Namibia is emerging from its burnt-orange desertscape as a top adventure destination with extraordinary safari, hiking, skydiving and sand boarding.
The country gets its name from the Namib Desert, considered the oldest in the world dating back 55 million years.
And the best way to navigate it is by hiring a 4×4, with a tent on its roof, from Windhoek and driving south.
Stay in sandy campsites surrounded by giant boulders and BBQ under possibly the most starry sky you will ever see.
Throughout your trip, Namibia’s landscapes will make you feel like you’ve landed on another planet. From a town swallowed by sand to dead tree skeletons and hot air ballooning over towering dunes, it’s a dramatic and desolate place that’s filled with magic.
Buckle up for our Travel Pocket Book guide to Namibia.
Top 10 things to do in Namibia
1. Tree skeletons
Walk among the striking dead trees at Deadvlei and Sossusvlei. Set within a clay pan and salt pan, the gnarled camel thorn trees contrast against the golden dunes and bright blue sky.
2. Chasing sunsets
Climb Dune 45 in Sossusvlei and watch the sunset from its sandy ridge. The dune, in the Namib Desert, stands over 170m and is made of five million-year-old sand.
3. Reach for the sky
Board a hot air balloon and see the Namib Desert unfold beneath your feet as the sun rises. Namib Sky Balloon Safaris is a family business that offers the tour with the chance to watch your balloon inflate followed by a Champagne breakfast upon landing in the middle of nowhere!
4. All a board
Go sandboarding or sand sledding in Swakopmund, a city on the coast of western Namibia.
5. The watering hole
See lions, giraffes, zebra and wildebeest at Etosha National Park where you can hire a guide or embark on a self-drive adventure. Stay at Okaukuejo Camp which has an outdoor viewing platform above a watering hole where elephants and rhinos come to drink at night.
6. Fish River Canyon
Hike along the dramatic Fish River Canyon, the largest canyon in Africa and the second largest in the world after the United States’ Grand Canyon in Arizona.
7. Seals and shipwrecks
Stop at Namibia’s shipwreck-strewn coast where waves thrash against rusty ship carcasses and the remains of whale and seal bones litter the shores. A short drive away is the Cape Cross seal colony where you can see one of the world’s largest fur seal colonies.
8. Kolmanskop
Explore the ghost town of Kolmanskop, once one of the world’s richest towns where opulent houses are now slowly sinking into the sand. The area was abandoned and left to be consumed by the Namib Desert after a nearby diamond mine dried up.
9. Brandberg Mountain
See the White Lady cave art of Brandberg Mountain, Namibia’s tallest peak. The paintings are generally accepted as the work of bushmen 2,000 years ago. Then camp under the stars at Brandberg Campsite.
10. Africa’s darkest sky
Gaze up at the stars from Rooisand Desert Lodge, on the edge of Gamsberg mountain range. The site, between Windhoek and Sossusvlei, has its own observatory. The area is so sparsely populated that much of it has zero light pollution with guaranteed clear skies in June and July. During editor Laura Sharman’s stay, the Milky Way was visible all night.
Boutique hotels in Namibia
Ongava Lodge. This luxury accommodation on the edge of Etosha National Park offers rock and thatch chalets and panoramic views over the camp’s watering hole
Sossusvlei Desert Lodge. Cradled against the mountains, ten stone and glass villas overlook the Namib Desert with access to a fire-lit bar, a stargazing observatory and a pool fed by an underwater spring
We Kebi Safari Lodge. Zebras can come to greet you at your table at We Kebi, a safari lodge within an hour’s drive of the Sossusvlei dunes and Sesriem Canyon. Stay in a thatch-roof chalet with a bath or hot shower and shared pool overlooking the desert
Eat your heart out
Breakfast: Try oshifima, a thick porridge made from sorghum or pearl millet often enjoyed by the Herero and Himba with sour milk (omaere) and wild spinach
Lunch: Kapana street food featuring grilled red meat strips served with a spicy sauce and paired with crispy fat cakes
Dinner: Find a local game meat dish like springbok or kudu. If by the coast, try seafood such as kabeljou and lobster
Drinks: Try a local beer or Amarula, a creamy liqueur made from marula fruit
Screenshot your Namibia Travel Pocket Book
