Imagine shores of hot yellow dunes washed by cold Atlantic currents, desolate salt plains transformed in bird-invaded shallow lagoons, dry rivers coming to life for a few days every year to revive complex ecosystems, limitless pink deserts inhabited by hundreds of animals and plants. Your imagination will never surpass reality, as these, and many more miracles of nature, do exist, in Namibia. The southern African country, which has included environmental conservation in its constitution, readily shares its natural riches with the respectful visitor. An endless list of electrifying activities and a vast choice of Namibian accommodation are a guarantee for an unforgettable African experience.
Remember to bring your manners!
The Namibians comprise a multi-cultural mix of native Africans and European settlers. The capital Windhoek is a miniature of the country where all 12 major ethnic groups are represented. They are generally polite with the tourists provided you don’t forget your manners: always greet and ask how they’re doing before proceeding to your question.
Super Dunes
A visit to the Namib Desert, the oldest in the world, will definitely make you change your idea of a desert. Nick-named ‘the living desert’, its arid sands are home to many species and a favourite tourist attraction. Some Namib dunes, as tall as two hundred metres, even have their own names, like star Dune 45 in Sossusvlei – considered the most photographed dune in the world.
The desert offers various dune-activities. The town of Swakopmund, on the Atlantic coast, is an extreme-sports heaven. Have your first ever sand boarding experience; wheel-lovers can do some quadbikig, while traditionalists can hire a camel instead. For a bird’s-eye view of the dunes try parasailing, hot air ballooning or, if you dare, skydiving. Cool off by the Atlantic at the nearby Walvis Bay for some swimming, angle fishing and dolphin cruising.
Super Safari
Seeing wildlife in its traditional habitat is always thrilling. What’s even more thrilling is when that habitat is a surreal plain of white salt and orange sand. The Etosha Natural Park, in the northern part of the Namib, is the area enclosing the Etosha salt pan – a silvery dry wasteland that, during the wet season, becomes a shallow lake, attracting thousands of pink flamingos and pelicans. You will also see the herds of zebras, springboks and wildebeests chased by their fierce predators, the strolling giraffe, the rare black rhino with its heavy cub and the elephant families gathered around the waterholes.
Super Atlantic coast
West from the Etosha Natural Park is the awe-inspiring Skeleton Coast. In the past, the dense ocean fog over the Atlantic shore has caused countless shipwrecks. The rusting ship hulls and whale skeletons scattered about the dunes add to the supernatural character of the shore dubbed by the Portuguese “The Gates of Hell”.
Some say that the southern Atlantic coast, on the contrary, holds the gates to heaven. There, millions of carats of diamonds wait to be digged out of the dunes. Diamond coast, of course, is a restricted area, otherwise tourists would have been happy to collect some souvenirs.
Not far from the Diamond coast is another surreal natural setting – the magnificent Fish River Canyon. The Fish River has cut through the dry plateau forming the second largest canyon in the world. Experienced hikers can test themselves down the Fish River Hiking Trail – 85 km of breathtaking views of the orange rock formations around the winding river.
Sleeping outdoors can be challenging, but having the starry Namibian night sky looking over you while you sleep is unquestionably supernatural.
About the Author:
Nazeli K. Kyuregyan is currently studying Publishing and Journalism at the University of Verona in Italy. Her multicultural background and passion for travelling have convinced her that the discovery of new cultures is an essential key to understanding ourselves.
Images provided by the guest author.
