Namibia Horse Safari Company
About Namibia and the Namib Desert
Namibia is a big country (824 000 square km) with a small population (3 million)
Capital is Windhoek (pop 380 000), International Airport is Hosea Kutako.
Currency is Namibia dollars, equal to and linked to South African Rand and can be used interchangeably. There is a bureau de change at the Airport, both Visa and Master Card can be used in most places in cities and larger towns.
Time Zone: Central African Time (CAT) and does not change with the seasons
The Namib is a true Desert
Climate: Much of the country has very low average rainfall (when it does rain its between Oct and April) temperatures vary hugely seasonally and geographically – coastal areas are much cooler than inland, often subject to fog (10 – 20 degrees Celsius). Day and night temperatures, particularly in winter, vary dramatically (below zero to 30’s). April and October are generally, but not always, hotter than the other months we ride in, although east winds in winter can warm things up considerably. Weather in a desert is always highly variable and unpredictable – come prepared to all weathers – layering is key to living in a desert.
Namibia, the smile on the face of Africa
Lying between 29 and 17 degrees south of the equator and dominated by a subtropical high pressure zone, the Namib enjoys dry sunny weather much of the year.
Parts of the Namib are classified as hyper-arid meaning potential evaporation is 350 times higher than precipitation. Rainfall (10 – 20 mm annually) in the desert is intermittent but life-giving precipitation from coastal fog, reaching up to 50 km inland and occurring for over 100 day’s a year sustaining fascinating desert adapted life.
Visit our Blog page for articles on desert-adaptations, environment, geology and more.
