The wife and I are investigating going to Namibia to volunteer at a conservation farm. As we discovered last year getting into and out of the various African countries can be tougher than getting back into the US from Canada. I see Namibia is a pretty popular destination. Anything we should be concerned about?

Compared to the rest of Africa, Namibia is very safe. That being said, petty crime is on the rise in Windhoek. As long as you do not act like a tourist you should be fine. But watch the kids particularly as most are huffing glue, gas or whatever they can find. They are not harmless nor cute.

Otherwise getting around the country is relatively safe. Just do not drive the highways on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Virtually everyone is drunk and there are big smashups on the roads as a result.

If you don't mind me asking, where are you going to volunteer?

We are considering REST the pangolin rescue farm. Know anything about it? Sounds like a place where every $ and bead of sweat counts.

Compared to most African countries its a breeze getting in and out, safer than most larger US cities. Go and enjoy,getting around is pretty simple. Common sense goes a long way but that applies here too.

I know Maria pretty well. She is very committed to her mission (committed is an understatement) and you will not get much closer to a bunch of Pangolins anywhere else. Cool animals. BBC recently did a documentary on her operation. There are lot of bullshit artists in the conservation game, but she's the real deal... but still a little out there.

If you get bored, there are plenty of areas to visit around her - plus you're within an easy drive to the Galton Gate or Anderson Gate into Etosha.

Thank you again. We saw the BBC special a week or so ago. I didn't have any idea about what a Pangolin was altho my wife (wildlife biologist) did and was disappointed we didn't see one last year. Thanks for the info about Maria and her operation. My wife will fit right in with someone a little "out there" (ex rugby player, bar owner, game warden, mental health counselor etc.) if we pull the trigger on going.

The REST facility is located just outside downtown Outjo. I have hunted four times in that area, and know many of the PH’s based there: Jan du Plessis, Danie Jansen van Vuerren, Lukas Houltshusen, Lourie Grobler and others. The people in that area are wonderful and it is absolutely safe at all times. If driving off of paved roads, I avoid driving after sundown. You don’t want to hit a 1500 pound eland or a 400 pound gemsbok wandering down a dirt road.

Getting around Namibia is a breeze.

I would highly suggest you take some time, rent an overlanding truck, and tour the country, it is stunning.

What Storm said! You would forever regret leaving Namibia without that drive around.

Nobull:

Wife and I have been hunting and traveling Namibia every year for the past 10-years. I've traveled, and driven, allover the world (retired military) and Namibia is without a doubt one of my favorite countries. People are generally very friendly and helpful. Low violent crime but petty theft and burglary has been on the increase the past few years. We've been able to car tour over maybe 2/3's of the country.

Remember, the size of the place is deceptive on a map. The country is about the same size as the state of Texas. Some general drive times/distances from Windhoek to Etosha NP is about 5-6 hours depending on traffic. Windhoek to the Skeleton Coast/Swakopmund-Walvis Bay 4-5. Windhoek to the west end of the Caprivi strip is about 1000km (600mi) and a full days drive or more. Fish River Canyon is another full days drive.

If you rent a car, here are a few tips:

1. They drive on the "wrong side of the road". It will take you a couple of days to remember to look the other way for traffic at intersections and even crossing the road on foot in town. Also, when making turns at intersections, turning into the "correct" lane. Steering wheels on the right side and gearshift in your left hand is not too big of an issue and the gas, clutch and brake peddles are still in the "standard" positions at your feet. MOST rental cars are going to be standard gearshift and not "automatic" unless you specify "automatic". If you haven't driven a "standard" in awhile, may want to brush up on how to use the handbrake to start off on hills.

2. Be sure to get FULL insurance coverage offered that covers tires and windscreen. The tar roads are pretty good, but IF you drive the gravel roads, they are very infrequently graded and the gravel will have large stones (think golf ball to baseball size and bigger). They will not necessarily puncture the tire tread face but, will cut the bulge of the sidewall in a heartbeat and are 99% certain to be unrepairable Make sure you KNOW how to change a tire. IF you do have to change a tire, be sure to get the cut tire replaces ASAP. Warning, can be difficult and expensive and IF you don't put a new one on and can only find a used one, the rental agency will try to give you some shit about not reimbursing you even WITH the extra insurance coverage.

3. Last Aug 2017, gas was about $4.00/gal once you work out all the conversions. Generally, only two grades: 95 Octane and diesel. Warning, most gas stations will NOT accept NON Namibian based credit cards - cash only. Second Warning - cash payment must be in Namibian dollars. In order to try and eliminate the black marked currency trade, a few years ago the government made it illegal for a Namibian citizen to exchange foreign currency for Namibian dollars.

4. If at all possible, time your driving so that you are off the roads between towns/cities before dark. As mentioned above, there are a lot of "beasties", be it cows, donkeys, warthogs and bigger that wonder the roads at night - including DRUNKS. On weekends and National Holidays, get your driving done early in the morning as the DRUNKS populate exponentially late in the afternoon. Second reason is, IF you run into trouble, accident/breakdown etc., the country does NOT have a national 911/Emergency phone system. You could be sitting for awhile until someone else finds you. Thirdly, ALWAYS carry a few liters of water per person in the car. Except for the extreme north and the Caprivi Strip, you are in the Kalahari Desert and the heat can be high and the humidity will be very low.

