nanciej

I notice on most itineraries folks only stay a night or two here. Is that because most are on tight schedules with more important game viewing to get to?

We are wondering if this is somewhere to spend 5 days or so? it seems there is quite a lot to do in day trips and we want to balance our wildlife priorities with just getting a sense of the local scene. we are blessed with the time to do this...Would there be somewhere else more interesting to spend a few days?

thanks
Nancie

Kavey

Windhoek really doesn't have much to do at all. Most itineraries stop just one night if that and only when it makes sense because of flight schedules. Some might stop for 2 to give a bit of a rest stop too.

5 nights - I can't imagine what one could do.

tockoloshe

We liked Windhoek but it's true you can cover the whole town (and all the shops, including a good craft centre!) easily in a day. But if you have some day trips in mind then I think it's a restful place to stay, some lovely guest houses. I would however say that Swakopmund has more to offer on the day trip front: boat trips, dune trips to see the small animals of the desert, desert drives, camel rides, trip to seal colony at Cape Cross, walks on the beach & sundowners watching the sunset over the ocean, good restaurants .... I'm beginning to sound like the Swakopmund Tourist Office! I do know that the coast can be shrouded in fog in some periods of the year so might be worth checking that too, I imagine it would look very different without the sunshine.

Patty

I agree with tockoloshe that Swakopmund offers more in terms of day trip opportunities than Windhoek. I know many on this forum feel the same way about Swakopmund as they do about Windhoek and use it only as an overnighter to break up the drive between Sossusvlei and northern destinations, but we actually really enjoyed our time there. And the cooler weather at the coast may be a very welcome relief depending on the time of year.

Jed

We went through Windhoek twice without staying over. I ascribe it to good planning by our TA.

thit_cho

I spent one night, and a very enjoyable day, in Windhoek on my trip to Namibia.

While most of my trips to eastern and southern Africa have been focused on safaris, on every trip I have allowed at least one day in the principal cities, like Windhoek, Johannesburg, Maputo, Harare, Kampala, Kigali and Nairobi, which all have interesting cultural institutions, sights and great restaurants.

To me, a trip to Africa would be incomplete if I only visited national parks.

So, while five days may be a bit much, its a very pleasant place and I'm sure there are interesting day trips. But, if it was me, and I had an abundance of time, I'd probably spend three days in Windhoek, and add an extra day to Estoha, Sossosvlei, or someplace else, but I would not skip Windhoek.

Michael

Gritty

Windhoek is a nice "city" (kind of small to be a city in my opinion, but hey, I'll go with it), and is much nicer than most cities and big towns throughout Africa. That being said, there's not a lot to do there for more than a couple of days.

You may enjoy Joe's Beerhouse, and there is a decent German restaurant--don't remember the name.

divine54

one day/nt is sufficient in my view.
with a rented car/roof tent it's good to purchase supply. at the end of the trip another day for last minute shopping.
that would be my maximum for windhoek.

div