Namibia Travel Guide

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Although not as well known as some of its African neighbors, Namibia is a gem for those in search of wildlife and wilderness; see oryx, elephants and rhino roam the country's numerous reserves, and explore this open landscape of undulating dunes.

Desert, savannah and mountains
Essentially a desert country, Namibia offers contrasting landscapes. The Namib Desert is a vast swathe of high dunes and desolate plains with an awe-inspiring sense of space. The thorn bush savannah and rugged mountains of the central plateau give way to the majestic Fish River Canyon in the south.

Safari scenery
In the north, landscapes range from the dense bush and open plains of the great Etosha Pan, to woodland savannah and lush vegetation. Etosha National Park, the third largest in Africa, owes its unique landscape to the Etosha Pan, a vast shallow depression edged by waterholes to the south which guarantee rewarding game viewing.

Peaceful republic
Independent since 1990, Namibia was once governed by Germany and South Africa. Germanic influences can be seen in its colonial architecture, and in its roads and rest camps, most of which are well-maintained. Namibia is peaceful and more prosperous than many nearby countries because of its productive mining, farming, fishing and tourism industries. However, with half the country's agricultural land owned by a few thousand white farmers, land reform is a burning issue.

Geography

Namibia is a large and mainly arid country sharing borders with Angola to the north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south. In the northeast corner of the country, the Caprivi Strip, a narrow panhandle of Namibian territory, juts out to form a border with Zambia and Zimbabwe. To the west is 1,280km (795 miles) of some of the most desolate and lonely coastline in the world. Along the entire length of the country, the huge shifting sand dunes of the Namib Desert spread inland for 80 to 130km (50 to 80 miles).

In the interior, the escarpment of a north-south plateau slopes away to the east and north into the vast interior sand basin of the Kalahari. In the far northwest, the 66,000 sq km (25,500 sq miles) of the Kaokoland mountains run along the coast, while further inland lies the Etosha Pan (a dried-out saline lake), surrounded by grasslands and bush which support a large and varied wildlife. The Etosha National Park is one of the finest game reserves in Africa, remaining, to a large extent, free of human influence.