The meeting of the desert and the ocean
The 1,400 km long coastline is hemmed in by the dunes of the Namib Desert, the oldest in the world. This sea of sand spreads its ochre colors over the entire coastal area, over a width varying between 80 and 120 km. From Sesriem, which is easily accessible by car, visitors usually discover the beauty of the huge dunes of the Namib-Naukflut, the largest park in Africa. The most famous dune is Big Daddy which culminates at more than 325 m (5 m less than the Eiffel Tower). Main tourist site of the country, Sossusvlei is a place not to be missed to discover Deadvlei ("dead swamp" in Afrikaans), an exceptional natural phenomenon: a small whitish basin where dead trees testify of life a thousand years ago. This Namib desert stops on the shores of an ocean with very cold temperatures (around 12°C) where only sea lions and other sharks find their happiness. The meeting of these two elements is striking, illustrated by the exceptional landscape represented by the dunes that die on the waves of the Atlantic south of Walvis Bay. To the north, the inhospitable Skeleton Coast keeps forever the debris of ships stranded on the sand for several centuries. In the central part, the red sand dunes, among the highest in the world, can reach a height of 300 m. The acacias living in the dry riverbeds appear like ghosts in the vastness of the desert.
From the Damaraland highlands to the Fish River Canyon
In the center of Namibia, in the light still whitened by the heat, a field of rocky and dark faults whose altitude varies between 1 500 m and 2 573 m announces the high mountainous plateau. Its semi-arid vegetation is made up of huge pastures, on which extensive cattle breeding has been able to develop. The relief of the high plateau is declined in an extraordinary variety of landscapes: kaokoland arid plateau in the north, Brandberg massif (Burnt Mountain) and its peak at 2,573 m altitude in the heart of Damaraland, the pointed mountain of Spitzkoppe (1,728 m), the Erongo Mountains (2,320 m) in the center, the Waterberg Plateau in the northeast, the Khomas Hochland hills around Windhoek, the Gamsberg Pass southwest of the capital, the Tsaris and Tiras mountains, and, finally, the astonishing formation of the Fish River Canyon in the south of the country.
From the arid plains of the Kalahari to the African savannah
In the east of Namibia, the slopes soften to form the Kalahari semi-desert, an area of dense bush and thorny acacia trees on small reddish sand dunes. The plateau disappears to the north, giving way to a wetter wooded plain, Bushmanland, where the first palm trees, marula trees(Sclerocarya birea) and huge baobabs appear in the midst of sparse savannah vegetation.
The Caprivi, the other Namibia
The Caprivi, located in the northeast of the country, is a veritable paradise of rivers between the mopane and makalani palm(Hyphaene petersiana) forests in the east, the floodplains along the Okavango, the reeds and papyrus of the Linyanti River banks, and the sparse vegetation and flat, sandy expanses of the Katima Mulilo region further east. This is another Namibia, far from the arid lands of the south and much closer to tropical Africa, with its rains. The Caprivi stops at the gateway to Victoria Falls, on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia.
River borders
The Orange River in the south separates Namibia from South Africa; in the north, the Kunene and Okavango rivers mark the border with Angola; in the east, the Zambezi is separated from Zambia by the Zambezi River, while the Linyanti River (which becomes the Chobe) marks the border with Botswana. Groundwater and dams on temporary rivers constitute the country's only water reserve... so much so that water is a crucial issue for Namibia, most of whose territory is desert or sub-desert.
Extensive livestock farms, a taste of the Wild West
Stretching as far as the eye can see across the high plateau to the Kalahari Desert in the southeast and the border with South Africa, vast grazing lands make up about 40 percent of the country's area. These farms often cover more than 10,000 hectares, most of which are still owned by white landowners. Thousands of kilometers are fenced, while allowing wildlife to pass through the fences without injury. In the northern and eastern parts of the country, raising cattle for meat is the main activity, as the dairy industry declined considerably in the early 1970s. Small livestock farming (especially the famous karakul sheep, whose wool is used for carpet weaving and leather for the luxury textile industry) is more common in the south.
In recent years there has been a rapid development of game farms and guest farms for commercial and tourist purposes.
Southern Namib, a forbidden territory
Strictly forbidden of access (except for private concessions), the diamond territory covers all the southern part of the Namib desert. Its borders are marked by simple signs indicating the risks incurred by visitors who do not respect the ban (prosecution, prison, fines). However, the low profitability of diamond mining has led the government to consider the rehabilitation of the two restricted areas. This southwestern coastal fringe, 100 km wide and 500 km long (10% of the national territory), which is off-limits to the public and therefore remarkably preserved, lends itself perfectly to the development of ecotourism. Since the end of the 1990s, concessions offered to some local tour operators (Aus region, Luderitz) have multiplied.
Fish River, the largest canyon in Africa
Located in the very south of the country, not far from the South African borders, the Fish River Canyon is the second most visited tourist site in Namibia, despite the fact that it is a bit far from the classic discovery routes of the country. This gigantic and amazing ravine, which crosses a rocky and arid plateau, is 160 km long, sometimes 27 km wide and more than 550 m deep. A small river sometimes flows during the rainy season, bringing life to amazing plants very resistant to this environment. The more adventurous among you can discover this natural wonder from Hobas by following a hiking trail of 88 km that can be completed in five days. Please note that a permit is required before embarking on a Fish River tour.
Windhoek, the capital of an empty country
In the center of Namibia lies the small capital of this gigantic country. Windhoek looks more like a South African city with some German touches. Lying on an arid plateau and surrounded by a few hills, Windhoek exudes a certain tranquility, if only because of the smooth traffic flow that is so lacking in other African capitals. In the evening, the city becomes a ghost town where only a few bars and restaurants bring some animation. On weekends, the inhabitants take advantage of the beautiful surrounding hills and especially the few campsites on the Khomas Hochland mountains. The administrative city, with its few monuments, reminds us of its colonial history and its status of capital of a country that has been independent for relatively few years.
Namibian National Parks
All of the country's natural heritage is now managed within the Namibian government by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism. The protected areas (nature reserves or national parks) cover 15.5% of the country. The most important are the following: Namib-Naukluft Park, Namib Rand Nature Reserve, Daan Viljoen Game Park, Skeleton Coast Park, Cape Cross Seal Reserve, Tsau Khaeb National Park, Dorob National Park, Etosha National Park, Mangetti National Park, Waterberg Plateau Park, Khaudum National Park, Bwabwata National Park (which includes Mahango Core Area and Buffalo Core Area), Mudumu National Park and Nkasa Rupara National Park.
There are public reserves and national parks, community conservancies, private conservancies andprivate game reserves. All of these areas are protected to some degree, and the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism oversees the entire network.
It is interesting to note that non-governmental protections are developing around national parks, creating important buffer zones for nature conservation between sanctuaries and areas of "high human activity. A logic of income-generating nature development for the local population has developed, following the example of the common southern African initiative of CBNRM (Community Based Natural Resource Management).
The country faces a number of challenges, despite the fact that its biodiversity is exemplary in many respects. The three main dangers are poaching, overexploitation of resources by local populations who have been regrouped in these fragile areas by previous governments (deforestation, fires...), and finally the damage created by negligent tourists in one of the most fragile ecosystems in the world (abandonment of non-biodegradable waste in the desert, use of off-road vehicles outside existing tracks...). The cohabitation remains sometimes difficult between wild animals and local communities, whose crops or livestock are directly threatened. Nevertheless, Namibia is one of the most active countries in the conservation of ecosystems.
