Travel notes in Namibia: a guide to Namibia

There are quite a few things to pay attention to when traveling in Namibia, so when you set off again, you must read more raiders and travel notes before you leave. For example, the following one is just for you. This will definitely help your trip. Good luck.

Luggage packing

Most hotels in Namibia do not provide disposable toiletries for environmental reasons, but need to bring their own personal toiletries such as plastic slippers, hair dryers, shampoos, shower gel, toothpaste, toothbrushes and razors. In addition, prepare your own adapter plug and patch panel in advance. "South African standard" adapter plugs can be bought in shops in Namibian capital and China city.

Namibia has more than 300 sunny days all year round. Ultraviolet rays are very strong during the day and it is easy to get sunburned. In the wild, you should take good sun protection measures, apply high-magnification sunscreen (SPF50 is the best choice), wear sunglasses, sun hats, gauze towels and so on. Prevent sunburn. In case of sunburn, you can buy aloe vera gel made in South Africa in the capital and apply it to the sunburn, which can quickly relieve pain and help the skin recover.

As Namibia is located in the subtropical desert climate zone, the daytime temperature is high, hot and dry, the nighttime temperature drops rapidly, and the temperature difference between morning and evening is large. Generally, you can wear short-sleeved T-shirts or shirts during the day, and it is best to add a coat at night; Due to the Benguela cold current in the Atlantic Ocean, the temperature in the seaside area is generally around 10 to 20 degrees, and there are many windy days. You should prepare thick coats, even scarves and hats.

The temperature in most scenic spots in Namibia is high, so bring as many thin T-shirts as possible to absorb sweat and breathe. Because of the large temperature difference between morning and evening (especially in July and September in winter), it is ideal to bring a thin coat and a thick coat.

The Atlantic coast of Namibia was affected by the Benguela cold current, and the temperature dropped to about 10. In addition, the sea breeze is strong when going out to sea, so it is recommended to bring a thick cotton-padded jacket or coat. In addition, you need to bring a scarf or scarf. It is suggested that out shoes should be light and have good sealing performance, because the outdoor requirements of red desert are relatively high.

PS: Before going out, you can check the temperature of the month online and decide which clothes to bring.

Namibia is a favorite destination for photographers, so you can bring as many SLR cameras, wide-angle and telephoto lenses, tripods, cable release, gopro and OSMO cameras as possible. Aerial photography is not allowed in Nano National Park, and it is very troublesome to apply for permission in advance in private areas. If you are not a professional photography team, it is not recommended to bring it.

The legal tender in Namibia is Namibian currency, and the ratio of Namibian currency to US dollar is 1 US dollar = 1 1 Namibian currency (due to frequent exchange rate changes, the local exchange rate on that day shall prevail. ) Trade and commodity exchange are free. You can exchange it at banks and private exchange offices.

Other necessary items include: sunglasses, sun hat, sunscreen, binoculars, electric shaver, mosquito repellent, wet tissue, moisturizer, slippers, etc.

Travel safety

Usually go to Namibia through Johannesburg, South Africa. Cathay Pacific Airways and South African Airlines have direct flights from Hong Kong to Johannesburg. You need a transit visa to transfer in Johannesburg. It takes 15 working days to apply for a transit visa to South Africa, and sufficient visa time should be reserved.

At the same time, I hope that when you apply for a Namibia visa, you must fill in the entry time clearly, so that the validity of your Namibia visa will be counted from the day you apply for entry.

Although the security situation in Namibia is relatively good among African countries, and there are no coups, riots and terrorist attacks, theft and robbery crimes against travelers still occur very frequently. Be sure to bring valuables such as backpacks and cameras and be vigilant (especially in urban areas where there are more blacks).

Before getting off the bus, be sure to check that you can't leave your bag, computer, camera and other items in the car. You were stopped by the window and stolen. On the coastline of Whale Bay and the most beautiful Shahiswa Copmond, cars are robbed by glass every day. Sometimes there is nothing valuable in the car, but it costs a lot of money to change the glass, and it is easy to delay the trip.

Most shops and restaurants in Namibia

When traveling in Namibia, you should take your passport with you and keep it safe. Checkpoints along the expressway often check the valid documents (passports, valid visas) of passengers on passing vehicles. If you don't take it, you may face the risk of being detained by the police.

When leaving the hotel room, valuables should be locked in the safe or suitcase (many hotel room service black girls are used to shoplifting while cleaning, which has nothing to do with the hotel star rating. Even the bigger the hotel, the easier it is to be stolen, because everyone is relaxed)

The main mode of transportation in Namibia is car, and the speed in the city and on the highway is very fast. For your own safety and compliance with local laws, you should fasten your seat belt wherever you sit in the car. The police may face a fine of 500- 1000N $/ person if they don't wear a seat belt during the inspection.

