Namibia for Senior Travelers

The quick answer

Namibia suits older travelers well, and one decision determines whether it does: how much of it you drive yourself.

The driving is the whole question

Namibia's distances are long and its gravel roads demand sustained concentration. Six hours on corrugations is tiring for anyone and harder on backs, necks and shoulders than the same time on tarmac.

Three options, in increasing order of comfort:

• Self-drive — the cheapest and the most demanding. Fine for confident drivers who plan short days.
• A guided drive — a driver-guide in a comfortable vehicle. You see the same country, you arrive rested, and you get the commentary. For most travelers over seventy this is what we would recommend.
• Fly-in — light aircraft between lodges. It costs considerably more, it removes the driving entirely, and the aerial views of the dune sea and the Skeleton Coast are genuinely among the best things in the country.

Pace

• Minimum two, preferably three nights in each place. Namibia's temptation is a long list of highlights; the country punishes it.
• Cap driving days at four or five hours.
• Keep the first and last nights in Windhoek, near the international airport.
• Etosha rewards sitting still. A floodlit waterhole with a chair is some of the best wildlife viewing in Africa and asks nothing of you physically.

Heat, altitude and dry air

Windhoek sits at about 1,700 meters, which is not high enough to cause altitude problems for most people but is enough to make the sun stronger and the nights cooler than expected. The desert's daily temperature range is wide: freezing dawns from May to August, hot afternoons.

The dry air is the thing most often underestimated. Dehydration arrives before thirst does because you do not notice sweating. Drink continuously. Dry eyes, dry skin and cracked lips are near-universal complaints; pack accordingly.

Health planning

Start early

See your own doctor or a travel clinic six to eight weeks before departure.

Malaria depends entirely on your route

This is good news for many travelers. Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Windhoek and the south are not malaria areas; the risk is in the north and north-east. If your itinerary stays in the desert and Etosha's main area, the malaria conversation is much simpler than in Zambia or northern Botswana — but have it, with your route in front of you, because some antimalarials interact with common cardiac and anticoagulant medications.

Medication

Original labeled packaging, in hand luggage, with copies of prescriptions and a written list of generic names and dosages. Bring more than the trip needs; towns have pharmacies and the road between them does not.

Evacuation cover is not optional

The most important line here. Travel insurance with explicit medical evacuation cover, covering your age and any pre-existing conditions honestly declared. Medical facilities are good in Windhoek and limited elsewhere, and "elsewhere" in Namibia can mean several hours from the nearest town. Carry the 24-hour assistance number on your phone and on paper.

What Namibia does especially well for this traveler

It is quiet, it is safe, the lodges are comfortable, and the landscape does the work — you do not have to be robust to be moved by the Namib at sunrise. Sitting at a waterhole at dusk with a drink while elephants arrive is not a compromise; for many people it is the best evening of the trip.

Planning with LABUSA Travel

Tell us how you like to travel and what your doctor has said. We will keep the driving days short, put a guide in the front seat if that suits you better, and tell you plainly if part of the route will be harder than it sounds.