21. February 2022
COLIVING NAMIBIA
Content
1. Coliving Community & Africa Adventures
Maybe Africa was not yet on your priority list as a digital nomad destination. Or maybe it was already for a long time but there was never the right chance to go. Possible that you have not started your Africa adventure yet because you do not know which country to go to first, where it would be safe, with whom to go, or where the internet connection is reliable. To have a place where all of these concerns are already solved was one big reason a lot of my participants joined me on my last Coliving Namibia adventure. In this article, I want to give you more insights into coliving life. I want to show you the advantages of joining, and in the end you will know how easy it is to come to Namibia!
LEAN BACK AND RELAX - EVERYTHING IS SET
When you arrive in Namibia we will manage to pick you up from the airport. You will arrive at the accommodation, have a quick jump into the pool to cool down, and get to know your Coliving Namibia squad. Coliving means that all of us, about 20 digital nomads live and work together in the same accommodation, sharing a room or having single bedrooms with private bathrooms. Over a relaxed gathering at the fireplace and some drinks, you will enjoy your first night.
WINDHOEK - YOUR NEW HOME
Windhoek, the capital of Namibia will be your new home and you will see that going to karaoke nights, concerts, yoga classes or, hanging out in pubs, restaurants, shopping malls and gyms is as normal as in any other city. Windhoek is named one of the cleanest cities in Africa and has a colonial architectural vibe since Namibia has been a German colony.
BETWEEN CITY LIFE & WILDLIFE
Our coliving in Namibia is the perfect contrast of living and working in a vibing and safe capital during the week and getting the whole opposite experience on the weekends - camping and sitting around the campfire in the middle of nowhere watching the elephants passing by or hearing the lions roaring in the distance. The mix of both is what the coliving makes so unique.
Weekend Getaway to Spitzkoppe mountain
2. Namibia - One of the safest countries in Africa
When I tell people about Namibia the question about how safe it is, is one of the first questions. Namibia is one of the most peaceful and safe countries in Africa. Politically it is one of the most stable countries and listed #65 on the Global peace index of 2021.
HOW TO BEHAVE IN WINDHOEK
Of course, there is also crime but when we talk about crime it is mostly non-violent like pick-pocketing or breaking into cars to steal valuables. It is the same kind of criminality you have in any other bigger city. Common sense tells you to take care of your values as you would always do when you travel. Rather call a taxi than walking home alone at night, or walk in a group and you are feeling safe. During the day you can safely stroll around the streets on your own, go for a run, or go shopping.
IS IT OK TO RENT A CAR AND EXPLORE NAMIBIA ON YOUR OWN?
Since tourism is one of the biggest sectors in Namibia it is very popular and also safe for tourists to arrive at the airport, rent a car and go on a safari tour without a tour guide. There is no high-jacking or kidnapping on your tour through the country.
Windhoek offers some nice hikes to view the sunset above the city
Hiking through the famous Spitzkoppe mountain on the weekend
When you think of Africa you probably think of the most remote places with nothing but the burning heat, Giraffes, and of course no internet connection. It's a bit different though.
WHEN WILL I BE ABLE TO WORK
Our concept of this coliving in Namibia is to build a community of digital nomads that have to be able to easily work during the week in Windhoek, enjoy the city life in the evenings and go on safari trips on the weekends where you shut your laptop down. Of course, going on trips on the weekend is optional, you can also stay in Windhoek work even more or just enjoy the city life.
FIBRE INTERNET CONNECTION
The area where we have our coliving space is equipped with fiber cables and an internet speed of 150 Mbits. The infrastructure in Windhoek is given and compared to the neighboring country South Africa, there is no load shedding in Namibia where electricity is turned off for a few hours a day. And if there will still be a drop in the internet speed you are always able to connect to your phone and use your data.
Our previous WildWifi participants said the following about the internet connection at our accommodation:
“The wifi was great! I was able to do video calls all the time, both from my room and from the common areas. The video and audio quality was never a problem.”
- Vikram, 28, USA
- Frida, 43, Sweden
ARE THERE BOARDROOMS FOR CLIENT CALLS?
Our accommodation is spacious enough for everyone to also have client calls without being disturbed. Either in your private room or one of the rooms we dedicated as boardrooms.
4. Mingle with Locals
We all know the situation: You fly to your next digital nomad hotspot in Europe or Asia and all you do is hang out with your favorite fellow nomads. You go to meet-ups, game nights, dinners, or any other activity just with your squad. Of course, that is the reason why nomad hotspots are so popular, but as I talked to a lot of digital nomads in they are sometimes missing the connection to the locals and experiencing more culture.
HOW TO ESCAPE THE NOMAD BUBBLE IN NAMIBIA
Since I have been returning to Namibia for the past 13 years, I grew my local friend circle continuously. Strangers became friends, friends became family, and that's what I want to share with my coliving community. From the very beginning you will hang out with my local friends, they will invite you to join a bbq, go out at night or show you around the city.
WHAT DO YOU LEARN FROM THE LOCALS?
Mingling with locals is the best way to get to know the culture of a country as fast as possible. Namibia has 13 different ethnic groups speaking over 30 different languages. Stil English is their first language. If you join locals you will find the nontouristic places, the local food, get to know the culture and you will soon feel like blending in perfectly. How about inviting local friends over to our coliving to cook local dishes together or how about a skill-sharing night at our accommodation where also the locals share their knowledge?
HOW TO STAY CONNECTED TO THE LOCALS
I created a WhatsApp group to which every coliving participant, but also my local Namibian friends are invited. This way we can stay connected and plan our next bbq night, skill-sharing night, or weekend trip. Before the coliving even starts we can already introduce each other on WhatsApp.
