Driving in Namibia is not the worst roads we’ve experienced – nothing like the perilous roads in Guatemala. And it does provide some of the best scenery. Our road trip in Namibia was perhaps the best we have ever done as a family – it even eclipsed our road trip around New York state, Taiwan and Denmark! However, we would recommend it to confident drivers and ensure you get a 4×4 truck!
Here’s all you need to know about driving in Namibia with kids and 4×4 camping truck rental in Namibia.
There is no public transport within Namibia so you have two options! Self-drive, or go with a fully organised tour where everything is taken care of. We opted for the self-drive option as it was considerably cheaper, and gave us the flexibility we wanted.
Costs for renting a 4×4 in Namibia
We hired a 4×4 truck with 2 roof tents from Travel Namibia 4×4. This rental included pick up and drop off at Windhoek airport, and all our camping gear for 4 people. This included bedding, kitchen gear, chairs and tables, gas bottle and fridge.
We paid £1900 for 16 days with all insurance included (so no excess or deposit to pay, and also tyre and windscreen damage!) – usually we don’t both with the extra insurance but the roads in Namibia are bad so this gave us complete peace of mind.
We would totally recommend Johan and his company. Communication was good and when we had an issue with the battery he arranged for it to be replaced, and similarly with the key he sorted it out. We had complete reassurance that he was on hand 24/7 if we needed.
The Ford Ranger we hired was spacious and well maintained considering the miles it had done. We got a full demo on everything possible before being allowed to drive away. This took around 1 hour in total!
Road quality for driving in Namibia
Some of the main roads are tarmacked. Driving north of Windhoek towards Outjo is all tarmac, as is the first 100km west towards Sossusvlei, and a new stretch of tarmac leaving Swakopmund towards Damaraland. And of course, in the major towns!
However, that leaves a huge number of roads that are gravel or corrugated – known locally as the traditional African massage. It is also due to these roads that nearly everyone who drives in Namibia gets a flat type! Travel Namibia 4×4 gave us 2 spare tyres for this reason, and I think that is the norm. Proudly, we were one of the few who didn’t get a single flat in all the 2800km we drove!
The worst road is that from Solitaire to Swakopmund, heading through the Guisab Pass – there are a lot of pot holes and a lot of corrugated sections. Speed limits are 120kph on tarmac, 80 on gravel and then occasionally 100 elsewhere. In towns, it is a strict 60kph.
Tips for driving in Namibia
- You will likely get stopped by the police. Just stay calm and have your driving license handy. The 2 times we got stopped it was a quick exchange of pleasantries, and we were let on our way.
- Always stick to the speed limit, wear seatbelts and don’t drink and drive. Always drive with your full headlights on.
- If you do get pulled over by a random load police man, we got advised to tell them that this was our 5th or 6th trip to Namibia, just to put them off trying to scam you. And if they persisted in trying to fine you for something, insist on paying by car – apparently this soon changes their efforts. Although we never came across this scenario.
- Download google maps for Namibia for offline use. There are long stretches without phone signal and this also saved the amount of data we were using.
- It will take you longer than what Google Maps tells you – either because of the quality of the road, or because you will be stopping so often to look for wildlife or the amazing views – and of course for lunch and snack stops.
- Pack loads of snacks – this also helps entertaining the kids. The supermarkets in Namibia are huge and so well stocked. You can get fruit, pretzels, crisps, sweets, chocolate, cakes and biscuits and all your usual go-to snacks. Having a bag of snacks readily available distracted attention when the inevitable bickering did started! Petrol stations also have plenty to choose from and a cold drink or ice cream when we did fill up was always hugely appreciated.
- Fill up whenever you see a petrol station – even if you still have half a tank! You don’t know when the next fuel stop will be and you don’t want to be left short. We didn’t pass one for over 500km between Swakopmund and Khoraxis for example!
Driving in Namibia with kids
The drive time in Namibia is probably longer than kids are used to on a frequent basis. But there is so much to spot from the car window that it’s not a dull drive! from ostriches, snakes and tortoises on the road, to beautiful gem stalls and himba villages, you can easily kill the time just spotting things.
But we also came prepared for the ‘I’m bored!’. Here’s some ideas to help keep the kids entertained in the car, that also allow you to focus on driving the bumpy roads that comes with driving in Namibia!
Obviously, they had their ipad time, but we tried to limit game paying to less than 1 hour per day. We did download some films for them to watch, and also some audiobooks and kids’ podcasts that we all enjoyed listening to.
We also bought some drawing tablets and they drew pictures, played squares and 0&X’s, and wrote messages to each other. These were a really useful addition for them both.
We also took clipboards with us to help with drawing in the card, and Alicia did a few practice SATs papers on hers. Rubix cubes, cards, squidges and fidgets were also all used whilst driving along. Then of course we chatted, they slept, and we all listened to music – but again, download an extensive playlist so you have offline access too. More details on our packing list can be found on our ‘Practical Tips for Namibia’ blog, and some of our favourite travelling games are listed here.
Summary on driving in Namibia
Driving in Namibia is not for the faint hearted – but it also wasn’t as bad as we thought! No flat tyres, no fuel issues, no nervous moments. And a lot of stunning scenery. It allows you flexibility when travelling to Namibia with kids – is there anything more refreshing than pulling up in the middle of the desert for lunch!?
