CLIMATE
Temperature (ºC) - These are the average lows and highs
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
WDH 17/30 17/29 15/27 13/25 9/22 7/20 7/20 8/23 12/26 14/29 16/29 17/31
SWP 12/25 12/23 12/23 15/25 15/25 18/28 15/28 15/28 15/25 12/25 12/25 12/25
Rainfall (mm). This varies according to the year and where you are.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
WDH 43 53 26 28 5 3 3 3 3 10 23 26
SWP 12 15 12 10 10 10 7 9 11 15 16 11
BANKS
Banks are open Mondays to Fridays 09h00-15h30 and Saturdays 09h00-11h00
CREDIT CARDS
International Visa and MasterCard credit cards are generally accepted throughout Namibia. Holders of other cards are advised to clarify with a commercial bank whether their card is acceptable in Namibia.
CURRENCY
The currency in Namibia is the Namibian Dollar, which is fixed to and equals the South African Rand on a one-to-one basis. The Namibian Dollar and South African Rand are the only legal tender in Namibia and can be used freely to purchase goods and services in the country. The Namibian Dollar, however, is not legal tender in South Africa. Traveler’s cheques and foreign currency can be exchanged at any of the commercial banks, which are well represented throughout the country. Visitors may bring any amount of foreign currency into the country. Further information and assistance can be obtained from any commercial bank in Namibia.
Wilderness Safaris’ camps also accept US dollars, Euro and British pounds as payment for curios, drinks etc.
DUTY FREE
There is no duty free shopping available at Johannesburg International Airport on a flight to Namibia. Please make sure any duty free purchases of film, alcohol, etc. are made before arriving in Southern Africa.
TRAVEL DOCUMENTS
The Namibian Government require all visitors to Namibia to have a least two full blank pages in their passports on arrival into the country and require that the passport is still valid for at least six months longer than the intended stay.
LAUNDRY
Laundry can be done at most camps, with the exception of Damaraland Camp and Skeleton Coast Camp in Namibia, where there is a severe water shortage. This service is complimentary at Wilderness Safaris’ managed camps but there may be a nominal charge at other establishments. The camp staff will not wash underwear, due to prevailing local traditions in the country.
POWER AT WILDERNESS SAFARIS’ CAMPS
All our camps are situated in remote areas and we have to generate our own electricity. We do so in a number of ways. Each camp has a generator that runs for about 6 hours per day (3 hours in the morning and 3 in the afternoon when guests are out on activities). These generators then charge batteries located at each tent / room, which provide good 12v lights all night (if used sensibly).
There are no 220v or 110v power points in our camps. If you need to have your video battery re-charged we can do so while you are out on an activity. Therefore, please bring a spare battery for use while the other is being charged. These systems are simple but perfectly functional.
Electrical plug outlets are not available in the Wilderness Safaris camp tented rooms and therefore it is not possible to use such appliances such as hairdryers or electric shavers during your stay there.
In major cities all electrical appliances run on 220/240 volts. Outlets are round 3-pin, 15 amp plugs.
GAME DRIVES
We do carry a set of reference material on all our vehicles. However, if you are a keen birder we recommend that you bring your OWN bird book. Everyone must bring their own pair of BINOCULARS in order to get the most out of the safari.
TAX AND CUSTOMS
Value Added Tax (VAT) in Namibia is 15% all round. Bona fide tourists to Namibia are exempt from paying sales duty or excise duty on luxury items such as jewelry or Swakara (fur) garments.
TIME
Namibia operates on daylight savings time as follows:
Summer: From the first Sunday in September to the first Sunday in April - two hours ahead of GMT
Winter: From the first Sunday in April to the first Sunday in September - one hour ahead GMT.