"Avoid Independence Avenue in rush hours" Top 5 Page for this destination Windhoek Warnings Or Dangers Tip by CatherineReichardt

Windhoek may look like a sleepy place - and most of the time it is - but in rush hour, the main arterial routes do clog up with traffic. This is particularly true of the main street, Independence Avenue (formerly Kaiserstrasse).

This wouldn't usually be a major problem except if you are rushing to catch a flight. The new international airport is a long drive out of town, and many tourists underestimate the amount of time it takes to get there - as a rule of thumb, you should allow yourself at least 45 minutes, and preferably an hour outside of peak period.

The majority of tourists come back into Windhoek from the north (Swakopmund and Etosha) and many then travel down Independence Avenue before connecting to the airport road. If this is your intention, then don't complicate matters by getting stuck in the gridlock on Independence Avenue if you're arriving early morning or late afternoon: allow yourself ample time to cross Windhoek in order to get to the airport, and preferably try to take a road that completely avoids Independence Avenue.