Driving In Namibia / 15 Useful Car Rental Tips For Namibia

Driving in Namibia is easier than you might think, but its remoteness, road quality, and wildlife present some challenges. Here are our tips to help you self-drive in Namibia and advice on getting the car rental that’s right for you.

Is there a better road trip country than Namibia?

Wide-open roads, stunning scenery and numerous wildlife encounters. Namibia is a dream destination for those who like to get off the beaten track.

While taking a tour can be a good option, there’s really no better way to see this desolate country than in your own wheels.

If you like the freedom your own car gives you then hiring a car and designing your own self-drive Namibia adventure is a thoroughly rewarding and exciting road trip experience.

And a self-drive Namibia road trip is not as hard as you may think.

The vast majority of roads in this remote country are gravel. However, the lack of other traffic and ease of navigation make driving in Namibia a breeze.

Yes, driving for long stretches on rutted roads can be uncomfortable, but after a while, the “Namibian massage” becomes part of the experience.

Here are all our tips for driving in Namibia to help you have what could possibly be the best road trip of your life.

HOW EASY IS IT TO SELF-DRIVE IN NAMIBIA?

Driving in Namibia is not difficult, and if you keep our tips in mind, you’ll find it a thoroughly rewarding and exciting travel experience.

There is very little traffic and very few roads.

Navigation is super easy because there are hardly any choices. Namibia has the roads it needs and no more.

Apart from avoiding animals, the main challenge is keeping your car in good working order.

Here are our tips in a nutshell:

• Fill up with fuel regularly.
• Keep an eye on your tyres.
• Stick to the roads.
• Drive slowly when other vehicles are around.

Do all this, and you’ll have an unforgettable Namibian road trip.

OUR DRIVING IN NAMIBIA TIPS

1. HIRE A 4X4 IN NAMIBIA

There are very few paved roads in Namibia. The vast majority are gravel tracks that become rougher and rockier in more remote areas.

While it is possible to navigate many of them in a 2WD, it can be a slow and uncomfortable journey. So, in our opinion, it’s worth extending the budget to a 4X4.

Firstly, the extra clearance helps you navigate rutted roads and larger rocks more safely and comfortably.

Secondly, having all 4 wheels powered improves your traction on loose gravel, sand and rock.

So, although a 4X4 is more expensive to rent and uses more fuel, we think the benefits of comfort, speed and safety outweigh the costs.

2. BUY COMPREHENSIVE INSURANCE

A self-drive Namibia road trip means spending a lot of time on rocky gravel tracks. It’s a pretty tough destination for a vehicle.

Rocks batter the undercarriage and fly up into the side of your car.  Damage to the windscreen or the paintwork is easily done.

Furthermore, spending many hours on rough roads takes its toll on your tyres. In 3 weeks in Namibia, we got a chipped windscreen and two punctures.

You’ll realise how common flat tyres are in Namibia when you see how many tyre shops there are, even on the most desolate roads.

So, regardless of how carefully you drive, it’s likely you’ll return your car with a few bruises from your adventure.

It makes sense to take out comprehensive insurance. We have a few money-saving insurance tips at the end of this article.

3. SLOW DOWN WHEN PASSING OTHER CARS

One of the joys of a Namibia road trip is that you can go hours without seeing another car. But, when you do, keep in mind they’ll be throwing up lots of rocks from the road.

Make sure you slow down and get as far left as possible as you pass another car. You don’t want to damage each other’s cars unnecessarily.

The speed limit on gravel roads in Namibia is 80km/h. Some of the gravel tracks are actually quite smooth, compacted earth, meaning you can almost hit the speed limit.

On many gravel roads, however, the speed limit is purely aspirational. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to go anywhere near that speed.

4. DON’T GO OFF THE EDGE OF THE ROAD

Namibia is a desolate, sandy country. Many of the roads have been made by throwing a heap of gravel down on the sand and flattening it out.

It creates a safe area on which to drive, but the safe area is no wider than the gravel you see.

If you venture even slightly off the gravel track, you could find yourself in deep sand, which can be tricky to get out of.

We saw quite a few cars – even 4x4s – stuck like this. With so few people around, it could be a while before help arrives.

So, if you need to stop, do not pull completely off the road; just pull to the side, staying on the gravel section.

5. CHECK YOUR TYRES AND KNOW HOW TO CHANGE THEM

Sand, gravel and rock take their toll on the tyres, and flats are very common. So it pays to check the air pressure regularly.

We generally checked the tyre pressure every time we filled up with fuel. This may sound like we were overdoing it, but we had 3 punctures in 3 weeks in Namibia.

Don’t be put off by the risk of getting a puncture, but do make sure you know how to change a flat tyre. Watch this quick video to see how easy it is.

