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Home / Blog / Africa / Namibia / Tips for Renting a Car in Namibia

Tips for Renting a Car in Namibia

  • Advice
  • Namibia
  • Road Trips
May 3, 2018 by Natalie 38 Comments

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Want to see Africa in a pure, pristine, untouched state? Get thee to Namibia, friend! Oh, but don’t forget your Namibia car rental.

Namibia is a seriously empty country that is MASSIVE: this makes road tripping in Namibia unlike anywhere else in the world! We rented a 2×4, then a 4×4 (long story) and drove around Namibia for a solid 4 weeks.

Our red beauty.

Here’re our Tips for Renting a Car in Namibia:

Get a 4×4

I know I said we rented a 2×4. We managed to get away with it for the first two weeks and then the Namibian roads promptly ate our car.

Can you get around Namibia in a 2×4? The short answer is: Yes. Should you? No. 4x4s are so much more comfortable, they’ll get you over the corrugated roads better, and they won’t get stuck in sand as easily (like we did in our 2×4…).

An empty, bumpy, dirty road. You’ll see a lot of this in Namibia…

Driving a 2×4 in Namibia is like trying to be a vegetarian at a meat house: you’ll be able to eat a few sides, but you’ll struggle to get a real meal and you’ll have to be very careful about what you order. Also, everyone will stare at you and wonder what the hell you are doing there.

Namibian roads are not built for 2x4s. They’re hardly passable for 4x4s! You’ll likely be driving on gravel, dirt, or sand and that makes a road trip of 4 hours very long if you don’t have the right car.

Tourradar

Pick an International Rental Company

There are many small rental companies. They’ll be cheap: don’t do it to yourself. Please.

We opted for a budget South African company (Tempest) that didn’t have any branches in Namibia. So, when we inevitably needed a new car because our tire was busted, our windscreen cracked and our rear suspension coil ruined, we were S.O.L. Thankfully, Tempest’s parent company is EuropCar which DOES have branches in Namibia and they were AWESOME. I’d highly recommend EuropCar. They even drove the new car to our AirBnB in Swakopmund to switch the cars out! What a bargain! You can also look for deals on rentalcars.com, they have a ton of options!

Automatic vs. Manual Transmissions

Sorry: If you can’t drive a manual on the left-hand side of the road (the British side) you’re going to be in big trouble here.

Rental companies the world over are almost exclusively manual. You can get automatics if you book really far in advance and pay much more, but your best bet is to find someone who can drive manual and go on the trip with them (Jackson can do this and I am so grateful, because I am useless in this area!).

Manual, baby!

Insurance

A must. You must get fully covered everything! Tires, windshield, body… the whole nine yards! You’ll need it. I hate to say this, but Namibia will kick the crap out of your car.

We got WorldNomads travel insurance as well as insurance through rentalcars.com. That way, we were covered for everything from theft to bad luck bullsh*t (like two cracked windshields…).

rentalcars.com

Roadside Repairs

Flat tires are a real danger here. Make sure you have at least one, if not two, spare tires with you.

Gas stations and convenience stores will sell an emergency tire puncture can. This was really helpful when we got a nail in our tire in Cape Town. The tire was slowly leaking, but this canister of gas helped it a lot. You can patch a tire at the gas station for about $5-7 USD.

Jackson driving like a champ.

Petrol/Gas

Gas stations are few and far between in Namibia; make sure you top up as often as you can.

Gas stations are also prone to electricity loss, so don’t rely on the fact that a town will have gas when you roll in. There were a couple power outages we came to while in Namibia where we had to search a while to find a gas station with a generator. Oy.

One of the awesome benefits of road tripping in Namibia is the gas station attendants do EVERYTHING. You can get your tires inflated, deflated, patched. They’ll clean your windows! They’ll pump your gas, too! Just be sure you have some change handy so you can tip them. We’d tip about N$5 (about 50 cents USD) which seemed like a good tip when we asked the locals.

Don’t worry, gas stations don’t look like this… most of the time

Supplies

Water, yo! You’ll need it! We always had 2-3 5-liter water bottles filled with water in the trunk. That way, if you get stuck in sand, you’ll be well watered until help comes.

Also, make sure you have plenty of snacks for the road, too, it could be hours before you get to the next place with a restaurant or convenience store. Biltong (a regional specialty of dried, cured meat) is popular and cheap and a great snack to have in the car.

Some people got a satellite phone or a SIM card so they could make emergency calls. I don’t know if this helped them or not. We got a SIM card that was USELESS outside of the villages and towns (which is about 90% of Namibia). So: get one if you want, but don’t expect it to work.

The places you’ll go! Namibia is a great place to see.

Any questions? Feel free to ask away in the comments!

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  • car
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Hi, we’re Natalie and Jackson: a trans-continental couple who met in New York City in 2013 and haven’t been apart since. We got married in June 2015 and have been traveling around the world together.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tara Pittman says

    May 3, 2018 at 1:27 pm

    I love that they have full service gas stations. I remember when I first started driving and it cost more to have someone put the gas in you car but it was worth it.

