| Namibia |
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| Namibia is one of those countries that most people don't seem to know much about, but in my opinion Namibia is one of the best countries to visit in Africa. The country has many attractions such as the second largest canyons in the world, the tallest sand dunes in the world, resort towns on the Atlantic ocean, and many national parks filled with lions, elephants, rhinos and more. Once a German colony, Namibian towns throughout the country are filled with German style buildings and homes. Most large cities even have Oktoberfest style festivals! Namibia is safe and most westerners simply rent a vehicle and drive place to place as they would back home. |
| The two pictures above and the six below are all from Namibia's Etosha National Park. When Etosha was originally opened it was the largest national park in the world, but after many reductions it is now about a third of its original size. Etosha is still an enormous park that filled with lots of wildlife. The park has most of Africa's known animal, but like mentioned earlier, since Namibia is a very dry country, there are no water buffaloes or hippos in Etosha. The gemsbok on the upper left is Namibia's national animal. On the right is the blue wildebeest. |
| Wildlife in the national park include elephants, lions, rhinos, zebras and many other animals. I actually did spot a lion while I was in Etosha but it was under a tree sleeping and behind some bushes. The animals nearby that were drinking water pointed the lion out because they constantly kept facing his direction and you could tell they all seemed nervous. I was told that the lions usually hang around the springs during the day time while they rest. The elephant on the upper left has just finished drinking from a spring; the zebras on the right get water from another one of Etosha's many natural springs. Without the springs, almost all of the life at Etosha would not be capable of surviving here. |
| When Giraffes drink they have to stand in an awkward position because of their long legs, making them more vulnerable to be attacked by lions so they are always careful while drinking. On the right is the smallest impala in the world, when I first saw it I thought it was a jack rabbit. These impalas are different from most animals because they actually get married. If their spouse dies they do not find another mate and remain alone for the rest of their lives. |
| I definitely don't consider myself a bird watcher, but I was really surprised about the number of exotic birds I saw in Etosha. It seemed every bird that landed was a new and interesting species. Actually it was this experience here that opened up my mind more to bird watching. The great hornbill on the left was a large and unique bird to me. The colorful roller bird on the right is Botswana's national bird. |
| Not only is the giant rock you see above from outer space, it is the largest known meteorite in the world. A small area of the meteorite looked shaved off so I took a picture of it. You can see it's metallic, very shiny and smooth. |
| The capital of Namibia is the city Windhoek located in the center of the country. Germany occupied Namibia as early as 1885, so the country has a mix of both native and German cultures. The two photos above are from Windhoek. On the left you can see the downtown area, on the upper right are some colorful houses on the city outskirts. The woman on the right is dressed up in traditional clothing, which is quite common in Windhoek and other cities. German style churches are found throughout the country as well, the one on the left is from the north. |
| The northern part of Namibia shares a border with Angola, and along here I saw many huts and more tribal people than other parts of the country. Above are some examples of traditional houses, and on the right is a photo of a bunch of Namibians who live the city life. |
| Most people who know a little bit about Namibia usually think of the country as a vast desert. It's true that Namibia does have some of the largest and most impressive deserts in the world, but there are also mountainous and grassy areas that I came across while driving through the country. The above photos were both taken near the capital area at a higher altitude. Of course in Namibia the large deserts are never too far. |
| The northern part of Namibia is the only exception of having any type of wetlands which are fueled by the Okavango river as it heads towards Botswana. In the north, you can find forests and some strange plants that I have never seen before. If you're here for a safari, then this is the only part of Namibia where you can find the big 5. Water Buffaloes and hippos aren't found in the drier areas of the country. I crossed into Namibia from Botwana and two police at the border asked me to give them a 1 hour ride lift since I had rented a car. I passed by some amazing scenery in the north including some good views of the Okavango river, but I made the mistake of not stopping and taking some photos and doing some more exploring in the area since I had the police in the back of my car. |
| The western part of Namibia that sits on the Atlantic ocean is mostly desert. I've been to many deserts before, but never to any that offer just oceans of sand. On the left is a view of the endless sands that go on for miles. The sand dunes on the right are the highest sand dunes in the world in a place called Sossuvlei. They reach up to 350 meters or over 1,000 feet. I didn't actually drive to Sossuvlei myself, but heard they offer some really fun activities such as 4 wheeling and even things like sandboarding. |
| Another interesting sight from the plane ride was the large lake on the upper left. The pink dots you see everywhere are actually flamingos. The right photo is where the giant mountains of sand meet the Atlantic Ocean. I didn't see any clouds for almost 2 weeks on this trip, but when I arrived to the coast there was a dense strip of fog here that hugged the coast. The fog is daily, but usually clears up in the afternoon. |