5. Cell phone and Data (3G, G4, LTE) coverage in the cities, towns, villages and along the main tar roads it pretty good, so IF you have a US based phone with an International carrier like AT&T and others, you can use your phone to make "local" Namibian calls. Just confirm with your cell carrier that they do have exchange contracts in place for Namibia. Also, might be a good idea to just buy a cheep throw away phone there with a local sim card and pay by the minute plans. With MTC, you can actually call and text back to the US for half the cost per minute of AT&T. WARNING - IF you do use your current US phone, TURN YOUR DATA SERVICE OFF! The date rates can run as much a $25 per 25 meg. We typically, just put our phones on "airplane mode" and then selectively turn on just "Wifi" and live off that. If you're iPhone people you can use Facetime to call back. If Android, the most popular app is Whatsapp. Or Skype or any other WiFi calling/texting/message app and also pop your email over WiFi. Nearly every restaurant, coffee shop etc. will have some level of WiFi and as long as you are a "paying customer" they will give you their access password.

Not sure how long you're planing on being there but, if you want some ideas of where to go and what to see, PM me with contact info.

Gusteaux:

A couple of updates:

2. Be careful who you rent vehicles from today. If there is a vehicle loss, you pay the full amount regardless of the insurance coverage. After the claim is paid it is up to you to secure the refund. Some of the big guys are playing this game. Last year there were over 120 rollovers in the Kunene region alone as the road grading department ran out of money. The roads are a little better this year. Remember to deflate tires on the gravel roads. Otherwise the rear bumper likes to pass the front bumper on curvy roads. The rental car folks do not like to pass this little tidbit along as deflated tires do not last as long. Their bottom line is more important that your life.

3. Most all fuel stations as of 2017 started taking bank credit cards again. So this is not an issue any longer.

5. It is generally best to pick up a MTC Sim card and prepay your voice and data usage. You can find cell credit on most any street corner in Namibia including some of the most obscure areas in the country. There is a MTC shop at the airport as you exit the Arrivals Gate.

Thanks to all of you and others for your input. Due to timing conflicts we will have to put off volunteering at the REST farm till 11/19.
All of you and the folks at REST make it seem like Namibia is a great place to visit and is overlooked by most travellers to Africa. Perhaps a good thing?

Opus:

Gas station and CC's must be pretty recent - last Aug CC's were still a no-go. Not sure I would use one at a station anyway since they take your card and walk it to the window/cashier and bring it back. For me, my card being out of sight is too great a chance to have my card "skimmed".

Happened to a fried of mine at a gift shop on Independence, across from the Hilton, a couple of years ago. They actually did it right in front of him. First girl "scanned" it through a device and told him the card didn't work. She handed it to the girl right next to her who scanned it through a regular card terminal and the charges were accepted. He left and flew home the next day. I stayed in town for a few days waiting for the next clients. My friend emailed me that by the time he got home his card was hit for over $7000.00 USD in various stores in Windhoek. He was able to prove he was not in town (on a plane) when the charges hit and he got them removed.

I went to the store the same day I got the email, saw the manager and then the owner. ID'd the two girls and they were fired on the spot. Police wouldn't take the report or arrest/file charges because it didn't happen to me. My friend exchanged emails with NAMPOL a few times - nothing. Upside, when I went back a few months later, the shop was closed.

Understand about deflating the tires for better traction - down side it it exposes more of the tire sidewall being cut by the larger gravel/rocks.

For me, I always put a rental car on a CC that provides rental car protection on-top of the extra insurance I buy. So far, I've been damn lucky and never have had anything more than a few scratches.

Only one personal drunk driver accident in Namibia a couple of years ago on the tar road between Kamanjob and Outjo. We were PAX in my friend's pick-up going to a "meat festival" on a Sunday morning. Other guy was parked on the side same side of the road at one of the informal settlements, facing us, talking to a woman. As we approach, we slow down, and he starts pulling out into the road directly in front of us. Jan move all the way over into the opposite side lane and then the ditch while hard on the brakes. Clips the front of the other car off and we're down in the ditch but didn't roll over. All the villagers come out screaming and we figure we're in deep shit. Owner of the car was not the driver. Owner was in one of the shanties drunk on his ass too.

Long story short, was a tense time, driver magically disappeared before the police arrived. Fortunately, we got photos of him and he was later ID'd and arrested (for all the good it did). Lots of yelling and threats. $10K US in damages to my friends truck, other driver nor car owner had insurance etc.

Luckily, no injuries to us other then some pretty good bruises from the seat belts and an entire day lost waiting for police, a neighbor to arrive to take us all home and a tow truck to collect my friends truck.

