Interesting facts

Namibia

Namibia covers an areaof 825.418 sqkm, which is approximately 2.5 times the size of reunited Germany. However it is home to only 2.2 million people. This makes Namibia, after Mongolia, the most sparsely populated country of the world with only 2.5 people per sqkm. The cold Benguela current that flows northwards along Namibia’s coast often causes thick morning fog in the costal regions and provides most welcome cooler weather during the summer months October to April.

The country's main income is: fishing, mining, agriculture and tourism.
The official language is English, lingua franca is Afrikaans and German is also still widely spoken. Overall sixteen languages are spoken in 13 ethnic population groups in Namibia.

Namibia's currency is the Namibia Dollar (N$), which is linked 1:1 to the South African Rand. The Rand is an accepted currency in Namibia.

Flora and Fauna have a lot to offer. 14 vegetation zones with 200 endemic plant species, among them the famous Welwitschia mirabilis and 120 further tree species and 100 fern species.
Apart from elephants, giraffes, rhinos, buffalos, lions, leopards and cheetahs Namibia boasts 20 species of antelope, 250 reptile species and about 630 bird species.

There is also no lack of interesting landmarks and attractions in Namibia. The most important ones are probably the Etosha National Park, Sossusvlei, Brandberg, Spitzkoppe, Swakopmund of course, the ghost town of Kolmanskop close to Lüderitz, the Fish River Canyon, the Petrified Forest and Kaokoveld.

Travelling in Namibia

German citizens entering Namibia do not require a Visa.
At passport control the duration of stay granted is written into the passport. Until recently 90 days where generally given.
Presently the border officers have switched to only granting the amount of days, filled in on the entry forms (distributed in the plane), which sometimes results in mistakes being made.
In order to avoid long queuing and a costly extension of stay one should check the given days immediately after the passport has been stamped and have them amended if necessary.

In Namibia is left-hand traffic. You will get used to it quite quickly.
Although credit cards are accepted in Windhoek and other towns this is not the case in Namibia's hinterland. Fuel has to be paid in cash. Therefore it is necessary to carry enough cash whilst on tour. In larger towns you always find ATM's where you can "refuel".

Speaking of refueling: Namibia's network of filling stations is not comparable to the ones in first world countries where you come across one every few kilometers. Here the distance between two filling stations can by all means be 300 - 400 km. Therefore the route planning for an Enduro is is to a great extent based on the availability of service stations.

Apart from the distances, foreign visitors repeatedly underestimate the temperatures and the sun in Namibia. During the summer months temperatures may rise above 40°C, which are often not perceived the same way as would be the case in Europe for instance, due to our extremely dry air. It is therefore advisable to carry light-coloured clothing. During the winter months the temperatures are more pleasant, but it can get rather chilly at night like 0°C. Generally one could say: Good sun-glasses, and sun-protection, as well as as a lotion with a high ptotection factor are strongly recommended throughout the whole year. For the winter months and for time spend at the coastal areas one should also bring warm clothing.

Most national parks are taboo for motor bikes. Reason herefore is on one side to avoid adding tourists to the menu of lion & Co and on the other side to avoid the noise pollution associated with bikes. Any bikes who still wants to visit for instance Etosha National Park can contact close-by lodges. There you can leave your Enduro and will be driven into the park for the applicable fees.

One thing that is very uncomplicated here is the food supply. Every small village has a shop where basic food can be purchased. If you require anything more exotic than the basics regarding the menu you should stock up at supermarkets in bigger towns. The quality of water in Namibia is very high. It mostly comes from deep wells and can be consumed without having to add chemicals or boiling it off.

The greatest risk for your health is posed by (hopefully not occurring) falls. There are no obligatory vaccinations and only guests travelling into northern Namibia are advised to take Malaria prophilaxis.

Namibia is inexpensive for European tourists. Although some Lodges do soak their guests, the camping tourist will have an inexpensive holiday, even when spending a night or two at a lodge. A litre of fuel costs about 0,60 €, half a litre of beer about 0,90 €, a meal at a restaurant approx. 10,- € and camp sites cost an average of 6,- €.