Remember that if you get a puncture and change the tyre, you no longer have a working spare tyre with you. You will need to go to the nearest petrol station and get the puncture (on the tyre now in the boot) repaired.

Most petrol stations fix tyres for very little cost (they’re used to it), and there are many tyre repair places along the major roads.

6. CHECK ON OTHER DRIVERS WHO MAY HAVE A PROBLEM

A self-drive Namibia road trip can be a delightfully lonely affair.

On the busier roads, you may pass 4 or 5 cars an hour, but on the quieter stretches, you may see no one for hours on end.

While the solitude is what makes driving in Namibia such a great experience, it’s essential to be a good road trip citizen and keep an eye out for your fellow travellers.

If you see someone stopped on the side of the road, slow down and check they are OK. They may just be enjoying the view, or they may be broken down, out of fuel, stuck in sand or completely lost.

With so few people about they might not see another person for a long time.

I’ve seen a few comments online about not stopping to help cars on the side of the road in Namibia because it could be a scam.

Our advice would be to use your own common sense here. If you are in a very remote area, it’s unlikely to be a scam. A family with children leaning on a car stuck in the sand is also not likely to be a scam.

7. KEEP HEADLIGHTS ON AT ALL TIMES

As you drive along sandy roads great plumes of dust splurge out around your car. It makes visibility poor, especially for the cars behind you.

In Namibia, you are required to have your headlights on at all times.

This way, the cars in front of you can clearly see you coming.

More importantly, however, cars behind you – the ones that may be trapped in your plumes of dust and sand – can see the back of your car.

8. BEWARE OF ANIMALS ON THE ROAD

Before we went to Namibia, we thought the wild animals were all in the National Parks.

But that is not the case. Wild animals are everywhere.

Cheetahs and leopards hunt on private farms, oryx and baboons run along gravel tracks and giraffe munch on trees by the side of the road.

It means that you can meet a wild animal at any time.

But it also means you’re potentially sharing the road with them. So keep your eyes peeled and be alert to anything that may run into your path.

It would be a travesty to harm any of these magnificent creatures.

9. DON’T DRIVE IN NAMIBIA

Unless you are in a town, driving in Namibia at night is not a good idea.

There are almost no streetlights, and with potholes and uneven surfaces, driving in poor light can be hazardous.

In addition, Namibia has a problem with drink drivers who are more likely to be on the road at night.

But apart from your own safety, there’s another reason why you should avoid driving at night. Animals hunt and are generally more active in the cooler evening temperatures.

It is much harder to see them in the dark, and various creatures, such as kudu and other antelope, tend to leap into oncoming headlights.

So, for the safety of Namibia’s star attractions, drive within daylight hours.

10. DOWNLOAD GOOGLE MAPS FOR YOUR AREA

There are not that many roads in Namibia, so navigation is relatively easy.

Google has extensive coverage of the country, but (even if you have purchased data) reception in less populated areas will be patchy.

So please make sure you download Google Maps for the area you plan to explore before setting off.

We also highly recommend Maps.Me. This app also allows you to download maps for the area, but it has better offline functionality and more accurate estimates for journey times than Google Maps.

11. ALLOW PLENTY OF TIME FOR YOUR JOURNEY

Driving times in Namibia can be difficult to judge.

While Google and Maps.Me do a decent job in estimating journey times, how long a journey takes will depend a lot on the vehicle you hire and the confidence with which you drive it.

We saw some 2WD making painfully slow progress while other 4x4s bombed past us like we were not there.

Road quality also changes over time. A flat, straight gravel track may be driven at 80km/h, but your speed will halve to 40km/h as soon as it gets rutted.

Our advice: don’t make your journeys too long and try to start them in the morning so that if they take longer than you thought, you are not left driving at night.

12. KEEP PLENTY OF WATER AND SNACKS IN THE CAR

When self-driving in Namibia, you often find yourself in the middle of nowhere with no one and nothing around.

Even in busier areas like Etosha National Park, it can be long distances between shops.

So make sure you stock up with plenty of food and water when you can.

Snacks are a critical ingredient on any decent road trip. But, more importantly, if you have a problem and have to wait a few hours for help, you definitely want to have some water with you.

13. KNOW YOU’RE GOING TO FILL UP NEXT (& FILL UP REGULARLY)

There are enough petrol stations dotted around Namibia to make getting fuel relatively stress-free, but not so many that you can completely relax.

Most small towns you go through will have a petrol station on the main roads.

However, fuel stops are less frequent in the more remote areas.

It’s also not uncommon for petrol stations to run out of fuel. In Etosha, we met a family who were skirting very close to empty, only to find that the petrol station had run out of diesel.