That has been the only serious issue along with an attempted shakedown for "speeding" -

Namibia's greatest asset is it doesn't have anything the Chinese want. The Uranium mine outside of Swakop is slowly winding down so many workers are moving out of Namibia to SA and points beyond.

Namibia is one of the least populated counties in the world with 2.2 to 2.4 million.

Gusteaux - Yep, the roads are quite exciting at times. And the speed cops are easy to deal with. I know many by first name now. I believe I am putting a few of their kids through school.

Just read a few weeks ago that an Australian and Canadian company have possibly hit a pretty significant find of cobalt a bit west of Etosha. Cobalt is a "rare Earth" metal and is a key/critical component in lithium-ion batteries.

They sampled in many of the area Conservancies in the Kunene over the years but have not heard the updates on any plans for actual mining. Would be interesting to see where they are targeting.

Thanks. That's the copper mine up in Opuwo area. Copper is on it's ass so it's good if they can find something more valuable. Cobalt certainly fits the "more valuable" finding.

The gold bugs and rock hounds are always nosing around to see what they can find.

Not sure the Chinese are going to let go of Namibia anytime soon.

They were "supposed" to limit their population to just 25K to build, operate and train the local Namibian on that cement factory they build a few years ago. I've read several articles claiming the Chinese population is somewhere around 250K.

That and the billion or so USD they spent/gave to Namibia to upgrade/expand the commercial port in Walvis Bay that also included a military dock/pier and facilities for nearly full time presence of either a Chinese Frigate or Cutter.

Oh - almost forgot the Billion ND in contracts they got for road construction and the renovations they did to the President's Home/Palace in Windhoek.

Can't believe they missed the Cobalt.

Namibia has largely escaped the yellow invasion compared to many of our neighbors. Could be much, much worse.

Good thing we don't have trees...

All of Africa is changing rapidly - some for the good but mostly...not so much. I always tell everyone, that no mater what country you want to visit, go and go NOW because of the changes.

Part of this, in my view, is the result of the "yellow infiltration" continent wide. They "come bearing gifts and shinny bright objects" and the governmental leaders don't care about the actual price they are going to pay.

Remember the first year we were there, 2008, not a Chinese shop, restaurant anywhere. Did see two Chinese guys in military uniforms on the SAA flight from JNB in that kind of raised the hackles on the back of my neck, and a couple other oriental (either NORK or CHICOMs at Joe's one night. Following year, a few more. Think the cement factory deal was inked in 2008 or 2009 because in 2009 there were Chinese stores and restaurants starting to pop up in Windhoek.

I have a small account in a bank there. One morning a few years ago, I stopped in to make a small withdrawal. While waiting, two Chinese guys come in, one carrying a briefcase. The lead guys says he want to make a deposit. Teller asked how much and he clearly says, "one million one hundred thirty two thousand US dollars". Sets the briefcase up on the teller window ledge and the other guy opens it - holy shit!!!

If that wasn't surprising enough, the teller didn't bat an eye. Acted like it was a normal occurrence. The second guy starts passing the bundles under the window into the little trolley tray under it and as it is shuttled back and fourth, she's standing there with the mechanical bill counter counting out each bundle.

At that point, I was pretty sure Namibia is eventually going to be royally screwed. So....

Anybody reading this, I say again. IF YOU'VE EVER DREAMED OF GOING TO AFRICA, GO AND GO NOW!

We couldn't agree more after our first visit last year.

quote:

Originally posted by Gusteaux:
All of Africa is changing rapidly - some for the good but mostly...not so much. I always tell everyone, that no mater what country you want to visit, go and go NOW because of the changes.

Part of this, in my view, is the result of the "yellow infiltration" continent wide. They "come bearing gifts and shinny bright objects" and the governmental leaders don't care about the actual price they are going to pay.

Remember the first year we were there, 2008, not a Chinese shop, restaurant anywhere. Did see two Chinese guys in military uniforms on the SAA flight from JNB in that kind of raised the hackles on the back of my neck, and a couple other oriental (either NORK or CHICOMs at Joe's one night. Following year, a few more. Think the cement factory deal was inked in 2008 or 2009 because in 2009 there were Chinese stores and restaurants starting to pop up in Windhoek.

I have a small account in a bank there. One morning a few years ago, I stopped in to make a small withdrawal. While waiting, two Chinese guys come in, one carrying a briefcase. The lead guys says he want to make a deposit. Teller asked how much and he clearly says, "one million one hundred thirty two thousand US dollars". Sets the briefcase up on the teller window ledge and the other guy opens it - holy shit!!!

If that wasn't surprising enough, the teller didn't bat an eye. Acted like it was a normal occurrence. The second guy starts passing the bundles under the window into the little trolley tray under it and as it is shuttled back and fourth, she's standing there with the mechanical bill counter counting out each bundle.

At that point, I was pretty sure Namibia is eventually going to be royally screwed. So....

Anybody reading this, I say again. IF YOU'VE EVER DREAMED OF GOING TO AFRICA, GO AND GO NOW!

Wow, that is a real shame. Sorry to hear it.