Adventure World

Namibia

The ageless land of Namibia is a land of contrasts with spectacular desert scenery and abundant wildlife. There is a wide variety of activities that can be experienced in Namibia including dune biking, game viewing, white-river rafting, coastal and freshwater angling.

Top Highlights

Etosha National Park: The Pan is an immense, flat, saline desert covering over 5000 sq km, and attracts flocks of flamingos, while the surrounding bushveld is dotted with waterholes. Etosha means “great white place of dry water”, and is taken from the vast white and greenish-coloured Etosha Pan. The Park is over 20,000 sq km and protects 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 16 reptile and amphibians, one fish species and a variety of insects.

Etosha’s most widespread vegetation type is mopane woodland and umbrella-thorn acacias.

Windhoek: The German-influenced capital of Namibia is a blend of German colonial architecture and modern buildings.

Highlights: the Gibeon meteorites and curios along Post St Mall; a hike in Daan Viljoen Game Park; a visit to Windhoek’s museums and the colonial architecture.

The German Lutheran Christuskirche is Windhoek’s best-recognised landmark, and was constructed from local sandstone and is a mix of neo-Gothic and Art-nouveau styles.

The Daan Viljoen Game Park is 25km west of Windhoek and travellers can walk through the wildlife-rich desert hills and see animals and birdlife, as there are no dangerous animals in the park.

Namib-Naukluft Park / Sossusvlei: One of the world’s largest national parks, it covers over 23,000 sq km of desert and semi-desert. The Namib Desert is one of the world’s oldest arid regions having existed for over 80 million years. The country was named after this desert.

The Western Strip is mainly comprised of apricot-coloured dunes interspersed with dry pans, and this is where you will find the popular oasis of Sossusvlei. Sossusvlei Pan is surrounded by 300m red and pink sand dunes, but on the rare occasions when the Tsuchab River flows, Sossusvlei fills with water. To the north, the landscape changes dramatically to become endless grey-white gravel plains.

More Highlights

• Waterberg Plateau Park
• Swakopmund
• Skeleton Coast
• Damaraland
• Fish River Canyon
• Luderitz

Fact Sheet

• Country Dialling Code: + 264
• Capital: Windhoek
• Population: 1,727,183 million
• Official Language: Afrikaans
• Currency: Namibian Dollar
• Tipping: Expected in upmarket hotels and restaurants, that do not add a service charge. No more than 10% of bill. Tipping is officially prohibited in national parks and reserves.
• Bargaining: Is acceptable when purchasing handicrafts and arts directly from the producer or artist. Normally the prices are fair, so bargaining is unnecessary.
• Electricity: 220V AV, 15 amps. Either two or three pin round plugs.
• When to Go: Winter dry season (May-Oct), expect clear, warm and sunny days and cold, clear nights. Two rainy seasons, Oct-Dec and Jan-Apr.
• Geography: An arid country which can be divided into four sections: the Namib Desert and the coastal plains; the eastward-sloping Central Plateau; the Kalahari sands long the Botswana and South African borders: and the densely wooded bushveld of the Kavango and Caprivi regions.
• Gateway Airport: Windhoek (WDH)
• Air: Air Namibia services the domestic routes from Eros airport in Windhoek.
• Car: Best Southern African country to self-drive.