Car hire in Windhoek without a credit card

Why hire a car in Windhoek?

Namibia's own tourism board calls the car the best way to get around the country, and Windhoek, with the international airport, is the obvious place to start. From the capital, the main routes lead north to Etosha National Park, south-west to the dunes of Sossusvlei and west to Swakopmund on the coast. These are long drives, of 380 to 480 kilometres each, so plan a night or two along the way.

Hosea Kutako International Airport is about 45 kilometres east of Windhoek. Eros Airport is five kilometres from the city centre, and there is a branch in the city too. For more destinations, see car hire in Namibia.

Exploring Namibia from Windhoek by car

North to Etosha

Etosha National Park is Namibia's number-one tourist destination. Okaukuejo, the rest camp closest to Windhoek, lies 17 kilometres inside the southern entrance, about 475 kilometres from the airport. It has a filling station and a waterhole that is floodlit at night. Namutoni, in the east of the park, is built into a German fort from 1897. A detour on the way leads to the Waterberg Plateau Park, 68 kilometres east of Otjiwarongo, about 340 kilometres from the airport.

South-west to Sossusvlei

Sesriem, the gateway to Sossusvlei in the Namib-Naukluft Park, is about 380 kilometres from the airport. The dunes rise up to 325 metres, and the dead camelthorn trees of Deadvlei are between 500 and 600 years old. Sesriem Canyon, a narrow gorge of about a kilometre, is at the entrance. The Namib Sand Sea became a World Heritage Site in 2013. Check the current access rules for the last stretch to Deadvlei before you go.

West to the coast and Damaraland

Swakopmund is about 405 kilometres from the airport and, with Walvis Bay, the base for quad biking, dune boarding and boat trips. North of the coast, Twyfelfontein in Damaraland became Namibia's first World Heritage Site in 2007, with rock art routes, some of which you can walk on your own; it is about 470 kilometres from the airport.

Driving in Namibia

Namibia drives on the left. At least 80 per cent of the roads are gravel, generally well maintained. The speed limit is 120 km/h on tarred roads, 80 km/h on gravel and 60 km/h in towns. Gravel roads turn slippery in the rainy season, and official travel advice is to avoid driving at night outside towns because of wildlife and livestock on the road. Carry cash for fuel: the tourism board and the Canadian government both warn that filling stations may not take cards. A licence in English is generally accepted; an International Driving Permit is strongly recommended.

In Etosha, Namib-Naukluft and Waterberg, foreign visitors from outside the SADC pay a daily entry fee per adult plus a fee for the car. In Etosha the gates open at sunrise and close at sunset, and you may not leave or reach a rest camp in the dark.

Best time to hire a car in Windhoek

Windhoek gets only about 370 millimetres of rain a year, and almost all of it falls between November and April. From May to September there is hardly a wet day. The tourism board calls the period from December to April the main rainy season, with shorter rains from September to November.

The dry season from May to October is the best time for wildlife viewing, and the days are sunny: the tourism board counts some 300 days of sunshine a year. Winter days in Windhoek reach about 21°C in June and July, but nights drop to about 7°C, and in the desert they can freeze. The hottest month is December, with average highs of about 31°C in Windhoek; in the north and south of the country summer temperatures reach 35°C or more.