Namibia
Namibia
is quite simply unique. It contains two of the world's foremost
deserts - the Kalahari and the Namib, but don't think it is all
towering sand dunes and desert scenery. Suprisingly, it varies
from sunburnt mountains and seasonal floodplains to lush riverine
forests. An incredibly varied amount of wildlife, including the
'Big 5' - Elephant, Buffalo, Rhino, Lion and Leopard are present.
You also have the opportunity to see endangered species such as
the Black Rhino, whose numbers are dwindling in the rest of Africa.
HIGHLIGHTS
ETOSHA
NATIONAL PARK
The Etosha National Park conserves 22 270 square kilometers of
savanna country in the north of Namibia, including the Etosha
Pan itself - a vast shallow depression 130 km by 50km in extent
- which gives the park its name. The Pan alone would be worth
conserving as a classic example of its kind. It is a great, ghostly
white lake dazzling with heatwaves and mirages for most of the
year, filling from December to April with sometimes up to a meter
of muddy, algae-rich water. Depending on the extent of the floods,
the pan dries out in about March, leaving a hard floor white with
salt, soda and other chemicals. The verges of the lake are very
well treed and grassed, with several springs providing water for
wild animals. The animals, which live permanently around the pan
are: blue wildebeest, springbok, zebra, kudu, hartebeest, oryx,
eland, giraffe, elephants, lions, black rhinos, and numerous smaller
creatures. Bird life is prodigious, with 325 species identified,
including many lively little creatures such as the crimson-breasted
shrike, sometimes known as the "German flag" because
of its black, red and white colouring. Here you can sit by the
floodlit water holes and enjoy the game day and night.
NAMIB
DESERT
In the language of the Nama people Namib means a vast, open plain
seemingly without end. It extends from the sandveld at the northern
end of the winter-rainfall region of the Cape to as far north
as the area just past Mossamedes in Angola. This expanse has been
divided into three parts. In the south lies the transitional Namib.
The middle Namib which the Nama call the Gobaba, is the seemingly
endless plain of the dune country, the sea of sand, the greatest
part of the desert - 400 km long and 140 km wide - which ends
abruptly at the valley of the Kuiseb River. The dune sea of the
middle Namib is the supreme desert. The dunes reach 275 m in height,
with their nearest rivals in the empty quarter of Arabia only
reaching 200 m. The Namib dunes are not only gigantic, but they
are extremely beautiful, the older ones being tinted red iron
oxidation and minute fragments of garnets. The younger dunes are
greyer in colour.
North of the Kuiseb River lies the northern Namib, the area of
arid gravel plains.
The oldest, driest desert in the world, the Namib, has a variety
of wildlife that have adapted to this harsh, yet beautiful environment.
SESRIEM/
SOSSUSVLEI
Sesriem (six thongs) - this place received its name from the deep
gorge of the Tsauchab River. The river was so named from the ash
bushes Salsola sp., growing there and burned to obtain lye for
soap making. The gorge is so narrow and deep that it is said that
ses riem (six thongs) were needed to lower buckets to fill with
water.
Sossusvlei - is a bilingual name. Sossus is a Bushman word meaning
a place where water gathers and vlei in Afrikaans meaning a marsh.
In fact it is a dried out lake, that on everage only fills with
water every 30 years.
Throughout the day the colours and forms of the dunes change with
the light. Strange shapes and shadows may be seen elusive and
haunting, seeming to belong to an eerie elder world of far away
and long ago. This scene is unforgettable.
NAMIB
NAUKLUFT NATIONAL PARK
The Namib Naukluft Park extent 49 768 square kilometers, almost
the size of Belgium and Wales together, and is the fourth largest
conservation area in the world. The Naukluft consists of a massive
jumble of rocky mountains carpeted with a diverse flora and abounding
with perennial water, a rich bird life and a varied population
of wild animals, particularly Hartmann's mountain zebra, springbock
and gemsbock. Leopards, baboons and dassies also thrive in this
rugged area. Scenically, the Namib Mountains are grand, the rocks
vividly coloured. Limestone tints the water a pale green. There
are many caves, some of which contain galleries of rock art.
FISH
RIVER CANYON
The Fish River Canyon is one of the most staggering scenic spectacles
in Africa and second only in size to the Grand Canyon of America.
The canyon is 161 km long, 27 km wide at maximum, and up to 549
m deep. It is revealed with startling abruptness in an arid landscape
covered with pebbles, euphorbias and small succulents.
Several springs occur on the floor of the canyon, the most notable
being Ai-Ais, a Nama name meaning "very hot". This spring
has a temperature of 60°C and is rich in fluorides, sulphates
and chlorides. Monitor lizards, numerous birds, snakes, baboons
and mountain zebras inhabit the canyon.
