We are intending to travel around Namibia in August.
(1) Can anyone recommend a good, inexpensive tour around
Etosha. Do we need to book in advance, or will we be able to
organise this from Windhoek?
(2) Is it better to hire a car or go on a tour to "do" the
Namib desert and Naukluft Mountains. Ideally we would like
to go to the Sossusvlei, and Nauklauf - nice day walks.
Can anyone recommend a tour or car hire company.
(3) Is Swakompund a "must"?
(4) We want to do the Fish River Canyon hike. Transport to
and from the "main track" (Keetmanshoop or Grunau) seems to
be the main problem. How have people organised transport
before? I would imagine there being minbuses or something
fron Keetmanshoop.
(5) Is it easy enough to get a bus from either Keetmanshoop
or Grunau to Capetown, or would it be advisable to book e.g.
in Windhoek. What buses run, how often?
Thanks to all
Al and Bec
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I've chosen Chameleon Tours. They're on the net. Very good
prices if you want to camp. Swakopmund is the action
centre of Namibia - dune bike riding, tandem sky diving etc.
Namibia is easy to do on your own. I recommend renting a
car and driving yourself. Some of the roads; however, are
gravel,particularly going down to Sossusvlei so it helps to
have some experience driving on that kind of road. Most
places are accessible with a 2WD vehicle, so a 4WD is nice,
but not absolutely necessary. Distances between places are
far, but it is definitely worth it to do it yourself.
Swakopmund is a nice little seaside town with a German
influence. In August it can be quite foggy and misty
most of the day. It's a great place, though, when the
sun is out.
Happy travels. We'll be there (again!) in August, too.
have a look @ http://www.travelinafrica.co.za
any Q's after that just mail me
For a tour you can have a look at
http://www.ahj.addr.com/about.html. This is the site of a
lodge in the centre of Windhoek. They are always willing to
help and offer some budget-tours on their site. When you
take a tour you don't have to organise at all. Just check
when a tour departs.
I've rented a car several times and didn't like it. It's
quite expensive and I constantly worried about damaging the
car. I took a tour once and didn't like that either. If you
take a tour you don't have to worry about anything. A car
gives you a lot more freedom though. We decided to buy a
car in stead of renting one.
Mmm. Swakopmund can be misty and chilly. I don't think you
mis a lot if you skip the place but there are some
interesting places in the neigbourhood. If you have a car,
there is a beautiful campsite called Longbeach/Langstrand
between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. You also could visit the
Welwitchia Mirabilis in the desert.
I have just booked two tours with Wild dog and one with
Chameleon covering most of the 'must do's in Namibia.
Both are on the net. Their email addresses are:
Wild dog wilddog@iafrica.com.au
Chameleon chamnam@iafrica.com.na
My sister and I will be there most of September.
Have a great time
(1) There are many car hiring companies in Windhoek - just
check the Net. Because if you really want to visit all the
places you mentioned, be prepared to drive over 8000 km, and
mostly on gravel. BUT, these roads are well maintained and
easy to drive - no broblem with 2-wheeler, not even AC
needed in August. Don't pay extra from a 4-wheeler -
off-road driving is prohibited in the desert, anyway. The
loop Windhoek- Sossusvlei-Swakopmund-Etosha-Windhoek is
about 3000 mls, mostly gravel, and it takes 10+ days, but
it's worth of every mile. Done it 4-5 times, and still
loving it...
(2) Having your own (renterd) car you can see much more,
also in the Desert. There are many camp sites in the Namib,
so you can save in accommondation costs.
(3) If you ask me - YES. A little chilly during evenings and
nights in August, but so much to see in town and surrounding
Namib Desert - but better to have own car, again. Munincipal
Camping just a few brocks from the 'centre' is a cheep &
safe place to stay. Swakop has the best sea food in Africa.
(4) Probably the only way to get to Fish River (besides your
own car) is to takea a tour from Windhoek - it's a long,
long driving, one day one way.
(5) No broblem to hook in Keetmanshoop or Grunau - the
Intercape Mainliner has three buses a week from Windhoek to
Cape. Try http://www.melkboschkuil.co.za/bus.htm for time
tables.
Have fun...
Depends, if you like action the DEFINITLY GO - quad
biking, sand-boarding. Crossing over a dune on a quadback
and finding yourself suddenly seeing the sun set over the
Atlantic is amazing. If you're not into action too much it's
still a nice place but not a must.
Have a great trip
Lefrog
You should check with damarana@iafrica.com.na, speak to Fife
& Ingrid.
See you there.
Zemat