Where to go in Namibia

Known for its blood-red sandy vistas, Namibia also has its fair share of big beasties and there’s no better place to spot them than in Etosha National Park. Characterised by an expansive, glittering salt pan the size of Holland, Etosha is a photographer's dream. Wildlife congregates around the few waterholes in the south, making game viewing delightful and really rather easy – simply stop the vehicle and wait for the animals to arrive, in their thousands. During the rains, the pan morphs into a luscious lagoon, attracting flamingo and pelican in their droves. This is one of the continent’s wildlife-viewing hotspots, where mesmerising sightings against a startlingly beautiful landscape are a given.

Watching the sun rise over Sossusvlei is one of those experiences that just changes you. As the light creeps slowly above the horizon, it catches the tips of the great red dunes, casting magnificent shadows on the desert floor. Located in the Namib-Naukluft Park, the largest conservation area in Africa, Sossusvlei's great dunes seem to rise up magically from the dry pan. Spend the day walking up to the crests for epic views, or take a drive along the main road and watch oryx and zebra making their way below the towering walls of sand. At night, the Milky Way above Sossusvlei is brighter than anywhere else in Africa (honestly).

Choosing the most scenic area of this stunning country is near impossible, but we think Damaraland might just edge the title. This is Africa at its unlimited, rugged best; a place where mysterious flat-topped lava mountains and eerie petrified trees cast shadows across the blood red terrain and where colossal granite boulders, covered in hundreds of ancient drawings, stand like proud sentinels. And in the heart of this seemingly inhospitable landscape are herds of mountain zebra and gemsbok, black rhino and the remarkable desert elephants. Although parts of the land have been designated ‘concession areas’ tourism is still limited, making a visit to this unspoiled corner even more spectacular.

Swakopmund is a coastal city and popular beach resort in the Namib desert. The influence of Swakopmund’s German colonial history lingers in the architecture and overall “Gemütlichkeit” of the town. For the adrenaline junkies among us, there’s plenty of adventure sports on offer -- from quadbiking to sandboarding to skydiving, as well as horseback riding and surfing opportunities.

Looking down over the enormous bleached whalebones and crumbling shipwrecks of the Skeleton Coast’s ghostly north shore from the window of a light aircraft is, quite simply, mind-blowing. This is the “Land God Created in Anger” as it's known by the San and it certainly seems at first glance that nothing could possibly survive. But look again and you’ll discover tiny plants flourishing in the sand, giraffe and springbok along the coastal riverbeds and, of course, the remarkable desert elephants. If your bucket list includes somewhere utterly remote with a good dose of epic wildlife and astounding scenery, then the Skeleton Coast National Park is the place for you.

Our hottest tip for Namibia: sneak past the hordes of tourists at Sossusvlei and head straight for the NamibRand. Hauntingly and achingly beautiful, the 200,000 hectare private reserve is home to some of the country’s greats: enormous, blood-red sand dunes, towering mountains and wide grassy plains dotted with curious fairy circles (really!). The result of landowner Albi Bruckner’s dream to extend the desert frontiers of neighbouring Namib-Naukluft, the reserve is actually a fence-free collection of integrated farms and a sanctuary of low-impact, high-quality tourism. And with each lodge limited to only 20 beds (and staying that way for the foreseeable future), you won’t bump into the masses even if they do find about it…

Grand Canyon, eat your heart out… there’s nothing on earth quite like Namibia’s Fish River Canyon. Taking geography to the extreme, the canyon measures a staggering 160km in length, 27kms wide and reaches a dramatic 550 m depth in the inner canyon. At the base, the Fish River itself winds a serpentine route through crumbling rocks, plunging gullies and ancient chasms. It’s no exaggeration to say that this is possibly some of the harshest terrain on the continent and hiking is demanding yet mind-blowingly rewarding. Forming part of the Ai-Ais National Park, a trans-frontier conservation area that’s home to klipspringer, zebra and a multitude of baboons, this is a canyon that’s like no other.