GARIEP
(ORANGE) RIVER
The source of this great river is more then 3 000 m above sea-level
on the mountain plateau of Lesotho just behind the Drakensberg
peak. Its course, 2 250 km long, ends in the Atlantic Ocean at
the diamond-mining centres of Alexander Bay and Oranjemund. Along
its middle and lower reaches, the Gariep flows through the most
arid country in South Africa. At its mouth the rainfall does not
exceed 50 mm a year. The river is the bringer of life to the northern
area of the Karoo, Bushmanland and the north-western Cape. As
with the Nile, there is a startling contrast between the green
islets and banks of the river and the surrounding arid landscape.
RICHTERSVELD
NATIONAL PARK
Highly specialized life forms have made a home there. Miniature
rock gardens, perfectly designed by nature, cling precariously
to cliff faces. Tiny succulents, several of them are rare species,
including Aloe dichotoma (the giant aloe) and Pachipodium Namaquamun
(the elephant's trunk or halfmens), mere pinpoints against a backdrop
of surreal rock formations, revel on the moisture brought by the
early morning fog rolling in from the cold Atlantic Ocean. With
almost no rainfall, the days are hot and dry but winter nights
can become chilly. The Gariep (formerly Orange) River, which forms
the border with Namibia, provides a sharp contrast to the arid
areas north and south of its banks. Trees and aquatic birds flourish
in its valley. Spiders, scorpions and insects are fairly numerousand
tortoises, lizard and snakes find a living somehow. Of the mammals,
Hartmann's mountain zebra, steenbok, klipspringer, leopard and
baboons have adapted themselves to this wilderness.
DAMARALAND
The Damaraland is a frugal region and its agricultural use isn't
so successful, but the landscape is very fascinating. The mountains
show off with confusing colors and enchanted geological sites,
caused by erosion. Home to the desert elephant and desert rhino,
you will drive into a wilderness of dry riverbeds, eroded mountains
and stony plains.
TWEYFELFONTEIN
In Tweyfelfontein (doubtful fountain) are about 2 500 rock-engravings
and paintings. Their origin is uncertain, but there are probably
work of bushman and are estimated to be about 5 000 years old.
Engraving on rock is difficult, with no chance of erasing errors.
The engravings at Tweyfelfontein are so skilfully done that they
must have been the work of artists.
SWAKOPMUND
The name of Swakopmund, a picturesque Germanic seaside town, nestled
between the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and the Namib Desert,
is certainly unique. The Topnaar people who live in valley of
the Swakop River (at whose mouth the town lies) gave the river
its name on account of the mud, flotsam and general detritus washed
down during its infrequently floods. The Swakop is one of the
most important rivers in the south - western part of Africa. It
formed the traditional boundary between the various Nama tribes
and the Herero tribe and was the scene of many brutal conflicts.
In 1892 Captain Curt von Francois built a military post on the
site of the present town and this was the beginning of Swakopmund.
There are several interesting reminders of pre - war German days
in Swakopmund - the lighthouse built in 1902 and several houses
below it built in the same period. Swakopmund is nowadays known
for its adventure activities, like sandboarding and quadbiking,
but a stroll through this quaint seaside resort with its German
coffeeshops is also very rewarding. Close by is a forest of the
living fossil plant 'Welwitschia', which only occur along this
coast. Here you can also visit the Moonlandscape.
MAHANGO
GAME RESERVE
On the Eastern border of this park, the Okavango river makes it's
way to the delta. Here, on the flood plains, you find large herds
of elephants which migrate freely between Angola, Botswana and
Namibia. This is also where you are most likely to find animals
such as the endangered Roan and Sable antelope, and if you are
lucky you may see the elusive Sitatunga.
MAMILI/MUDUMU
NATIONAL PARKS
Situated in the remote areas of the Caprivi Strip, these two parks
are unique wilderness areas which have been little effected by
tourism. They offer a chance to see game that is not viewable
elsewhere in Namibia including Hippo, Buffalo and Wild Dog.
LUDERITZ
This wind swept town is nestled between the Atlantic and the Forbidden
Area, where the first diamonds were found lying on the sand. Kolmanskop
Ghost Town is situated about 10km outside the town and is slowly
being reclaimed by the Namib Desert.
DUWISIB
CASTLE
Built in 1909 by Baron Hans-Heinrich von Wolf for his American
bride, on the edge of the Namib desert. The Baron and Baroness
lived there for a short period before he was killed in France
during the First World War.
CAPE
CROSS SEAL COLONY
Site of the first European landing on Namibian soil in 1486. Also
home to a breeding colony of over 100,000 Cape Fur Seals. Experience
the sights and smells of this bustling colony from very close
quarters
