Camping in Namibia
Namibia is one of the best camping countries in the world and the reason is space: 2.6 million people across an area larger than France and Germany combined, with a network of well run campsites reaching almost everywhere. Rooftop tents on 4x4s are the standard arrangement. The park campsites are the most expensive and the least comfortable, which surprises people.
Rooftop Tent or Ground Tent
This is the first decision and it shapes the whole trip.
Most people on a Namibian self drive camping trip take a rooftop tent, which comes fitted to the rental vehicle along with a full camping kit. It sets up in a couple of minutes, keeps you off the ground and gives an added sense of security in unfenced country.
Ground tents suit travellers staying several nights in one place and exploring from there, since you can leave the tent standing and take the vehicle out. With a rooftop tent, packing up is a precondition for going anywhere.
The rooftop arrangement has real drawbacks worth knowing. Getting down a ladder at three in the morning is a nuisance. Strong wind makes the tent noisy and occasionally alarming. And two people who want different bedtimes are in the same small space with no alternative.
Rental companies in Namibia are unusually good at the camping vehicle package, which is a genuine national strength, and the fully equipped 4×4 with rooftop tent is the standard product rather than a specialist one.
Rent the vehicle with the full camping kit rather than assembling your own. Namibian rental companies supply the tent, bedding, table, chairs, cooking equipment, cool box, water containers and usually a gas bottle, all fitted properly to the vehicle. Buying or bringing equivalent gear costs more, takes up more space and fits the car worse. Confirm exactly what is included before you fly.
The Three Kinds of Campsite
Namibian campsites fall into three categories and they are not equivalent.
Namibia Wildlife Resorts campsites sit inside the national parks and are the ones people assume are best. They are usually the most expensive and offer the least in facilities and maintenance, and experienced campers say so openly. Etosha’s Halali is frequently cited as both the most basic and among the priciest sites booked on a trip.
Private campsites and guest farms are the second group and they are where the quality is. Individual pitches with their own braai, sink and often a private ablution block, well maintained, often with a pool, and usually cheaper than the park sites.
Community campsites are the third, run by conservancies on communal land. Facilities are basic and sometimes minimal, the settings are frequently outstanding, and the income goes directly to the communities living with the wildlife you came to see.
The practical consequence is that you stay in park campsites when position demands it, meaning Etosha and Sesriem, and choose private or community sites everywhere else.
When the Park Campsites Are Worth It
Two situations justify paying more for less.
Etosha is the first. The rest camps at Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni have floodlit waterholes just inside the fence, lit all night and viewable on foot, and those are available only to guests staying inside. Black rhino come to Okaukuejo most nights. Campers get exactly the same access as chalet guests at a fraction of the price, which makes camping there the best value in Namibian travel.
Sesriem is the second. Guests inside the gate pass through the inner gate an hour before everyone else, which is the difference between photographing Deadvlei in shadow and photographing it in flat light behind a queue.
Beyond those, the park sites rarely justify themselves against what the private and community alternatives offer.
Booking
The booking process differs by category and the park one is the awkward one.
Namibia Wildlife Resorts campsites are booked through NWR by email, phone or their website, and confirmation can be slow. Sites book out months ahead in high season from May to August, particularly at Etosha and Sesriem.
Six months ahead is a reasonable target for peak season park camping, and earlier for Etosha. Some NWR campsites have no permanent staff, so booking in advance through the reservations office or an NWR office in country is required rather than optional.
You book with NWR first and then obtain your park permit, which is a two step process rather than one.
Private campsites and guest farms are booked directly and are considerably easier, though the popular ones also fill in season.
Community campsites can often be taken on arrival, though the well known ones benefit from a call ahead.
What Campsites Cost
Camping is the cheapest way to travel Namibia properly and the numbers reflect that.
Park campsites have historically run in the region of N$180 to N$220 per site per night, though that figure comes from some years ago and current rates are higher, particularly for international visitors who pay more than Namibian residents.
Private campsites and guest farms typically run a few hundred Namibian dollars per person, varying widely with facilities.
Community campsites are usually the cheapest at a few hundred per site, sometimes less.
Set against lodges at N$900 to N$2,500 a night and premium camps in US dollars, the saving across a two week trip is substantial and it is what makes a long Namibian road trip affordable.
Two people camping and self catering can travel on roughly 200 to 300 US dollars a day covering vehicle, fuel, campsites, park fees and food.
Wild Camping and the Rules
This is where travellers get it wrong, so the position is worth stating clearly.
Wild camping is prohibited in Namibian national parks. Camping is permitted only at designated sites. That rule exists partly to protect lichen fields, desert crust and breeding grounds that take decades to recover from disturbance.
Outside the parks, almost all land in Namibia is either commercial farmland, communal land or conservancy land, and all of it belongs to somebody. Camping on it without permission is trespassing regardless of how empty it looks.
Asking permission at a farmhouse is a long standing Namibian practice and it is frequently granted, but it is asking rather than assuming.
In the Palmwag Concession, camping is permitted only in designated areas. In Khaudum, campsites are unfenced but they are still campsites.
The designated network is dense enough that this rarely constrains a route, and photographs of apparently wild camping in Namibia are usually taken at private or community sites with no fences.
Safety at Unfenced Sites
A good many Namibian campsites are unfenced in country holding lion, elephant, hyena and leopard, and this is the aspect that worries visitors most and injures them least.
