From the diamond-rich Sperrgebiet in the south to the inhospitable coastline of the Skeleton Coast, the Namibian coastline along the cold Atlantic ocean is an ideal holiday and tourist destination.
The coastal towns offer many different types of accommodation facilities. Walvis Bay is seen as the gateway to central and Southern Africa due to its port. A natural lagoon, which is a RAMSAR protected site, hosts thousands of flamingoes and other sea birds.
The Namib Desert exhibits astounding plant, insect and animal life that have uniquely adapted to this age-old landscape of sand. The Atlantic Ocean exhibits interesting marine excursions, eg. boat cruises, kayak rowing, surf & boat angling.
One of the main attractions of Namibia's coast is its outstanding angling potential, whether from the beach or off small boats, and diving for rock lobster. Popular species are kabeljou, galjoen, blacktail, steenbras, geelbek and white stumpnose.
Diamonds were discovered in the early 1900's and due to the great diamond boom, the luxurious town of Kolmanskop was built, today a ghost town. Later, more diamonds and a richer field were found further south and it was then that Kolmanskop was deserted and became the ghost town as it is today.
Cape Cross
Welwitschia Fossel Plant
Lonely springbok on the vast desert plains
Ocean life in the shallow atlantic waters
The route through the picturesque Namaqualand and the valleys of wild flowers during spring surely call for a stop.
Namaqualand is a rugged mountainous plateau that overlooks a narrow sandy coastal plain and the bleak beaches of the West Coast. This coastal plain is an important source for alluvial diamond mining by boats operating from small villages like Port Nolloth.
For most of the year, Namaqualand is dry and windswept. This apparently inhospitable environment produces, after enough rain, one of the world's natural wonders. Spring explodes into wonderful colours as far as the eye can see. It is world-famous for these marvellous displays of wild flowers and visitors from all over the world make annual pilgrimages to experience its beauty.
Cape to Namibia
The Cape Peninsula boasts the world renowned Table Mountain as well as the scenic natural beauty of forests, rivers, sea and the world's richest floral kingdom.
One of the world's most sought after destinations lies at the tip of Africa. The Peninsula prides itself on its scenic natural beauty - forests, rivers, sea mountains and the world's richest floral kingdom.
"The Fairest Cape" has a rich cultural history as is represented by its Rainbow Nation. First inhabited by the Khoi and San, the first European settlers arrived in 1652. Table Mountain became a sighting post and South Africa's mother city, Cape Town, the stopover for fresh fruit and vegetables on the long voyage between Europe and the Dutch West Indies.
Yzerfontein Sunset
Chapman's Peak Drive Cape Town South Africa
Flower Patches
Elands Bay Sunset
Etosha, meaning 'Great White Place' is made of a large mineral pan. The area exhibits a characteristic white and greenish surface, which spreads over 4,800 km2. The pan developed through tectonic plate activity over about ten million years.
Etosha was first established in 1907, when Namibia was a German colony known as South West Africa. At the time, the park's original 100,000 km² (38,500 mile²) made it the largest game reserve in the world. Due to political changes since its original establishment, the park is now slightly less than a quarter of its original area, but still remains a very large and significant area in which wildlife is protected.
The Etosha Pan dominates the park. The salt pan desert is roughly 130 km long and as wide as 50 km in places. The salt pan is usually dry, but fills with water briefly in the summer, when it attracts pelicans and flamingos in particular. Perennial springs attract a variety of animals and birds throughout the year, including the endangered Black Rhinoceros and the endemic Black-faced Impala.
This area boasts a number of exclusive and upmarket lodges around the famous national park.
Mixed species at the Waterhole
Dinosaur Footprints
White sands landscape
Giraffe at the Waterhole
Unspoilt Kalahari scenery - the land of the San with an abundance of game, wide open spaces, cattle farming, traditional villages.
The Kalahari Basin was part of the great inland lake that covered much of the central region of southern Africa thousands of years ago and as the region began to dry up and rivers lost their source they quickly became the dry depressions that are evident in the Central Kalahari today.
The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savanna in Southern Africa extending for 900,000 square kilometres (350,000 sq mi), covering much of Botswana, parts of Namibia and regions of South Africa.
Kalahari is derived from the Tswana word Kgala, meaning "the great thirst", or Kgalagadi, meaning "a waterless place”; the Kalahari has vast areas covered by red sand without any permanent surface water.
Drainage of the desert is by dry valleys, seasonally inundated pans and the large salt pans of the Makgadikgadi Pan in Botswana and Etosha Pan in Namibia. The only permanent river, the Okavango, flows into a delta in the northwest, forming marshes that are rich in wildlife. Ancient dry riverbeds—called omuramba—traverse the central northern reaches of the Kalahari and provide standing pools of water during summer.
The Kalahari may well be known to some as the land of drying rivers, and this does portray a sense of desolation at times but within this seemingly stark environment is an ecosystem supporting a wide variety of fascinating species.
