Namibia with all its beauty and all it has to offer is one of Africa’s best-kept secrets. Namibia is quickly becoming a destination that many have on their bucket lists of beautiful places to visit since hearing from others who have traveled there. Namibia has it all from wildlife safaris for those in search of the Big Five, diverse landscapes, red rolling sand dunes that one can’t wait to sandboard down; rare bird species; trekking through the deserts or lying on beautiful beaches, in Namibia you can do it all as desert meets the sea giving way to exploring and creating many adventures and unforgettable memories.
Sossusvlei
Sossusvlei is the most famous pan in the Namib Desert. From an aerial view, it almost looks like a large puzzle with pieces of dry clay that have been put together to create a large dry pan. The landscape is rather unusual with artistic looking dead trees scattered throughout, which are said to be thousands of years old. Sossusvlei has one of the most famous dunes to climb, Dune 45, which is also the highest of all the dunes in the region. The hike only takes about an hour although it’s intense, given you’re climbing soft sand which gives way on each step. Take time to explore not only Dune 45 but all these fiery red dunes that stand proudly against the blue skies in the area. Almost every dune is possible to climb, sandboard or 4×4 and can be done with or without a guide. We recommend visiting the reserve early in the morning when it is cooler, as by midday the blistering temperatures will make your trip a challenging one. There really is no other place quite like Namibia anywhere else in the world.
Swakopmund
Located in the Namib Desert, you will find the coastal city of Swakopmund, where you’ll find many great things to do and many Swakopmund hotels. In the year 1892, Swakopmund was founded by German colonists, and still today you will find a strong community of German-speaking locals. There are many historical landmarks such as the Swakopmund Museum which will enlighten you with Namibian history, and right next to the museum is the Lighthouse and the Mole, an old sea wall. Another place of interest inland is the elegant Swakopmund Railway Station also dating back to the colonial era, and which has now become a hotel. Being a coastal town, Swakopmund has much to offer, no matter the age, whether you are adventurous or not, it will have something to offer you, such as paragliding, skydiving, land or sea yachting, skydiving, windsurfing, sandboarding, quad biking and more.
Skeleton Coast
The name immediately gets you thinking of a barren area, littered with shipwrecks, sea life, mainly whale carcasses and historical stories and even talk of hidden treasures; Skeleton Coast won’t disappoint. Skeleton Coast is one of Africa’s untouched, unspoiled natural wildernesses. This stretch of hostile but captivating coast is approximately 500km long and 40km wide. The San Bushman of the area believed that ‘God had made this land in anger’ and gave it that name. Many years ago, a great number of ships ran aground on this stretch as the weather was often unpredictable and the fog so dense that visibility was impossible. This was the real reason for the name ‘Skeleton Coast’ as many sailors lost their lives here. We’d recommend taking a guided safari tour to the Skeleton Coast, this takes around 4 days, but should this not fit in with your holiday time constraints, there is an alternative option where you could take a private light aircraft across to this remote and incredible area of Namibia. This is an experience like no other and one of the most amazing, most unforgettable, and extraordinary adventures you can do. Don’t forget your camera as you will not want to miss taking pictures of this unique backdrop, where the ocean meets desert; it’s truly an unforgettable experience that one rarely gets to see.
Etosha National Park
“Etosha” translated to English, means, “great white areas” that is exactly what comes to mind when you see the dried pan, which is one of the biggest salt pans in Africa. Etosha National Park is famous for its abundance of wildlife, giving all the experience of many wildlife sightings which include: leopard, lion, elephant, giraffe, hyena, cheetah, springbok, eland, wildebeest, rhinoceros and two species of zebra and so much more. What makes Etosha National Park one that stands out amongst the rest is that most of the water holes are floodlit allowing you to see the animals at the waterholes at night and even more exciting is that they have hide-aways set up near the water holes allowing you to get close to the wildlife without being spotted and you get to take that one in a million photo. Etosha National Park is a ‘have to visit’ when touring in Namibia.
