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Cars 4 Rental Information on  Namibia

General Area: 824,292 sq km (318,261 sq miles). Population: 1,862,000 (official estimate 2000). Population Density: 2.3 per sq km. Capital: Windhoek. Population: 202,000 (UN estimate 1999). GEOGRAPHY: Namibia is in southwest Africa. It is a large and mainly arid country sharing borders with Angola to the north, Botswana to the east, South Africa to the south and, in the Caprivi Strip, a narrow panhandle of Namibian territory jutting from the northeast corner of the country, with Zambia and Zimbabwe. To the west is 1280km (795 miles) of some of the most desolate and lonely coastline in the world. The port of Walvis Bay, situated roughly halfway down Namibia’s coast, was returned by South Africa to Namibian jurisdiction in February 1994. Along its entire length, the vast shifting sand dunes of the Namib Desert spread inland for 80 to 130km (50 to 80 miles). In the interior, the escarpment of a north–south plateau slopes away to the east and north into the vast interior sand basin of the Kalahari. In the far northwest, the 66,000 sq km (25,500 sq miles) of the Kaokoland mountains run along the coast, while further inland lies the Etosha Pan (a dried-out saline lake), surrounded by grasslands and bush which support a large and varied wildlife. The Etosha National Park & Game Reserve is one of the finest in Africa, in that it remains, to a large extent, free of human influence. Government: Republic. Gained independence from South Africa in 1990. Head of State: President Samuel Nujoma since 1990. Head of Government: Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab since 2002. Language: English is the official language. Afrikaans is spoken by most people. German, Herero, Kavango, Nama and Owambo are also spoken. Religion: Christian majority. Time: GMT + 2 (GMT + 1 from April to August). Electricity: 220 volts AC. Outlets are of the three-pin type. Communications: Telephone IDD is available. Country code: 264. Outgoing international code: 00. Mobile telephone GSM 900 network in use. The main network provider is MTC (website: www.mtc.com.na). Fax Most hotels have facilities. Internet ISPs include IML (website: www.iml.com.na) and NCS. There are Internet cafes in Walvis Bay and Windhoek Post Good postal service. Airmail to Europe takes approximately 4 days to 2 weeks. Press Newspapers are printed Monday to Friday. English-language dailies include The Namibian and The Windhoek Advertiser; weeklies include the Windhoek Observer. New Era is printed twice weekly. Radio: BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online. Back to Top Money Currency: The Namibian Dollar (NAD) has been introduced in note denominations of NAD200, 100, 50 and 10. Coins were also introduced in 1994 in denominations of NAD5 and 1. It is linked to the South African Rand (R) on a 1:1 basis (South African Rand = 100 cents). The South African Rand is also acceptable as currency in Namibia. Currency exchange: Available in banks and at bureaux de change. A better rate of exchange can be obtained on travellers cheques than on cash. Credit & debit cards: American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are accepted. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available. Travellers cheques: To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in US Dollars or South African Rand. Currency restrictions: The import and export of local currency is limited to NAD50,000. The import of foreign currency is unlimited, provided declared on arrival. Export of foreign currency is unlimited up to amount imported and declared as long as the departure is within 12 months. Note: No limits exist for travel between Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland as these countries are members of the same common monetary area. Exchange rate indicators The following figures are included as a guide to the movements of the Namibian Dollar against Sterling and the US Dollar: Date Aug ’03 Nov ’03 Feb '04 May '04 £1.00= 12.00 11.70 12.87 12.50 $1.00= 7.52 6.89 7.07 7.00 Banking hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1530, Sat 0830-1100. Back to Top Health   Special Precautions Certificate Required Yellow Fever Yes 1 Cholera No No Typhoid and Polio 2 N/A Malaria 3 N/A 1: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers arriving from infected areas. Those countries or parts of countries that were included in the former endemic zone in Africa and South America are regarded by the Namibian authorities as infected. Travellers on scheduled airlines whose flights have originated outside areas regarded as infected but have passed through such areas in transit are not required to possess a certificate, provided they have remained at the scheduled airport or in the adjacent town during transit. All passengers with unscheduled airlines whose flights originated or passed in transit through an infected area are required to possess a certificate. The certificate is not insisted upon in the case of children under 1 year of age, but such infants may be subject to surveillance. 2: Typhoid may occur. 3: Malaria risk exists in the northern regions and in Otjozondjupa and Omaheke from November to May/June and along the Kavango and Kunene rivers throughout the year. The predominant falciparum strain is reported to be resistant to chloroquine. The recommended prophylaxis is chloroquine plus proguanil. Food & drink: Mains water is normally chlorinated, and whilst safe may cause mild abdominal upsets. Bottled water is available and is advised for the first few weeks of the stay. Drinking water outside main cities and towns may be contaminated and sterilisation is advisable. Milk is pasteurised and dairy products are safe for consumption. Local meat, poultry, seafood, fruit and vegetables are generally considered safe to eat. Other risks: Bilharzia (schistosomiasis) is endemic. Avoid swimming and paddling in fresh water (also because of the presence of crocodiles); swimming pools which are well chlorinated and well maintained are safe. Natural foci of plague have been reported in Namibia. Hepatitis A can occur. Hepatitis B is hyperendemic. Health care: Anti-bite serums for snakes and scorpions are advised. Health insurance is essential. Back to Top Climate The cold Benguela current keeps the coast of the Namib Desert cool, damp and free of rain for most of the year, with a thick coastal fog. Inland all the rain falls in summer (November to April). Summer temperatures are high while the altitude means that nights are cool. Winter nights can be fairly cold, but days are generally warm and pleasant. Required clothing: Light cottons, with slightly heavier cottons or light woollens for evening. Inland, shoes are essential during the day as the ground is very hot. Back to Top Passport   Passport Required Visa Required Return Ticket Required British Yes No Yes Australian Yes No Yes Canadian Yes No Yes USA Yes No Yes OtherEU Yes 1 Yes Japanese Yes No Yes PASSPORTS: Passport valid for a minimum of 6 months after the date of departure from Namibia required by all. VISAS: Required by all except the following for stays of up to 3 months: (a) nationals of countries shown in the chart above; (b) 1. nationals of EU countries (except nationals of Greece who do require a visa); (c) nationals of Angola, Botswana, Brazil, China, CIS, Cuba, Iceland, Kenya, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe; (d) those continuing to a third country and not leaving the airport transit area. Types of visa and cost: Tourist, Business and Transit: £20 Validity: Valid up to 3 months from date of issue for stays of up to 3 months from date of entry. Extensions for a further 3 months are available from the Ministry of Home Affairs in Windhoek. Application to: Consulate (or Consular section at High Commission); see Contact Addresses section. Application requirements: (a) Valid passport. (b) Completed application form. (c) Two passport-size photos. (d) Return or onward ticket. (e) Fee. (f) Letter of invitation from Namibian resident, if applicable. Business: (a)-(f) and, (g) Company letter. Working days required: 2 to 4. Temporary residence: Apply to the High Commission or Embassy; see Contact Addresses section. Back to Top

Car Hire Namibia

Cars 4 Rental can provide car hire vehicles in all the popular locations throughout Namibia.

Whatever your requirements Cars 4 Rental will be able to provide a car to meet your needs. Our hire cars can be equipped with many optional extras including child seats so that your car rental is ideally suited to your needs.

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