Namibia

Namibia - Land of Contrasts...

Namibia is one of those unique, spectacular destinations that really does challenge the planner & traveller alike, since it is such a diverse destination.

With 300 days of sunshine on average per year, Namibia is truly a sunny place. Only during the summer months from November to February does precipitation occur, mostly as heavy thunderstorms. Then the usually dry riverbeds, called "Riviere", become saturated with torrents of muddy water in a very short time. It is during this time that the sun-scorched land comes to life and develops a colourful horizon to horizon floral carpet within a few days.

You can travel Namibia at any time of the year. The best time, however, are the months from April to June, when the temperatures are around 25 degrees during the day and the sky is blue. The nights are cool and ideal for a good night's sleep.

Namibia is a photographer's dreamland, a land of contrasts and clear colours. It is not the right place for those, who like busy beaches and have fun in crowds. But if you love nature, stillness, grandiose landscapes, desert and expanse, you will become attached to Namibia for life. It is one of the most scarcely populated countries on earth.

The main point of entry into Namibia is Windhoek. With 250 000 inhabitants, Namibia's capital of Windhoek is the biggest city in the country. The attractive town lies at an altitude of 1650 metres in a beautiful valley bordered by the Eros Mountains in the north and the Auas mountains in the south. Towards the west, stretches the Khomas Highland to the Namib and the coast.

From there, guests can decide to either travel South, stay in the Central Region or North – each region is a destination on its own!!

To the South…The Sossusvlei, Namibia's famous highlight in the heart of the Namib Desert, is a huge clay pan, enclosed by giant sand dunes. Some of the spectacular hills of sand are, at a height of 300 metres, the highest in the world. Only after a heavy rainfall, which is a rare event in this area, does the vlei fill with water. As the clay layers hardly allow any water infiltration, a turquoise lake will remain for quite some time.

The Fish River is, at 650 kilometres, the longest river in Namibia. Its source lies in the eastern Naukluft Mountains and flows south-west of Ai-Ais into the Oranje.

The Fish River canyon, situated along the lower reaches of the Fish River, is one of the most impressive natural beauties in the southern part of Namibia. It developed predominantly during the pluvial times - a rainy climatic epoch - many millions of years ago. With a depth of up to 550 metres, the Fish River Canyon is the second largest canyon in the world, before the Grand Canyon in America. The enormous gorge meanders along a distance of approx. 160 kilometres through the fissured Koubis massif all the way down to Ai-Ais. The canyon starts near Seeheim, is 161 kilometres long and ends at Ai-Ais.

The Central Region…Swakopmund was of major importance as a harbour during the German colonial era even though the water at the coast is actually too shallow and the bay is unprotected. The appearance of the town, with its 30 000 inhabitants, is characterised by numerous colonial buildings with the Woermann House from 1905 as its landmark. Swakopmund is a popular seaside resort with a slightly nostalgic atmosphere, many tourist attractions and a pleasant climate in summer. Especially around Christmas the town is full of people from Windhoek and accommodation is extremely hard to find.

Walvis Bay has about 50 000 citizens and seems to be quite a busy town. Most people are employed at the modern harbour terminal and in the booming fish industry. Another production branch is the processing of sea salt. The salt fields of Walvis Bay cover an area of 3500 hectares and annually produce 400 000 tons of high quality salt.

The special attraction of Walvis Bay is the huge natural lagoon with its overwhelming abundance of seabirds. 120.000 birds were counted lately in the lagoon, innumerable flamingoes and pelicans among them. Every year they are joined by 200,000 migratory birds.

Namibia's Skeleton Coast has been protected as the Skeleton Coast National Park, which stretches up to the Kunene River at the Angolan border. The southern part of this conservation area - up to Terrace Bay - is only freely accessible with a permit. The northern part can only be visited with a private safari company.

Dense fogs, mighty storms and violent surf caused many ships in the past to run aground along the Skeleton Coast, and the desolate coastline has become known as the world's biggest ship graveyard. Those who were shipwrecked and managed to swim through the roaring surf and reach the coast, still didn't stand a chance of survival because of the waterless, hostile, 300km wide coastal desert.

A visit to the Etosha National Park is one of the highlights of travelling Namibia. Etosha, which was declared a game reserve by the German colonial administration back in 1907, covers an area of more than 22 000 km². In its centre lies a vast saltpan surrounded by grass and thorn savannah, Mopane bushland in the west and dry forest in the north-east. About two million years ago, this area was an enormous lake, fed by the Kunene River. However the lake slowly dried up because over time, the river changed its course.

To the North…Located in the far north-west, Kaokoland (also called Kaokoveld) is one of the relatively untouched regions in Namibia. The almost inaccessible area south of the Kunene river, is home to the Himba ethnic group, who have kept their ethnic individuality and culture in the seclusion of Kaokoland. Kaokoland is home to some 6000 Himba. These friendly people are closely related to the Herero and speak the same language. The Himba are herdsmen, breeding mainly cattle and goats while leading a semi-nomadic life. They migrate with their herds to the different waterholes from season to season.

Travelling through this region should only be done in the company of an experienced guide and in off-road vehicles. Routes are hardly signposted, corrugated and extremely stony or sandy. There are no service facilities or accommodation in Kaokoland. You must camp in the wild.

(Please be advised that a minimum stay of 6 nights/7 days is required to truly experience Namibia)