Make sure your passport is valid for at least six months from the date you leave South Africa. Every member of your family have to have a passport – even the little one still in Huggies.

Your South African licence is valid in Namibia..

You can buy a ZA sticker from the AA for about R20 (or at places such as Outdoor Warehouse and Safari Centre).

The road users’ levy for a normal car (passenger car, single- or double-cab bakkie or kombi) is R160, plus R100 for a trailer or caravan. You can pay with SA rands, Namibian dollars or a credit card. It’s probably best to have cash on you, in case you hear those dreaded words: “Sorry, sir, we’re offline.” (Note: Prices accurate in March 2009)

According to a new regulation imposed this year, you should have at least one triangle per vehicle.

Pack a few ballpoint pens to fill out the arrival and departure form, so that you don’t have to wait in a queue in the customs office for that guy who moves his lips while he writes.

An uncertified copy of the vehicle's registration document is adequate.

If you travel in a borrowed car, you have to have a letter from the owner giving you permission to take the vehicle out of the country (or a letter from the bank, if you're still paying off the car.)

Ask someone who's visiting Namibia to bring back a few arrival and departure forms. Just fill them out before you get there (one for each person in your party).

Also, keep in mind: On the first Sunday in April, Namibians set their watches back by an hour for winter. So, if it's 11 am in South Africa, it's 10 am in Namibia. In summer, from the first Sunday in September, the time is the same.