Ten reasons to visit Namibia

Are you planning a holiday somewhere far from home, and don't really know where you want to go? Let me give you a few reasons to visit Namibia.

1. Namibia is beautiful. It is seriously beautiful. If you have ever seen photos of Sossusvlei and the dune field in this area, it is simply one of the most fantastic places in the world. The dunes are red. At sunset they are almost brick red. And in the mornings with the contrasting shadows, really great. The whole western part of Namibia changes color throughout the day, landscapes vary very much one from another, and it is all vast, vast landscapes!

2. Africa for sissies? Yes, Namibia is one of the most 'travel friendly' places to visit in Africa. Things, especially by African standards, work well. There is good accommodation throughout the country. You can travel by road (some tar, but mainly well maintained gravel roads,) or you can fly from lodge to lodge.

3. Interesting wildlife. Namibia has such a diversity of wildlife; there are a number of wildlife areas boasting the general High Profile wildlife (lions, elephants, rhinos - black & white; there are desert elephants (behaviorally distinct from the elephants in the less arid areas;) and great game parks - Etosha being the biggest attraction.

4. There is still some 'wild' left in Namibia. There are the remote areas in the north-west and Kaudom in the north-east.

5. Good birding. With some 650 bird species recorded in Namibia, it is a great birding country. Consider the fact that it is only not arid in the far north and north east! Many birds are coastal, and then there is Etosha National Park again. Etosha is really a special park in many ways, but it's size (about 23,000 square kilometers,) means that there is a lot of conservation area looking after birds! Birding ranges from the Woodland areas of the north east, where there are a number of species that are not easily found elsewhere in southern Africa. In these woodland areas the bird species numbers are fantastic. Because of the only rivers that are found in Namibia, occurring up in the Caprivi region, these areas are the only parts of Namibia where great specials like the Pel's Fishing Owl can be found. Further south there is the rocky interior of the country, sandwiched between the Namib on the west and the Kalahari on the east. Here we find real specials like the Monterios' Hornbill and White-tailed Shrike.
Then there is the Namib. The Namib is a hyper arid desert, and not an immediately obvious place for birds. But the eastern side of the desert has quite a high diversity, and deeper in there are the two specials: Endemic Dune Lark in the dunes, and Near Endemic Grey's Lark on the gravel plains.
And finally there is the coastal area, where long stretches without fresh water mean that the few that exist are great rare bird magnets as well as important bird areas.

5. The people are friendly. One of the common comments that we hear from people who are traveling to Namibia is that they were sorry that they didn't meet many people (Namibia has very few - under 2 million in about 820,0000 square kilometers,) but that they feel that Namibia's are very, very friendly. It think that it is true, and makes a lodge stay so much more pleasant and real.

6. Something different culturally: Namibia has somewhat of an unusual cultural mix, with Germans, South Africans and a variety of African people groups in the mix.

7. Space. Do you live in a cramped, polluted place? You could hardly do better than to come to Namibia. There is really something of a spiritual recharge to being in a arid, vast country!

8. Astronomy. If you like to peer into the night sky, or if you like to study the stars, galaxy's, nebula and so on, Namibia has many nights of beautiful clear sky's, as well as having various lodges that offer astronomy as a guest activity.

9. Desert Ecology. A lot is known about the Namib, especially through DRFN (Desert Research Foundation of Namibia.) This desert is so diverse and so it can be a very interesting and stimulating experience to visit.

10. The best beer in southern Africa, made according to the old German tradition.

And many more....

Share this post
• Digg • Stumble • Technorati • Facebook • Reddit • Subscribe •