Windhoek

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Quick Facts

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Coordinates

• Latitude: -22.5749
• Longitude: 17.0805

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• 1 Windhoek Guesthouses
• 1 Windhoek Hostels

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Introduction

Windhöek

© All Rights Reserved Luis M

Windhoek (pronounced /ˈvɪnthʊk/) is the capital of Namibia and has about 230,000 inhabitants. It is located in the Khomas Region in the central part of the country on a plateau at an altitude of almost 1700 meters above sea level. The city is relatively young (about 120 years) and small but it is the adminstrative centre of the country and most travelles arriving by plane in Namiba will first spend a day or so in Windhoek. It is safe compared to other African cities and has its own charmes, like the German colonial building style, several churches and the main street, Independence Avenue. In and around the city there are good hotels and restaurants and nearby is Daan Viljoen National Park, which is a good place to do a small safari.

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

Events and Festivals

Weather

Although much of central and southern Namibia have a desert climate, this is not entirely through for the central plateau where Windhoek is located. Although in general dry, the hot summer includes some serious downpours sometimes, especially in January and February. In winter, the weather is usually dry with clear blue skies and temperatures still around or above 20 °C and occasionally the temperature drops below 0 °C during the months of June to August.

Getting There

By Plane

International
Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) is the country's primary international airport.
There are few direct connections from Europe, the USA or Australia. From Europe, best direct connections are with Air Namibia or Lufthansa from Frankfurt or Munich.
There are more flights to and from neighbouring countries though, and it is most likely that you have to switch planes in Cape Town or Johannesburg before heading towards Windhoek. South African Airlines flies to these two South African cities, while Air Namibia flies to other cities as well, like Harare and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe or Maun (gateway for Chobe and Okavango Delta) in Botswana.

Domestic
Air Namibia is the national airline of Namibia but there are few domestic flights that are of any use to travellers and most flights are chartered. There are however a few dozen of airports in Namibia, mostly catering to smaller planes with originate from Windhoek. Often these flights are part of a package deal. You might find this List of airport in Namibia interesting if you want to joing such a tour.

By Train

There is a regular overnight train service with TransNamib, the national railway company of Namibia, from Upington in South Africa to Windhoek via Keetmanshoop in the south of Namibia. The total trip takes about 26 hours. Although the domestic service from Keetmanshoop to Windhoek rides every day except Saturdays, the train between Upington and Keetmanshoop only rides on two days: from Upington on Sundays and Thursdays at 5am arriving 11 and a half hours later in Keetmanshoop and from the latter on Wednesdays and Saturdays around 9 am, taking well over 12 hours to reach Upington in South Africa's Northern Cape Province.

Several luxurious trains also travel through Namibia, stopping en route in Windhoek.

By Car

Well maintained roads lead north, south and east of Windhoek and all are tarred. To the west/interior though roads are gravel but still in an excellent shape. A 4wd vehicle is not necessary but recommended when using these latter roads.

By Bus

Buses connect the capital Windhoek with most neighbouring countries, but frequencies are low and traveltime high. It takes about 24 hours to and from Johannesburg and even more to Lusaka in Zambia. There are also direct buses between Windhoek and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, stopping in Katima Mulilo in the eastern Caprivi. These buses travel through Botswana, but you are not allowed to get out of the buses. From Windhoek there are also irregular minibuses travelling directly to Maun, the gateway for the Okavango Delta in Botswana.

Intercape offers buses between Windhoek and Walis Bay and to the north (Caprivi Strip, Rundu, Grootfontein) and south (Mariental, Karasburg).

By Boat

Getting Around

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By Public Transport

By Foot

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