| The thick fog along the coast is very dangerous for ships. For sailors in the 19th and 20th century, sailing in this region of the world was a known hazard and the hundreds of ships wrecked along the entire western coast of Namibia attest to that. The northwest part of the country is actually named Skeleton Coast for this reason because of the large numbers of shipwrecks there. On the left is a shipwreck in the center of the country, the ship wreck on the right occurred in 1908, and today it is almost buried in the sand from the expanding desert. |
| With nothing but hundreds of miles of sand dunes and not much life, you wouldn't expect to find one of Africa's best cities along the Atlantic in Namibia. Above are photos of the beach resort Swakopmund. It was founded by Germans in 1892 as their harbor for this territory but quickly grew into a city. |
| There are lots of activities to do in both of the cities Swakopmund and the nearby town of Walvis Bay. Of course there is the beach, but sky diving, quad biking, sailing and other activities are available here. This is a good place to book your trip to the desert to try out sandboarding. |
| The man on the left is a fisherman I came across while strolling the beaches in Swakopmund. He didn't speak English so I'm not sure what type of fish he often caught in the part of the Atlantic's waters. The photo directly above are of some Namibians who are enjoying tea in a cafe located close to the beach. It seemed to me that Swakopmund had the highest number of German descendants here. |
| On the left is an expensive house in Walvis Bay. To the right is a German style beach house in Swakopmund. |
| The southern part of the country is dry and rocky with very little trees. On the left is a photo of rocky hills that were scattered all over the countryside. The photo on the right is of Fish River Canyon, the second largest canyon in the world. There are several hikes you can do through the canyons and some can take up to a week. Baboons and game animals are popular around here, so you have to hire a guide if you decide to hike any part of the canyon. While I in the canyons I came across 3 large Kudus and I saw several baboons as well. |
| Post a question, reply or comment about traveling in Namibia. |
| These two photos above are from the waterhole where you can tell the animals are nervous and are staring at something. I waited here for several hours until I saw the lion stand up in the bushes nearby. The lion was only a few hundred feet away but despite how close he was the animals still cautiously came to drink. Eventually the lion did something that spooked them and all the animals took off running at once. |
| Above is a jackal chewing on the remains of an animal in the early morning. The warthog on the left was stopping by a water hole or some water. Water holes are the best place to spot wildlife since it's just a matter of time until the begin to show up, especially during extremely hot weather. Most of the photos I took were nearby bodies of water. |
| The best way to see the desert is to take a tour by plane. They are pretty cheap and you can see some amazing views of the coast and as well as the different colors of the terrain and desert. The extreme southwestern part of Namibia is known as the Sperregebiet diamond region. This area has been off limits for over a hundred years because of the vast resources of diamonds and other riches that can be mined here. Mining personnel were the only persons authorized to be in Sperregebiet, anyone else trespassing could get up to a year in prison or some even say shot! My road map that I had of Namibia made it very clear not to attempt to drive into the region. When I went to Namibia in 2007, Sperregebiet was still off limits, but surprising I later read that as of 2008 it is now a national park and can be visited by anyone, so I had just missed that opportunity. From the air, I did get a photo of an old mining shack that was long abandoned on the upper right. |
| Since Namibia is so rural, if you're driving by yourself you'll go long periods of time without seeing any signs of life. Then out of no where you'll see a small tribal village; one of them even had a souvenir shop. I also did 100mph down the road since I did not think there were any police, but I did get stopped at a road block. By then I had dropped off the police that were originally with me, but fortunately these police officers at the rock block were nice and let me leave off for free. |
| In the middle of the country where its very dry I came across lots of Cacti and thorn trees. Most of the thorn trees looked dead but this one still had some leaves on it, it's amazing how they can survive in such an extreme environment! A lot of this scenery here in Namibia reminded me of parts of Death Valley California or some of Arizona's dry and rocky deserts in the south. |
| The only bad thing about this area is the fog that I had mentioned earlier. It does usually clear up but on some days the entire sky is overcast and not the constant bright sunshine that everyone loves while lounging around at the beach. The photos above show a pub in downtown Swakopmund and just a general view of the extremely colorful city on the right. This place is even more amazing when the sun does come out and you can see the colors in full. |
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Ndamonohenda from Namibia: I enjoy traveling within our country especially desert area, game park, coastal place
and others. i would like to tell all the namibian people to take care of the natural resources. thank you.
and others. i would like to tell all the namibian people to take care of the natural resources. thank you.
| Above are some more shots of the playful architecture of the city and the inside of a shopping mall on the right. While visiting this city I definitely forgot I was still in the continent of Africa, and it made the experience unique since I hadn't expected Namibia to be so nice. |
| I usually have a hard time trying to capture photos of people, but I did get the shot on the left of some children being released from school and a shopkeeper. Notice the diversity of the races here in Swakopmund, and as far as I know everyone lives peacefully and gets along well. |
Herman from Namibia: Namibia is the BEST and will always be the BEST even tho its not that known.. Hip, Hip,
NAMIBIA!!!! ;:-D
NAMIBIA!!!! ;:-D