Namibia is a dream destination for nature and wildlife enthusiasts! The best places to visit are the incredible deserts and Etosha national Park for a safari. Namibia was the 11th country I've visited in Africa and the desert landscapes was unmatched! This stunning country has a rusted orange sandy landscape and a unique floral kingdom from the variety of plant species adapted to the harsh climate. Namibia will astound you with its wilderness and vastness. It's a dream destination for photography!
Facts
Namibia is the 15th largest country in Africa but has a population of just 2.5 million people, with 6% being white. Namibia was colonized by the Germans in 1884. Namibia has one of the lowest population densities in the world. For comparison Namibia is 1.6 times bigger than Spain and 2x bigger than California. Namibia has 30 languages that are spoken in the country, 11 native to Namibia. The official language of the country is English and 10% of the population speaks Afrikaans. The Himba tribe has been unaffected by modernization and still dress in their traditional way. They can be recognized by their distinctive red ochre body paint and intricate jewelry. Namibia has the world's largest desert and some of the highest dunes in the world. They estimate that 3000 cheetahs live in the country, the largest population in the world. Namibia prides themselves on their conservation of the black rhino. The model Behati Prinsloo, who is married to Adam Levine, is from Namibia and involved in rhino conservation. The Namibian Dollar is used interchangeably with the South African Rand so I didn't have to exchange money after leaving South African and entering Namibia.Weather
How to get there
Etosha National Park
I highly recommend watching the movie The Elephant Queen! It's a documentary that tells the journey of a family of elephants in the African savannah when they are forced to leave their waterhole. It explains how all the animals are connected with each other and how important water is to them. I learned so much from this about the circle of life in the animal kingdom that were never explained on my safari.
Skeleton Coast
Because of the dense fog and violent storms a large number of sailors have died at this coast in Namibia. Historically, it was nearly impossible to launch boats from the shore in this northern part of Namibia, and the only way out to the ocean was through a vast marsh, accessible exclusively via a hot and arid desert.
The New York Times wrote an interesting article on the Skeleton Coast.
Sossusvlei
After you climb the vast red dunes in a prehistoric river bed you head over to Deadvlei to see the dead trees in a salt pan. As you walk there you will admire the sparse vegetation and strange flora and fauna of this wild and beautiful spot. I even saw the Namib desert beetle. Deadvlei looks like something from another world as it doesn’t quite seem real.
Fish River Canyon
Namibia is home to the second largest t canyon in the world and a UNESCO site at 100 miles long. Researchers have determined that the canyon was formed at least 500 million years ago through water and wind erosion, coupled with the collapse of the valley floor.
Swakopmund
It's a quaint German seaside town set against whose foundation is sand since the dunes meet the sea. The houses downtown have colonial architecture and painted bright colors. The town is where you can book a lot of activities such as a the cessna flight I took. This small coastal town is famous for its surfing and flamingos (which I got to see).
There were security guards on the street to watch parked cars. The town closes at 5pm, everyone leaves work and goes straight home, only a few restaurants are open for tourists for dinner, otherwise the streets are a ghost town for people and cars in the early evening. It was explained to me this is a left over feature of apartheid where people are scared of being a victim of a crime. The State Department travel advisory rated Namibia a level 2 and says this:
Namibia has thousands of miles of unpaved roads. Road accidents, particularly on gravel roads, pose the most serious threat to visitors. Dress conservatively. Avoid walking alone, especially after dark, and displaying cash and valuable personal property. Make sure your hotel room or residence is well secured, including windows. Keep your credit card in your sight at all times while it is being processed. The police maintain checkpoints on major highways. Remain inside your vehicle with doors locked and open the window slightly to communicate.
I can confirm that we were stopped many times by police while driving on the highway and they boarded the bus to check everyone was wearing a seatbelt.
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