TRAVEL WARNING
Country-specific safety information
The number of thefts against tourists remains high in both Windhoek and the province; The attacks are particularly frequent in the run-up to Christmas. In isolated cases, armed robbery occurs. Greater caution is therefore advised even with short stopovers: For example, travelers should only stay overnight in guarded accommodations, keep vehicle doors locked from the inside and keep an eye on valuables even when traveling by bus. Valuables, handbags or briefcases should not be visible in your own or rented vehicle, even while driving. If possible, walks should be taken without valuables and not in the dark.
In Namibia, according to youremailverifier, crime is more part of everyday life than in Germany. It is therefore recommended to follow the instructions below:
Basically: Particular attention and caution is required in unclear situations, such as when travelers in the city are surrounded by several unknown people or z. B. notices an abandoned child seat on the roadside. It can be a deception to make an attack possible. Travelers should not stop, but call the police (10111).
Again and again, tourists are targeted from picking up their rental car at the airport to their accommodation and then robbed on arrival. There are also more attacks on people waiting in their vehicles at the entrance to the accommodation while the gate opens. Travelers should ensure that no one is around during this process. Anyone who has the impression that they are being followed or observed should notify the police and / or preferably head for the nearest police station.
There is an increased risk of robbery / theft in taxis in which there are other people besides the driver. Solo travelers should insist that no other passengers get on.
Car drivers should not stop at unmanaged, unguarded or blind rest areas, as there have been repeated attacks on tourists. However, car break-ins also occur in guarded parking lots.
Criminals use tall grass and scrubland specifically as a privacy screen before and after robberies.
Particular vigilance is also required at ATMs. Travelers should never be helped or distracted by bystanders.
The number of cases of credit card fraud in which tourists are the preferred victims is growing rapidly. When paying with credit card, travelers should therefore keep an eye on the card during the entire payment process, ask about the (increasingly popular) mobile card reader in restaurants or accompany the staff to the checkout.
Travelers should not be persuaded at the airport to put valuables in the checked baggage instead of in the hand baggage, allegedly for security reasons.
Land / road travel
There is left-hand traffic in Namibia. Tourists are generally allowed to drive in Namibia with their national driver’s license. However, it is recommended that you have an international driver’s license (which can be applied for at the driver’s license office or the Automobile Club, for example) or an official English translation of the German driver’s license. It is recommended that you do not drive long distances in a rental car immediately after arriving at the airport. Fatigue, unfamiliar heat, differences in altitude and strenuous journeys on unpaved roads can cause dangerous states of exhaustion.
It is not recommended to drive overland in the dark. In addition to the increased risk of criminal attacks, there is also a risk of a traffic accident due to unlit vehicles and deer crossing (danger to life!).
Dangerous overtaking maneuvers by oncoming traffic in unobservable curves or hills that are in sight must always be expected. Taxis often perform surprising and completely unpredictable maneuvers to pick up passengers (e.g. emergency braking at a green light). Particular caution is recommended when driving on gravel roads. Serious accidents occur time and again – mostly without the involvement of other parties – when vehicles get out of control due to excessive speed and overturn. To avoid dangerous situations, it is therefore recommended to adapt the driving speed to the road conditions and not to overtake if a plume of dust from the vehicle in front prevents the oncoming traffic. Rockfall is to be expected during overtaking maneuvers and oncoming traffic. Travelers are also advised to keep lanes, as changing over the gravel piles next to them leads to the risk of skidding. Obstacles such as potholes, sand drifts, large stones or gullies can often only be recognized at the last moment due to the strong sunlight.
Some areas in the north of Namibia, between the Etosha Pan and the Angolan or Zambian border, which are less visited by tourists, can be affected by large-scale flooding in the rainy season, especially in the months of February to April, which have corresponding effects on the navigability of the roads . Before traveling to these parts of the country, inquiries should therefore be made, e.g. at the Namibian tourist office, tour operators who know the country or the German embassy in Windhoek.
Note on visiting tourist attractions in the border area with Angola The border with Angola is not marked at all or only by a low wire fence in various places. Anyone who crosses the border illegally (even for a few meters) must expect arrest by the Namibian or Angolan border police, fines and / or imprisonment.
