Africa

Namibia in March

Still green and quiet. In a wet year the Etosha Pan can hold shallow water and draw flamingos.

TradeoffsHot, highs near 86F (30C), rains tapering late month

Sossusvlei, Namibia — NamibiaPhoto: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0

The straight answer

March is a month of real tradeoffs in Namibia. Still green and quiet. In a wet year the Etosha Pan can hold shallow water and draw flamingos.

Weather: Hot, highs near 86F (30C), rains tapering late month
Crowds: 2 of 5
Prices: 2 of 5

What March is like in Namibia

March is still green and quiet. Highs are near 86F (30C), and the rains taper off late in the month. Crowds are light and prices are low. In a wet year, the Etosha Pan can hold shallow water and draw flamingos, a rare and lovely sight. Game is still spread out, so sightings take more time than in the dry season.

March suits photographers, birders and travelers who want green landscapes with few other people. It is a gamble for first-time safari goers who want lots of animals, who should aim for June through September. If you want green scenery with drier roads, April is a good middle ground.

Make the most of March

What is especially good about Namibia this month.

Flamingos on Etosha Pan

In wet years, shallow water on the pan can draw flamingos. It depends on the rains, so treat it as a bonus.

The last of the green season

Plains are still green, and newborn animals are growing up fast.

Quiet lodges

You will often have lodge pools and viewpoints almost to yourself.

What to pack for March

A light rain shell for late storms
Binoculars for distant flamingos and birds
Sun hat and sunscreen
Insect repellent

Our timing tip

Ask your Etosha lodge about water on the pan before you arrive, and plan an extra day there if flamingos are showing.

Book Namibia for March.

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Hotels. Expedia
Hotels in Namibia
Opens a hotel search for Namibia in March, dates filled in. Book early for the best months: the good rooms go first.
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Vacation rentals in Namibia
Whole homes, condos and villas. Usually the better deal for families and groups, with a kitchen and room to spread out.
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Tours and tickets in Namibia
Timed-entry tickets, day trips and guided tours in Namibia for March. Popular slots sell out in the best months.
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What's on in March

Green season and calving

Roughly January through March

Rains bring fresh grass, newborn springbok and zebra, and migrant birds. Game spreads out, so it is less predictable, but the landscapes are at their most dramatic.

Things to do in Namibia

Full guide

Etosha National Park

Stay at least two nights, ideally split between the west (Okaukuejo) and east (Namutoni). The camp waterholes are floodlit at night; the rest camps are run by Namibia Wildlife Resorts.

Official site ↗Tickets and tours →

Sossusvlei and Deadvlei

Gates at Sesriem open at sunrise; lodges inside the park boundary get an earlier start to the dunes. Climb Big Daddy or Dune 45 before the heat and sand turn brutal.

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Swakopmund and Walvis Bay

Cool, foggy coastal towns with German-era architecture, dune adventure sports, and kayak trips among the Cape fur seals and flamingos of Walvis Bay lagoon.

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Damaraland and Twyfelfontein

Desert-adapted elephants in dry riverbeds and Twyfelfontein's UNESCO-listed rock engravings, some thousands of years old.

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Fish River Canyon

One of the largest canyons on Earth. The multi-day hike runs only from about late April or May to mid September because of summer heat and flash floods; the viewpoints are open year-round.

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The Skeleton Coast

Shipwrecks, fog, and a seal colony of tens of thousands at Cape Cross. Remote, raw, and best combined with Damaraland.

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Beat the crowds

Book lodges inside or right at the edge of the parks (Sossusvlei and Etosha) first; they sell out months ahead for July and August and buy you the dawn gate advantage.
Go in June or September instead of July and August for the same dry-season wildlife with fewer European families on the roads.
Avoid the mid December to early January and Easter windows at the coast, when South African and Namibian holidaymakers fill Swakopmund.
At Etosha, drive out at gate opening and camp at a quiet waterhole rather than chasing sightings; the animals come to the water, and the crowds come to the famous pools.

Know before you go

The Fish River Canyon multi-day hike is open only from roughly late April or May to mid September; the rest of the year it is closed for extreme heat and flash-flood risk.
Park gates open at sunrise and close at sunset, and night driving outside the camps is not permitted in Etosha. Plan drives to reach camp before the gate closes.
In the rainy season, some gravel roads and river crossings in the north and in Damaraland can flood after storms. Check road conditions daily before long drives.
Business and town shops close early on Saturdays and are largely shut on Sundays outside Windhoek and Swakopmund, so stock up on fuel and groceries before weekends.