Travel costs and information for Namibia - Windhoek, Sossusvlei, Keetmanshoop, Luderitz

Note that all information in here was valid at the time (November 2009) - it may well have changed since.  It's also possible that I was ripped off, that I did some exceptional haggling, or that I accepted a price that I should have haggled over :-)  Currency indicators are £ (British pound), $ (US dollar), and N (Namibian $).  At the time, the official exchange rates were roughly N8.13=$1 and N13.33=£1.

Namibia  

• The Namibian $ is pegged to the South African rand within Namibia, and the notes and coins for both currencies are usable there.  It's probably best to change your remaining Namibian $ to South African rand before you leave, as they aren't much use elsewhere.

• Like Botswana, there's not much in the way of public transport, so to visit the sights you need to either go on tours or have your own vehicle.

1st November 2009 30 day visa (free for Brits) at the border with Botswana (I came in at the Mamuno crossing).
1st November 2009 N100 Hitch from the border to Windhoek, taking about 3 hours 30 minutes including a couple of stops (though the guy really had his foot down - I think it's about 330km).  I simply hung around near the immigration building and asked the first guy who came through the border whether he was heading to Windhoek.  He insisted on dropping me off at my intended hostel.  I think there's also public transport from the border to Gobabis - I met another traveller who got a shared taxi from Gobabis to Windhoek for N130.


Windhoek

• I got the impression that many of the people staying in hostels here are actually studying or working, rather than travelling.
• I was warned by all and sundry to be wary of muggers even during the day - in fact, several people said to not even carry a bag with me if I went out.  You'll notice a high emphasis on safety by the fact that many buildings have security features - gates, security guard, barbed wire, etc.
• There are several travel agencies in Windhoek offering a variety of tours in Namibia.  I was interested in seeing Damaraland and/or Kaokoveld, but unfortunately all the trips including these also involved safaris, which I wasn't interested in as I'd already done enough in East Africa.  Which meant I only did a tour to Sossusvlei - most available tours (e.g. Crazy Kudu/Wild Dog) are aimed at younger backpackers (i.e. cheap) and take 16 people or so, so I was glad to find something a little more exclusive (see below).  Note that the time I was here was the beginning of the low season, so there weren't that many tours heading out (I had to wait for 4 days for a suitable one).
• Internet available for N24 per hour.
• If you want to change money here, you'll need your passport.
• There's a daily minibus service to Swakopmund for about N240, leaving at 2:30PM and returning at 7AM, costing about N300.  You can also go by Intercape Mainliner, but they only run Monday/Wednesday/Friday.

