Namibia's Top Places to Visit

If you want to go to a place where you can have an adventure without leaving the comforts of urban lifestyle, you should put Namibia on your list. With so many places to visit, a Namibian adventure can make any vacation worthwhile.

Waterberg Plateau Park

Damaraland 

Etosha National Park

Cape Cross Seal Colony

Namib-Naukluft Park

Kolmanskop

Swakopmund

Skeleton Coast

Fish River Canyon

Koakoland

For more information contact us via email at info@namibiareservations.com

Fascinating Cape Cross Lodge of Namibia

Driving along the Skeleton Coast of Namibia is an awe-inspiring experience – one can visualize it being the scene of many a shipwreck – desolate and haunting. Just an hour’s drive north of Swakopmund and 53km from Henties Bay is the Cape Cross Seal Reserve – the largest mainland breeding colony of the Cape Cross Seal in the world. Cape Cross gets its name from a stone pillar erected by Portuguese explorer Diego Cao.

A mere 4km from the Seal Reserve you will come across Cape Cross Lodge. Ideally suited for those exploring the Skeleton Coast and Damaraland, Cape Cross Lodge is a haven for travellers, with a glassed frontage to maximize the natural light. For those misty, cool days, a blazing fire to ward off the chill is really welcome.

Cape Cross Lodge comprises 13 luxury double rooms, all en-suite. Eight of these rooms have magnificent unrestricted sea views, whilst the other five open onto the courtyard. The rooms are comfortably appointed, tea/ coffee facilities and a safe in each room, and the restaurant is open for lunch to tourists passing through.

Honeymooners and private functions are a speciality of Cape Cross Lodge. Guests will be delighted with the desert flora and fauna, not the least of which are the ancient Welwitschia plants, dating back 2 000 years. The history and geology of the Skeleton Coast will fascinate you. The coast is a paradise for fishermen, and fishing gear is available to guests, but bring your own surfboard!

The Namushasha River Lodge

Namushasha River Lodge celebrates the wonders of the Zambezi water world with accommodation fit for a king. There's a magic, a feeling or a charm that enraptures you in these northern realms. With elephants, hippos, myriad bird species, waterlilies and African bush, a visit to Namushasha provides an enriching adventure into Nature - to the accompaniment of the chiming of reed frogs, bird calls, hippo grunts and the soothing sound of a boat skimming through water.

Namushasha's impressive central entrance with wooden chandelier and carved animals leads guests into the attractive lodge set between the trees, in true African style. The dining room, with its high thatched roof, is open on the sides to the river world, providing a suitable - and airy - welcome to wonderland.

Namushasha River Lodge offers guests a superlative choice of exciting activities: Stroll past the green-lawned campsite visited at night by hefty hippos to the traditional heritage centre (here, you'll be able to learn about the Caprivian way of life from the Caprivians themselves who welcome you to their centre under a giant baobab and sweet-smelling thatch for song, dance and laughter); hop aboard the river boats for early morning or late afternoon river cruises to explore the channels and discover the diverse bird life; or take a trip to the Bwabwata National Park.

For more information please contact us via email at info@namibiareservations.com

Spooky Skeleton Coast of Namibia

For centuries, a stretch of Namibia's shore has lived up to its sinister name. From whales to ships to unlucky sailors, the Skeleton Coast has become a graveyard of many!

But Skeleton Coast is not even the region’s most foreboding title. First encountered by daring Portuguese explorers in the 15th century, the region was dubbed “The Gates of Hell” because of its harsh conditions. Locally, Namibia’s Bushmen tribes know it as “the land God made in anger.”

Visitors arrive to the park at the Ugab River and are welcomed by gates bearing two skull and crossbones. the desert’s yellow sand and sloping dunes are littered with animal graveyards and are only overshadowed by the skeletal ship remains that rise out of the bleak landscape.The first documented victim of the Skeleton Coast was Portuguese navigator Diego Cão, who died sailing from the coast in 1486 after erecting a massive stone cross that would attract later ships, many of which met similarly disastrous fates.

