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Travel tips
Do you have everything with you? Is your passport still valid? If you find out at the airport that your passport is no longer valid, or that you have not taken out travel insurance, you might have a rocky start to your holiday. That's why we have put together some helpful tips for your trip to Namibia.
Our tip: You can easily navigate through the country with Google offline maps.
The first day of flying
For your safety, no flights take place on the day of arrival. After a long journey, the change in climate and possibly a shift in time zones, it’s important to give yourself time to settle in and ajust before getting into the cockpit.
Regulation according to SSN (Soaring Society of Namibia): If the time difference between Namibia and your point of arrival is less than four hours, you need a rest period of 24 hours. If the time difference is five hours or more, you may not fly within the first 48 hours.
The evening before your first flying day, you will take over the aircraft and familiarise yourself with it. The next day, after the briefing, you take off on your first flight.
Entry Requirements and Visa Regulations
Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the date of entry and must contain at least three blank pages at the time of arrival. Upon entry, a tourist visa will be stamped into your passport, which is valid for a maximum of 90 days. All travellers are required to hold a valid return ticket.
Entry Requirements and Visa Regulations
Citizens of countries that do not grant visa-free entry to Namibian nationals are subject to specific visa requirements.Find out whether this applies to you and what it means for your trip to Kiripotib here.
If you require a visa, we recommend that you apply online – you’ll need to present a printed copy upon entry. Important to know: You need the"Visa on arrival“ NOT the ‘Holiday Visa’.
To make things easier to follow, we have created a step-by-step guide to the “Visa on Arrival” process that will walk you through each stage safely and clearly.
Please note: This information is for guidance purposes only. For official and binding advice, please contact the Namibian embassy or consulate in your country of residence.
Travel insurance
According to current visa regulations, valid travel insurance is mandatory. Even if it’s not always checked at the border, we strongly recommend carrying proof of cover.
We strongly recommend having a a combination of travel health insurance, trip cancellation insurance, and trip interruption coverageThis ensures you're well protected – both medically and financially – if the unexpected happens.
Vaccinations and health
Please ask your doctor or a tropical and travel medicine consultant about the required vaccinations. For a holiday in Namibia and Kiripotib we recommend at least tetanus, polio and hepatitis A+B.
SIM card Namibia
Wer keine bösen Überraschungen erleben möchte, sollte bei der Einreise das Roaming (Daten & Telefonie) am Mobiltelefon ausschalten. Beides kann enorme Kosten verursachen.
A smarter option: pick up an MTC SIM card at the airport. That way, you’ll be connected from day one – even up in the glider. With your passport, you can get a local SIM with 16 GB of data for around €13 (valid for 30 days). Shorter options are also available – for example, a 7-day pass.
Top tip: the fastest MTC counter is just past the baggage claim – at the far end on the left. Alternatively, there’s another counter in the arrivals hall, to the right as you exit.
Good to know: In Namibia you can use eSIMs – and traditional SIM cards are still available if you prefer.
Cash
The Namibian dollar (NAD) is the official currency of Namibia. The exchange rate is pegged 1:1 to the South African Rand (ZAR), so you can also pay in Rand. At the airport or in Windhoek you can withdraw money from ATMs with your EC card or exchange euros for a small fee.
At Kiripotib, it’s all nice and easy: anything you eat, drink or book as an extra can be added to your room tab. You simply settle up when you check out – either in Namibian Dollars (cash) or by credit card (2.5% fee applies).
If you want to buy unique pices at the art gallery or woven carpets; visit one of the neighbouring farms or leave a tip for our staff, you will need Namibian dollars.
Please note: Make sure to check in advance that your debit and credit cards work for payments and cash withdrawals abroad.
Pick-up service
We are happy to arrange a Shuttle from and to the airport.
In order to arrange the transfer please enter your arrival date, time and flight number on our online platform , as soon as you have booked your flights– at least one week prior to your arrival. Please make sure to update the entry in case of a flight change.
If you want to be picked up from a hotel in Windhoek, you can also enter this request in the same section. If no data is entered on the online platform we assume you will arrive on your own.
The airport is the last opportunity to obtain local currency, phone SIM and maybe a bottle of water for the about two hours drive.
Infrastructure
Kiripotib has 230 volt electricity, Wi-Fi access and mobile phone reception. A modern flight office awaits you, where you can use PCs and Wi-Fi free of charge. Thanks to the OGN receiver, the positions of the aircraft can be tracked while our weather station provides you with the latest weather data (wind and temperature) via app on your smartphone.
Clothes
In addition to swim suits, you will need long trousers, sturdy shoes and a jacket on cooler days. During the day, you are well equipped with shorts, a T-shirt and closed shoes. In direct sunlight, we recommend wearing a long-sleeved shirt and a good hat. Don't forget sun screen with a sun protection factor of at least 30!
Gliding equipment
The planes are fully equipped and ready for take-off. You only need your personal belongings:
- Please upload your pilot papers on our online platform before departure and take the original with you.
- Sun hat or cap
- Long-sleeved shirt (from 5,000 m it gets cool)
- Sunglasses with good UV protection
- Sun screen with a high sun protection factor (min. 30)
- Lip care
- possibly nasal cannula (also available at Kiripotib)
- drinking bag with 2-3 liters volume
- Arrangements for the emergency toilet
- Headlamp
- Powerbank for your cell phone
- SD card and USB stick
(no guarantee for completeness)
Packing List Namibia
Almost ready to go? Kiripotib is around 90 minutes from Windhoek and beautifully remote – don’t forget to bring whatever you can’t do without.
Here are a few tips for your packing list:
- Valid travel and entry documents
- private travel health and accident insurance, including travel cancellation.
- Please note: Check beforehand whether your EC card and credit card are activated for payments and cash withdrawals abroad.
- Sun hat or cap
- Insect protection for skin and clothing
- Sunscreen (SPF 30+) and lip balm
- Sturdy shoes: Flip flops and sandals are not suitable for the desert floor
- Airy garment made of cotton to protect against the sun
- Long trousers, long T-shirt and jumper or jacket for the evening
- Adaptors for power sockets are recommended when touring (mains voltage is 220 V at a frequency of 50 Hz). European sockets are available in all rooms on Kiripotib.
- Binoculars (Game Drive)
- swimsuits
- personal medication
(no guarantee for completeness)
Safaris
African Wanderers has been offering itineraries and safaris in Namibia and Botswana for over 20 years. We are happy to put together safari itineraries for you and make the bookings for lodges, camps, rental cars, etc. Discover distinctive landscape and fascinating wildlife of Africa.