Red Sand Dunes, Kalahari
Feld flowers
Wild fruits
Rhino bull
The Kaokoland area extends south-north from the Hoanib river to the Kunene It is largely mountainous, with the northern Baynes Mountains reaching the maximum elevation at 2039 m. Other notable mountain ranges of Kaokoland include the Otjihipa Mountains (to the north) and the Hartmann Mountains (to the east)
The area is one of the wildest and least populated areas in Namibia, with a population density of one person every 2 km² (1/4 of the national average). The most represented ethnic group is the Himba people, who account for about 5,000 of the overall 16,000 inhabitants of Kaokoland. The main settlement in Kaokoland was the city of Opuwo.
Kaokoland is one of the last remaining wilderness areas in Southern Africa. It is a world of incredible mountain scenery, home of the desert dwelling elephant, black rhino and giraffe and the Himba people. The rugged landscape is especially attractive during the early morning and late afternoon when it is transformed into softly glowing pastel shades.
The south of the area is characterised by rugged mountains with a number of watercourses, but north the scenery is dominated by table-top koppies. The well-known Epupa Falls with a massive water drop of 60m is a popular destination in this region. Visits to the local Himba tribes offer an insight into their uniquely adapted lifestyle.
Himba Village
Petrified Tree Trunk
Fingerklip Sunset
Kudu cow in the afternoon sun
North of Karibib and Usakos, is one of Namibia's most popular tourist draw-cards, the volcanic Erongo mountain range, of which the western peaks rise 2,320m above sea level. This roughly circular massif, dominates the flat plains west of Omaruru and gives the Erongo region its name. The Erongo Mountains are flanked by the Namib Desert to the west and a mixed, woodland savannah to the east.
The Spitzkoppe, is a group of bald granite peaks or Inselbergs located between Usakos and Swakopmund in the Namib desert of Namibia. The granite is more than 120 million years old and the highest outcrop rises about 1,784 metres above sea level. The peaks stand out dramatically from the flat surrounding plains
The Gamsberg, Namibia’s largest table mountain, has a 2.5 km long and 800 m wide plateau. With extremely low air disturbances, the area offers approximately 220 suitable stargazing nights per year. Visitors to Gamsberg can make use of the facilities at the German International Amateur Observatory, which is equipped with a 70cm telescope for observations and photography.
The heart of Namibia, its capital town Windhoek, possesses an unique charm due to its harmonious blend of African and European cultures and the friendliness of its people. It proves to be a strategic point from which to conduct business, or even to embark on your own Namibian adventure.
Sunset over Windhoek
Jacaranda Trees October
Khomas Hochland Road view
Large Kudu Bull
Namibia's Southern Region is one of the landscapes making the difference to the Namibian destination.With vast, empty, ever-changing landscapes.
You will find peace and tranquility by the changing colours in this pristine wilderness. There are signs of human activities but they only emphasise that nature dictates the course. The well known dunes of Sossusvlei, the Fish River Canyon, the hot springs of Ai-ais are only a few of nature's spectacular experiences to encounter. Other well-known destinations include the Quivertree forest, Giant's Playground, the Brukaros, a mass of dark coloured lava, wild desert horses around Aus, and Duwisib, a castle built by Baron von Wolf for his American wife.
Many activities round off the picture of the South. Ballooning around Sossusvlei and challenging hikes through the Naukluft Mountains with the ever flowing springs. From one-day hikes to an eight-day hike for the really fit take you away into breathtaking wilderness.
For a real get away, hike through the Namib desert in Namibia's biggest private nature reserve, the Namib Rand.
Let nature dictate your day as the road becomes the goal whilst finding tranquillity for the soul in the south.
Road view to Sossusvlei
Quiver Trees
Orange river rugged surrounds
Exceptional Landscapes
If there ever was a Garden of Eden, the Caprivi would surely have been that garden.
The region has been blessed with Africa's most special gifts - a unique and complex network of rivers, riverine forests, flood plains, swamps and open woodlands teeming with wildlife and birdlife. Elephants, hippo and buffalo roam this pristine area. There are more than 400 bird species in the region, this represents more than 70% of the total number found in Namibia. There is the renowned Popa Falls with its series of rapids, the Mahango Game Park has the largest concentration of sable in the world, the Mudumu National Park with 100 000 ha of woodlands and wetlands. The Mamili National Park is the largest wetlands with conservation status in Namibia.
The Caprivi is such a unique and totally contrasting part of Namibia just waiting to be discovered.
Most of the lodges have boats and offer sundowner, game viewing, bird-watching and freshwater angling cruises and excursions. The eastern tip of the Caprivi is targeted especially by fly-fishermen eager to catch the challenging tiger fish. For keen photographers, especially those who want to capture an African sunset, the peaceful rivers of the north-east present endless opportunities.
Elephant heard
Ground Hornbill
Fish Eagles
Buffalo, commonly seen