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      May 4, 2018 at 4:45 am

      Oh man, it is such a luxury!

      Reply
  2. Carol says

    May 3, 2018 at 1:40 pm

    Useful information right here. 🙂 Thanks for sharing! My husband loves to drive especially when we’re travelling so if we ever finally go on a trip to Namibia to see the beautiful landscapes, will definitely look through this again!

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      May 4, 2018 at 4:45 am

      I hope this helps when you do!

      Reply
  3. Sarah Bailey says

    May 3, 2018 at 4:16 pm

    These are some awesome tips, I wouldn’t have an idea how to rent a car outside of my own country or how you go up filling up etc! So this is a great resource.

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      May 4, 2018 at 4:43 am

      Luckily you don’t have to touch a gas station (or even get out of your car) in this part of the world! I hope one day you get a chance to experience this, it’s a lot of fun.

      Reply
  4. Michelle says

    May 3, 2018 at 9:04 pm

    Looks like a fun trip! (Minus the flat tire hazard of course)

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      May 4, 2018 at 4:42 am

      It was! (but, totally, yeah).

      Reply
  5. Alison Rost says

    May 3, 2018 at 11:03 pm

    I’ve never been to Namibia so this is a really awesome guide. We’ve also never rented cars before when we traveled to other places. I think it’s something that you’d have to consider especially for places that require transportation often or if you’re planning to do roadtrips while you’re there.

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      May 4, 2018 at 4:42 am

      If you’ve never rented a car in another country, be sure to read the road rules! That’s the most confusing part, in my opinion.

      Reply
  6. Annreeba says

    May 4, 2018 at 12:34 am

    The idea of renting a car is great. I think renting a car is something that you’d have to consider especially for places that require transportation often or if you’re planning to do road trips while you’re there.

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      May 4, 2018 at 4:41 am

      We love renting cars because it can be so freeing!

      Reply
  7. Karie says

    May 4, 2018 at 1:38 am

    Great tips! Wish I was heading there but it’s fun to see pictures and learn from others

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      May 4, 2018 at 4:40 am

      Yeah, it’s pretty far away from everything, but it’s a great place to see.

      Reply
  8. Sondra Barker says

    May 4, 2018 at 3:19 am

    Looks like you guys had lots of fun! Thanks for sharing these tips.
    xo, Sondra
    Cuisineandtravel.com

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      May 4, 2018 at 4:39 am

      Thanks! We did 🙂

      Reply
  9. Minakshi Bajpai says

    May 4, 2018 at 4:21 am

    These are some awesome tips.I love that they have full service gas station.Thanks for sharing these tips.

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      May 4, 2018 at 4:38 am

      Thanks! And yeah, the full-blown service is freakin brilliant!

      Reply
  10. Ashley Roberts says

    May 4, 2018 at 9:42 am

    Wow! What a pretty area! Great tips! I would love to visit somewhere like that one day

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      May 20, 2018 at 2:00 pm

      Hope you get a chance to go!

      Reply
  11. Diana V says

    May 4, 2018 at 1:36 pm

    I love the color of that car also the big space it has, thanks for the amazing tips 😉

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      May 20, 2018 at 2:01 pm

      Glad you like the color red. 🙂

      Reply
  12. Silvia Martinez says

    May 4, 2018 at 8:31 pm

    It looks so fun! I have never been to Africa, maybe one day. And the car, ay! I used to drive manual, and I don’t miss it!

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      May 20, 2018 at 2:02 pm

      Haha! I have tried to learn but oyyy so hard! I need to learn, though. I hope you get a chance to go to Africa!

      Reply
  13. Anjali W says

    May 5, 2018 at 1:59 am

    I just love going on road trips. They are so much fun and adventurous. Thanks for all the wonderful tips, your pictures are amazing and making me wanna plan a road trip soon!

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      May 20, 2018 at 2:02 pm

      Road trips are my favorite way to travel, totally feel you on that! Glad to help 🙂

      Reply
  14. Alaina Monster says

    May 5, 2018 at 9:49 am

    Looks like a beautiful country to go exploring. But you’re right – it looks like you wouldn’t get far if you didn’t have 4X4.

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      May 20, 2018 at 2:08 pm

      Oh man. We learned that the hard way! Glad we got the SUV.

      Reply
  15. Jocelyn says

    May 6, 2018 at 10:37 pm

    What a great resource! I loved reading your tips and enjoyed the pictures you shared.

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      May 20, 2018 at 2:07 pm

      Happy to help!

      Reply
  16. Felicia says

    May 7, 2018 at 12:32 pm

    Simple and light hearted article, yet entertaining. Luv the pucs!

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      May 20, 2018 at 2:04 pm

      Thank you so much for your comment.

      Reply
  17. Kiwi says

    May 8, 2018 at 7:58 pm

    I love that you got to visit Nambia. Africa is definitely on my travel wish list and I would love to explore S.Africa in the near future.

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      May 20, 2018 at 2:05 pm

      I feel very fortunate! It’s such a spectacular place. I hope you get a chance to go!

      Reply

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