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Namibia's communication infrastructure is general, so it is best to apply for a local card in Namibia ($7 includes a week's phone bill and 3G network). There is no place to buy a card at the airport.

According to my use this time, I must buy the mobile network card of MTC company. The signals of other communication companies are much less than MTC, and there is basically no 4G. Only major scenic spots and cities have 3G signals, and most of them have 2G signals.

Driving safety

You must buy insurance when you travel! When renting a car, you must understand the rules of vehicle insurance claims!

There are frequent car accidents in Namibia. On the one hand, it is because the stone roads in many scenic spots are in poor condition, the roads are relatively straight and the speed is generally fast. Although the speed limit of asphalt expressway is within 120km/h, local people often drive to 150km/h due to its high speed. Once an accident happens, it is irreversible and the death rate of traffic accidents is high. Every day when I open the local mainstream media page of FACEBOOK, there are reports of traffic accidents and deaths, and the picture is extremely tragic. Therefore, we Chinese living in the local area attach great importance to traffic safety.

If you buy insurance, you must make sure that you can go to the rescue site by plane or helicopter in case of injury, and you can be reimbursed for hospitalization in Nami. Private hospitals in Namibia's capital have good conditions and high hospitalization expenses.

Responsible advice is that if the driving skills are average, self-driving is not recommended for safety reasons. In the canyon section leading to the red desert, the tragedy of rollover can be seen almost every month. At the beginning of this year, there were several accidents in which China tourists were seriously injured and died while driving.

You'll be safe when you get out. Hiring a driver who is familiar with the local road conditions and has good driving skills will have a much higher safety factor.

Coping strategy

Routine 1: Turn into a mountain tiger

A little black boy suddenly accosted you. Usually he will ask you what you like to match, or show you a dress to try on, or ask you for a small favor. At this time, if your attraction is all focused on him, the accomplices behind will take advantage of the chaos to take out your wallet and mobile phone to commit crimes. Therefore, some people often feel wronged. Obviously, good people came to help them, but they said why they were stolen, which made them extremely depressed. But they don't know that this is the most common routine in the local area, which usually happens in shops, supermarkets and streets with large traffic.

How to deal with it: put valuables as close to the skin as possible, such as the inner pocket with zipper and the innermost part of the backpack. When there are many people, put your bag in front. Stay alert and protect your bag. Generally speaking, when they see that you are defensive, they will only forget it. My mobile phone has been stolen like this before. Fortunately, after the clerk reminded me, I immediately chased it out. Seeing the thief grinning with my mobile phone, I was so angry that I swore and asked him to give it back to me. But he shamelessly charged me 200 yuan to pay it back, because there were several accomplices beside him. When you commit a crime, you want to take money to eliminate the disaster. When I was about to "buy back" my mobile phone with one hand, the male ticket rushed out and punched me.

Routine 2: grab the bag by sliding the door

Some people are used to putting their bags on the edge of their seats, so that when the car is driving slowly in the busy city or stopping at the traffic lights, it is easy to be ambushed by the little black, suddenly pull the car away and run with the bag.

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This is also a very common crime, especially in the capital and coastal cities. The most embarrassing thing is that sometimes there is nothing valuable in your bag, only a small cosmetic bag full of sundries. However, it costs a lot of money to repair the broken car glass. Sometimes even the glass is out of stock, and the garage has to wait for a long time to rest on weekends, so it can only be glued with cardboard and transparent glue.

Solution: Don't leave anything/bag/any finance that interests the robbers in the car where you can see it from the outside!

Routine 4: Robbery in the street

It is also the most dangerous and worst kind, especially for travelers and women who walk alone, especially on Sunday or at night when there are few people in the street. My colleague used to make a phone call on the roadside when there were few people on weekends. Suddenly, he was surrounded by a group of black boys outside South African Airlines in the city center and took away his mobile phone. Sometimes robbers have daggers. If you can't find the help of people around you, don't resist. This will protect you from personal injury.

How to deal with it: try to avoid walking in the city streets, try to avoid walking alone (especially girls), don't take out your mobile phone when walking, move quickly, and be alert to suspicious people around you! A man left with hundreds of dollars in cash. If you meet a robber, give money to eliminate the disaster immediately, so that he won't rob you and give you a knife. This is what I taught us when I was in Cape Town (the difference between Cape Town robbers may be to give you an injection), and nano is also applicable.