A few years ago my husband suggested we go to Namibia on holiday. Having Africa nowhere on my radar at the time, my first question was, “Is it safe?”

I really knew nothing about Namibia at all. We started to plan our trip back then but didn’t end up going because life happened, and we moved to Asia, which made Namibia even more geographically challenging for us. But life has a way of balancing itself out, and funny enough we now find ourselves living in Africa. If we wanted to go to Namibia, now was the time.

With the Republic of Congo as our home base, Namibia was the first African country on our list to visit. By no means do I consider myself an expert on the country, but after planning a twelve day self-driven safari through Namibia and seeing through the trip with my husband at the wheel, and two kids in the back seat, I sure know a lot more than I once did.

Here are a few things to know:

It’s Safe

Africa is a big continent and not all countries within are created equal. Unfortunately, there are areas of the continent that can be unstable and dangerous; not ideal for independent travel. Namibia is not one of them. At no time did we feel unsafe. I left my husband and kids and went out shopping alone downtown Windhoek and felt like I could have been in small town Canada (with a few differences of course). Namibia prides itself on being safe.

It’s Easy

Today there are still glimpses that Namibia was a former German colony; like the German flare I noticed on the churches. You might not get this feeling if you came straight from Europe but coming from Congo, Windhoek is clean and organized; with its paved sidewalks, plentiful commercial development, and potable water. We felt more like we were in Europe than the Africa we know. I guess that’s why they say it’s ‘Africa for beginners’. It’s good initiation point.

Pack Casual

I felt compelled to pack a few nicer things for myself and the girls because at the price of some of the lodges, you’d think you’d be expected to get dressed up for dinner. From what I saw, no matter how spectacular or expensive the lodge was, the evening dress code was smart casual – everyone was on safari after all.

Bring Closed Toe Shoes

There’s a lot of dirt when you’re on the safari side of the country, and a lot of hot sand on the desert side. Closed toed shoes were where it’s at.

Seal it Up

We were told to buy big black garbage bags when we were in Windhoek to put our suitcases inside because everything gets covered in dust. That worked for the first few days, but then we got lazy and abandoned the idea, leaving everything covering of dust. Just make sure to put your electronics inside the vehicle, not in the back section of your vehicle.

Binoculars

It might seem like an obvious thing to bring on safari, but we didn’t own any binoculars before this trip. We live in a place that doesn’t sell them, and we can’t order things online because there’s no postal system. We assumed we’d pick up a pair in Windhoek, but didn’t see any there. It’s hard to believe, but not one place in or around Etosha had a single pair of binoculars for sale in any stores or gift shops. Make sure you pack a pair instead of counting on picking them up there. You’re going to want them on safari!

Fill Up While You Can

This goes for gas, snacks and water. Even if you think you don’t need gas; get some if you see a station. If you’re driving along the Skeleton Coast you can go for hours without seeing another car and drive for a good portion of the day without seeing any gas or food options. Plan ahead!

There’s a lot of Driving

This is important to note for several reasons. First, because, as mentioned above, you need to remember to fill up on gas/petrol, water and snacks. It may be hours before you get another opportunity. This goes for bathroom breaks too, since there are places like Ethosha Park where there’s nowhere to stop and do your business; not even the side of the road in an emergency, because there are ‘do not exit your car’ signs. I had a moment of contemplation after too much morning coffee and water, but quickly changed my mind when I saw a lion pride less than 20 meters from our vehicle.

If you have young kids: There’s a lot of car seat time and you need to be prepared for that too. Of course you can thrown the iPads in the back seat, but where do you go from there? We were on an African safari, we wanted the kids to look out the window, not stare at a screen. I knew once I gave them electronics, they’d want them ALL.THE.TIME., so I had a few tricks up my sleeve, and managed to avoid electronic devices until the end. Device-free wasn’t our game plan, it just worked out that way, and inspired me to write How To Survive A Long Road Trip With Young Kids.

Don’t Always Believe the Map

There was more than one occasion where we looked at the map and though, ‘we’ll stop at the next town’ but we would drive by the dot on the GPS where it said town-X should be and all that was in this ‘town’ was a small abandoned shack. This is good to know so that you don’t tell your kids, ‘we’ll stop in 20 minutes’. Don’t make promises you might not be able to keep.

Those were the challenges, or things we wished we knew. But I want to end on a positive note because the country is exceptionally beautiful and we LOVED our time in Namibia.

Have your camera handy, be ready for an adventure and enjoy the ride. You’re gonna love it!

Keep you eyes peeled for the upcoming book release of the latest The Kids Who Travel the World, where you can learn more about Africa and Namibia.

Available on Amazon in May!