5 Reasons Why You Should Visit Namibia For Your Next Holiday

5 Reasons Why You Should Visit Namibia For Your Next Holiday

Namibia is one of our favourite places to visit in Africa. It’s vast, it’s interesting and there’s really nowhere else on earth like it. Read our blog and find out why you should travel there for your next holiday.

1. Incredible Landscapes

Namibia is an extraordinary place – magnificent, magical and mysterious. You'll struggle to find more striking natural landscapes or bigger, clearer skies anywhere in Africa. Inland there is the drama of Damaraland with its endangered desert elephant and rhino, while at Sossusvlei, one of Namibia’s iconic destinations, climbing to the top of the highest sand dunes is a must. Then there are the famous salt pans of the Etosha National Park with their abundance of game, and the Fish River Canyon in the south – second only to the Grand Canyon in size. There is also the Skeleton Coast, a vast, desolate stretch of coastline littered with shipwrecks due to the tempestuous seas. Although seemingly endless and hostile, it hosts incredibly adapted fauna and flora who flourish there.

2. Crowd Free

Travelling around Namibia is simply amazing as you are escaping the crowds. It's population density is  one of the lowest (2.8 people per square kilometre). So once you leave the towns and national parks, you’ll have the feeling of being the last person on earth. It’s not unusual to see no other cars on the road. There are no big hotels outside Windhoek, and as often as not game lodges and guest farms are miles up gravel roads in the middle of nowhere, catering for only a handful of guests.  

3. So Many Activities!

Namibia offers a host of activities to suit everyone's tastes. If adventure is your thing, why not hike the Fish River Canyon - second only to the Grand Canyon in size or quad bike through the country's boundless expanse of shifting sand dunes. If you prefer to take things at a more relaxed pace and for someone else to do all the heavy lifting, why not take to the skies at sunrise in a hot air balloon and witness the awe-inspiring views of Sossusvlei  - home to the largest sand dunes in the world or jump in a light aircraft for a birdseye view of the incredibly dramatic and haunting landscape of Namibia's Skeleton Coast.

4. It's A Safe Destination

Namibia is considered one of the safest countries in Africa. Since gaining independence from South Africa in 1990 Namibia has enjoyed decades of political stability and good governance that has encouraged reconciliation and invested in infrastructure and education. It has one of the highest literacy rates on the continent and the media are allowed to cover opposing political parties and views, which is not always a given in African countries.

5. The Wildlife

For a place that at first glance may seem lifeless, the reality is astonishing: 650 bird species and 80 large mammal species, of which, 14 birds and 15 mammals are almost entirely endemic to the country. Reptile species total 240! In the far northern reaches of the Kunene, wildlife is concentrated around the Kunene River where a large population of Nile crocodile dwells. Moving south, the wildlife-rich Etosha National Park is home to high densities of game. To the west the Kaokoveld’s dry, remote and isolated wilderness boasts desert-adapted wildlife: good elephant populations as well as giraffe, lion and brown hyena amongst others. It is in this area that the largest free-ranging population of black rhino in Africa survive.