Oltimer VW Bus Tour through Windhoek
Weekend Getaway - Catamaran Tour in Walvis Bay
Typical Hand Sign which shows the shape of Namibia
5. Safaris & Camping Adventures
One of the main reasons why you should come to Namibia at least one time in your life is the amazing landscape sceneries, the wildlife, and the cultural traditions.
THE HIGHLIGHTS OF NAMIBIA
Do you want to see the desert? No problem, go and visit the oldest desert in the world called the Namib desert and climb the highest dunes in the world, up to 380 meters. One desert is not enough? Okay, no worries, the second desert in Namibia is the Kalahari desert with its famous red sand. Do you feel like surfing and beach time? Follow us on a weekend trip to the Atlantic Ocean to go sky diving, dune riding, desert quad biking, surfing, and much more. The coastal town Swakopmund is the locals' favorite place to go on the weekend if you want to cool down a bit and enjoy the fresh Atlantic ocean breeze.
Namibia has several famous National Parks where you can see the Big Five: Leopards, Lions, Rhinos, Elephants, and Water Buffalos. Namibia is also the place where you can see the only desert-adapted Elephants, as well as the famous Namibian desert Lions. You can visit the second biggest Canyon in the world called Fish River Canyon, drive to the second biggest Waterfalls in the world, the Victoria Falls, or hike around the mountains like Spitzkoppe and Brandberg.
ROADTRIP AROUND NAMIBIA
Namibia's tourism sector is big and going on a road trip around the country, even on your own without a tour guide is popular and safe. Since Namibia is huge you can not see any of the highlights in a day trip. That's why we recommend at least taking the weekend off to see one of them. Highlights for a weekend could be:
If you joined these weekend getaways you only started to see Namibia, there is still so much to explore. If you go on a longer tour like 12 nights you will dive deeper into the culture and the beauty of the country. That's what we are going to do after each 4 coliving months end. Our big final will be a 13 day tour through the north of Namibia, chasing desert elephants, camping in the wild, or relaxing at the pool of some luxury lodges.
Take your days off and join us on that epic trip.
Hiking Big Daddy - The highest dune in the world
Elephants at the Waterhole in Etosha National Park
Weekend Camping Getaway
For me traveling is a way to become a wise old person at the end of my life. The fact that you travel a lot is already a natural way to achieve that. But to continue to broaden our horizons and to get closer to our goals faster we need to share our knowledge. That's why I want us to share our skills during the coliving in Namibia.
HOW DOES A SKILL-SHARING NIGHT LOOK LIKE?
While WildWifi every participant has the chance to write down a few skills they would like to teach each other. After a poll, we have been able to decide which was our favorite skill of each person. In the end, we had 1 Skill-Sharing night per week, each about 1 to 1,5 hours. The coliving participants taught each other about different topics like:
Or even skill-sharing nights about bachata dances and rocket science. No matter what skill you have it is always worth a share. Of course, this is voluntary and you do not have to participate or contribute if you do not feel like it.
The coliving crew listening to Frida´s Skill-Sharing about communications
Locals & Coliving Members are invited to join or host a Skill-Sharing Night
7. European Time Zone Convenience
Namibia is located in the southwestern part of the African continent. Africa is really huge and funny enough, a lot of people mistake the continent as one big country. Namibia is located just above the country South Africa at the west coast, being the neighboring country at the Atlantic Ocean.
JUST ONE HOUR TIME DIFFERENCE TO GERMANY
Having the sample of German time-zone compared to Namibia, the time difference is one hour. Compared to Portugal for instance it is only a small-time difference of two hours.
TRAVELING FAR WHILE KEEPING YOUR WORK SCHEDULE
For all the digital nomads who work European hours, Namibia is a very convenient place to stay. You still have the adventurous thrill of traveling to the other side of the world, while being able to keep your normal working hours. It is easy for you to attend all of our evening activities in Windhoek or be in time to shut down your laptop when we leave for a camping weekend getaway on a Friday at noon.
8. Weather in Namibia
Namibia is a very dry country with a long dry season and a mostly light rainy season. November - February is summertime in Namibia which means we have dry heat without humidity. In Windhoek, the temperature is about 30 - 35 degrees during the day, at night it cools down to 22 - 25 degrees. That said you will be surprised that summer is still called the rainy season in Namibia. Namibians pray for a good rainy season every year. They are dependent on rain. Unfortunately, the rainy season is often a very poor one with one heavy rain shower for a few hours every 1,5 - 2 weeks. So if you prefer dry heat over tropical humid heat you are right in Namibia. Only at the coast in Swakopmund it can get a little chilly since the Atlantic Ocean brings a cool breeze.
A blue sky and dry heat, this is how you will experience Namibia
Only at the Coast it can get a little chilly in the morning and afternoon
9. Direct Flight Connections from Europe
Different flight connections go to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. The international airport in Namibia is called Husea Kutako and is located only 30 - 40 minutes away from the city center.
DIRECT FLIGHT: FRANKFURT - WINDHOEK
The most popular connection from Europe to Namibia is a direct flight from Frankfurt to Windhoek. The two airlines which currently offer a non-stop connection to Windhoek are Eurowings Discover and Lufthansa. Eurowings offers daily flights except for Mondays and Wednesdays. The flights are nightly flights, within 10,5 hours you will arrive at your destination Husea Kutako international airport in the morning.
1 STOP CONNECTION FROM FRANKFURT
There is another popular connection to Windhoek starting in Frankfurt - Flying with Ethiopian Airlines via the Ethiopian Capital Addis Abeba. The approximate flight duration here is 15 hours.
OTHER AIRPORTS WITH DIRECT FLIGHTS
Besides Frankfurt and Addis Abeba you can also fly to Johannesburg (South Africa), Cape Town (South Africa), or Luanda (Angola) and take a direct flight to Namibia from there.
