Discussion
I have the luxury of being able to work remotely and am looking to go somewhere for a month. My criteria was safe and America friendly (as in most of meetings are in America timezone). That unfortunately ruled out Asia as I would have loved to have gone to Vietnam or Cambodia, It also has to be relatively inexpensiveto be there for a month. That ruled out most of Europe, so looked elsewhere. Turkey would have been an option, but sure to the sad current circumstances ruled out.
So, some googling and Namibia came up. It seems to be an interesting place to go, not that expensive and more importantly relatively safe.
Does anyone have any recommendations or experiences ?
So, some googling and Namibia came up. It seems to be an interesting place to go, not that expensive and more importantly relatively safe.
Does anyone have any recommendations or experiences ?
Great country. In terms of places to stay for an extended period you’ve got limited choices, it’s much more of a country to roam around. It’s pretty safe but does have some fairly extreme poverty and associated issues still.
A typical itinerary assuming a land entry from South Africa would see you stop in the following places:
Somewhere just over the border on the orange river- place to raft, some wine and fruit farms.
Somewhere fairly boring and deserty between the border and Sesriem. Possibly Keetmanshoop.
Sesriem- a base to enter for sossusvlei and the dunes. A truly beautiful place to spend a few days. Don’t miss it.
Swakopmund- Namibias answer to NZ’s Queenstown. Lots of activities. Reasonably safe Town just don’t venture into DRC unescorted. Probably your best bet outside Windhoek for some civilisation with a choice of restaurants and bars, good infrastructure and reliable Wi-Fi.
Skeleton coast- a whole lot of nothing. Stunning. Not somewhere to work from
Etosha NP - animals
Somewhere small near Etosha possibly Tsumeb. Little town, typical Namibia.
Windhoek- the only big city in the country. Malls, restaurants, nightlife. I didn’t spend a great deal of time here but it felt reasonably safe. Not entirely unlike similarly sized towns/cities in South Africa.
I think the problem you might have is that Namibia is a very sparsely populated place. There’s a lot to see but not a lot to do if that makes sense. It is ridiculously cheap so it ticks that box. Personally if I were in the same situation I’d look to South Africa or possibly both. You could head east to Botswana but it’s not as cheap.
A typical itinerary assuming a land entry from South Africa would see you stop in the following places:
Somewhere just over the border on the orange river- place to raft, some wine and fruit farms.
Somewhere fairly boring and deserty between the border and Sesriem. Possibly Keetmanshoop.
Sesriem- a base to enter for sossusvlei and the dunes. A truly beautiful place to spend a few days. Don’t miss it.
Swakopmund- Namibias answer to NZ’s Queenstown. Lots of activities. Reasonably safe Town just don’t venture into DRC unescorted. Probably your best bet outside Windhoek for some civilisation with a choice of restaurants and bars, good infrastructure and reliable Wi-Fi.
Skeleton coast- a whole lot of nothing. Stunning. Not somewhere to work from
Etosha NP - animals
Somewhere small near Etosha possibly Tsumeb. Little town, typical Namibia.
Windhoek- the only big city in the country. Malls, restaurants, nightlife. I didn’t spend a great deal of time here but it felt reasonably safe. Not entirely unlike similarly sized towns/cities in South Africa.
I think the problem you might have is that Namibia is a very sparsely populated place. There’s a lot to see but not a lot to do if that makes sense. It is ridiculously cheap so it ticks that box. Personally if I were in the same situation I’d look to South Africa or possibly both. You could head east to Botswana but it’s not as cheap.
Thank you for the reply.
I didn't think South Africa was particularly safe? I've only been there once (to Jo'Burg for work) and there was LOTS of security and the people I went to see told me to just stay att the airport, don't get a taxi. The hotel had armed guards ...
That was a long time ago (20+ years), so perhaps it changed / got better.
I didn't think South Africa was particularly safe? I've only been there once (to Jo'Burg for work) and there was LOTS of security and the people I went to see told me to just stay att the airport, don't get a taxi. The hotel had armed guards ...
That was a long time ago (20+ years), so perhaps it changed / got better.
The sort of places a westerner is going to spend time are very safe. South Africa has a reputation that it doesn’t really deserve. I’ve felt much more uneasy in several US cities (supposedly the nicer bits of them) than I have in South Africa.
Namibia is not really all that different to South Africa just more sparsely populated.
Funnily enough my wife almost got us robbed in Swakopmund, Namibia. Long story so I won’t bore you with it, needless to say we didn’t get robbed and made a couple of friends we still have today that night. Fun times.
Namibia is not really all that different to South Africa just more sparsely populated.
Funnily enough my wife almost got us robbed in Swakopmund, Namibia. Long story so I won’t bore you with it, needless to say we didn’t get robbed and made a couple of friends we still have today that night. Fun times.
boxst said:
Thank you for the reply.
I didn't think South Africa was particularly safe? I've only been there once (to Jo'Burg for work) and there was LOTS of security and the people I went to see told me to just stay att the airport, don't get a taxi. The hotel had armed guards ...
That was a long time ago (20+ years), so perhaps it changed / got better.
Just go to cape town. Much safer than joburg but still keep your wits about you I didn't think South Africa was particularly safe? I've only been there once (to Jo'Burg for work) and there was LOTS of security and the people I went to see told me to just stay att the airport, don't get a taxi. The hotel had armed guards ...
That was a long time ago (20+ years), so perhaps it changed / got better.
Djtemeka said:
Just go to cape town. Much safer than joburg but still keep your wits about you
Yeah for a month I’d say Cape Town and/or the surrounding winelands. In terms of pleasant suburbs if you wanted to be near the heart of Cape Town Sea Point, a bit further out but still a short Uber ride either Camps Bay or Blouberg which give you the beach. Fantastic city. SA doesn't feel unsafe if you play by the rules. I stayed two months and loved the place, except for the underlying poverty and racism. You can live like a king and if you like red meat you'll not want to leave.
Namibia is much more of an experience in terms of being somewhere "different". Loved it too.
Namibia is much more of an experience in terms of being somewhere "different". Loved it too.
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