Extend your South Africa trip and enjoy a few days stopover with amazing safari and exciting cultural experiences in one of the most beautiful countires in the world, Namibia. While self-driving, experience the beauty of the landscape. Visit some of the breathtakingly stunning National Parks and game reserves with its wide variety of animals. Meet up with the friendly people in small villages in the norhtern part of Namibia. Start or end the trip in the picturesque capital, Windhoek.

The Fish River Canyon

The Fish River Canyon is located in the south of Namibia. It is the largest canyon in Africa and the second largest canyon worldwide after the Grand Canyon in the USA. It is the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia. It features a gigantic ravine, in total about 100 miles (160 km) long, up to 27 km wide and in places almost 550 meters deep. The Fish River is the longest interior river in Namibia. It cuts deep into the plateau which is today dry, stony and sparsely covered with hardy drought-resistant plants. The river flows intermittently, usually flooding in late summer; the rest of the year it becomes a chain of long narrow pools. At the lower end of the Fish River Canyon, the hot springs resort of Ai-Ais is situated. The Canyon forms part of the state-run Ais-Ais Richtersveld Transfontier Park. Entrance to the Park is situated 10 kilometres from the well-known view point Hell`s Bend at the Hobas Restcamp.

Etosha National Park

Etosha National Park is located in northern Namibia and consists for the most part of a dried-up lake, a salt bed. The park was established in 1907 and is Namibia’s most popular area for experinece a wide variety of animals. In Etosha National Park you can spot 4 of the Big 5. The park was created for the purpose of offering people to go on self-drive-safari and it is excellent to explore the park on your own. It is possible to book a guided safari with transport at, for example, several nearby accommodation / lodges.

The Skeleton Coast

The Skeleton Coast, located in the northwestern corner of Namibia, is named after the countless shipwrecks that have washed up on a stretch along Namibia’s shoreline over the years. It is the desolate landscape that attracts visitors’ attention, where hundreds of ships are half buried in white fine-grained sand. The many wrecks, together with the heavy fog that often rests here, give the coast an eerie impression and the area is surrounded by great mystery. The Portuguese explorers called the coastline “gates of hell” and by the indigenous people it was known as “the place that God created out of anger”. Only day trips are allowed to the Skeleton Coast and there are a couple of entrances to the park. One way to experience this unique place is through Fly-in Safari. Then you get the opportunity to stay in places where you normally can not spend the night, and to experience Skeleton Bay from the air is really special.

Damaraland och Twyfelfontein

The breathtaking mountainous region of Damaraland is home to a number of desert-adapted wildlife such as elephant, rhino, zebra and lion, which have managed to exist in this almost barren landscape. This is where the picturesque Brandberg is located, Namibia’s highest mountain, where thousands of old stone paintings are found, including the famous “White Lady”. Nearby, in the Twyfelfontein area, there are rock carvings that are considered to be some of the best preserved on the continent. In 2007, this area became Namibia’s first World Heritage Site. The rock carvings at Twyfelfontein were created over a couple of thousand years before 1000 AD.

Sossusvlei

Sossusvlei, the world’s most famous dunes, is definitely one of the most popular destinations in Namibia. The dunes are located in Namib-Naukluft Park, the country’s largest park, which is part of the Namib Desert and one of the driest places on earth. The huge dunes rise over 300 meters into the air and Dune 45, the most photographed and the famous Sesriem gorge is located in the same area.

Kolmanskop

Kolmanskop in southern Namibia is an abandoned desolate ghost town and a historic site where diamond mining used to take place. The city is located about 10 km inland from the city of Lüderitz. The Germans built this city in the 20th century and today there is only one casino and one hospital, intact and abandoned. After the end of the First World War, the diamonds began to be abandoned and the city was finally abandoned in 1954. In 1928, the world’s largest known diamond resources were found 210 km south. Permits are needed to visit Kolmanskop and today this part is one of Namibia’s major tourist attractions.

Contact Upplev Sydafrika for more information about travel to Namibia.