TIPS: Namibia to South Africa
There are certain things that have become routine when travelling, such as throwing my international travel adapter in my luggage and getting an esim for the country. However while planning for my trip to Africa, I realised that I needed to do a double click into some of these things when travelling to Africa, since the adapters required for Namibia are different from the typical, and there are no esims for the country.
Below are some of the questions I initially had which I struggled to find clearer answers for on the internet, so hope it helps you in your planning.
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One item I was extremely stressed about was my initial transfer at O.R. Tambo. Here is some information about the self transfer that I previously struggled to find online.
I arrived in JNB from a SQ flight and had to do a self transfer to an Airlink flight to Windhoek. For such situations, you will need to go out to collect your luggage and check in again for the next flight IF you have check in luggage.
If you only have carry on, you do not need to leave and can go straight through to the international transit area, where there are airline counters to help you. They will stamp your passport with a transit stamp and you will go through another security check and then to the departure hall.
If you are unsure after leaving the plane whether you need to exit the arrival hall or can go through international transit, there is also a helpdesk at the airport right before the immigration area for arrivals where you can ask.
I arrived at JNB early in the morning around 6am, and it was an extremely quick process for me to get back through to departure (around 40min) - the whole international transit was extremely empty. However, researching online, I have seen many people suggest having a 5h transit timing if you have check in luggage which you need to collect and re check in.
If you are transferring a JNB and your luggage is checked through, a few people in my tour group had their luggage lost and only received it a couple of days later, which may have been attributed to their short transfer timings. In any case, be prepared for this as a circumstance especially if you have a group tour to catch the next day (keep an extra set of clothing in your carry on)
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Note that your international adaptor will NOT work in Namibia. In Namibia, power sockets type D and M are used.
You can purchase an adapter during a transfer at JNB O.R. Tambo Airport, or the hostel or hotel you stay out may also sell one.
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Looking at online reviews, E-sims in Namibia don’t seem to work well. Airalo has also stop selling its e-sim for Namibia. However, you can easily get a sim card at the MTC shop in Windhoek airport. Take note to do this at the arrival hall AFTER you leave the luggage collection as the rates there are more reasonable.
Note: This might have changed since I last visited in Mar 2025!
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There is a very strong tipping culture here. In general, 10% at restaurants for decent service and you can top up for stellar service. For the kind of safaris that we went for, it was 100 rand per person for the guide, and I also paid 100 rand to the guide for free walking tours.
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The Namibian Dollar and South Africa Rand are equivalent in value.
I exchanged some South Africa rand in Singapore, and withdrew additional currency from ATMs along the way.
Do note that while South Africa rand can be used in Namibia, Namibian dollar cannot be used in South Africa. If you are crossing from Namibia to South Africa, try to exchange your currency to rand before crossing.
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There are so many ways to plan a safari at Kruger.
You can go to Kruger National Park or the private reserves. From research, we decided to go to a private reserve as the chance of sightings are supposed to be higher.
Whether to book with a safari travel agent or the accomodation itself? We found that it was recommended to book with an agent for better rates - given that they would have ties with the accomodation providers and also could provide additional services such as transport from the airport.