The water
Windhoek recycles and treats its water successfully; elsewhere bottle or filter. Tap water: Varies.
Namibia
Welwitschia mirabilis, a Namib living-fossil plant that can survive over a thousand years.
RegionAfricaCurrencyNADPowerType C/D/M, 230VTap waterVaries
Good
Eco Index
What to expect on the ground
At a glance
Food & farming
The arid climate limits agriculture to livestock ranching and northern mahangu millet, so Namibia imports a large share of its cereals and staple foods in most years.
Local staples
Mahangu (pearl millet) porridge, maize, beans, spinach and wild greens, beef and game.
Markets
Open markets in Windhoek and the north such as Oshakati, daily and busiest at weekends.
In season
Mahangu harvest around April to June after the summer rains.
Wildlife
Namibia holds desert-adapted elephants and lions found almost nowhere else, the largest free-roaming black rhino population, a global stronghold for cheetah, and Namib endemics such as the ancient Welwitschia plant. Conservancies…Read more
Namibia holds desert-adapted elephants and lions found almost nowhere else, the largest free-roaming black rhino population, a global stronghold for cheetah, and Namib endemics such as the ancient Welwitschia plant. Conservancies have driven measurable wildlife recovery.
Found nowhere else
Welwitschia mirabilis, desert-adapted elephants and Namib endemics, plus the world's largest free-roaming black rhino population.
Natural phenomena
Cold coastal fog, baking interior; the rainy season is Jan–Apr.
When to go
The dry winter, best for wildlife.
Getting around
Self-drive on gravel roads, a 4x4 for the north and west, with great distances between towns.
Good to know
Cards in towns, cash in the bush; NAD pegged to the rand. Dust is a constant.
Safety
Solo female travel: Take care. LGBTQ+: Mixed.
Only hereWelwitschia mirabilis, a Namib living-fossil plant that can survive over a thousand years.
Assessed across 10 equally-weighted pillars
The Eco Index, pillar by pillar
63/100
Good
The Eco Index: Namibia
12 pillars, equally weighted, from published sources. All 12 assessed. Blanks mean unverified, never estimated.
Only here Welwitschia mirabilis, a Namib living-fossil plant that can survive over a thousand years.
- Forest cover
- 7.8%
- Land protected
- 39.9%
- Sea protected
- 1.71%
- Found nowhere else
- Welwitschia mirabilis, desert-adapted elephants and Namib endemics, plus the world's largest free-roaming black rhino population.
- Renewable power
- 40%
- CO2 per person
- 1.1 t (2024) t
- Cleanest air
- The Namib Desert and NamibRand.
- Water from
- Windhoek recycles and treats its water successfully; elsewhere bottle or filter.
- Tap water
- Varies
- Safe drinking water
- 84.3%
- Cleanest water
- The perennial Kunene and Okavango rivers in the north.
- Springs
- Ai-Ais hot springs at the foot of Fish River Canyon.
- In season
- Mahangu harvest around April to June after the summer rains.
- Plastic ban
- Plastic bags banned in national parks and protected areas, no full national ban yet.
- Watch out for
- Uranium and diamond mining in Erongo and the coastal Sperrgebiet.
- Solo female travel
- Take care
- LGBTQ+ acceptance
- Mixed
- Best months
- May to October.
- Getting around
- Self-drive on gravel roads, a 4x4 for the north and west, with great distances between towns.
