Finally – we’ve arrived in Namibia! It’s just after 8 a.m., and the sun is shining! But before we dive in – let’s quickly recap the journey.
At Frankfurt Airport, the baggage check with our cooler bag was surprisingly relaxed. We didn’t have to remove any liquids, laptops, or electronics – everything could stay packed. Boldly, we left our stylish cooler bag tucked away at the bottom of the luggage, where it belonged – and it worked out perfectly. No issues, we just breezed through.
Our flight to Windhoek was with Discover Airlines, a Lufthansa subsidiary, and it was nearly full. As expected on a holiday route, the seating was quite tight – Michael couldn’t even place his feet flat on the floor and sat rather squashed. When he tried to adjust the headrest, it popped right off, leaving his seat looking a little… bare. Luckily, we managed to fix it later. The view of our flight path more than made up for it, though – and full of anticipation, we joined about 300 other Namibia fans as we took off into the sky.
The rest of the flight was uneventful, except that we barely slept. Michael got 55 minutes, while Annette managed 2 hours and 3 minutes – how do we know that so precisely? Our fitness watches are merciless…
Anyway, by 8 a.m. we touched down in Windhoek, greeted by brilliant sunshine and pleasantly warm weather (around 20°C / 68°F). But we weren’t quite in Namibia yet – since April, there’s a new visa requirement, so it took a while for all 300 passengers to get through immigration.
Then it was time to quickly sort out the essentials – the rental car, a local SIM card, and some cash. Our rental car is seriously impressive: a Toyota Fortuner, built for off-road adventures with 4-wheel drive, high ground clearance (about 28 cm / 11 in), and plenty of interior space. No, lowered Porsches aren’t exactly the ideal ride for Namibian backroads. The briefing we got was very thorough – including a video with plenty of crashed vehicles and the serious warning to keep speeds under 70 km/h (about 45 mph) on gravel roads. We fully intend to stick to that! Oh, and we now also know how to change a tire…
After a quick meal at the airport, we drove along the well-maintained B6 highway straight into Windhoek and checked into our hotel – Tenbergen. At reception, the friendly staff member immediately remembered our request for a quiet room – now that’s great service! The hotel turned out to be a real gem: stylish room, spacious bathroom – downright luxurious. First things first, we unpacked our cooler and got it running – works perfectly!
After a short nap, we headed out on foot to explore the city. Windhoek is Namibia’s largest city with over 400,000 residents – a true capital. Several sights were within walking distance of our hotel, including the Christ Church, built by the Germans, the Independence Memorial Museum, and the old fortress known as Alte Feste. First impressions? The city doesn’t strike us as a major tourist hotspot – and guidebooks seem to agree. Still, the abundance of German street names is fascinating, considering how long it’s been since the colonial era.
Near the Christ Church, a man approached us selling handmade art. He uses large, chestnut-sized seeds from an unknown African fruit, carving animals into the brown shells – the pale flesh underneath forms the design. He asked our names and quickly carved “Annette” and “Michael” into two of them. We found them charming and bought them for a small donation.
Right then, a very persistent boy – maybe 10 years old – began begging us for food money. The artisan suggested we give him something, but not too much, so he wouldn’t misuse it. We followed that advice.
We still had some shopping to do, so we headed to a mall with a supermarket and stocked up on water, bread, cheese, and cold cuts for dinner. At the checkout, things moved at a glacial pace – not because of the queue, but because everyone was just so relaxed. But hey, we were on vacation, and went with the flow. After 15(!) minutes at the register, we were finally outside again. Our change included a 30 NAD (Namibian Dollar) note, worth about €1.50 (or $1.60) – something we’d never seen in any country. Turns out, it’s a special edition for Namibia’s 1990 Independence Anniversary.
On the way back to the hotel, another young boy approached us, and we gave him a bit of money too – out of compassion. Did we do a good deed or were we just easy targets? Hard to say.
Back at the hotel, we had a quick dinner, wrote a bit of the blog, and after a long day and 8,000 steps through Windhoek, we fell into bed early – completely exhausted.