Hi, has any one else booked for this holiday yet? Has anyone been to Namibia in February? I'm a little concerned about the rain fall at that time of year!
Hello Bridget Jane,
I have been to Namibia twice before, the first time in early February 1997. It had been a heavy rainy season (causing Sossussvlei to fill with water for the first time for many years, and the Swakob river to break through a sandbank into the sea. Normally the river sinks into the sand before it reaches the sea - most rivers are ephemeral in Namibia. This event caused such a celebration that school children were allowed time off to see the rare sight of a river flowing out to sea!)
As I remember, there was only one short period of rain in the North West while we were out for the day. When we returned to the lodge, there had been a bit of flooding in one of the rooms, but we didn't get any where we had been - it was very localised. I think most rainy seasons are much less severe than this one had been, so I'm hoping for the best for next Feb. as I have booked up to go too. One advantage is that the country outside the desert areas is green with lots of wild flowers. Etosha pan was particularly beautiful compared with the second time I went. This was Sept. 2007 and we were camping all over between Etosha, and the S. African border in the south and west to the skeleton coast. Then everywhere was very dry and very hot - 35-40 deg. A bit too hot for comfort, as most of the campsites had no shade so one was in the sun all the time.
Perhaps take a light waterproof or cheap poncho from a £ shop in case. The coast is cooler in the mornings and often foggy as the wind blows in, but the inland areas should be very comfortable and T shirts Ok. The scenery can be fantastic, especially the 1000 foot high dunes south of Swakopmund, and Sossusvlei. I'm hoping to get a chance to ride up them on a quad bike again while in Swakopmund - it really was the most fun!
Ray
