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Namibia

If Namibia is 'Africa for beginners', as is often said, what a wonderful place to start.

Natural Beauty

Few countries in Africa can match Namibia's sheer natural beauty. The country's name derives from its (and the world's) oldest desert, the Namib, and there are few more stirring desert realms on the planet – from the stunning sand sea and perfect dead-tree valleys at Sossusvlei to the otherworldliness of sand dunes plunging down to the ocean at Sandwich Harbour and the Skeleton Coast. Inland, running through the heart of the country, a spine of mountains creates glorious scenery – the Naukluft Mountains, the Brandberg, Spitzkoppe, Damaraland and the jaw-dropping Fish River Canyon. With rivers and wetlands in the Caprivi Strip and the endless gold-grass plains of the Kalahari, it's difficult to think of an iconic African landscape that Namibia doesn't possess.

Prolific Wildlife

Make no mistake: Namibia is one of Southern Africa's best places to watch wildlife, at least in the country's north. Etosha National Park belongs in the elite wildlife-watching destinations – big cats, elephants, black rhinos and plains game in abundance. Two other areas are emerging as complements to Etosha. Damaraland is a wonderful place to see desert-adapted elephants and lions, and also happens to host Africa's largest population of free-ranging rhinos – rhino tracking is a real highlight here. Over in the Caprivi Strip, the wildlife is returning, with Bwabwata and Nkasa Rupara becoming wonderfully rich parks to explore. This being Namibia, there are private reserves (Okonjima and Erindi premier among them) as well as game farms that serve as havens for rescued wildlife.

Remote Wilderness

At some point during your stay in Namibia, you may well look around and wonder if you've fallen off the end of the earth. This tends to happen most often along the country's barren, sandswept coastline. From Walvis Bay to Lüderitz, the desert that forms the Sperrgebiet National Park is almost a truly trackless waste for much of its territory, but tours out of the latter can take you across it. Away to the north, along the Skeleton Coast to the Angolan border, shipwrecks along the shore only heighten the sensation that humankind is here very much at the mercy of the elements. Then there's the Kalahari, the Nyae Nyae Conservancy…

Human Story

Namibia's human story is every bit as interesting as that written in the rocks, soil and sand of the country. Through their architecture and museums, Lüderitz, Swakopmund and Windhoek tell a complicated story of colonial settlement and oppression, while elsewhere the many traditional people who call Namibia home tell a different tale altogether. The Himba, occupy the country's far northwest, and the San live in the east.

Explore Namibia

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Namibia.

  • Pan

    Sossusvlei

    Sossusvlei, a large ephemeral pan, is set amid red sand dunes that tower up to 325m above the valley floor. It rarely contains any water, but when the…

  • Wildlife Reserve

    Cape Cross Seal Reserve

    The best-known breeding colony of Cape fur seals along the Namib coast is in this reserve, where the population has grown large and fat by taking…

  • Natural Feature

    Deadvlei

    Although it's much less famous than its neighbour Sossusvlei, Deadvlei is actually the most alluring pan in the Namib-Naukluft National Park – it's…

  • Harbour

    Sandwich Harbour

    Sandwich Harbour, 56km south of Walvis Bay in Dorob National Park, is one of the most dramatic sights in Namibia – dunes up to 100m-high plunge into the…

  • Canyon

    Sesriem Canyon

    The 3km-long, 30m-deep Sesriem Canyon, 4km south of the Sesriem headquarters, was carved by the Tsauchab River through the 15-million-year-old deposits of…

  • Natural Feature

    Hidden Vlei

    This unearthly dry vlei (low, open landscape) amid lonely dunes makes a rewarding excursion. It's a 4km return hike from the 2WD car park. The route is…

  • Church

    Christuskirche

    Windhoek’s best-recognised landmark, and something of an unofficial symbol of the city, this German Lutheran church stands on a traffic island and lords…

  • Landmark

    Jetty

    In 1905 the need for a good cargo- and passenger-landing site led Swakopmund’s founders to construct the original wooden pier. In the years that followed,…

  • Aquarium

    National Marine Aquarium

    This recently overhauled waterfront aquarium provides an excellent introduction to the cold offshore world in the South Atlantic Ocean. Most impressive is…

  • National Park

    Etosha National Park

    Etosha National Park, covering more than 20,000 sq km, is one of the world’s great wildlife-viewing venues. Unlike other parks in Africa, where you can…

  • Canyon

    Fish River Canyon

    Nowhere else in Africa will you find anything quite like Fish River Canyon. Whether you're getting a taste of the sheer scale and beauty of the place from…

  • National Park

    Khaudum National Park

    Exploring the largely undeveloped 384,000-hectare Khaudum National Park is an intense wilderness challenge. Meandering sand tracks lure you through…

  • National Park

    Bwabwata National Park

    Only recently recognised as a national park, Bwabwata was established to rehabilitate local wildlife populations. Prior to the 2002 Angolan ceasefire,…

  • Historic Site

    Kolmanskop

    Named after early Afrikaner trekker Jani Kolman, whose ox wagon became bogged in the sand here, Kolmanskop was originally constructed as the Consolidated…

  • National Park

    Nkasa Rupara National Park

    Watch this space – this is one of Namibia's, perhaps southern Africa's most exciting national parks. In years of good rains, this wild and seldom-visited…

  • Wildlife Reserve

    Okonjima Nature Reserve

    The 200-sq-km Okonjima Nature Reserve is the epicentre of one of Namibia's most impressive conservation programs. Home of the AfriCat Foundation (www…

  • Rock Art

    Twyfelfontein Rock Engravings

    Twyfelfontein (Doubtful Spring), at the head of the grassy Aba Huab Valley, is one of the most extensive rock-art galleries on the continent. In the…

  • Mountain

    Spitzkoppe

    One of Namibia’s most recognisable landmarks, the 1728m-high Spitzkoppe rises mirage-like above the dusty plains of southern Damaraland. Its dramatic…

  • Waterfall

    Ruacana Falls

    At one time, Ruacana Falls was a guaranteed wonder, though all that changed thanks to Angola’s Calueque Dam, 20km upstream, and NamPower’s Ruacana power…

  • Rock Art

    Tsisab Ravine

    Tsisab Ravine is the epicentre of the Brandberg's rock-art magic. The most famous figure in the ravine is the White Lady of the Brandberg, in Maack’s…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Namibia.

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