15 DAYS NAMIBIAN HIGHLIGHTS SAFARI

Named by local Rhenish (German Lutheran) missionaries, Mariental was founded in 1912 as a railway stop between Windhoek and Keetmanshoop. It was proclaimed a town in 1920 and a municipality in 1946. An important economic function of the town is the processing and transport of Karakul skins.

Named by local Rhenish (German Lutheran) missionaries, Mariental was founded in 1912 as a railway stop between Windhoek and Keetmanshoop. It was proclaimed a town in 1920 and a municipality in 1946. An important economic function of the town is the processing and transport of Karakul skins.

Mariental is the administrative capital of the Hardap Region in an area which has long been a centre for the Nama people. It lies near the Hardap Dam, the second largest reservoir in Namibia.

The name Windhoek is derived from the Afrikaans meaning „windy corner“. The former spelling at the beginning of the German colonial time “Windhuk” is not in use anymore. The San (Bushmen) already populated the area around Windhoek thousands of years ago.

The Alte Feste is the oldest surviving building in the city which subsequently developed around it. After the World War I German surrender in South West Africa, Windhoek was occupied by the South African Army in March 1915. The Alte Feste now served as military headquarters for the South African Union troops.

Windhoek is one of the world’s major centres for the karakul sheep-skin trade. Windhoek has two traditional names: Otjomuise and /Ae //Gams. Windhoek’s name may be derived from the word “Winterhoek”, the the name of the mountains surrounding Tulbagh in South Africa. Windhoek was formally established on 18 October 1890.

Sossusvlei (sometimes written Sossus Vlei) is a salt and clay pan surrounded by high red dunes, located in the southern part of the Namib Desert, in the Namib-Naukluft National Park of Namibia.

Sossusvlei has a hot desert climate. The annual mean average temperature is 24 °C. In winter, the nighttime lows are around 10 °C, while in summer temperatures often reaches up to 40 °C.

These dunes are among the highest in the world; many of them higher than 200 metres, the highest being the one nicknamed Big Daddy, about 325 metres high. The highest dune in the Namib Desert however, Dune 7, is about 388 metres high.

Dune 45 at 170 meters tall is the most well-known dune chosen to climb by those who visit the Sossusvlei area. This relatively ‘easy’ climb takes anywhere from 40 minutes to one hour to reach the top, for most people. Coming down takes less than 5 minutes.

The sand dunes in the Sossusvlei area are known as ‘star dunes’ due to the shape formed when the wind approaches from all directions. As a result, the dunes hardly move. 8. The sand in the region is given its distinctive red colour from the layer of iron oxide which coats it.

It’s a beautiful beach town with a strong German influence, architecturally and culturally. The local people are very friendly and helpful. It’s also a tourist town with lots of locally crafted sculptures available to tourists.

Walvis Bay (meaning “whale bay”) seems larger and more spaced out than Swakopmund

The top stops along the way from Windhoek to Swakopmund (with short detours) are Daan Viljoen Game Reserve, Okapuka Safari Lodge, and Gross Barmen. Other popular stops include Erongo Mountain Winery, Moon Landscape, and Bambu Wellness Boutique.

Swakopmund generally makes a more interesting place to stay, with a much better choice of restaurants, hotels and guesthouses, whilst Walvis Bay is the springboard for several super desert trips. Holidays to Namibia usually include a visit to this part of the coast.

Walking at night is not advisable and many tourists consider public transport to be unsafe; private car rental is the safest option for independent travel. Use only recognised hire car companies or official taxis.

The average cost of living in Swakopmund is $769, which is in the top 30% of the least expensive cities in the world, ranked 6480th out of 9294 in our global list and 1st out of 10 in Namibia.

The best way to get to Swakopmund is by road from Windhoek. The B2 is the main road from Windhoek, and takes 4-5 hours by car. It may seem like a long ride, but time will fly when you look out the window of your vehicle and take in the spectacular sites.

What is the nearest airport to Swakopmund? The nearest airport to Swakopmund is Walvis Bay (WVB) Airport which is 35.3 km away.