- Power
- Type C/D/M, 230V
- Currency
- NAD
| Pillar | Score | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| WaterWhere the water comes from, and whether there is enough of it | 2/5 | Namibia is one of the driest countries in sub-Saharan Africa, with perennial rivers only along its borders, the Orange, Kunene, Okavango and Zambezi, and an interior reliant on ephemeral ri… Full assessmenters, groundwater, coastal desalination and Windhoek's pioneering direct reuse of reclaimed water. About 84.3% of people use at least a basic drinking water service (World Bank JMP, 2020) and treated town tap water is safe. |
| Food and farmingWhat the island actually grows, and what arrives by boat | 2/5 | The arid climate limits agriculture to livestock ranching and northern mahangu millet, so Namibia imports a large share of its cereals and staple foods in most years. |
| Plant based and real foodWhether you can eat unprocessed from local supply | 2/5 | Mahangu porridge, maize, beans and wild greens provide a plant-based base, but the food culture is strongly meat-centred around beef and game and dedicated plant-based options are limited o… Full assessmenttside the capital. |
| OrganicCertified and chemical free growing, which is not the same thing as plant based | 2/5 | Certified organic cropland is minimal and a national share could not be verified, but Namibia's wild-harvested Devil's Claw is certified organic and FairWild for export, giving it a genuine… Full assessmentif narrow organic sector. |
| ConservationWhat is protected, and whether protection is enforced | 5/5 | About 39.9% of the land is protected (World Bank, 2024), and Namibia was the first country to write environmental protection into its constitution and pioneered communal conservancies that … Full assessmentlace a further large area under community conservation. Enforcement supports custodianship of the largest free-roaming black rhino population, while marine cover is about 1.71% of territorial waters. |
| Wildlife and endemicsWhat lives here and nowhere else on earth | 4/5 | Namibia holds desert-adapted elephants and lions found almost nowhere else, the largest free-roaming black rhino population, a global stronghold for cheetah, and Namib endemics such as the … Full assessmentncient Welwitschia plant. Conservancies have driven measurable wildlife recovery. |
| Natural materialsWhat you can eat from and carry here instead of plastic, and who still makes it | 2/5 | Karakul (Swakara) wool and leather sit alongside living San, Himba and Kavango craft in leatherwork, ostrich-shell beadwork and palm basketry. |
| Pollution and plasticPlastic law and contamination | 3/5 | Plastic bags are banned in national parks and protected areas, and the desert air is very clean, though there is no full national ban, mining raises local dust and a national PM2.5 figure c… Full assessmentuld not be verified. |
| Recycling and wasteWhat actually happens to the rubbish once you have thrown it away | 2/5 | Formal recycling is limited, with kerbside schemes such as Rent-A-Drum operating in Windhoek but little collection nationally. |
| Energy and climateClean power, carbon emissions per person and the pace of decarbonisation | 4/5 | Namibia is a very low emitter at about 1.1 tonnes per person in 2024, and its domestic generation leans on low-carbon sources, chiefly the Ruacana hydropower station plus fast-growing solar… Full assessmenttogether supplying around 40 per cent of home-produced electricity. The country imports much of its remaining power from South Africa's coal-heavy grid, which is its main indirect emissions burden. Policy ambition is high, with one of the more ambitious NDCs and a national Green Hydrogen Strategy aiming to make Namibia a major exporter of clean fuels. Abundant sun and wind underpin projects such as Hyphen that could reshape its energy future. Very low emissions and strong clean-energy ambition earn a high score, capped by reliance on imported coal power. |
| Culture and peopleIndigenous and living communities, and who the money reaches | 5/5 | Living Himba, San, Herero, Damara and Nama communities remain central to the country, and the communal conservancy model directs tourism and wildlife revenue to residents, a widely cited gl… Full assessmentbal example of community-based natural resource management. |
| Living heritage and ancestral traditionsNational dance and music, and the ancestral and spiritual traditions still practised | 5/5 | Namibia is home to some of the oldest continuously living cultures on earth, and ancestral traditions remain strong. Full assessmentThe San, including the Ju/'hoansi, keep hunting knowledge and the trance healing dance that scholars regard as among humanity's oldest spiritual practices. The OvaHimba maintain ancestor veneration around the holy fire and their distinctive ochre dress, while the OvaHerero hold Otjiserandu commemorations in their well-known Victorian-influenced attire. Nama and Damara communities keep the Nama-stap dance and riel, and Oshiwambo culture remains widely practised in the north. Living dance, music and ancestral spirituality run through daily life. |
Before you go
Cards in towns, cash in the bush; NAD pegged to the rand. Dust is a constant.
Where these figures come from
- World Bank, Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, 2023 — source
- World Bank, Terrestrial protected areas (% of land area) ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, 2024 — source
- World Bank, Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, 2021 — source
- Low Carbon Power, Namibia electricity mix (about 40% low-carbon, heavy net imports), 2023 — source
- World Bank JMP, People using at least basic drinking water services (% of population) SH.H2O.BASW.ZS, 2020 — source
- Wikipedia, Phase-out of lightweight plastic bags (Namibia parks ban) — source
- Our World in Data, CO2 emissions per capita, 2024 source
- Low Carbon Power, Namibia electricity generation mix, 2023 source
- Green Hydrogen Organisation, Namibia country profile source
- UNESCO, Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity source
Living heritage and ancestral traditions
The culture still danced, played and believed
Namibia is home to some of the oldest continuously living cultures on earth, and ancestral traditions remain strong. The San, including the Ju/'hoansi, keep hunting knowledge and the trance healing dance that scholars regard as among humanity's oldest spiritual practices. The OvaHimba maintain ancestor veneration around the holy fire and their distinctive ochre dress, while the OvaHerero hold Otjiserandu commemorations in their well-known Victorian-influenced attire. Nama and Damara communities keep the Nama-stap dance and riel, and Oshiwambo culture remains widely practised in the north. Living dance, music and ancestral spirituality run through daily life.
- San trance healing dance
- OvaHimba holy-fire ancestor veneration
- OvaHerero Otjiserandu commemorations
- Nama-stap and riel dances
- Damara punch and oviritje music
- Oshiwambo traditions.
Sleep well, tread lightly
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