If south Kaokoland was a fictional land, it would be an oasis of vibrant green grass, brilliantly clear water and shady palms. But it’s actually real. And the reason for this luscious-ness? The Kunene, a perennial river in the south and the main attraction for the desert elephants (and the odd kayaker). North Kaokoland is Namibia like we know it; arid and virtually empty but still stunningly beautiful and home to the Himba, the ochre-skinned indigenous tribe of northern Namibia and southern Angola. Also worth a visit is Van Zyl’s Pass, a 12 kilometre series of hair-raisingly challenging twists and turns, designed to strike fear in the heart of any 4x4 owner. We say, let’s give it a go!

Africa’s first multinational park, sweeping magnificently over Botswana, South Africa and Namibia, the Kalahari is timeless, magical and totally mystifying. Endless landscapes beckon you to a surreal Alice-through-the-looking-glass experience where trees and bushes loom large and the rocky shadows stretch to the horizon. But it’s not all blood-red dust and fiery sand dunes here; for much of the year, a luxuriant carpet of rich green grass springs up through the sands and ephemeral rivers trail quietly past enormous acacias. And the wildlife! From cheetah to caracal, lizards to lappet-faced vultures, they can all be found here, against a backdrop of pure Kalahari magic.

With more than a smattering of European influences from the homely Konditoreis on every corner to the striking (and rather surprising) Germanic castles that punctuate the skyline, Windhoek is Namibia’s well-groomed capital city. At almost the exact geographical centre of the vast country, the leafy streets are an ideal stopover after a long journey; spend an afternoon shopping for curios in the airy Post Street Mall or wander through Zoo Park and enjoy your strudel in the shade of the trees. This is relaxed city-life at its best and a couple of days here are pleasant, stress-free and always fun.

An undulating landscape of gently rolling hills, a light smattering of lush, green woodland and a few commercial farms thrown in for good measure. No we’re not talking about Scotland; this is Erongo, a remarkably picturesque piece of Namibian countryside between Windhoek and Swakopmund (and, handily, an excellent stopover if you’re on your way to or from Sossusvlei). Without doubt, the star of the show is the Erongo Mountain Range – 60 million year old granite gargantums rising to almost 2300 metres and home to ancient bushmen rock art, scurrying dassies and excellent hiking. And a close second is Erongo Wilderness Conservancy, an impressive amalgamation of bush, mountain and desert ecosystems with a healthy dose of wildlife.

Filled with the heady scent of bougainvillea and jacaranda (well, in September, anyway!), Otjiwarongo is most famous for two of the country’s leading cheetah conservation projects – Africat and the Cheetah Conservation Fund – both of which welcome visitors. Also nearby is the Waterberg Plateau, an enormous red sandstone table formed some 200 million years ago and looming 150 metres above the desert plains. Take advantage of the wilderness trails and explore the area on foot, keeping an eye peeled for the endangered species that call the park home – roan, sable and black and white rhino to name but a few. Thought Namibia couldn’t get any better? It just did…

Rich and tropical, lush and wet… are we still in Namibia? Yes, the Caprivi Strip (now known as the Zambezi Region) to be precise, Namibia’s spindly north-eastern ‘finger’ that touches reaches out across the top of Botswana and to the mighty Zambezi River. Criss-crossed by the Okavango, Linyanti and Chobe rivers, the area is dotted with waterfalls and crashing rapids and home to an excellent selection of water-loving species including hippo and buffalo, crocs and waterbuck, and a phenomenal variety of birds. Now in the hands of a particularly progressive group of conservationists, the wildlife is only getting better and, combined with a smattering of hip lodges and several unknown but utterly fantastic parks, the Caprivi is a destination and a half.

After a quick battle through the drifting sands of Luderitz’s only road (bulldozers work tirelessly to keep a clear path throughout the year), you’ll reach this surreal colonial town. Barely touched by modernity, the pastel-coloured houses and art-nouveau buildings have all been beautifully preserved and, along with the German bakeries, cafes and pretty churches, it’s the perfect toy-town with more than a sprinkling of old-fashioned charm. To the south lies Kolmanskop, the infamous ghost town that was abandoned after the crash of the diamond industry. A far cry from its glitzy, former self, the buildings have been almost entirely swallowed by the rolling sands of the Namib and the story of how it got here is almost as strange as the sight itself…