Namibia stretches along Africa's Atlantic seaboard, and most trips here are road trips: out of Windhoek, the capital, north to the wildlife of Etosha National Park, south-west to the red dunes of Sossusvlei in the Namib-Naukluft Park, or out to the Skeleton Coast in the north-west. Many rural roads are gravel and fuel can be scarce off the main routes, so your phone does double duty as map and safety line. Namibia is not covered by Roam Like at Home, which means a European SIM charges its operator's roaming rates for every call and megabyte.
Key facts for Namibia
- EU roaming: not covered by Roam Like at Home
- Local networks: varies by plan
- Emergency numbers: 10111, 999 or 112 for police, fire and ambulance; ambulance 211111 in Windhoek
- Embassies: in Windhoek, among them those of the UK, the US, Germany, Spain and Finland
The visa on arrival
Since 1 April 2025, British passport holders have needed a visa, issued on arrival or applied for online beforehand as an e-visa; children under 6 pay no fee. Your passport needs 6 months' validity from arrival and 3 blank pages. Check the dates on your entry stamp before leaving the desk, because officials look at them again when you leave and overstaying can mean a fine or detention. Parents with children aged 17 or under need each child's full birth certificate, plus an affidavit from the other parent if only one is travelling.
Windhoek before you hit the road
Muggers target tourists in Windhoek, sometimes violently, and attacks happen in busy central streets at any hour, so keep phones, cameras and cash out of sight and use the hotel safe. Gangs sometimes try to get into cars at busy intersections, and theft from vehicles at service stations is common: lock the doors, keep the windows up in slow traffic and stay with the car while it is refuelled. Ask your hotel to call a reputable taxi firm rather than hailing one in the street, and avoid townships at night without someone who knows the area. Card skimming has been reported at some hotels and lodges, so keep your card in view when you pay.
Self-drive on gravel
Traffic keeps to the left, and British drivers must have their photocard licence in the car. Accidents are common on gravel and dirt roads, and most hire-car policies do not cover a crash involving no other vehicle or animal, so read the small print and take comprehensive cover. From January to April the rains break up many gravel roads: keep to 80 km/h or less, check conditions before each leg, carry 2 spare tyres and plenty of water, and refuel whenever you can. Outside the towns, wildlife and livestock make night driving dangerous, so finish each day's drive in daylight.
Etosha, Sossusvlei and the Skeleton Coast
Etosha's main rest camps, Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni, have fuel, shops and rooms. Elsewhere in the park you may leave your vehicle only at a marked rest area, you must keep to the official roads, and park regulations require you to be inside a rest camp from sunset to sunrise. Sossusvlei lies in the Namib-Naukluft Park, while the Skeleton Coast park runs north from the Ugab River to the Kunene. The hot, dry climate causes dehydration and skin problems, so carry more water than seems sensible. Coverage thins out on remote routes and help can be hours away: save maps and bookings on your phone before you set off, and on remote routes carry a satellite phone or messenger with emergency numbers stored.
Health, money and local rules
Windhoek has good medical facilities, but private hospitals may want payment before treating you even if you are insured, leaving you to claim it back from your insurer. Carry photo ID for police checkpoints in Windhoek and other towns, and ask before photographing government buildings: people have been detained for taking pictures of the President's official residence. Trading in parts of protected animals, including ivory and rhino horn, is a crime. The Namibian dollar is pegged to the South African rand, which is also legal tender, and cards are generally accepted.
Getting connected
A travel eSIM installed at home is already working when you land in Windhoek, ready for the first leg north or south. Namibia has no plan of its own in the catalogue and is covered through a World plan, which also works in South Africa and Botswana if your route crosses a border; the Africa plans do not include Namibia. Keep your home SIM in place for bank texts, with data roaming switched off.
Consular protection: who to call in Namibia
- Dial 10111, 999 or 112 for the police, the fire service or an ambulance; for an ambulance in Windhoek, call 211111.
- The British High Commission and the US Embassy, both in Windhoek, help their own nationals. Canada covers Namibia from its high commission in Pretoria.
- Before you leave home, look up your own country's embassy in the Telcomia app and save its address and phone number.
- Germany, Spain and Finland are among the EU countries with an embassy in Windhoek; if yours has none, any of them must help you on the same terms as its own citizens (Article 23 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU).
- English is the official language.
Questions travellers ask about Namibia
Will my EU SIM work in Namibia?
Only on roaming billed at your operator's own rates, since Namibia is not covered by Roam Like at Home.
Do I need a visa for Namibia?
British citizens do; it is issued on arrival or online in advance as an e-visa. Other passports have their own rules, so check before you book.
Which network does a Telcomia eSIM use in Namibia?
Namibia is reached through the World plans, and the network your phone joins depends on the plan you choose.
Can I drive after dark?
Avoid it outside the towns: animals wander onto the roads, and help is far away if something goes wrong.
The short version
Install the eSIM before you fly, sort out your visa and print the approval, keep the car locked in Windhoek and stay with it at the pump, keep to 80 km/h or less on gravel, arrive before dark, be back in an Etosha rest camp by sunset, and save 10111, 112 and, in Windhoek, 211111.
Related reads:
Ready to stay connected without surprises?
Activate your eSIM in seconds and travel connected in 200+ countries and territories.
See plans