Driving and Car Hire in Namibia

Travel Advice

Namibia is best explored in a reliable rented car. There is a number of car hire companies, most of them in Windhoek. Some of the rental companies also offer 4WD vehicles, which one can get with a complete safari equipment, including a roof-tent for two to four persons. Most common is the Toyota Hilux, either with a single cabin for two persons or as a double cabin for four to five people. Usually the vehicles have a petrol engine, diesel-run engines are rare and the quality of the diesel is poor. If you travel into remote areas - for example into the Kaokoveld - you must carry extra fuel, as you have to expect a petrol comsumption of 15 l /100 km and should have a range of 800 to 1000 kms. Some of the vehicles, though, are equipped with long range tanks nowadays, because filling-up from a container is as unpleasant as is the transport.

Bigger 4x4s like the Toyota Landcruiser, Mitsubishi Pajero or the Landrover Discovery, are extremely expensive in Namibia due to the high import tax of 60%, which renders their acquisition very costly. Landrover Defenders are a little cheaper, but they are not even dust-proof which is not so nice when traveling an dirt roads.

Some hire companies offer long-term tariffs. Who wants to spend more than two months in Namibia or other countries in southern Africa, should consider buying a car there. This is in South Africa considerably cheaper than in Namibia. The problem is to sell the car again at the end of the journey without much delay and without major loss. The easiest to sell are the big 4x4 station wagons with turbodiesel and luxury equipment (e.g. Landcruiser 80VX or 100VX), but it is not easy to find them cheap.

Another option for long-term travelers is to bring your own vehicle. The container shipment from Europe to Walvis Bay or Cape Town costs about 2500 USD and is done by a couple of seafreight companies like e.g. Schenker International. A Carnet des Passages, valid for one year and renewable for another year, has to be acquired first from your national automobile association. At the end of the journey the vehicle can unfortunately not be sold within the southern Africa customs union, due to new laws, but must be taken back home.

For more queries please email the author.