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Travel safety profile · Africa

Is Namibia Safe to Visit in 2026?

32 / 100

Exercise Awareness

Stunning desert landscapes. Incredible wildlife. Self-drive safari popular. Reviewed 24 April 2026 How we score

Live alerts in Namibia Get the iOS app

What Warnely Is Tracking

Real-time incidents pulled from the Warnely pipeline. The dashboard renders a richer feed.

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Official Travel Advisories

UK FCDO

See travel advice

Check current FCDO advice for latest information.

View full advisory →

US State Department

Exercise Normal Precautions

Check State Dept for current advisory level.

View full advisory →

Namibia compared to your home country

Namibia's composite Warnely risk score is 32/100 (Moderate Risk). Here is how that compares to common home countries for English-speaking travellers. Append ?home=GB (or US, AU, CA, DE) to the URL to pin your home.

United Kingdom 22/100

Namibia is slightly riskier than United Kingdom (1.5× riskier on the Warnely index).

United States 35/100

Namibia is slightly safer than United States.

Australia 14/100

Namibia is noticeably riskier than Australia (2.3× riskier on the Warnely index).

Canada 15/100

Namibia is noticeably riskier than Canada (2.1× riskier on the Warnely index).

Germany 20/100

Namibia is noticeably riskier than Germany (1.6× riskier on the Warnely index).

Lower scores are safer. Each home country's score is its own composite on the same 0-100 scale. See methodology.

Risk Breakdown

This is the static baseline rating across six dimensions. The Warnely dashboard adds a live 30-day signal alongside.

Crime2/5

Check FCDO/State Dept for current assessment.

Natural Disasters2/5

Check local conditions.

Health2/5

Consult travel clinic before departure.

Terrorism1/5

Check current advisories.

Civil Unrest1/5

Monitor local situation.

Infrastructure2/5

Check transport options.

Quick Facts

Plug type	D/M
Voltage	220V/50Hz
Time zone	UTC+2
Driving side	Left
Tap water	Caution

Visa & Entry

Type	Visa-free
Length	90 days
Cost	Free (eVisa from 2025)
Apply	Official portal →

Previously visa-free 90 days; transitioning to eVisa system from 2025. Verify before travel.

Verify on IATA Travel Centre →

Summary: 90 days visa-free (UK/US).

Passport: Valid 6+ months.

Customs: Declare cash over 50,000 NAD.

Prohibited: Drones require permit. Anti-poaching laws strict.

Practical Tips

One of Africa's safest countries – self-drive safaris popular
Sossusvlei red dunes (Namib Desert) – world's tallest sand dunes
Etosha National Park has world-class wildlife viewing at waterholes
Skeleton Coast eerie and worth the drive
English official; Afrikaans, German, and local languages used

Common Scams & Practical Risks

ATM skimming: Use ATMs inside banks. Shield your PIN.
Smash and grab: Keep valuables hidden in vehicles. Windows up at traffic lights.

Solo & Women’s Safety

Solo Travellers

Safari lodges safe. Cities require caution after dark.

Women’s Safety Exercise Caution

Tourist areas and lodges safe. Avoid walking alone at night in cities.

LGBTQ+ Travellers

Legal status	Legal, no recognition
Social climate	Mixed

Court overturned ban 2024; foreign same-sex marriages recognised. Windhoek tiny scene; PDA inadvisable rurally.

Verify current law on Equaldex →

Drug Laws

Severity	Severe (long sentences)
Cannabis	Severe penalties

Possession criminal; Constitutional Court has upheld laws. Strict.

Verify on UK FCDO →

Emergency Numbers

police

10111

ambulance

211 2032

fire

211 2032

tourist

112

If you decide to travel to Namibia

A practical checklist that applies to any trip. Each item links to the part of this guide where the specifics live.

1

Check the live advisory Read the UK FCDO and US State Department pages within a week of departure. Advisories change. View current FCDO advisory →
2

Register your trip US citizens: enrol with STEP. UK citizens: register your itinerary with the nearest British embassy. Both enable consular contact in an emergency.
3

Save the local emergency numbers Police: 10111. Ambulance: 211 2032. Pin them in your phone's emergency-contacts screen so they're reachable from a locked phone.
4

Insurance with medical evacuation Travel insurance with a medical-evacuation limit of £10m or more. Cheap policies usually exclude or cap medevac, the single most expensive thing that goes wrong abroad. See the medevac entry in the glossary for what to check.
5

Confirm vaccinations and prescriptions Visit a travel clinic 4-6 weeks before departure for any routine vaccinations and country-specific recommendations. Check any prescription medication against the destination's import rules.
6

Set up a check-in routine before you go Agree a daily or every-other-day check-in time with a contact at home, plus a fallback channel if your primary one fails (WhatsApp goes down in countries that block it). The family communication plan covers the specifics.

Find every foreign embassy and consulate in Namibia in the Warnely embassy directory →

Medical evacuation cost (pre-insurance)

Namibia sits in Band B on Warnely's medevac cost dataset. The figures below are typical pre-insurance ranges in USD, calibrated against published bands from Global Rescue, MedJet, Allianz, and insurance-industry whitepapers.

Regional air ambulance

Typical $20,000 to $60,000

Air ambulance to a regional Western or strong-regional hub is usually achievable in one or two legs. Most major tourist destinations sit in this band.

For the full methodology, the four-band table, and the downloadable CSV, see /methodology/medevac. Sanity-check your travel insurance limit against the high end of this band before booking.

Embed this score

Drop the Namibia Warnely badge on a blog post, country page, or briefing. The image is served straight from the Warnely API and updates whenever the score changes.

HTML

<a href="https://warnely.com/guides/is-namibia-safe"><img src="https://warnely.com/embed/namibia/badge.svg" alt="Namibia Warnely risk badge" width="360" height="44"></a>

Full embed options including Markdown and iframe variants: /embed/namibia.

Data version v2 · Last reviewed 24 April 2026 · Next review by 21 October 2026 · methodology · Found something out of date? Tell us.

Common questions about Namibia

Is Namibia safe for tourists in 2026?

Stunning desert landscapes. Incredible wildlife. Self-drive safari popular. Warnely's overall safety assessment for Namibia is Moderate Risk (32/100), exercise awareness. Always check the latest UK FCDO and US State Department advisories before booking.

What's the crime risk in Namibia?

Check FCDO/State Dept for current assessment. Crime category score: 2/5 (moderate).

Are there health risks travelling to Namibia?

Consult travel clinic before departure. Health category score: 2/5. Consult a travel clinic 4-6 weeks before departure for recommended vaccinations.

Is Namibia safe for solo female travellers?

Exercise Caution. Tourist areas and lodges safe. Avoid walking alone at night in cities.

When is the best time to visit Namibia?

Dry Winter (May-Oct). Cool/dry (10-25°C), best for Etosha safaris, Sossusvlei dunes, Fish River Canyon.

What are the drug laws in Namibia?

Drug penalties: Severe (long sentences). Cannabis: Severe penalties. Possession criminal; Constitutional Court has upheld laws. Strict.

Do I need a visa to visit Namibia?

Visa-free. Stay length: 90 days. Previously visa-free 90 days; transitioning to eVisa system from 2025. Verify before travel.

Is the tap water safe to drink in Namibia?

Tap water in Namibia is safe in major cities and resorts but exercise caution elsewhere. Most travellers should stick to bottled or filtered water for cooking, drinking and ice.

What do governments say about travel to Namibia?

UK FCDO: See travel advice. US State Dept: Exercise Normal Precautions. Read the full advisories on the relevant government sites – links are inside the Official Travel Advisories section above.