Namibia
One of Africa’s best kept secrets, particularly for those seeking the wilderness, Namibia is a large, mainly arid Southern African country slightly more than half the size of Alaska bordering the south Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa. Namibia boasts remarkable natural attractions such as the Namib Desert, the Fish River Canyon Park, Etosha National Park and the Kalahari Desert.
Namibia is one of the last remaining unspoiled areas in the world and features one of the world’s lowest population density, giving it a wide diversity of habitats and large tracts of wilderness untouched by roads, telephone poles and even civilization. It is truly a Technicolor dreamscape. Essentially a desert country, Namibia offers contrasting but equally striking landscapes. Namibia has four primary geographic regions, all of which are of great interest to the adventure traveler.
The desolate Namib Desert is said to be the oldest in the world, with its high dunes and awe-inspiring sense of space. The central plateau, with its thorn bush savannah and rugged mountains, rising abruptly from the plains, gives way to the majestic Fish River Canyon in the south. In the north of the country, landscapes range from dense bush and open plains of the great Etosha Pan, to woodland savannah and lush vegetation.
Namibia generally attracts eco-tourists, with the majority visiting to experience the different climates and natural geographical landscapes such as the great eastern desert and plains, where extreme sports such as sand-boarding, 4×4-ing have become popular. The abundance of wildlife offers excellent opportunities for game viewing and bird watching in many of Namibia’s numerous National Parks, game reserves and private game farms. Though few people populate Namibia, those few constitute an unusually diverse set of peoples and cultures. With its pleasantly warm and dry climate, clean air, good water and an unspoiled coastline, vast untouched scenery and nature conservation areas, and excellent infrastructure, Namibia is healthy by nature and sheer bliss for body and soul — and never fails to enthrall its visitors.