample the thrill of adventure, or seek the solace of feeling like you have just discovered a new part of the world, a self drive visit to Namibia is easy, fulfilling and an essential component to your Southern African experience. And most importantly, you will have your friends hanging on your every word.

Fact Box:

The Namibia tourism Board can be contacted in Johannesburg on 011 785 4626 or in Cape Town on 021 422 3298

Windhoek is also a good starting point for fly-in, drive-off packages and is serviced daily by Air Namibia, South African Airways, and British Airways Comair.

The regions of Namibia can be explored virtually at www.namibiatourism.com.na

For more information please visit www.namibiatourism.com.na

The Travel-Informed Team

You are welcome to send us comments or suggestions of what you would like us to cover on this page (), we always enjoy hearing from you.

READ MORE ON NAMIBIA
Namibia's Driving Appeal for South African Visitors