Namibia
Namibia in January
🌦️ Shoulder (showers)Warm and some showers.
🎒 Pack: light, breathable clothes & sunscreen · compact umbrella or rain jacket
Why January scores 9.2What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort50%8.8
- ✓Warm (30°C highs / 17°C lows)
- ✓Comfortable humidity (dew point 9.2°C)
- !Wet: ~115 mm rain, ~3 heavy-rain days
- Air quality20%10.0
- ✓Good (within WHO guideline) (PM2.5 ~2 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards20%10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline10%7.5
- ·Increased caution
| Jan | Apr | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 9.2 Excellent | 9.7 Excellent |
| Season | 🌦️ Shoulder (showers) | ☀️ Dry season |
| High / low | 30° / 17° | 26° / 13° |
| Rain | 115 mm | 46 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 9° | dew pt 7° |
| PM2.5 | 2 µg/m³ | 3 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast). Temperatures: Windhoek weather-station normals.
Holidays & crowdsJanuary 2027
Long weekendThere's at least one long weekend. Domestic travel picks up and popular spots get busier over those days.
- New Year 1–3 Jan · 3 days off in a row
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore NamibiaEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyA vast, sparsely populated country in southwestern Africa, known for red desert dunes, desert-adapted wildlife, Etosha's waterholes and the fog-bound Skeleton Coast.
No major events on our calendar for January.
Coming up later
Independence DayEvery year21 March every year
Marks independence from South Africa in 1990.
Why go: Public holiday; government services close.
Where: Nationwide, main ceremony usually in Windhoek
Herero DayDate variesUsually the weekend closest to 26 August
A Herero commemoration with processions in traditional dress and military-style uniforms.
Why go: A striking cultural event; ask before photographing participants.
Where: Okahandja
Windhoek OktoberfestDate variesUsually late October
A German-style beer festival reflecting the country's colonial heritage.
Why go: Windhoek accommodation is busier that weekend.
Where: Windhoek
Sossusvlei and Deadvlei
Towering red dunes and a white clay pan dotted with dead camelthorn trees in the Namib Desert.
💡 Go at sunrise for light and cooler temperatures; stay inside the park gate to get in earliest.
Etosha National Park
A park around a huge salt pan where elephants, lions and rhinos gather at waterholes.
💡 Wildlife viewing is best in the dry season when animals concentrate at waterholes.
Swakopmund
A coastal town with German colonial buildings, used as a base for dune sports and Walvis Bay lagoon trips.
Skeleton Coast
A remote, foggy Atlantic coastline with shipwrecks and seal colonies such as Cape Cross.
Damaraland and Twyfelfontein
Rugged landscapes with desert-adapted elephants and UNESCO-listed ancient rock engravings.
Fish River Canyon
One of Africa's largest canyons, in the far south.
💡 The multi-day hiking trail is only open in the cooler months, roughly May to September.
Game meat
Oryx, kudu and springbok, often grilled as steaks.
Kapana
Strips of beef grilled on open fires and dipped in spice.
💡 Open-air markets in Windhoek's Katutura
Biltong
Air-dried, spiced meat eaten as a snack.
Walvis Bay oysters
Oysters farmed in the cold Atlantic waters near Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.
Namibian beer
Lager brewed in the German tradition, a legacy of the colonial era.
Woven baskets
Palm-leaf baskets made by communities in northern Namibia.
💡 Craft centres and cooperatives
Semi-precious stones
Namibia is known for tourmaline, amethyst and other minerals.
💡 Reputable gem shops in Windhoek and Swakopmund
Karakul wool rugs
Hand-woven rugs made from the wool of karakul sheep.