The mobile network is surprisingly well developed for a country this size. The usage of a European mobile phone is no problem. Whoever travels alone into remote areas of the country should however consider renting a satellite phone, to be able to call for help in case of an accident or breakdown. Waiting for a car to pass by might take several days.

Safety

Namibia is like anywhere else - use common sense.

Basically the same can be said for Namibia as for any other country in the world: A lot of people = a lot of crime.

The crime here is mostly confined to thefts in all variations. Pickpocketing, luggage theft and burglaries. Unthoughtful tourists are in this case of course welcome targets. It happens ever so often that cars are broken into, because a handbag or camera equipment is lying openly on the seat. Armed robberies do occur in Windhoek, but are not the norm.
Ads soon as you leave the capital, all this becomes better. The population is drastically reduced and thus the risk is limited. Nonetheless you should not throw caution to the wind. Even the rather sparsely equipped biker, who actually does not fit the profile of a potential victim for local gangsters, owns more than the average Namibian inhabitant and might face painful losses when leaving his belongings unattended. But is this any different in any other country?

So here are some hints that will not eliminate, but minimise the risk of being robbed:

- Do not leave luggage, equipment and motor bike unattended.
On the parking areas of nearly all supermarkets you will find guards, who are there to prevent burglaries and theft. Although this is not guaranteed it normally works quite well. If everything is in order after returning from the shopping one should remunerate the guard with 2 - 3 N$, about 0,20 €. Should the area appear to be dodgy with no guard around, unstrap your saddle bags and take them along to the shop.

- Take your luggage into the tent at night (or find a scorpion inside), also at campsites.
Just because you are staying at a campsite with maybe a fence around, doesn't mean it is safe and won't be searched at night for items lying around. The risk at campsites outside town is far less than at campsites close to or in villages.

- Private travellers should avoid wild camping if possible.
Where it is reasonable to camp wildly and where not is dependent on many factors that need to be considered. In the end it is a question of gut-feeling and experience. In case you have a breakdown or accident for example and the day's destination cannot be reached in time anymore you should adhere to the following:
- Camp at least 15 - 20 km away from villages and pitch your tents only at dusk. Even better would be in the dark  . That reduces the amount of people that know about your camp.
- If possible do not camp directly next to the road, where everybody can see you. Namibia is a farm country. If there is a fence, there must be a farm house somewhere. Farmers are generally very friendly people and mostly welcome visitors. Just ask, if you may pitch your tent somewhere. The same goes for areas without farms like the Omaheke Region (Hereroland) or the Caprivi Strip and the Ovamboland. They have small, fenced homesteads (socalled "Kraals"). There you can ask if you could stay for the night and are hardly ever rejected.

Traffic rules
Riding techniques

The fraffic rules in Namibia are generally the same as in every other country, except for the left-hand driving. Something one gets used to very quickly though. Apart from that a stop sign is a stop sign and no passing is no passing. The legal blood alcohol limit is 0,5 mg/ml, the speed limit in towns and villages is 60 km/h, outside any settlements 120 km/h, on gravel roads 80 km/h or as indicated. The main difference is that there is hardly any traffic police enforcing the rules.

Although alcohol tests are conducted in Windhoek every now and then and the number of speed traps is unfortunately increasing, one can enjoy an easy-going driving experience even in the capital.
Especially in Windhoek, but also in other bigger villages, one has to extremely cautious of taxis. They pick up their clients from the sidewalks and thus stop very unpredictably and at the most unlikely places.

Once out of town and on the gravel road the traffic reduces drastically. Depending on the area, it might happen that you ride for hours on end without coming across any other traffic. Here consideration and cooperativeness is the principle. In case of a breakdown or an accident one is reliant on help from passing traffic, especially in remote areas with no mobile network. This does not only go for tourists. Even locals have break-downs and are thankful for anyone to stop offering help. So should you come across a vehicle at the side of the road please stop and ask if you could help.

