FOOD & DRINK: Restaurants and cafés reflect the German influence on Namibia and most dining rooms offer a reasonable choice of local and continental cuisine. They are found mainly in the major cities. A speciality of Namibia is game in all variations; worth a try are biltong (air-dried meat) and Rauchfleisch (smoked meat).

NIGHTLIFE: In the central area of Windhoek there are restaurants, cafés, a cinema and a theatre.

SHOPPING: Windhoek has a selection of fashionable shops. Local crafts can be bought in some specialised shops and at the Windhoek Street Market, held every second Saturday. Good buys include diamonds and semi-precious stones, Herero dolls, hand-carved wooden objects, jewellery, karosse rugs, liqueur chocolates made in Windhoek and Swakara garments. Shopping hours: 0830-1700 Monday to Friday, 0830-1300 Saturday. Some bigger supermarkets are also open 1100-1300 and 1600-1900 Sunday.

SPORT: Northwest of Usakos, rising out of the Namib, is the 2000m (6562ft) Spitzkoppe where there is good mountaineering . Some of the coastal and river areas provide good opportunities for fishing , especially in the waters of the northern Caprivi strip. There are several hiking trails in the Fish River Canyon, the Waterberg Plateau Park, the Naukluft Mountains and the Ugab River.

SOCIAL CONVENTIONS: Western customs prevail; normal courtesies should be shown when visiting someone's home. Tipping: 10% is customary.