Namibia has some of the most spectacular desert ecosystems in the world. For travellers the highlights of the country include diverse tribal people, fabulous wildlife viewing, rare & strange plants and the stark beauty of the various desert landscapes.

Namibia’s 26 parks and reserves range from the open bush of the centre and the north where wildlife is relatively plentiful, to the inhospitable coastal strip with its huge sand dunes. Many of the animals found in Namibia are uniquely adapted to life in this harsh desert country. For the best game viewing a Namibian safari should include Etosha National Park, which harbours 114 mammal species.

Namibia is one of the world’s most sparsely populated countries and most of the people live in the north as the south is particularly lacking in water. Namibia’s population can be divided into at least 11 ethnic groups, the biggest group of which is the Owambo people however as a result of the unfortunate apartheid era the division of people into cultural or tribal groups is an extremely sensitive issue and most people prefer to think of themselves as Namibians.

Owambo, Herero, Himba, Kaokoland, Welwitschia, Kokerboom, Swakop …. All strange and unusual names and that is what Namibia is – strangely beautiful, unusually fascinating and well, well worth the journey.

Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, is situated in almost the exact centre of Namibia. It is home to approximately two hundred thousand people and despite its fast growth the city centre is clean and safe. Windhoek city is characterised by German architecture, a lasting reminder of Namibia’s early colonial history.

Etosha National Park, covers an incredible 22,207 sq kms and is home to 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and, surprisingly, one species of fish. A massive mineral pan, dominates Etosha, which means “Great White Place”.

Swakopmund, is a popular seaside resort with a slightly nostalgic atmosphere and offering many adventure options from deep-sea fishing to quad biking and parachute jumps. Numerous colonial buildings characterize the townscape. Swakop (as the local’s call it) offers quite a vibrant nightlife including a casino in the historic railway station.

The Skeleton Coast, is the scene of many shipwrecks and Cape Cross where the Portuguese navigator Diego Cao placed a cross in 1486. These days the Cape is more famed for its amazing (and smelly) cape seal-breeding colony with over 250,000 seals.

The Namib Naukluft, Park’s main attractions are Sossusvlei (surrounded by giant sand dunes), Sandwich Harbour, the Naukluft Mountains and rare plant species such as Welwitschia Mirabilis, and the rare Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra.

Fish River Canyon, is up to 550 meters deep and is the second largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon, USA. The enormous gorge winds along a distance of 160 kilometers through the fissured Koubis massif all the way down to the hot springs at Ai-Ais.

Kaokoland, in the far north of Namibia is strictly for the more adventurous. The scenery is dramatic, there are small pockets of desert-adapted game, and it is home to the Himba people.

The permanent waters of the Kunene River provide a beautiful oasis and adventure activities.
NAMIBIA FACTS

Country     Republic of Namibia
Capital     Windhoek
Government type     Republic
Independence     Granted on 21 March 1990 from South African mandate
Population     1,820,916 (July 2002 estimate)
Nationality     Noun is Namibian(s
Adjective     Namibian
Ethnic groups

About 6% of Namibians are of European background, 6.5% are of mixed race and about 87.5% are black Africans. Of these about 50% belong to the Ovambo tribe, 9% to the Kavangos tribe and other ethnic groups include Herero 7%, Damara 7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5%
Religions

Christian 80% to 90% of these at least 50% are Lutheran. The remainder of the people follow indigenous beliefs
Languages

English is the official language though Afrikaans is commonly spoken by most of the population. German and indigenous languages such as Oshivambo, Herero, Nama are widely spoken.
Currency     Namibian dollar
Area     825,418 sq km making it just a bit more than half the size of Alaska
Borders

The western coast is the Atlantic Ocean, land borders are shared with Angola, Botswana, South Africa and Zambia
Economic overview

The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export and mining accounts for 20% of GDP. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of non-fuel minerals in Africa and the world’s fifth-largest producer of uranium. Namibia also produces large quantities of gem-quality diamonds, lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten. About half of the population depends on agriculture (largely subsistence agriculture) for its livelihood. The majority of people live in pronounced poverty because of large-scale unemployment, the great inequality of income distribution, and the large amount of wealth going to foreign companies.

