Very nice video, thanks. Which month was that?

Early April

Ok, thanks, that means the beginning of their fall.

I ask because I'm still uncertain on when to go: in our (northern hemisphere) summer, i.e. July/August, or in our winter (December/January). They say that to see animals it would be better to go in our summer, when it's dry there; however I tend to look for a warmer climate, so the idea to leave when it's full summer here to go where I have to wear warm clothes (even just in the evening or at night) doesn't attract me that much.

My personal preference is for March/April, simply because the country is at its prettiest at the end of a good rainy season.

Namibia is all about spectacular landscapes. Much as I like seeing lots of animals, I don't necessarily need to. I've seen zillions already, and know exactly where to go when I need another fix.

Johan

I've driven in Namibia several times both in Windhoek and the northern regions including a couple of trips into Etosha. The main roads are quite good and the only safety concerns were other drivers. Do NOT drive at night outside of cities and towns. They drive on the opposite side for North Americans. Know how to operate a standard transmission as even among rentals automatics are in short supply.

Another vote for self-drive if that's your thing. I was there (all too briefly!!) in December 2018 and the driving was fine. The roads are well-marked and my Garmin GPS with Southern Africa maps worked perfectly. The main B-series roads are paved and normal as can be. The more extensive C roads are gravel and can get kinda bumpy at times. The lesser-maintained D roads are bumpier still but easily avoidable if you pay attention (unlike me!). Because the C roads are gravel, you are limited to generally less than 100 km/h. In fact, driving 70 to 90 km/h is a somewhat better strategy from a general safety perspective but there are bits when you can speed up, as there are bits where you should slow down too.

As others have pointed out, there's really no traffic in Namibia. Even in downtown Windhoek, there's no traffic to speak of. I rented a 4x4 from AfriCars. The rates were reasonable and I felt well taken care of. I asked for, and received, 2 spare tires. I didn't need both of them, but it was nice to know they were there. (I only burst one tire once. A replacement was easily purchased for about $100 USD at a service station and I was reimbursed for that by AfriCars.) I originally rented a Toyota RAV4 but when I arrived I was told that one RAV4 was out and the other was unfortunately broken. So I was instead upgraded (same price obviously) to a Toyota HiLux truck. Initially I wasn't entirely pleased as I'm a car guy and not a truck person. But in retrospect, the HiLux is an ideal vehicle for Namibia because of the higher ground clearance which makes it well-suited for the many C roads we were driving. And in the end, driving the truck wasn't hard at all particularly since there was never any traffic anywhere.

Driving at night in Namibia is a no-no; it's far too dark to see what's around you. Even with high beams, you'll only really see what's in front of you and not to your sides. Though I never saw any animals on the road, I'm sure they wander around freely so collisions at night are likely. Much better to stay in your lodge / tent / whatever and just enjoy the peace and quiet of the desert sky.

On the B1 highway north of Windhoek we saw the occasional animal on the road during the day. I recall baboons, warthogs and one kudu. The real problem were warthogs. During the rainy reason when the grass is high at the side of the roads they are hard to see and they will scoot out on to the roadway without warning. The trick is to look for the tail which is erect when they run so you kept your eyes open for a little tuft of fur moving above the grass.

Yes and no.

Warthogs are diurnal animals, so not an issue at night, and animals are generally easier to spot in daylight.

Warthogs are also not big enough to cause serious damage, as long as you do not make the mistake of swerving to avoid them and rolling your vehicle off the road. If one runs out into the road right in front of you, just hit it. The warthog will pay the penalty, but there's a good chance your car will still be driveable.

Kudus are the real threat. Heavy and with long legs, you can be assured that the windshield and roof will bear the brunt of the impact, usually with severe consequences for the front seat occupants.

Many years ago I came across a copy of a Namibian travel trade magazine. It happend to be a theme issue on travel for the physically disabled, and included interviews with a number of local travel industry professionals who were disabled themselves. Every single one of them had ended up in a wheelchair after hitting a kudu.

Johan

Kudus are most definitely the larger risk at night. During the day I found them easy enough to see and the one we encountered on the roadway was spotted well before we got there.

What also makes a difference is how accustomed you are to wildlife on the highways in general. I grew up in an area with moose, larger and heavier than a kudu, and collisions with them were usually severe and quite often fatal. White tail deer are prolific where I live now and the more you drive in areas with wildlife the more adept you become at spotting and safely avoiding them.

Moose and roe deer are literally backyard species at home. Numbers fluctuate, but the former occur at a ridiculously high density of 1 per 100 hectares, I've had up to eight together in my garden. Deer are a dime a dozen.

Drivers are of course well aware of this, yet 50% of all motor vehicle accidents nationwide are wildlife collisions. The vast majority with deer, wild boar and moose. Only two eagles, two wolves, seven lynx and zero bears so far this year.

One thing that moose and kudu have in common is their amazing jumping ability. Kudu can easily clear a standard game fence from a standing start, which means they are hard to contain and can therefore suddenly be met with in unexpected places.

Johan

I just booked a National Geographic 10 day tour that only visits areas in Namibia. Looked all over the internet for various tour companies and did not want the exorbitant expense to do a totally privately curated trip by myself.
For Michelle de Antis, check out their website. If you only want Namibia, the Wonders of Namibia tour was what I wanted to do but they have other combination tours as well and the price is reasonable.

This tour starts and ends in Windhoek and you can fly on Qatar nonstop from Doha(after connecting from anywhere else they fly) into Windhoek and avoid the JNB airport altogether!

Since I live in the US, I wanted an escape from the dreary rain, possible snow so am going in late February-early March. I know it will be very hot and I am glad of it!

Although people say that game viewing is better in the Southern Hemisphere winter or dry season, I guess I have had incredible good fortune to see all of the Big Five-including black rhino in late January/early February! Even saw a pangolin on my last trip. Hoping to finally see cheetah on this trip even though 90+% of cheetah in Namibia are on private reserves I have heard. My first 2 safaris-one in winter, one in summer the very first animal I saw was a leopard each time!
So just go whenever you can. My perspective was that I did not really find it easier to see animals in their winter versus the summer as for me, many animals blend in a lot more with the fall colors, but that is just my experience.

That's a great time to go. After good summer rains the lushness of large parts of Namibia is jaw-dropping.

I personally prefer mid-March through April, just because the chance of late rains is lower.

As for the game viewing, it is not so much about visibility (you are absolutely right, a tawny lion stands out a lot more against a green backdrop), but rather a matter of distribution. A paucity of water in winter concentrates animals in places where it is available. The effect is very noticeable in Etosha, where waterhole game viewing is the name of the game.

Johan

I've driven around Etosha 4 times. Twice during the rainy season the other two during the dry. Definitely saw more game during the dry season but there was enough during the wetter times to make it worthwhile.

I think the biggest difference is that during the wet season the elephants tend to scoot. Either west (Hobatere) or south into the thick Mopane woodlands.

One also tends to see far more lions during the dry season. Off the top of my head, I recall seeing 54 one October, which is somewhere between a fourth and a third of the entire Etosha population.

Johan

Dear johan rebel,
I rebooked my trip away from Nat Geo for necessary health and personal reasons. Their tour could and would not guarantee me 24 hour access to electricity in some hotels which I must have for my health, as well as a mini fridge or cooler for medication. So all is well now with my new plan.
Now I am going with a private guided tour with Kensington tours which not only meets my health needs but gives me a lot more personal flexibility to do more.
I still will get to Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, Skeleton Coast, Twyfelfontein, Damaraland and Etosha so I am thrilled beyond belief. Hope to also visit a Cheetah sanctuary on my way back to Windhoek.