Make sure you know where your next petrol stop is, and always give yourself enough fuel to have two options to fill up.

As a general rule, fill up whenever you can. We rarely let the gauge get below half.

14. GET PERMITS FOR ANY OFF-ROAD ADVENTURES

For most national parks in Namibia, permits are purchased at the entrance gate. You don’t need to provide any advance notice of your arrival date, so no forward planning is necessary.

However, this is not the case for the Namib-Naukluft National Park and the Dorob National Park. In these parks, the main roads (the B2, C28, D1982, D1998 and C14) do not require permits.

However, if you want to go onto a more minor road, you will need to get a permit in advance.

These permits can be obtained either from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism offices in Windhoek, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, or the NWR offices in Sesriem.

15. CLEAN YOUR CAR BEFORE DROPPING IT OFF

Driving in Namibia is a dusty, sandy affair. It will be impossible to keep your car clean after a few weeks of driving along those desolate gravel roads.

Surprisingly for such a dusty country, Namibian car rental companies are very fussy about the cleanliness of their vehicles and will charge you if they need cleaning.

Our car rental agent went over our car with a white glove – completely unnecessary, though, because it was filthy.

They ended up charging us extra because the car was so dirty. This was mainly because the boot wouldn’t close properly, and the inside of the car was covered in sand.

But to avoid an argument – and save a few dollars – get your car washed before you drop it off. Many large petrol stations will clean your car (inside and out) for only a few dollars.

WHAT TYPE OF CAR SHOULD YOU RENT?

While you can manage with a 2WD, a 4×4 will make journeys quicker, safer and more comfortable. But a 4×4 rental in Namibia does come at a significantly higher cost.

Here is a breakdown of rough prices based on our visit to help you decide.

2WD ECONOMY CAR 

Prices start at around US$45 per day for a regular 2WD car in Namibia. This will do the job, but you’ll definitely be making slower progress on some of the less smooth roads.

HIGH CLEARANCE 2WD 

High Clearance 2-wheel drive SUVs start from around US$63 per day. This will help you clear some of the smaller boulders and possibly make the ride on rutted roads smoother.

However, you could still find yourself stuck in the sand if you venture off the gravel roads.

4X4 VEHICLE 

A 4×4 will cost around US$100 per day and will use more petrol. But your journeys will be faster, safer and more comfortable. It will also enable you to head into more sandy regions if you want to get off the main roads.

4X4 WITH ROOF CANOPY

Spending between US$125 per day will allow you to sleep above your wheels. This is a popular and economical option in Namibia, but it does include the rigmarole of packing up the canopy each day.

AutoEurope has good deals on campervans in Namibia.

BOOKING YOUR CAR RENTAL

We used rentalcars.com to book our car hire. They compare rates across all the major car rental companies with decent insurance options. Use the form below to check latest prices.

CAR RENTAL PRACTICALITIES

Here are some things to keep in mind when hiring a car in Namibia.

GPS

In our opinion, there is no need to hire a GPS as an extra when driving in Namibia. Many cars now come with GPS, and if they don’t, Google Maps is just as easy and possibly more up-to-date. Don’t forget to download the area to your offline maps.

INSURANCE

We recommend you take out comprehensive insurance when hiring a car in Namibia.

One of the most cost-effective ways of getting comprehensive insurance is by taking out an excess guarantee from Insurance4CarHire. The car hire company will charge you up to the excess for any damage, but you can claim it back from insurance4carhire.

If you travel regularly, the annual refundable guarantee package from insurance4carhire might make financial sense for you.

Purchasing a refundable excess guarantee package is much cheaper than the amount you will pay for insurance at the car rental company desk when you pick up the car. But it does involve the extra hassle of claiming the excess guarantee back from your insurer.

ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS?

When picking up your rental car in Namibia make sure you bring your passport AND valid driver’s license.

Keep all documentation with you when you are driving.

Finally, check the minimum age for your car rental company. Most require you to be at least 23 to 25 years old and to have been driving for at least a year.

WHAT ABOUT PAYMENTS?

You will also need a credit card as the car hire company will hold the excess on your credit card in case it needs to charge you for damages.

Check that your rental car company accepts your credit card and has enough limit to cover the excess.

MORE NAMIBIA GUIDES

• See the amazing Namibia coastal scenery on a Walvis Bay Tour.
• Read about driving the Skeleton Coast to see if it’s for you.
• Sefl-drive in Etosha National Park with our detailed guide.
• Plan your trip with our 2-week Namibia itinerary.
• See the amazing conservation work at Okonjima Nature Reserve.
• The very best things to do in Namibia as we see them.
• Trophy hunting and Namibia’s wildlife challenges.
• How to climb Big Daddy Dune in Sossusvlei.