 The Himba people are thought to have originally come from East Africa, but have been traveling the Skeleton Coast for centuries.

For more information please contact us via email at info@namibiareservations.com

Namibia's National Parks and Game Reserves

Daan Viljoen Game Park

The smallest park in Namibia, Daan Vilijoen lies just 18km west of Namibia's capital city, Windhoek, making it popular with day and weekend visitors.

Animals to be spotted include including kudu, red hartebeest, springbok, klipspringer, steenbok, eland and oryx antelopes, baboons, blue wildebeests and giraffes and over 200 bird species including helmeted guineafowl, red billed francolin, yellow billed hornbill, rock runner. The park has no large predators so walking around the park is permitted and there is a network of walking tracks to explore.
Accommodation:
A rest camp is located on the banks of Augeigas dam which offer accommdation in several bungalows, a camp site and picnic area for a day visitors. It also has a restaurant and swimming pool

Etosha National Park

It covers an area of approximately 23 000 square kilometres and is one of Namibia's most famous parks as well as being one of the largest preserves on the African continent. The park encompasses a vast salt pan which covers an areas of approximately 5,000 square kilometers

Giraffes - Etosha National ParkIt is home to elephant, both Burchell's and Hartmann's zebras , giraffe, lion, leopard, black rhinoceros , red hartebeests, blue wildebeests, cheetah, hyena, eland, kudu, springbok, gemsbok, black-faced impala and many other types of antelope as well as over 340 species of birds, including large flocks of flamingoes and white pelicans which come to breed in years of good rainfall. Also spotted are ostrich, kori bustard, which can weigh over 30 pounds, and Yellow-billed hornbills 

The salt pan is off limits but there is a road network running along its edge

Accommodation:

There are three camps in the park all lying south of the pan

Okaukuejo Camp, Halali Camp, Namutoni Camp

Fish River Canyon National Park

Located in the Southern part of Namibia, Fish River Canyon is the second largest canyon in the world. With a depth of up to 550 metres in parts, the enormous gorge winds along a distance of approx. 160 kilometres through the fissured Koubis Massif all the way down to Ai-Ais. The canyon starts near Seeheim, is 161 kilometres long and ends at Ai-Ais. 

The Fish River Hiking trail is one of the most famous hikes in Southern Africa. The hike covers a distance of just over 80km in the base of the canyon and takes over 5 days with absolutely no facilities whatsoever. To undertake the hike you should be in reasonable fitnees and obtain a hiking permit. In the summer (Nov to mid March) temperatures can reach some 50° Centigrade, resulting in the canyon being closed to the public for hiking during that time 

Ais-Ais hot springs can be found within the Fish River Canyon conservation area. These sulphurous springs originate deep underground and are rich in minerals, which have been reported to be beneficial for those with rheumatic or nervous disorders. Ais-Ais hot springs are a public facility, attached to a resort that includes an indoor spa with Jacuzzi. The resort is closed from November to mid March

Namib Naukluft National Park

The park is a combination of the Namib Desert Park and the Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park as well as sections of the Diamond Area. There are four sections in the park: Sossusvlei and Sessriem, Naukluft, Namib section and Sandwich Harbour. 

Rain is rare - the raining season is between Feb and April. The months of November to March are the hottest when day time temperatures seldom drop below 35°c. During the months of June/July and August night time temperatures can drop to below 5°c 

At almost 50,000 km² it is the largest conservation area in Namibia and 4th largest in the world . The area is home to some of the rarest plant and animal species in the world. The animals of this harsh landscape include the oryx, springbok. Welwitschia Mirabilis, large lichen fields and Hartmann's Mountain Zebra.  

