Namibian Roads and Driving

Travelling by Road
Traffic drives on the left side of the road.
Roads are generally well maintained. There are 64,799km (40,266 miles) of road, of which only 7841km (4872 miles) are tarred.
The remaining is graded gravel - in most main areas kept in good condition and easily accessable by a 2wd vehicle and in some areas there are sand tracks of varying condition

The Speed Limits are
Urban areas 60km/h
Outside urban areas 120km/h
Gravel roads 100km/h but advisable to keep to 60 - 80km/h on gravel due to the unpredictable nature of these roads.
Speed is the cause of most accidents - Be on the safe side and slow down! Enjoy Namibia at a relaxed pace.

Namibian Vehicle Documentation:
1/ An International Driving Permit is required for all drivers, South African, Botswana and Zimbabwean photo liscences are accepted.
2/ Vehicle ownership documents if it is your car. * see notes below if car is borrowed or under bank repayment scheme
3/ Car rental agreement if a hired vehicle, if rented outside of Namibia you will need a letter of permission to cross the border into Namibia from the car hire company, (must be arranged at time of arranging rental of the vehicle )
4/ Red warning triangle (in case of breakdown) - should be supplied with all rental vehicles in Namibia.
5/ Namibia Road tax permit for foreign vehicles entering Namibia called a CBC cross border charge- equivalent of road tax disc - all Namibian car rentals should have this as standard (just check it has valid dates).
All other vehicles should purchase this at entry border, at most borders available at the border post at the Namibian Road Authority desk, 2010 cost is N$150 (R150), display this disc on your front windscreen on the bottom left side, at the few checkpoints there are in Namibia they will check for this!
It is only valid for one visit and when you leave the country they will take it away at the border.

* If your vehicle is being purchased under a repayment scheme it is advisable to get a letter from the finance company granting you permission to take the vehicle over the border (this is because technically they still own the vehicle until the last installment has been paid to them).
Likewise if you have borrowed a vehicle (from parents or friend for example) then you are advised to get a printed letter with a copy of thier ID on it authorising you to take thier vehicle into Namibia.
The chances are you will never need these documents bu they can be requested at any border, at Police checkpoints or in the event of an accident.

Tar roads of Namibia

The tar roads of Namibia are normally of very good quality both between cities and towns as well as the roads in the towns. They are normally only single carraige (one lane in each direction) and traffic is sparse, making overtaking easy.
The biggest problem with the tar roads are the distances, heat and boredom, even in winter months tyres can overheat on the hot tar especially on vehicles carrying a heavy load and distances between places can be large with very little along the way to break the monotony of a long smooth straight road.

A tarred road runs from the south through Upington in South Africa to Grünau, where it connects with the tarred road from Cape Town. The trans-Kalahari highway, which was completed in 1998, links Walvis Bay and Windhoek with Gaborone, Botswana and Gauteng, South Africa.

Map showing the main Tar roads of Namibia

Selection of graded gravel roads around Namibia

Many of the roads around Namibia outside of the main towns are graded gravel roads, in most places they are kept in excellent conditions (which can encourage excess use of speed on them). In the south of the country most of the gravel roads are passable with a two wheel drive normal vehicle, the biggest problem in popular areas (like around Sesreim) is that the road gets corrugated shaking the car and passengers, the only safe way is to reduce speed and amble along admiring the view!
In the north west of Namibia travel on the gravel roads can get a lot tougher especially after the rains, (December to April) so although some roads are passable in a normal car with a good driver a 4 Wheel Drive is strongly recommended.

Coastal Roads of Namibia

Namibias coastal roads are quite unique in that much of the road network there is made from compacted sea salt particuarly the roads in and around Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and heading up Skeleton Coast, they are easy to drive on in all vehicles but can get a little rutted making them slightly bumpy and when they are damp (after morning sea mists) get quite slippery so reduce your speed if the surface is damp and avoid sharp breaking.
The Sea-mist that often occurs along the road is also a hazard reducing vizibility drastically, so when there is a mist put on your headlights, even if they have no effect illuminating forward the lights at the rear of your vehicle are very important for traffic approaching from behind you! If you have fog lights use them but avoid using full beam as this often bounces back reflecting off the mist and fog and reducing what you can see, and of course drive nice and slowly.