Driving on gravel always causes stones to fly around , also when riding a bike. To avoid bombarding the rider behind one should refrain from drag racing and should keep a safe distance to the rider in front. A hazard in this respect is oncoming traffic, which with increasing speed might drag a real shower of stones behind them. Unfortunately a lot of drivers don't care and refrain from slowing down when meeting oncoming traffic. In this case keep to the far left, slow down and even stop if in doubt.
Luckily these experiences are quite rare due to little traffic.

To drive on gravel roads by bike is not difficult, but it does take some getting used to. It is always slippery. Sometimes more, sometimes less. If the road is well travelled you usually find clean tracks on each side, which give a good grip. When the road has been recently graded you will find the stones evenly spread over the whole road. The result is riding like on marbles.

With the right riding technique though one can even drive on marbles. If riding a a bike on tarmac you learn to lean into the turn with your bike. This should be avoided by all means on slippery surfaces. The right technique is to push the bike into the turn tereby keeping an upright position whilst putting weight onto the outer fot peg. If you want to do it really well you additionally lean forward to exert pressure onto the front wheel thus increasing the grip.

Sand is a completely different story again. One man's meat is another man's poison. There has hardly been another topic so thoroughly discussed like the "right" riding technique in sand.
There is reasonable doubt on the existence of a for everybody working technique.
A lot depends on the bike. The bigger the front wheel, the lighter the bike, the bigger the caster the better for riding in sand. Theoretically. With the "Africa Twin", almost legendary for sand riding, Honda proofed that a heavy bike cannot automatically be disqualified from riding sand. The most important factor regardless of the surface is the experience and the skill of the rider. Especially for beginners, some general techniques have proven themselves:

Reducing tyre pressure is not only possible with cars. This trick is also helps enormously when riding with a motorbike in sand or on loose surfaces. Reduced tyre pressure of 18 - 20 psi in front und 20 psi at the back has proven to be good for most Enduros. Please don't forget to inflate again when reaching solid surfaces. Due to the reduced air pressure the tyre loses carrying capacity and thus can easily be damaged by stone.

Shift weight onto the rear wheel to stop the front wheel from digging in.

Ride standing up with slightly bent knees. This will shift the centre of gravity downwards and as the rocking movements of the bike will not be directly projected onto the rider, the bike can stabilise itself easier.

Don't stiffly hold onto the handle bars. Give the front wheel some leeway to be able to keep track itself. The resulting sliding of the handle bars is not dangerous and simply shows that the front wheel is "looking" for the right track.

Keep the throttle on and don't drive too slowly. This is a real effort for most, but has a dual effect: 1.) Through accelerating less weight is put on the front wheel and stops it from sinking in too deeply. 2.) The higher the speed the better the stabilising rotational power of the wheels (as known from whirligigs). This means that the bike does not want to fall over. Additionally the wheels don't even have time to get stuck. The downside is of course that you have less time to react to sudden obstacles, whilst driving fast. The aim is to find a good average.

Look to where you want to go and not directly in front of the wheel. This also costs some effort, but effective on any surface. You will recognise relevant obstacles even when looking further ahead and you have time to prepare yourself. When looking directly onto the front wheel, you are constantly taken by surprise and have no time to react.

Look out for elevations! The quality of our gravel roads is overall fairly good. If a road hasn't been graded for a while though, i.e. levelled by a grader, pot holes and corrugations often occur, sometimes very scattered. So while you have the feeling of losing your dental fillings on one side of the road the surface quality on the other side might be much better. If you have a good view over the road ahead there is no reason why you should not take the best track, even on the opposite lane. When visibility is limited at a bend or when coming to an elevation you immediately have to return to your (left!) lane. When coming to elevations you have to take special care, as there might be a bend directly behind it, which can lead to an uncomfortable aha-experience.
Good care should be taken during the rainy seasons (September / October and December / April). Draining rainwater washes out the roads and sometimes leaves deep depressions as well as sand, rocks and wood, all with enormous braking effects.