| 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 largest sand dunes in the world, a nice resort town 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. This is still a very huge park that is filled with lots of wildlife. The park has most of Africa's common animals but since Namibia is a very dry country, there are no water buffaloes or hippos in this part of the country. The gemsbok on the upper left is Namibia's national animal. On the right is the blue wildebeest. |
| Etosha is filled with elephants, lions, rhinos, zebras and many other animals. I saw 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. |
| 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 cautious 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. |
| 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 tribal people. On the right is a photo of a bunch of Namibians hanging out in a parking lot. |
| Most people who have heard of Namibia but never been there usually bring up the deserts. Namibia has vast deserts, but the entire country is not covered in sand dunes. Above are some pictures of the mountains and the grassy fields outside of Windhoek. The deserts aren't much farther from here. |
| The northern part of Namibia also has part of the Okavango river. There are also forests here and strange plants, and this is the only part of Namibia where you can find the big 5. Water Buffaloes and hippos aren't found in the south.. |
| 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 photo of the endless sands, 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. |
| The green on the left picture is made up from a riverbed that flows during heavy rains. This gives a small strip of plant life in the desert, and also gives water to desert animals. 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. The fog is pretty common along the coast, and usually clears up in the middle of the day. |
| The thick fog along the coast is very dangerous for ships. Hundreds of ships are wrecked along the entire western coast of Namibia. The north west part of the country is called Skeleton coast. 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. |
| With nothing but hundreds of miles of sand dunes and not much life, you wouldn't expect to find a nice city on Namibia's coast. The two cities of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay are great places to visit. Above are photos of the beach resort Swakopmund. It was founded by Germans in 1892 as their main harbor for this territory. |
| There are lots to do in both of the cities Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. Of course there is the beach, but there is also sky diving, quad biking, sandboarding, sailing and more, plenty to entertain travelers in this beach resort. |
| The man on the left is a fisherman in Swakopmund, on the right are some Namibians enjoying tea. |
| 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 strange type of tree I occasionally among the huge piles of rocks. 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 that 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 was there I came across 3 large Kudus and I saw several baboons as well. |
| Post a question, reply or comment about traveling in Namibia. |
| You can tell on the left picture that the zebras and giraffes appear to be nervous and are staring at something. I waited here for a while until I saw a lion stand up in the bushes nearby. The lion wasn't attempting to hunt but was just being lazy and sleeping. Despite how close he was the animals still came to drink but where very cautious. Eventually the lion did something that spooked them all away and they all took off running at once. |
| Above is a jackal chewing on the remains of an animal in the early morning. The warthog on the let 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. 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 companies were the only ones authorized in Sperregebiet, anyone trasspassing could get up to a year in prison or some even say shot. I drove myself through Namibia and my road map made clear not to head towards this area. When I went to Namibia in 2007, Sperregebiet was still off limits, but I heard it is now a national park as of 2008 and can be visited. From the air, I did get a photo of an old mining hack that was long abandoned.. |
| 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 selling souvenirs for tourists. At one point I drove over 100mph and of course there was a police roadblock but I was able to get out of any ticket. On the right is a flute player from the town of Tsumeb. |
| In the center of the country where it's drier 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 a dry place. |
| 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 at the beach. The photos above show a pub in downtown Swakopmund and just a general view of the extremely colorful city. This place is even more amazing when the sun does come out and you can see the colors in full. |
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