When you consider a Namibia Safari, you are thinking about taking a Safari to Southern Africa a safari into the Namib Desert. There are five geographical areas in Namibia.
These areas are the Central Plateau which contains the Namibia capital city of Windhoek. The second area is the Namib Desert which is a hyper arid gravel plains and dunes along the entire coast line. The coast includes the Namib sand dunes which are the largest sand dunes in the world. Also located here is the Skeleton Coast National Park which has cool mornings and may have fog. The northern half of this park is designated wilderness area. This is also home to many shipwrecks. The Cape Cross Seal Reserve has a number of fur seal colonies.
The third area is the Grand Escarpment an area of vistas and mountains with the mountain reaching over 6500 feet. Then there is the Bushveld in northeast Namibia which has lots of rain up to approximately 16 inches a year. The land is generally flat and sandy and includes 75 miles long Etosha Pan. A Namibia Safari might include a visit to the Etosha National Park which is home to 114 different mammal species and is one of the largest game preserves in Africa.
The climate is semi desert and temperatures can range from 104 in summer to frost in the winter. It is a large area with a fairly small population which borders on the Atlantic Ocean. It encompasses vast distances and some poor roads.
Fishriver Canyon Park is smaller than the Grand Canyon but it is magnificent. You cannot hike solo in the canyon however. There is a Fishriver hiking trail which is open from 15 April to 15 November because of the high heat in the summertime when it can be over 110 degrees.
The last area of Namibia is the Kalahari Desert which shares borders in Botswana and South Africa.
The beaches in Namibia are more than half sandy. Only a small percentage is rocky.
If you plan a Namibia Safari like any safari to Africa, you will need to be prepared to walk and watch. It teems with wild life including flora and fauna and antelope, lions and leopards depending where you travel in Namibia. South Namibia is home to wild horses.
Depending where your safari takes you might enjoy sea life or visit an historical village called Swakopmund which is 280 miles west of the capital and which is a seaside resort with promenades and palm trees. Just outside the city along the Swakop River is one of five of the worlds all grass desert golf courses called Rossmund Gold Course with the first nine holes designed by Robert Trent-Jones and surrounded by the Namib Desert and the Barkam Dunes.
Namibia is a diverse area of desert and the coast. A safari booked to visit Namibia could encompass visiting many different geological areas all in one trip. You can see coastal towns and the desert plus huge sand dunes.
Martin Wynn
