With its fascinating wildlife and natural wonders, Namibia is a paradise for nature lovers and adventurous travelers. You will find Magnificent mountains, vast deserts, dunes and stunning canyons across this African country. Even the way from one site to another is an adventure in itself. Desert roads, swirling sand and views that can make you stop the car for a moment just to look around. If you’re planning to spend holidays in Namibia, take a look at the list of the most beautiful places that should be a part of your journey.
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Etosha National Park
Located in the north-western part of the country, the Etosha National Park is Namibia’s second largest game reserve. Its name, “big white place,” refers to the large endorheic Etosha Salt Pan. The saline desert is dry for most of the year, but once in a while, after a heavy rain, a thin layer of water covers its surface changing it in into a shallow lagoon. The park shelters a variety of wildlife and, luckily for visitors, the animals do not tend to hide. It’s enough just to wait for them to appear.
Elephants, lions, zebras, giraffes, mongooses, Springboks and leopards are just a few of countless species living within the park. As for tourist amenities, the reserve features three rest camps you can stay. All of them have waterholes, so you can use viewing platforms and watch the animals from there. The Etosha National Park, with its amazing landscapes and the diversity of wildlife, is a unique place, so you only can’t miss it during your holidays in Namibia.
The Fish River Canyon
The Fish River Canyon is the largest canyon in Africa and is magnificent and astonishing. The canyon is 160 kilometers long, 27 kilometers wide and up to 550 meters deep. To see the canyon in all its glory, you should do some hiking. Even though it takes several days to walk the Fish River Canyon Trail, while temperatures sometimes reach up to 40°C, it’s rewarding. You might get tired at times, but looking at the large, dramatic canyon, will fill you up with a whole new kind of energy.
The Skeleton Coast National Park
As its name accurately suggests, the Skeleton Coast is quite a spooky place. Desolate coastline bathed in fog, rocky outcrops, rough surf and frequent storms, that’s enough to make a scary impression. Add numbers of shipwrecks scattered all along the coast and what you get is a genuinely unique area that seems like a set of a horror film rather than reality. The San people (indigenous people of Southern Africa) called it “The Land God Made in Anger,” while early Portuguese sailors referred to it as “The Sands of Hell.” Hard weather conditions and offshore rocks caused many ships to sink. The Skeleton Coast National Park is one of the largest inhospitable areas in the world. What attracts those on their holidays in Namibia to visit it nevertheless, is not only a unique atmosphere but also a huge seal colony.
Namib Naukluft Park
Unbelievable views offered by the Namib-Naukluft, the largest conservation area in Namibia, attract many visitors, especially photographers enchanted by intensely orange dunes that seem as if they were asking to be captured in a picture. The park, enclosing the Naukluft Mountains and a part of the Namib Desert, covers an area of about 50.000 square kilometers. It’s a home of some incredibly hardy animal species, mostly insects, snakes, and geckos.
The park’s most well-known area is Sossusvlei, which is often visited by tourists. You also shouldn’t miss it. A trip to the Sossusvlei will make your holidays in Namibia even more of a unique experience. Sossusvlei is a large a salt and clay pan. You can either reach it by car or join an organized tour. If you decide to drive a car, then a high-clearance vehicle would be the best since some of the roads leading to Sossusvlei are, to put it mildly, not the best. Once you get there, pay attention to sunrises and sunsets, as they’re especially colorful and stunning in the desert.
Cape Cross Seal Reserve
Thousands of seals everywhere, playfully wallowing on the beach and frolicking in the waves. That’s not a sight you can witness every day. To see something unbelievably adorable during holidays to Namibia, visit the Cape Cross Seal Reserve, you won’t be disappointed. The reserve houses the biggest colony of Cape fur seals in the world.