The park's main attractions are Sossusvlei; the world's largest sand dune. Sandwich Harbour; a paradise for ornithologists and nature lovers visiting Namibia. The Naukluft region is a favourite for hiking and four wheel drive trails.

Beautiful Twyfelfontein Lodge - Namibia

Twyfelfontein Country Lodge is compared to a 3 star rating. The Twyfelfontein area, a very vulnerable and delicate ecosystem, is renowned for some of the best examples of San Rock Paintings and Engravings in Southern Africa. UNESCO World Heritage site, first for Namibia. Interesting rock formations and the remainder of prehistoric volcanic action can be seen in the Organ Pipes, Burnt Mountain, Doros Crater and the Petrified Forest among the most prominent geographic features. The fauna and flora of Damaraland include; plants such as Welwitschia, Moringa and a variety of Commiphora species and animals such as the Desert Elephant, Giraffe, Springbok, Oryx and Ostrich living in total harmony with the community and the communal farming activities of the Uibasen Twyfelfontein Conservancy.

 

 Twyfelfontein was proclaimed a national monument in 1952. It first came to the attention of the wider world when Reinhard Maack included the site in a report in 1921. He is thought to have been informed of the engravings in the area by a land surveyor. The imagery suggests it was part of the Khoi-San belief system, who lived in the area up to about 1 000 years ago when they were displaced by the Damara. No Khoi-San currently inhabit the area, but the beliefs of San 800 km away give insight to the meaning of the paintings and engravings. To preserve this unique history, Twyfelfontein became Namibia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 20

 Guest accommodation comprises 56 en-suite double rooms, a lounge, open dining room and a bar where you can swop stories with fellow visitors. The lodge caters for a host of activities, ranging from swimming facilities, cycling the area or on guided nature walks and safaris. The many Namibian plant species, among which the unique Welwitschia, will delight plant lovers. Elephants, rhinoceros and giraffe are some of the wildlife that adapted to the desert climate of the Namib that can be seen roaming the area.

 Those interested in geology will also be in for a treat: volcanic activity of eons ago led to spectacular rock formations that can be viewed at the Organ Pipes, Burnt Mountains, Doros Crater and Petrified Forest. They are all in the vicinity of the lodge.

Twyfelfontein Country Lodge is approximately 100 km west of Khorixas and 430 km northwest of the Namibian capital, Windhoek. It can be reached by air or by road (travel along the C39, turn off at D2612, join D3254).

For more information please contact us via email at

info@namibiareservations.com

Namibia Reservations also has a current special on the Twyfelfontein Lodge, check out our webpage www.namibiareservations.com/twyfellodgee.html.com for more information

Tsumkwe - Home of the San / Bushman

The small, spread-out settlement of Tsumkwe lies at the western margin of the Kalahari and is the district centre of former Bushman Land, today part of the Otjozondjupa region. The San, coloquially also called bushmen, live in this area. They are the oldest people in Namibia, living in southern Africa for an estimated 20,000 years. The South African Homeland policy restricted them to the remote "Bushmanland", a semi-desert area between Khaudum National Park and Omaheke. It can be accessed via the C44 road, which turns off the B8 north of Grootfontein. The distance to Tsumkwe is 250 km.

The San are masterly bow hunters. Their bow is relatively small and the range of the arrows is below 25 metres. Therefore the San need to get quite close to their prey, but the supple hunters are very skilled and good at that. If an animal has been hit by a poisoned arrow, it doesn't stand a chance to escape. The absolutely deadly arrow poison is made from the larvae of a certain beetle (diamphidia nigroornata). According to a traditional recipe, which is only known to the San, varous herbs are added to increase the deadly effect. A human being would also not have any chance to survive even the smallest amouunt of this poison in the blood stream, and no anti-dote exists.

 Traditionally the San had no leaders or chiefs, personal decisions were made individually and group decisions were left to the group. When times were good groups could swell to over one hundred people but during drought times groups might dwindle to family units of less than 10 people.