The quality of tap water in Namibia is quite good and perfectly safe to drink. Many of the lodges in the more remote areas will make use of water from a borehole which is also safe and healthy to drink.

The C28 is gravel, and the surrounding roads are best suited to high-clearance vehicles, but you won’t need a 4×4 unless you hit Bosua Pass during a serious (and rare) downpour.

The Skeleton Coast, part of the Namib Desert, is named for the whale bones and the hundreds of broken ships that litter its beaches. Many a sailor lost his life after being run aground in the Skeleton Coast’s thick fog. Those who made it to land often succumbed to starvation and exposure in the coast’s harsh climate.

The untamed Skeleton Coast begins at Namibia’s northern border with Angola and continues 300 miles south to the former German colonial town of Swakopmund.

From the entrance gate at Ugabmund and Springbockwater a permit is needed, which can be purchased in Windhoek, Swakopmund or directly at the gate.

The area’s name comes from a book written in 1944 about a famous shipwreck, the Dunedin Star, but this coastline has quite a collection of shipwrecks, ancient whale and seal bones from its former whaling station days and shell middens from early strandlopers who inhabited the area.

Incredibly diverse, the Skeleton Coast has more near-endemic species than any other desert in the world. Elephants, black rhinos, desert lions, jackals, giraffes, seals, oryx, kudus and zebras are just some of the desert-adapted species inhabiting this wilderness. One such animal is the brown hyena.

Skeleton Coast is a book by John Henry Marsh. It tells the true story of the wrecking in 1942 of the British refrigerated cargo liner Dunedin Star and the eventual rescue of all her 106 passengers and crew, at the cost of a tug, an SAAF aircraft and the lives of two rescuers.

Activities at Skeleton Coast in Namibia include hikes on the Ugab River trail, fishing, scenic flights, vising the Cape Cross Seal Colony, Kunene River excursions and 4×4 adventures.

Access is by fly-in safari only, and consequently visits to the Skeleton Coast National Park are both exclusive and expensive. For the true adventurer, however, the wilderness that awaits is well worth the effort of getting there.

Yes you can.

Despite the hostile character of the Skeleton Coast, there are quite a number of wild animals to observe including desert-adapted elephants, rhinos, desert lions, brown hyenas, jackals, giraffes, seals, oryx, kudus and zebras.

The site forms a coherent, extensive and high-quality record of ritual practices relating to hunter-gatherer communities in this part of southern Africa over at least 2,000 years, and eloquently illustrates the links between the ritual and economic practices of hunter-gatherers.

Twyfelfontein is situated in the southern Kunene Region of Namibia, an area formerly known as Damaraland. The site lies on the banks of the Aba Huab River in the Huab valley of the Mount Etjo formation.

Rock paintings, More than 200 giraffe and 100 rhino are shown as well as ostrich, impala, elephant and zebra.

Etosha means the”great white area” and refers to the huge salt pan. This is an impressive sight because it’s certainly the biggest salt pan in Africa. Subsequently, when it rains, the water pools in the pan attracts hundreds of thousands of flamingos!

The abundance of game in Etosha National Park is somewhat unexpected, showcasing some of the most common and rarest wildlife species. The areas with thicker vegetation are home to elephant (some of the largest in Africa due to the vitamins and nutrients found in the ground), the endangered black rhino and even leopard.

Mopane is the most common tree, estimated to make up around 80% of all trees in the park. The sandveld in the north-eastern corner of Etosha is dominated by acacia and Terminalia trees. Tamboti trees characterize the woodlands south of the sandveld.

The 4730 km2 Etosha Pan is a huge, pristine oval-shaped salt pan situated in northern Namibia. It is the central feature of Namibia’s Etosha National Park. It is the terminal playa of the Cuvelai drainage system in the lowest part of the Ovambo Basin at an elevation between 1,071 to 1,086 m above sea level.

The Etosha Pan, of Course, Abundant Bird and Animal Life, Wide Open Spaces, Stunning Sunsets, Numerous Waterholes, Plenty of Dining Options and warm Namibian Hospitality.

The park has about 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and 1 species of fish (up to 49 species of fish during floods). Etosha National Park is also the single-most important custodian of the black rhino in the world.