Namibia Info

Namibia lies in Southwestern Africa, bordering on the Atlantic ocean, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Angola. The country is approximately two and a half times as big as Germany, but has got less inhabitants than the city of Berlin alone. Space and the absence of people are prevailing characteristics of this special country.
Namibia’s climate is hot and dry. Highlights like the Fish River Canyon, the highest dunes of the world at Sossusvlei and the Etosha National Park with its abundant wildlife attract many tourists every year.
In the former German colony the German language is still present, even in the most remote areas. The official language is English.

Visa
Visitors from the following countries do not require visas for stays of up to 90 days:
Angola, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Cuba, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, UK, USA, Mozambique, New Zealand, Portugal, Iceland, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Singapore, the Scandinavian countries, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
For visitors from other countries, please check with your nearest Namibian Consulate about obtaining a visa.
Upon arrival in Namibia visitors receive a visa in their passport for the duration of their stay, which is a maximum of 90 days. It is advisable to check immediately if the visa is in line with the intended length of the visit. Please make sure that your passport is valid for at least 6 months beyond the intended stay in the country and has sufficient free pages for entry and exit stamps.
We recommend that you make photocopies of your passport and air ticket, which could be sent to you by fax in case of loss. Should the passport go missing during the trip the respective Embassy or Consulate General should be contacted immediately.

Time
The standard time of Namibia runs 1 hour ahead of the Greenwich Mean Time. During the winter season (April to September) the time of Namibia is one hour in advance of the Greenwich Mean Time and during the summer months (October to March) it is two hours in advance of the Greenwich Mean Time. The clocks are changed on the first Sunday in April as well as the first Sunday in September.

Best time for travelling Namibia
Namibia can be visited throughout the year.
The dry season between May and November is certainly best for game viewing. May and June are relatively quiet months whilst the high season in tourism begins in July running until end of November. If you plan to visit Namibia during this time of the year it would be advisable to book as long in advance as possible. Some of the accommodation establishments are booked out sometimes more than a year in advance.
Temperatures tend to reach between 30 and 35 degrees during the day as from October onwards whilst it is cooler between May and September.
The rainy season (if it does rain) may last from October to April and might transform the otherwise dry and harsh landscapes into a green carpet with lots of wild flowers.
During the Namibian summer holiday in December / January many Namibians like to spend some time in Swakopmund at the coast, but otherwise the school holidays have no influence on the availability of accommodations.
This is a different story for South Africa. If you plan to visit South Africa you should take the local school holidays into consideration. Especially the accommodation establishments in the National Parks are booked out long in advance during holidays.
The world famous colourful Namaqualand flowers can be admired in the time between July and September. Early booking of accommodation is essential during that time.

Further information on Namibia can be found under: