Money in Namibia

There are main branches of major banks near or in the city center of Windhoek and Swakopmund, plus several easy-to-find ATMs. Ask at your accommodation for more information. Major credit cards are accepted everywhere but street markets. South African rand are accepted everywhere.

Namibia's currency is the Namibian dollar, which is linked to the South African rand. (Namibia's currency cannot be used in South Africa, except unofficially at border towns.) At this writing, the Namibian dollar was trading at about N$6.8 to US$1. Bureau de change offices at the airports often stay open until late.

In more rural or remote areas, carry Namibian dollars or South African rand. In Windhoek, Swakopmund, and the larger towns there are plenty of banks and ATMs. Visa cards are best for drawing cash from ATMs. Credit cards can be used almost everywhere; MasterCard and Visa are preferred by business owners to American Express because of substantial charges levied by the latter to proprietors. Traveler's checks can be cashed only at banks. Note that gas stations only take cash.