1st November 2009 N310 Nightly rate for a private ensuite room at Backpacker Unite, though there was water outage for the first day I was there (this seemed to only be this building, as none of the other hostels I visited said they'd had a problem).  There's a friendly Siamese cat.  No Internet.  This hostel seems to cater mainly for workers, and it was rare to find anyone on reception.
6th November 2009 N3,800 2 day/2 night trip to Sossusvlei, departing from/returning to Chameleon Backpackers.  This is more like a mid-range tour, with nice accommodation and full catering, and a maximum of 12 people (I was told that it never fills up) - it only runs once per week.  I was able to pay by credit card.  This was an excellent tour in every respect, though Deadvlei in particular would have been one of the favourite things I saw in 4 years of travel even if the transport/accommodation/food/guide/customers had been garbage.  The schedule was as follows:
Day 1: Picked up from hostel at about 11:30AM.  Had to hand in an indemnity form including details of my travel insurance.  Only 2 other customers.  Friendly and informative guide/driver.  Nice Toyota minivan with AC.  Picked up lunch from a filling station along the way.  Took 4 hours 45 minutes to get to Desert Camp at Sesriem - great views along the way, though the road was gravel from Rehoboth onwards.  Awesome camp, with small swimming pool, bar (bottle of beer N12), and gorgeous setting - the place is owned by the same people who own the much-more-expensive Sossusvlei Lodge.  Chalets have everything (2 beds, sofa, large ensuite bathroom, fridge/cooker/sink unit, fan, etc) - I shared with the guide/driver.  Dinner cooked by the guide/driver - good quality and quantity.
Day 2: Breakfast at 5:30AM and left at 6AM.  Drove to the entrance gate to the park (~5km) - it only opens at sunrise, so if you want to see sunrise over the dunes then you need to camp inside the park or stay at the one really expensive lodge there).  Drove to the 4WD shuttle point (where there are toilets) in about 1 hour 15 minutes, stopping off occasionally for photos.  For people not in a 4WD (e.g. us), there's a stretch where you have to take a shuttle for about 4km.  Note that at this time in the morning it's bloody FREEZING (though it'll be roasting come mid-morning).  Then walked to Deadvlei (amazing ...), walked up a dune, then climbed Sossusvlei.  We then returned to the minivan and went back to Dune 45, which we climbed (many groups go up here first thing, so if you don't want the crowds it's best to go there later on).  We also saw oryx/gemsbok, springbok, beetles, and lizards.  Note that if you wear sunscreen then sand in the air will stick to it, so it's probably best to cover up with clothes instead on your arms/legs - can't really avoid creaming up your face/neck, though.  You can go hot air ballooning for about N4,000 but our guide said the balloons don't go over the main dunes.  We then had a cold but filling lunch before driving to Sesriem Canyon, where we saw a horned adder.  Good dinner back at the camp.
Day 3: Breakfast at 6:15AM and left at 8AM.  Drove to Solitaire, where we had a wander and sampled the famous apple pie.  Then got back to Windhoek for lunchtime.
8th November 2009 N300 Nightly rate for a private ensuite room at Chameleon Backpackers, including a towel and a safe.  Nice rooms, and the hostel has plenty of travellers.  Internet available for N30 per hour.  Don't forget to reclaim your key deposit when you leave.  Chameleon offers a free transfer to the Intercape Mainliner bus station.
8th November 2009 N4.6 Stamp for postcard to anywhere - note that the stamps are quite long, so leave room for them when you do your writing.
9th November 2009 N315 Bus (Intercape Mainliner) from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop, leaving at 6:30PM and taking 5 hours 30 minutes.  I'd booked this online by credit card - they required a credit card imprint when I was boarding, and everyone had to sign an indemnity form.  Intercape buses are pretty good - not far off Argentinian standards.  You can also go by train, but it takes twice as long and is apparently rather cold.


Keetmanshoop
Unfortunately Intercape's drop-off point in Keetmanshoop is actually at a filling station a few km out of town.  My bus arrived at about midnight, by which time there was no transport heading into the town, so I stayed the night in a booth in the Wimpy fast food place at the filling station (the staff didn't mind).
10th November 2009 N10 Hitch from the filling station into the centre of town.  He dropped me at the Caltex filling station from which Luderitz-bound transport departs.
10th November 2009 N120 "Hitch" in a grocery van from Keetmanshoop to Luderitz, taking 3 hours 15 minutes.  Supposedly most of the transport to Luderitz originates in Windhoek, so you're best looking for transport from maybe 9AM onwards (rather than the 6AM that I started at).  The driver dropped me at my intended accommodation.


Luderitz
Internet available for N1 per minute, i.e. $8 per hour (!), opposite Standard Bank.
10th November 2009 N210 Nightly rate for a private room with shared bathroom at Luderitz Backpackers.  Note that the kitchen is fairly small so if there are many other guests then it may be difficult to do any cooking (especially if they take over the dining table). 
13th November 2009 N120 Minibus from Luderitz to Keetmanshoop, leaving at about 9:20AM and taking just under 4 hours.  The hostel had phoned up for this for me, though it came 45 minutes later than expected.


Keetmanshoop (again)
13th November 2009 N200 Nightly rate for a private ensuite room at La Rochelle B&B, including fan, AC, towel, kettle and TV.  This was a great room so it was a pity I got less than half a day's use of it.  With my bus to Upington leaving after midnight, I had the choice of either wondering around Keetmanshoop for 11 hours or taking a room that I wouldn't get to fully use.  At my age, it was a no-brainer to do the latter (!)  The staff gave me a lift to the Intercape pick-up point.
14th November 2009 N290 Bus (Intercape Mainliner) from Keetmanshoop to Upington in South Africa, leaving at 12:45AM and taking 6 hours, including about an hour of border formalities (not bad given there were ~50 people on the bus).  I'd booked this online a couple of days before.