My Visit to This Incredible African Country, Where Sand Dunes Meet the Ocean…

Travelling overseas should, I think, occasionally consist of very rare experiences, that will be forever remembered. I distinctly remember writing a postcard to Granny a great many years ago from Namibia, which is on the southwest coast of Africa. The postcard went something like this:

Hi Granny,

this place is amazing – I can’t believe I’m here! It has sand dunes that are absolutely enormous and they fall straight into the sea! Yesterday I went quad biking on them and had the best time ever. Now I am back in Swakopmund – you would love it so much as the architecture has the most amazing influence from Germany.

Lots of love,
Emma xxx

This country had such a profound effect on me and I find it so interesting that still today it seems to be a place that is so rarely on people’s bucket list. It would be a perfect stopover before or after a Kenyan or Tanzanian safari and it is well, well worth a visit.

Officially the Republic of Namibia, the country is also called South West Africa, Afrikaans Namibië or Suidwesafrica. It is bordered by South Africa to the southeast and south, Botswana to the east, Zambia to the northeast, Angola to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The landscape is breathtaking and incredibly varied, with deserts, savannas, canyons and mountains.

Surprisingly Namibia is the second-least densely populated country that we have on earth, with a population of only 2.5 million, and boasts the largest sand dunes (over 300m high), the largest conservation areas in Africa, the last free-ranging rhinos, a quarter of the world’s cheetahs and some incredible fishing.

Visitors will fly into Windhoek; the capital city has a good choice of boutique accommodation and one will clearly see evidence of the country’s German colonial past. From here it really depends how long you have, how much you love 4WDs and a bit of adventure or how deep your pockets are; the ‘must sees’ stretch from Fish River Canyon in the south up to Etosha in the north, approximately 1,000 km away. From a personal point of view, I like to combine flying, preferably in a nice little private jet, with a decent 4WD for those remote areas. Driving is very enjoyable with such spectacular landscapes but whatever you do don’t set off without two spare tyres, substantial supplies of water, a full tank of gas and the security of knowing that someone is aware of your plans; I made all three of those four mistakes when I was there!

Swakopmund and nearby Walvis Bay are Namibia’s answer to the French Riviera although you’ll feel a little more as if you are on the Baltic coast with German influences all around. It’s a fabulous place to visit though, and has plenty to offer in terms of seaside fun, including shops and restaurants and with a big focus on adventure sports, including sandboarding.

Etosha National Park has a reputation for being one of the greatest game viewing locations and, surprisingly, it’s open to private vehicles. You’ll find luxurious camps at Etosha such as Dolomite and Onkoshi, but what will be likely to surprise you is that Etosha is home to some of the rarest wildlife species including the endangered black rhino, leopard and over 300 species of bird including ostrich and kori bustard.

If hiking is your thing, then be sure to visit Fish River Canyon, a geological wonder and the second largest canyon worldwide. The Fish River Hiking Trail covers 85km and is known to be one of the best hiking trails in the entire continent; it can be done between April and September and includes a descent into the canyon itself.

No trip to Namibia would be complete without visiting the largest sand dunes in the world. Namib Naukluft Park, covering 50,000 square kms, is the largest protected conservation area along the Atlantic coast within the oldest desert in the world. In the park one will find Namibia’s most iconic feature, Soussusvlei, which is in fact the huge flat pan in the middle of the dunes. The dunes themselves are enormous sand sculptures, the sand coming from the Kalahari millions of years ago. Their formation changes with the winds which is the reason Soussusvlei is known as the ‘dune sea’. Anyone is welcome to climb the dunes although most prefer to view from a hot air balloon or indeed a scenic flight.

One last recommendation for those who really want to lose themselves in this vast wonderful land … charter a plane from Windhoek to the NamibRand Nature Reserve and stay at Zannier Hotels Sonop … desert decadence!