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Lagoon Promenade along Walvis Bay lagoonPhoto: David Stanley / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

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Namibia

Namibia's six spots split between two very different jobs.

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Walvis Bay Lagoon is the flat-water freestyle and big-air venue, sheltered behind the Pelican Point sand-spit with waist-depth water, usually ridden from a Swakopmund base rather than the port town itself.

Lüderitz, 350km down a lonely road, is the opposite: a cold, windswept speed-sailing venue built around its Second Lagoon and the annual Speed Challenge, plus the Skeleton Bay wave at Donkey Bay nearby.

Season runs roughly August through April on strong South Atlantic wind, for experienced riders rather than beginners.

SeasonAugust to Aprilsomewhere in the country
How we count
Beginners
where a spot record says a beginner can ride; the Beginners page also asks for a school there, so it lists fewer

When to go

month by month, from the towns' own wind series

  1. Jan81
  2. Feb84
  3. Mar84
  4. Apr63
  5. May61
  6. Jun62
  7. Jul66
  8. Aug61
  9. Sep87
  10. Oct71
  11. Nov75
  12. Dec92

The windiest town in season each month: its share of windy days

Windiest single town in any month: Lüderitz, 92% of days in December, from the Guano Bay series.

How this is modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Which place is yours

Grouped by region, the most spots first

How this list is ordered

The places are in the order of how many spots each place holds. None of them carries a wind score: the atlas scores wind reliability one spot at a time, against a named weather station and the distance to it, and a place that groups several spots has no single station to stand behind one number.For wind by month, see When to go above.

Erongo

Walvis Bay Local favourite4 spots · 2 schools · August to Aprillagoon waves beginner-friendly quiet 4x4 needed gear rental budget to mid

Karas

Lüderitz World-class2 spots · 1 school · August to Marchflat water advanced buzzing scene 4x4 needed gear rental budget to mid

By region

The country's regions, the most spots first

Erongo4 spots · 1 placeKaras2 spots · 1 place

Destinations

All 2 places, by name

Every place in the lists above, by name only, in the order the country guide keeps them.

LüderitzWalvis Bay

Visa & entry

EU passportEffective 1 April 2025, Namibia abolished visa-free entry for nationals of a group of countries that previously enjoyed it (citing lack of reciprocity), including a number of EU member states (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain listed).EU nationals now need either a Visa on Arrival (90 days, N$1,600 / ~USD 88) or an e-Visa.
US passportSame 1 April 2025 change applies: previously visa-free, now requires Visa on Arrival (90 days, N$1,600) or e-Visa.
UK passportSame 1 April 2025 change applies, explicitly 'including all classes of British nationality': Visa on Arrival (90 days, N$1,600) or e-Visa.
NotesThis is a major, recent policy change (1 April 2025) that reversed long-standing visa-free access for EU/US/UK travelers — worth flagging prominently in the atlas since many older trip reports/blogs will still say 'visa-free'. Passport must be valid 6+ months.

Money

CurrencyNamibian Dollar (NAD), pegged 1:1 to the South African Rand (ZAR)
Card acceptanceATMs available in all towns but generally absent in villages; you cannot pay in USD or EUR cash, unlike elsewhere in Africa. South African Rand is legal tender alongside NAD under the Common Monetary Area arrangement.
Scams
  • Pickpocketing targets visibly-tourist bags; locals typically avoid carrying bags while walking as a visible tourist marker
  • Taxi drivers sometimes coordinate with thieves

SIM & internet

Operators, best coast coverage first
  • MTC (better coverage for tourists, towns and major highways)
  • TN Mobile / Telecom Namibia (better coverage in non-tourist villages)
NotesNew SIM costs N$10 or less with N$5 starting credit; data bundles run N$30-50 and expire weekly; recharge vouchers incur a 15% tax deduction; SIM activation and data setup require visiting an official outlet (available in larger towns and at the airport). Relative coverage at Walvis Bay and Lüderitz is unclear.

Insurance

Is kiting covered?General rule across the atlas: standard travel and medical policies typically exclude kitesurfing unless a specific sports or extreme-activity rider is purchased; nothing here is Namibia-specific.

Health

Mosquito-borne diseasesMalaria is present in Namibia's northern regions; see a physician before travel. Walvis Bay and Lüderitz sit on the arid central and southern coast, generally outside the main malaria zone.
Tap waterGenerally safe to drink in towns except where specifically labelled otherwise; remote campsites drawing water directly from rivers may still upset sensitive stomachs
Emergency numbersGeneral emergency: 112; Police: +264-10111
Hospital standardPrivate hospitals are modern but require upfront cash payment

Driving

Road safetyLeft-hand traffic. Gravel and dirt roads are widespread and eat tires and chip windscreens; posted speed limits on dirt roads are often unrealistic for actual safe driving conditions; legal blood-alcohol limit is 0.08
Rental trapsComprehensive rental insurance that specifically covers gravel-road damage (windscreen chips, tire damage) is strongly recommended, as base rental insurance often excludes it
4x4 contextsMany rural and desert access roads, including the routes around Lüderitz, are gravel or sand; the Walvis Bay and Lüderitz kite-access roads themselves are unconfirmed.

Regulation

Drone rulesDrone use reportedly requires permission from the Namibian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), with additional permits inside national parks and protected areas; unconfirmed.
Protected areasWalvis Bay lagoon is a Ramsar-listed wetland and a flamingo and wader bird sanctuary; kitesurfing is expected to stay clear of the designated bird-sanctuary zone and use the established launch areas. Lüderitz borders the restricted Sperrgebiet (Diamond Area 1), where entry requires a permit. Confirm the exact kite-zone boundaries locally.

Calendar & costs

BeerN$20-25 for a 0.5L draft (Windhoek prices)
MealN$40-200 depending on venue: e.g. N$60-100 starters/light meals up to N$200 for a steak at a popular Windhoek restaurant
CurrencyNADSee Money
Year2026

Kite bag rules for your airline

Flying into Namibia

Type the carrier you are flying: what it charges for a kite bag, and the year of the policy that says so.

Every carrier, with limits and what riders report at the counter →

Still being checked

We have not verified these yet — tell us if you know.

Show the 5 open questions
  • Does Namibia offer a digital nomad visa?
  • What do Airlink, Eurowings Discover or Qatar Airways charge for a kite bag to Windhoek, now that Air Namibia closed in 2021?
  • What do Namibia's drone rules require?
  • Do you need an IDP in Namibia, what do ATMs charge, what ID buys a SIM, and what do a coffee and rent cost?
  • Exact kitesurfing zone boundaries relative to the Walvis Bay bird sanctuary and Sperrgebiet border near Lüderitz should be confirmed locally/with kite operators, not just from general geographic knowledge.

Last updated September 2026