Namibia: What to Expect / Highlights

Protected Wilderness

Over 15% of the country's wilderness is protected with 20 National Parks

Skeleton Coast

Named as a result of the treacherous waters taking the lives of countless seafarers. This is a befitting title for the coastline area between the Swakop River and the Kunene River which has seen many a shipwreck. The Skeleton Coast parks host such varied terrain as sand dunes, gravel plains, and eerie fog-covered shores. The coast is home to flamingos, seal, and penguins and while inland you may see desert elephant, lion, giraffe, black and white rhino, leopard, buffalo, and a range of antelope species.

Sossusvlei Sand Dunes of the Namib Desert

A huge clay pan with some of the highest sand dunes in the world (300 meters). This part of the Namib Desert (the world's oldest at 80 million years old) is a photographer's paradise and should be seen at sunrise when the gold and apricot colors of the dunes come alive and the wonderful shadows cast over the dunes create striking contrasts. Gemsbok or springbok are often seen wandering the area grazing and in search of water.

Exotic Himba People

They still live as nomadic pastoralists in Namibia's least inhabited area of Kaokoveld. It is possible to visit these proud people in their traditional villages where you will be welcomed in the company of a local guide who speaks their language and is accepted as a friend to the Himba.

Etosha National Park

One of Africa's most spectacular wildlife sanctuaries encompassing 15,000 square miles of African wilderness and is famous for the endless pan of silvery-white sand filled with dust devils and a diverse range of ecology and wildlife. Here you see multitudes of desert elephants, lion, cheetah, zebra, leopard, oryx, springbok, giraffe and many other species are seen in the acacia and mopane woodland which surrounds the huge pan.

The Kaokoveld

Landscapes range from the coastal desert plains to rocky, rugged mountains. Due to the lack of population in this area, wildlife thrives. As a result of the desert climate, many species have adapted to survive including the famed desert elephant.

Damaraland

A 32,000 square mile area famous for its population of desert elephant, mountain zebra and the rare black rhino species "diceros bicornis". The unique landscape is noted for its strange cone-shaped hills and rocky gorges. Rare Euphorbia plants add another dimension to the otherworldly appearance of the terrain.

TIME TO GO:

The climate of Namibia is typically semi-desert, enjoying sunshine year-round; days are hot and nights are cool. The dry winter season (May to October) is the most pleasant time to visit Namibia. It's best to avoid Namib-Naukluft Park and Etosha National Park in the extreme heat between December and March. Resort areas are busiest during both Namibian and South African school holidays, which usually take place from mid-December to mid-January, late-April to early June, and late-August to mid-September.