Worth noting is the fact that Namibia was the first country in the world to incorporate the protection of the environment into its constitution; some 14% of the land is protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip

NAMIBIA CLIMATE INFORMATION

With 300 sunny days per year, Namibia is definitely a sunny country. Rainfall comes in heavy thunderstorms during the summer months (November to February).
NAMIBIA – DISTANCE WISE

Distances given are often via the most practical route and that is not always the shortest route. Likewise African roads
can be very poor and travel can be very slow.
WITHIN NAMIBIA     KMS     MILES
Keetmanshop to Luderitz     334     206
Keetmanshop to Etosha (West)     917     565
Keetmanshop to Ruacana     1342     828
Keetmanshop to Swakopmund     840     518
Keetmanshop to Windhoek     463     286
Luderitz to Etosha (West)     1253     773
Luderitz to Ruacana     1676     1034
Luderitz to Swakopmund     731     451
Luderitz to Windhoek     334     206
Etosha (west) to Ruacana     534     329
Etosha (west) to Swakopmund     561     346
Etosha (west) to Windhoek     435     268
Ruacana to Swakopmund     684     422
Ruacana to Windhoek     860     530
Swakopmund to Windhoek     356     220
REGIONAL DISTANCES
Johannesburg to Gaberone     359     221
Johannesburg to Maun     1273     785
Johannesburg to Windhoek     1781     1098
Cape Town to Windhoek     1480     913

ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK

Etosha National Park is one of Africa’s greatest parks in both size and variety of wildlife species. It covers an incredible 22,207 sq kms (8598 sq miles) and is home to 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and, surprisingly, one species of fish.

The park is mainly mixed scrub, mopane savannah and dry woodland surrounding the massive mineral pan, from which Etosha gets its name – “Great White Place”. This pan is a silvery white shallow depression, dry except during the rainy season and even then the water disappears quickly due to the high evaporation rate. Mirages and dust devils play across the surface, which was once a part of the Kalahari Basin, the floor of which was formed around 1000 million years ago. Along the edge of the pan are springs that attract wildlife during the dry season, the best months are from May to September.

Etosha National Park Namibia Etosha Safari Tour

Etosha is famous for its huge elephant population, which is most visible from May to October. When the rains begin some elephant herds migrate north to Angola and west to Kaokoland, returning in about March. The Park is actually fenced though this does not always stop the elephants from going where they please.

Lions are commonly seen and zebra feel safer in the open expanses of the pans where lions have no shelter from which to spring an ambush. Black faced impala and Damara dikdik, one of Africa’s smallest antelopes, occur throughout the park, as do rhino and leopard. More commonly seen species include greater kudu, hyena, Oryx, giraffe, blue wildebeest, springbok, jackal, warthog and bat eared foxes. Special to see are the aardwolf, cheetah, honey badger, roan antelope, silver fox and African wildcat.

For keen birders Etosha is at its best during the summer rainy season, from mid-January to March, however a good variety of bird species can be seen year round.

Roads run along the eastern, southern and western borders of the Etosha Pan. They link the three campsites and the various waterholes.
Etosha National Park Namibia Etosha Safari Tour

One of the largest canyons in the world, Fish River Canyon is second only to the USA’s Grand Canyon. It is situated on the lower parts of the Fish River near the border of Namibia & South Africa. It is 161 kms long, 27 kms wide and the ravine reaches a maximum depth of 550 meters. Part of its impact is that it is gashed into the surrounding plateau with startling abruptness. A road running for 25km along the eastern edge of the canyon leads to a series of viewing sites.

In early times Fish River Canyon was a haven for the local inhabitants as the area is extremely arid with virtually no rainfall and the river provided food and water for humans and animals alike.

Hiking through the canyon is a popular endurance test for the hardy. The hike starts from the main look-out point and ends at the hot springs resort of Ai-Ais, a distance of some 90 km. Open only between the beginning of May and the end of September (as the summer months are extremely hot, with December temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius), this trail through the great ravine takes up to five days to complete.

In the area you will also see a strange Namibian plant. The quiver tree or `Kokerboom’ is indigenous to the hot and dry southern part of Namibia. The plants are succulents and can reach a height of up to 9 meters. They have adapted to the extreme environmental conditions by storing water in their trunks. The tree blossoms for the first time after 20 to 30 years and can reach 300 years of age. As the trunk and branches can be easily hollowed out, they were used as quivers by the Bushmen (San people) who formerly roamed this area.

Not far west of Fish River Canyon is the Ai-Ais hot springs, one of Namibia’s famous hot springs resorts. Thermal water bubbles from the springs of Ai-Ais at a temperature of approx. 60°C and is very rich in sulphates and fluorides. In the Nama’s language, ‘Ai-Ais’ means ‘burning water’. The thermal bath immediately next to the spring is a popular recreation resort, especially during the winter.