Namibia

“Walalapo!” – A warm African hello

 Namibia, the land of enduring tribes and timeless tradition, Home to one of the world’s wildest coastlines, Namibia borders the South Atlantic Ocean between Angola and South Africa. Boasting one of the greatest wildlife populations in the world, some species are truly unique, many are rare, and a few whose lineage goes back long before the first ancestors of mankind evolved. In the Etosha National Park, huge herds of springbok, gemsbok, zebra, and blue wildebeest, as well as smaller numbers of red hartebeest, Bruchell’s zebra, lion, cheetah and the elusive leopard gather at waterholes and are spotted easily against the stark white background of immense salt pans.

Namibia is the first country in the world to include protection of the environment and sustainable utilization of wildlife in its constitution. About 15.5% of the country has been set aside as National Parks. In these areas rare and endangered species of animals, birds and plant life are preserved and protected.

For the traveler that wants to mark their way off the beaten path, the endless arid red desert dunes are the perfect backdrop for peaceful solitude, otherworldly photography opportunities, and quad biking or sand boarding adventures.

 Namibia is home to the infamous Skeleton Coast, that forlorn and rugged coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. It is here where we find the Namib Desert, the World’s oldest desert and a World Heritage site, from which the country gets its name. The eastern expanses are dominated by the Kalahari Desert; the central highlands are renowned for its free-roaming wildlife and the Etosha National Park. Kaokoland and Damaraland are where we find some of the most dramatic landscapes, the uniquely adapted desert animals and the proud Ovahimba people. And to top it off – the contrast of the lush forest vegetation of the Zambezi region, part of the KAZA Transfrontier National Park. Like the diamonds mined here, Namibia is a true gemstone waiting to be discovered.