Camping is broadly safe even at unfenced sites. Most animals do not read a tent as a container of people, interpreting it instead as a large object, and attacks are very unlikely.
The practical rules are straightforward. Sleep inside the tent or vehicle rather than in the open. Do not walk around after dark; use the vehicle to reach the ablution block if it is any distance. Keep all food secured and inside, not in a cool box on the table.
Elephants use dry riverbeds as corridors at night, so do not camp in a riverbed. Hyena and jackal will take anything left out, including boots.
Honey badgers are the genuine nuisance at Etosha and elsewhere, going through bins and cool boxes with considerable determination. Do not attempt to chase one off.
Practical Camping Advice
Things that make Namibian camping work.
Cold is underestimated more than anything else. Desert and Etosha nights drop close to freezing between May and August, and a summer weight sleeping bag is inadequate. Check what bedding the rental provides and supplement it.
Firewood is sold at filling stations, farm stalls and campsites throughout the country and is cheap. Buy it as you go rather than carrying a week’s worth.
Water containers should be filled at every opportunity. Water at remote sites may come from a borehole and require treating, and some sites have none.
Wind is the recurring problem at coastal and desert sites and rooftop tents catch it badly. Park nose into the wind where you can.
Supermarkets in Windhoek, Swakopmund, Otjiwarongo, Tsumeb and Grootfontein are the places to stock properly. Between towns there is often nothing.
Where to Camp
Etosha rest camps. Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni. Basic and expensive, and the floodlit waterholes make them worth it. Book six months ahead for peak season.
Sesriem. Inside the gate, giving an hour’s head start to Deadvlei and Dune 45 before the day visitors. The one place where position beats everything.
Spitzkoppe. Community run pitches scattered among granite boulders with no fences and no electricity. Among the best campsites in Africa and priced at almost nothing.
Community sites in the conservancies. Damaraland, Kaokoland and the Kunene. Basic facilities, outstanding settings, and the money goes to the people living with the wildlife.
Best Time to Camp
May to October is the camping season and it is when everyone comes, which is why booking matters.
Days are comfortable, the roads are dry, and there is no rain to contend with. The trade off is cold nights, dropping to single figures or below in the desert and at Etosha through the middle of the year.
The green season from November to April brings heat, thunderstorms and the risk of a flooded campsite, along with far more availability and lower rates. It is workable with the right expectations and it is not the season most people should choose for a first trip.
December and January bring Namibian and South African families to the coast and the popular sites, so those months are busy for local rather than international reasons.
Camping in Namibia Questions
Is camping in Namibia safe?
Broadly yes, even at unfenced sites in country holding lion, elephant and hyena. Most animals interpret a tent as a large object rather than a container of people and attacks are very unlikely. Sleep inside the tent or vehicle, do not walk around after dark, keep all food secured indoors, and do not camp in dry riverbeds, which elephants use as corridors at night.
Rooftop tent or ground tent?
Rooftop for a classic touring itinerary, since it sets up in minutes, keeps you off the ground and comes fitted to the rental vehicle with a full kit. Ground tent if you are staying several nights in one place and want to leave it standing while you take the car out. Rooftop drawbacks are the ladder at night, wind noise and no separate space for two people.
Are the national park campsites good?
Not particularly, and experienced campers say so. Namibia Wildlife Resorts sites are usually the most expensive and offer the least in facilities and maintenance, with Etosha’s Halali frequently cited as both the most basic and priciest booked on a trip. They are worth it at Etosha for the floodlit waterholes and at Sesriem for the early gate access, and rarely elsewhere.
How far ahead should I book?
Six months for park campsites in high season from May to August, and earlier for Etosha, since these book out months ahead and NWR confirmation can be slow. Some NWR sites have no permanent staff so advance booking is required rather than optional. You book with NWR first and obtain the park permit second. Private and community sites are considerably easier.
Can I wild camp in Namibia?
Not in the national parks, where camping is permitted only at designated sites, partly to protect lichen fields and desert crust that take decades to recover. Outside the parks, almost all land is farmland, communal land or conservancy land and belongs to somebody, so camping without permission is trespassing whatever it looks like. Asking at a farmhouse is a Namibian practice and often granted.
What does camping cost?
Park campsites have historically run around N$180 to N$220 per site per night, with current rates higher and international visitors paying more than residents. Private sites and guest farms run a few hundred Namibian dollars per person, community sites usually less. Two people camping and self catering can travel on roughly 200 to 300 US dollars a day including vehicle, fuel, park fees and food.
What do I need to bring?
Less than you think, if you rent the vehicle with the full camping kit, which Namibian companies do well and which includes tent, bedding, table, chairs, cooking equipment, cool box and water containers. Bring a proper sleeping bag rated for cold, since desert nights drop close to freezing between May and August and rental bedding is often inadequate. Buy firewood as you go.
Booking Your Namibia Trip
The safari companies and tour operators listed on this website put trips like this together for a living and know which camps, guides and routes actually deliver. We are an independent guide to Namibia; we do not book or sell tours ourselves.
When you are ready, arrange your safari, tour or holiday with one of the recognised operators listed here. Tell them your dates and what matters most, and a real person, not a form, will handle the itinerary, park bookings and logistics for you.