Click on the map to find out more information on an area.
Windhoek
Namibia's capital city is Windhoek and is the biggest city in the country. This pretty city is situated in the central highlands surrounded by clusters of hills and mountains, 1650m above sea level. Windhoek combines the architecture of a modern city with numerous buildings in the style of the German colonial era.
Any visitor to Windhoek will find that it enjoys a rich mix of cultural diversity and offers something for every taste. Excellent restaurants, a wide selection of art and craft markets, world class hotels and lodges, a vibrant nightlife and a multitude of sightseeing and exploration opportunities, Windhoek offers an African experience of a different kind.
Ai-Ais / Fish River
The Fish River Canyon is located in the Ai-Ais / Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, and is one of the large canyons of the world. It is approximately 160 km in length and reaches a depth of 500 meters in places. One arrives quite unexpectedly at the Fish River Canyon as its cuts into the surrounding flat arid plateau.
Ai-Ais is found at the southern end of the Fish River conservation area. It means "burning water" in one of the local languages and refers to the hot springs which are found in this area.
Damaraland
Damaraland is the old name given to the area between north Erongo and south Kunene provinces and comes from the original Damara people who lived in this area. The name Damaraland is still commonly used in tourism circles. Damaraland is known for its beautiful scenery and wildlife. It is also rich in a ancient culture, with its many rock art sites.
Some of the well known attractions in Damaraland include: The ancient Petrified Forest which is a few million years old. The awesome rocky outcrop called Twyfelfontein famous for the Bushman engravings found here. Namibia's highest mountain, the Brandberg which is also home to the famous "White Lady" Bushman Painting. The pointed inselberg called Spitzkoppe, a place of great mystery to the ancient San people. The Brandberg and Spitzkoppe are two favourite places for climbers in Namibia, and both mountains contain a high density of San (Bushman) art. The old German Fort Sesfontein is found the northern most reach of Damaraland. It was built in 1901, and later restored in 1987.
Etosha National Park
Declared a National Park in 1907 and covering an area of 22 270 square km, it is home to 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and, surprisingly, one species of fish. A massive mineral pan, meaning "Great White Place", dominates Etosha. The pan is part of the Kalahari Basin, the floor of which was formed around 1000 million years ago. Today, the Etosha Pan rarely has water as it is supplied mostly from rainfall but with high evaporation the water quickly disappears.
Gochas
Gochas lies about 100km west of Mariental. This area is known for its red dunes of the Kalahari which contrast against the white calcareous rocks of the valley formed by the Auob river. The plants in this area are well adapted to the harsh conditions of the Kalahari.
Luderitz
This hazy Atlantic-coast town has immense appeal for its barren beauty and solitude. Many charming and fine buildings reveal its colonial history as the first German settlement in South West Africa. The best view of the town and the working harbour is from the peninsula of land that juts out and helps to form one of the best natural harbours along the Namibian coast.
Namib Naukluft Park
The Namib Naukluft Park is one of the larges nature conservation areas in the world, containing mainly arid and semi-arid ecosystems. It covers an area of nearly 50 000 square km. stretching along the southern part of Namibia's coastline from Walvis Bay to Luderitz. The park is one of Namibia's major tourist destinations and offers unique sights such as the Welwitschia Plains and Moon Landscape. The reserve is managed along wilderness principles and consequently has no recreational resorts within it boundaries.
The park comprises four sections: Sesriem & Sossusvlei, Naukluft, Namib (between the Kuiseb and Swakop Rivers) and Sandwich Harbour. The Namib Desert Park has all aspects of the desert - sand dunes, granite mountains, plains of grass, gypsum and quartz, the Kuiseb Canyon, a lagoon (at Sandwich Harbour), camel thorn, and trees, the largest known concentration of Welwitschias and game.
Okavango Delta (Botswana)
The Okavango Delta is considered one of the most incredible wildlife and wilderness sanctuaries in Africa. It is the largest inland delta system in the world, an area of 15000 square kilometers filled with water channels, lagoons, swamps and islands. Each year flood waters flow from catchment areas in the central African highlands into the Okavango Delta and create this amazing wildlife sanctuary. The Okavango Delta supports a huge diversity of fauna and flora giving the visitor excellent game viewing throughout the year.
Sossusvlei
Sossusvlei is a depression lined by some of the highest dunes in the world. Although a very rare occurrence, during periods of good rains the pan or "vlei" fills up with water from the Tsauchab River. This water wonder in the middle of the desert is a spectacular sight.
Spitzkoppe
Further inland from Swakopmund one finds the Spitzkoppe which rises abruptly above the arid and sparsely vegetated plains of the Namib. Also known as the “Matterhorn of Namibia”, the granite outcrop is a typical example of an inselberg, or island mountain. With sheer granite rock walls of up to 600 m high, the Spitzkoppe is the country's top rock climbing destination.
Swakopmund
The Germans established a small port at Swakopmund in 1890. The town's German architecture harks back to this period. As the port was not sufficiently deep, boats had to unload out to sea. In 1920, uranium was discovered at Rossing which is now the world's largest uranium mine. Today, Swakopmund is a luxury sea-side resort much appreciated by the inhabitants of the capital.
