AFRICA – NAMIBIA
Namibia Budget
Jeffrey Palmer
20 June 2018
Jeffrey Palmer
20 June 2018

If an African safari has always been a dream but the high cost has scared you away, Namibia is the place for you. With a little open-mindedness toward camping, you’ll be able to save the money for a trip of your own.

Unlike other countries in Africa, Namibia caters to budget travelers. While places like Botswana don’t allow you to explore the national parks on your own, Namibia promotes self-drive safaris. Traveling the country is safe and easy. Although this type of safari may not be the luxurious trip you’ve imagined, the country’s infrastructure makes “roughing it” surprisingly comfortable. Travelling this way has some advantages.  Rather than only staying in a camp or two, you’ll have the mobility to visit large portions of the country.  You can spend as much time at each waterhole as you choose and move your vehicle for a different angle whenever you want.  Start your day at sunrise or sleep in; you determine your own schedule.  The positives easily make up for the few downsides.

Overall, our total trip cost was less than $3,500.  This included 13 days in Namibia as well as enjoying our time in Doha, Qatar during our layover.  We didn’t follow a strict budget instead staying in several hotels and eating out.  It would have been easy to reduce the cost to $3,000 if we’d eliminated these “luxuries.” Regardless of what decisions you make on costs, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy the same amazing scenery and incredible wildlife.  Below is a breakdown of the categories where our money was spent.

*All price listed in USD, at the time of our visit $1 USD = $13.50 NAD

%

Truck Rental – $1,091

This was the biggest single cost of our trip but we got plenty of value out of it. Our rental was a Toyota Hilux dual-cab 4×4 from Value Car Rental (ASCO). We rented a manual and this was the cheapest rental option aside from a single cab option. I would recommend getting a dual cab to keep some things easily accessible in the back seat as you’ll be unable to get out of the truck to access anything in the truck bed while in Etosha. Aside from that, I don’t see any reason to upgrade to any of the more expensive options. The truck featured a fold out tent on top (a second could be added if needed). It was comfortable and easy to setup. Also included were mattresses, duvets, gas & burner, LED light, camping chairs/table, water tank, cooking utensils. The truck also had a mini fridge in the rear as well as a dual gas tank. We did manage get a chip in the window during our rental, but were only charged a fee of $20 for the damage.

%

Accomodations – $819

We used the truck’s tent for about half the nights we spent in Namibia. The tent is a great way to cut costs as rooms within the national parks can be very expensive (booking can be made here.) Outside of the parks rates are quite affordable and offered us a chance to have more comfortable lodging. If you need to cut costs, this category could be largely eliminated without taking away from your trip.

%

Transportation – $531

This category includes any transportaion cost other than the truck rental. For us, those cost included gas, airport parking, shuttles to/from the Windhoek airport, and taxis within Doha (during our layover). Gas made up the majority of the category ($330).

%

Activities – $407

We always try to be selective when choosing guided activities as their cost can add up quickly. We only took two tours. One was an offroad tour from Walvis Bay to Sandwich Harbor with Photo Ventures Namibia. Here you can see where the giant sand dunes of the Namib desert end in the Atlantic Ocean. We also visited the Cheetah Conservation Fund and took part in the daily Cheetah run. The other tour was a safari drive in Waterberg where we were able to get a close encounter with White Rhinos. The remainder of the cost was national park entry fees.

%

Food – $180

Compared to the U.S., grocery store prices were very low in Namibia. Stores are found in the larger cities only. The food selection was similar to what would be expected in the United States or Europe. We ate at restaurants for dinner several nights. You shouldn’t finish your visit without visiting a restaurant that serves game cuts. The quality and quantity of meat served surpasses anything I’ve had in the States.

%

Airfare – $158

Africa is one of the more expensive continents to fly into from the U.S.. Had we paid the regular price for our tickets it would have been just over $3,000. Instead, we redeemed Chase points to eliminate most of the cost. The points were accumulated primarily from sign-up bonuses on the Chase Sapphire Reserve (100,000) and Chase Sapphire Prefered (50,000). This points strategy is something nearly anyone in the United State is capable of implementing. If you’re willing to put in a little time to learn the basics of the various points programs and implement a plan, you’ll be able to save yourself thousands of dollars without negatively effecting your credit score. Here is an article I wrote to get you started with the basics. There is nothing stopping you from doing the same.

%

Other – $237

The remainder of our cost was from miscellaneous purchases. These included gifts, tips and other cash purchases that I wasn’t able to track. With any trip, you should always be prepared to have a small amount of unexpected cost.

