Self-drive tours are a flexible and cost effective way to discover Namibia at your own pace, and a number of different routes lend themselves well to self-drive holidays. Accommodation varies from 4-star guesthouses to 5-star luxury lodges, camps and hotels, and can be booked on a bed & breakfast, full board or fully inclusive basis, to include all excursions and safari activities.
Namibians drive on the left side and although 80% of the roads are gravel, regular grading keeps them in excellent condition. To ensure that you benefit from the highest standards of reliability, service and support, work with experienced people. The cars for car hire have insurance.
On arrival in Namibia, you will be met by a guide and given a comprehensive self-drive pack. This will allow you to talk through any aspects of the itinerary and routing that you may be unsure of. We recommend that you book in advance such that by the time of yourself driving safari, the car is ready for your holiday.
Namibia Self Drive Top Travel Tips
Namibia self drive tours are popular since Namibia is relatively safe African country to travel to and the roads are relatively good. There are many standard accommodations which are good in the big cities and in places where there are tourism destinations. Travelling out of town however requires advance planning.
4×4 SUV’s and Camper vans are popular choice for Namibia self drive tour. When you rent 4×4 SUV pick up equipped with a tent on the roof, it is a very good travel mode. It can give a freedom that you need on your safari and is a very comfortable way of travelling. Highly recommended for those considering Namibia self drive.
Hiring a motor home on the other hand is less practical for Namibia self drive tour since many of the country roads are very rough and many of these vehicles do not have good ground clearance.
If you are considering a Self Drive Tour through Namibia, choosing the correct vehicle is very, very important. Always take into consideration that although in general the roads are very good, there is often stretches of 30 – 90 km that has not been recently graded. Always make sure you have at least 2 spare tyres with you, especially if you are driving a small car.
Comments
Dave
The OP’s question really asked whether it would be better to self-drive or use a tour company that ‘does all the driving’ … To me it seems the real difference is not who does the driving – but who decides where and when to go. A conventional tour is a set itinerary, fixed dates, specific inclusions (and exclusions). Drive yourself and you make all the decisions. A 3rd option – an entire trip with a chauffeur/Guide would be a most unusual method. Not an unknown plan, but a rare one. And one significant reason it is rare – is that driving yourself is so easy and dangerous incidents are so little threat. Using a GPS as suggested above has some shortcomings in places where it selects the shortest route and selects roads that most people might not choose. Especially the case in areas of Mpumalanga and Limpopo that I can think of. The path from the Nelspruit airport to Hazyview is an example: we use and recommend the R40, the GPS would take you up the R538. It’s also possible to enter the name of a safari lodge or reserve, and the GPS would take you to the lodge’s office in some area town (or Johannesburg). Overall, though, I am a GPS fan, and lend my Garmin chip for South Africa to clients.. along with a map!
Avon Self Drive
Thanks Dave for the great Additional Information provided to Us about the Best explanation of Self Driving in Namibia. We at Avon self drive we just provide information about self driving in Africa and we welcome any comment about the Information we have on the site . Thanks very Much.