Visitors to Namibia are increasingly well catered for when it comes to accommodation. Indeed, there is no better indicator of how greatly
the country's tourist industry has expanded over the past decade-and-a-half since independence than the immense increase in the number,
variety and overall quality of lodgings. There are smart business-style hotels in the cities and swish yet organic bush lodges in the game
reserves, down-to-earth small-town guesthouses and rural guest farms, and even well-equipped state-run campsites and self-catering resorts
in the national parks. Standards are generally high, and rates are very reasonable by international standards, this despite a significant
post-independence swing away from the budget-oriented South African self-drive market to a truly cosmopolitan clientele.

It is advisable to book hotel and lodge accommodation in advance, ideally through a reputable tour operator, particularly if you are
travelling during the peak international tourist seasons, which runs from July to February but experiences something of a lull in October
and November. If you prefer a more spontaneous approach, you're unlikely to ever experience a problem finding a room in Windhoek, and
should also be able to improvise in larger towns, especially out of season, but do bear in mind that the distances between rural lodges are
often daunting - you wouldn't want to pitch up in the Sesriem-Sossusvlei region, for instance, and end up having to drive from door-to-door
looking for a vacant room, so do at least make a phone booking a day or two ahead.

For campsites and self-catering accommodation, advance reservations are essential during Namibian and South African summer holidays (early
December to mid-January), and on most weekends and public holidays, especially around Easter. At other times of year, campsites and
self-catering resorts are seldom fully booked. During the peak summer season, accommodation is restricted to three nights at each of the
camps in the Etosha National Park and to 10 nights at each of the following rest camps: Ai-Ais, Gross Barmen and Daan Viljoen. Visitors
should note that no refund will be made if a reservation is cancelled or altered less than 10 days prior to the first date indicated on the
reservation advice.

Note that all accommodation and campsites in the national parks and other state-owned reserves and resorts (several of which are listed in
the pages that follow) are managed by Namibia Wildlife Resorts. The main booking office in Windhoek can be contacted during the opening
hours of 8am-5pm Mon-Fri (tel: 061 285 7200; fax: 061 224900; email: reservation@nwr.com.na) or you can book online at nwr.com.na.

Travellers who want a true taste of the Namibian rural way of life can contact the Namibian Community Based Tourism Association (nacobta -
tel/fax: 061 255977; email: nacobta@iafrica.com.na; nacobta.com.na), a non-profit organisation that manages a selection of
community-run tourism projects and campsites supporting the development of rural communities.