If an African safari has always been a dream but the high cost has scared you away, Namibia is the place for you. With a little open-mindedness toward camping, you’ll be able to save the money for a trip of your own.

Unlike other countries in Africa, Namibia caters to budget travelers. While places like Botswana don’t allow you to explore the national parks on your own, Namibia promotes self-drive safaris. Traveling the country is safe and easy. Although this type of safari may not be the luxurious trip you’ve imagined, the country’s infrastructure makes “roughing it” surprisingly comfortable. Travelling this way has some advantages.  Rather than only staying in a camp or two, you’ll have the mobility to visit large portions of the country.  You can spend as much time at each waterhole as you choose and move your vehicle for a different angle whenever you want.  Start your day at sunrise or sleep in; you determine your own schedule.  The positives easily make up for the few downsides.

Overall, our total trip cost was less than $3,500.  This included 13 days in Namibia as well as enjoying our time in Doha, Qatar during our layover.  We didn’t follow a strict budget instead staying in several hotels and eating out.  It would have been easy to reduce the cost to $3,000 if we’d eliminated these “luxuries.” Regardless of what decisions you make on costs, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy the same amazing scenery and incredible wildlife.  Below is a breakdown of the categories where our money was spent.

*All price listed in USD, at the time of our visit $1 USD = $13.50 NAD

%

Truck Rental – $1,091

This was the biggest single cost of our trip but we got plenty of value out of it. Our rental was a Toyota Hilux dual-cab 4×4 from Value Car Rental (ASCO). We rented a manual and this was the cheapest rental option aside from a single cab option. I would recommend getting a dual cab to keep some things easily accessible in the back seat as you’ll be unable to get out of the truck to access anything in the truck bed while in Etosha. Aside from that, I don’t see any reason to upgrade to any of the more expensive options. The truck featured a fold out tent on top (a second could be added if needed). It was comfortable and easy to setup. Also included were mattresses, duvets, gas & burner, LED light, camping chairs/table, water tank, cooking utensils. The truck also had a mini fridge in the rear as well as a dual gas tank. We did manage get a chip in the window during our rental, but were only charged a fee of $20 for the damage.

%

Accomodations – $819

We used the truck’s tent for about half the nights we spent in Namibia. The tent is a great way to cut costs as rooms within the national parks can be very expensive (booking can be made here.) Outside of the parks rates are quite affordable and offered us a chance to have more comfortable lodging. If you need to cut costs, this category could be largely eliminated without taking away from your trip.

%

Transportation – $531

This category includes any transportaion cost other than the truck rental. For us, those cost included gas, airport parking, shuttles to/from the Windhoek airport, and taxis within Doha (during our layover). Gas made up the majority of the category ($330).

%

Activities – $407

We always try to be selective when choosing guided activities as their cost can add up quickly. We only took two tours. One was an offroad tour from Walvis Bay to Sandwich Harbor with Photo Ventures Namibia. Here you can see where the giant sand dunes of the Namib desert end in the Atlantic Ocean. We also visited the Cheetah Conservation Fund and took part in the daily Cheetah run. The other tour was a safari drive in Waterberg where we were able to get a close encounter with White Rhinos. The remainder of the cost was national park entry fees.

%

Food – $180

Compared to the U.S., grocery store prices were very low in Namibia. Stores are found in the larger cities only. The food selection was similar to what would be expected in the United States or Europe. We ate at restaurants for dinner several nights. You shouldn’t finish your visit without visiting a restaurant that serves game cuts. The quality and quantity of meat served surpasses anything I’ve had in the States.

%

Airfare – $158

Africa is one of the more expensive continents to fly into from the U.S.. Had we paid the regular price for our tickets it would have been just over $3,000. Instead, we redeemed Chase points to eliminate most of the cost. The points were accumulated primarily from sign-up bonuses on the Chase Sapphire Reserve (100,000) and Chase Sapphire Prefered (50,000). This points strategy is something nearly anyone in the United State is capable of implementing. If you’re willing to put in a little time to learn the basics of the various points programs and implement a plan, you’ll be able to save yourself thousands of dollars without negatively effecting your credit score. Here is an article I wrote to get you started with the basics. There is nothing stopping you from doing the same.

%

Other – $237

The remainder of our cost was from miscellaneous purchases. These included gifts, tips and other cash purchases that I wasn’t able to track. With any trip, you should always be prepared to have a small amount of unexpected cost.
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