Namibia has 10 national parks, under the control of Namibian Wildlife Resorts. The country has ample opportunities for the self-drive tourist and many local tour operators and travel consultants offer interesting packages or arrange tailor-made tours covering a variety of areas. More information on tours and excursions can be obtained from Namibia Tourism (see
Top Things To Do section).
WindhoekWindhoek is the attractive capital of the country and is surrounded by mountains. Like other towns in Namibia, it has several examples of German colonial architecture, including
the Alte Feste, the Christuskirche and the Tintenpalast (Ink Palace), the former colonial administrative building. Gross Barmen is a hot-spring resort to the north.
The Northern RegionThe Etosha National Park is one of the most famous game sanctuaries in the world and remains largely free of human influence. Its 22,270 sq km (8599 sq miles) are located in the north around the Etosha Pan. This depression is 1065m (3494ft) above sea level, forming a huge, salty hollow which is only occasionally filled with water and surrounded by grasslands and bush. There are vast stocks of wildlife, particularly elephants, lions, zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, springboks, kudus, gemsboks or oryxes, hyenas, jackals, leopards and cheetahs. It is open throughout the year. There are well-equipped camps with comfortable rondavel accommodation and camping facilities. Waterberg Plateau Park, Namibia’s only mountain resort, has striking red sandstone cliffs and is home to many rare and endangered species of game. It is a popular stopover for visitors on their way to Etosha National Park. There are good facilities here for game viewing and a number of hiking trails. Also en route to Etosha is Lake Otjikoto, 24km (15 miles) northeast of the mining town of Tsumeb. Once fabled to be bottomless, it is now known to be 55m (140ft) deep and contains some rare fish. Northeast of here is Kaudom Game Reserve in Kavango, where there are two camping areas and where blue wildebeest, elephant, lion, cheetah, leopard and various species of antelope wander. Further northeast, the Popa Falls Rest Camp, where crocodiles and hippos bask in the water, is a popular haven on the banks of the Okavango River. About 12km (7 miles) to the south is Mahango Game Reserve, catering to day visitors only, with elephants, buffalo and lechwe. Heading still further northeast is East Caprivi, bordered by the Kwando, Linyanti, Chobe and Zambezi rivers. This region of swamps and flood plains has several safari lodges and offers boat trips, fishing, hiking and game viewing, particularly in the Mudumu and Mamili National Parks.
The town of Katima Mulilo, on the banks of the Zambezi River, has an Arts Center where visitors may purchase varous handicrafts such as baskets, bracelets, malachite and soapstone carvings. Flights to Victoria Falls, less than one hour’s flight away, are available from Katima Mulilo.
The Southern RegionFish River Canyon is in the south of the country and only second in dimensions to the Grand Canyon. Situated between Seeheim and Ai-Ais (a hot spring resort), the gigantic cleft stretches for 150km (93 miles) and is up to 27km (17 miles) wide and up to 550m (1804ft) deep in parts. Trips are best arranged from Keetsmanshoop. Situated on the Fish River is Hardap Dam. The Kokerboom (Quiver Tree) Forest, located 14km (9 miles) northeast of Keetmanshoop on Gariganus Farm, features
kokerbooms , which belong to the aloe family and grow up to 8m (26ft) and were often used by the San people to make quivers for their arrows (thus ‘quiver trees’). The trees create a bizarrely elegant effect and are now a protected plant in Namibia.
Lüderitz is a small port in the southern Namib region, with much charm and atmosphere from bygone days of diamond prospecting.
The Namib RegionThe Namib Desert appears more like the surface of the moon with its towering sand dunes (some of them 300m/1000ft high), and is believed to be the oldest desert in the world. Namib Naukluft Park, at 49,768 sq km (19,215 sq miles), is the fourth-largest conservation area in the world. There are campsites in the Namib Desert at Sesriem, where the Tsauchab River disappears down a deep gorge in the plain (leaving pools of water where many animals feed) and in the Naukluft. The nearby Sossusvlei area is an ocean of sand dunes up to 300m (762ft) high, stretching as far as the eye can see and is home to countless water birds in the rainy season and oryxes, springbok and ostriches during the dry season.
The delightful little seaside resort of Swakopmund is situated in the middle of Namibia’s coastline, surrounded by desert and sea. Further north, the Skeleton Coast is a strange desert shoreline with massive dunes and treacherous rocks, the name relating to the number of ships wrecked and lost in the vicinity. The cold Benguela current keeps the coastline cool, damp and rain-free for most of the year, with a thick coastal fog.
Inland, the Brandberg/Twyfelfontein area has some very ancient rock engravings and paintings, of which the White Lady of the Brandberg is the best known. The Petrified Forest and the Welwitschia mirabilis plant are other attractions.
Next Page »
