Namibia can be described almost exclusively in superlatives: largest, oldest, driest, richest, most. Are you looking for an African safari adventure in a land of surreal landscapes and growing wildlife populations with a culture of conservation?<\/p>\n
Consider Namibia, the second least densely populated sovereign country in the world. With a population of 2.6 million people living in an area about twice the size of California, the country has vast areas dominated by deserts and bushland. Only Mongolia and Denmark-administered Greenland are more sparsely populated.<\/p>\n
One of the most striking features of Namibia<\/a> is the Namib desert, the oldest desert in the world, estimated to have existed for well over 55 million years. The Namib is a coastal desert; some of the largest sand dunes in the world stretch along Namibia\u2019s western coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. They are the source of Namibia\u2019s name: the word namib<\/em> means \u201cthe place where there is nothing\u201d or \u201cvast place.\u201d<\/p>\n Due to their naturally shifting patterns, dune measurement is notoriously inaccurate. However, at 1,257 feet (383 meters), Dune 7 near Walvis Bay is the highest in Namibia and one of the highest in the world. At 1,066 feet (325 meters), the Big Daddy sand dune in Sossusvlei is smaller but far more famous and regularly climbed by tourists.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n (function(d,u,ac){var s=d.createElement(‘script’);s.type=’text\/javascript’;s.src=’https:\/\/a.omappapi.com\/app\/js\/api.min.js’;s.async=true;s.dataset.user=u;s.dataset.campaign=ac;d.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)[0].appendChild(s);})(document,123366,’jwruat7t8dw49ao5wczo’); The Namib desert is also home to uniquely adapted plants and animals, such as the welwitschia, with only two long, strap-like leaves, which can live for over 1000 years. The outer Namib desert is largely barren of vegetation; lichens and succulents are found in coastal areas, while grasses and shrubs grow on slopes and cliffs. Several types of trees, including multiple varieties of acacia, are able to survive the extremely arid climate.<\/p>\n On Nat Hab\u2019s Wild Namibia Photo Expedition<\/a>, guests visit the private 90,000-acre Kulala Wilderness Reserve at the edge of Namibia\u2019s great sand sea. Wildlife is sparsely distributed in this austere landscape, but you\u2019ll have a chance to capture photos of desert species, including oryx, ostrich, springbok, spotted and brown hyena, aardwolf and bat-eared fox. The rare dune lark\u2019s entire range is confined to this habitat. Explore the desert on short walks, safari drives, or an early-morning hot air balloon flight over the Namib desert dunes.<\/p>\n Beyond the desert, the superlatives continue: Fish River Canyon is 100 miles long, up to 16 miles wide and 1,804 feet deep; it is Africa\u2019s longest canyon and, after the Grand Canyon in the United States, the second largest in the world. The canyon offers breathtaking views and hiking opportunities for adventurous travelers.<\/p>\n Namibia\u2019s first\u00a0UNESCO World Heritage Site, Twyfelfontein<\/a>, has one of the largest known concentrations of rock engravings in Africa. Over 5,000 individual figures between 2,000 and 6,000 years old have been recorded there. Most of these well-preserved engravings represent rhinoceros, elephant, ostrich and giraffe, as well as human and animal footprints and motifs of human figures in red ochre. Objects excavated date from the Late Stone Age. The site forms an extensive, high-quality record of ritual practices relating to hunter-gatherer communities in this part of Southern Africa over at least 2,000 years, and clearly illustrates the connection between the ritual and economic practices of hunter-gatherers.<\/p>\n Namibia\u2019s landscapes also feature record-breaking water and wealth. Namibia is the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa and depends largely on groundwater. With an average rainfall of about 14 inches per year, the highest rainfall occurs in the Caprivi in the northeast (24 inches per year) and decreases in a westerly and southwesterly direction to as little as 2 inches and less per year at the coast.<\/p>\n Earth\u2019s largest (non-subglacial) underground lake is hidden beneath the Kalahari Desert in Dragon\u2019s Breath Cave in Namibia. The lake is located at least 330 feet (100 meters) below the surface. Superlatives continue underground, as Namibia also boasts the richest deposits of marine diamonds in the world. The Namibian coastal deserts are the largest source of diamonds on Earth, making Namibia the world’s largest producer of diamonds.<\/p>\n Namibia is a paradise for wildlife, and the superlatives continue: Namibia <\/strong>is home to<\/strong> the largest free-roaming population of black rhino<\/strong>ceros<\/strong> in Africa and the largest cheetah population in the world.<\/strong> Many endangered animal species can be found in Namibia: the African wild dog, the black and white rhino, the oribi and the much smaller puku.<\/p>\n Namibia is home to a striking array of wildlife, from the Big Five game mammals (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and buffalo) to ostriches and zebras roaming the gravel plains to penguins and seals chilling in Atlantic currents.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n (function(d,u,ac){var s=d.createElement(‘script’);s.type=’text\/javascript’;s.src=’https:\/\/a.omappapi.com\/app\/js\/api.min.js’;s.async=true;s.dataset.user=u;s.dataset.campaign=ac;d.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)[0].appendChild(s);})(document,123366,’vvmpurf8h5helfbsxxha’); The Namib-Naukluft National Park, the largest game park in Africa, supports populations of African bush elephants, mountain zebras, and other large mammals, including oryx, a graceful antelope that can survive without water for long periods.<\/p>\n Namibia\u2019s plankton-rich coastal waters support an extraordinary array of marine life, including an increasing number of southern right whales. Cape Cross Seal Reserve in Namibia is the world\u2019s largest breeding colony of Cape fur seals. During the breeding season in November and December, up to 210,000 seals can be found there.<\/p>\n The story of Namibia\u2019s wildlife is remarkably hopeful<\/a>. During the 1970s and 80s, a dramatic increase in poaching caused an equally dramatic decline in wildlife numbers. Drought and military occupation meant the prospects were bleak for the country\u2019s human inhabitants, too. Conservation and conservation travel are driving contributors to the increased success of both human and wildlife populations in Namibia.<\/p>\n Before independence, in the mid-1980s, a Namibian NGO and local leaders introduced an innovative community game guard system to curb poaching in northwest Namibia. The first community game guards were appointed by local headmen to help reverse wildlife declines.\u00a0The early game guard system was based on re-empowering local headmen who said they did not want to see wildlife disappear under the threats of drought and poaching.<\/p>\n John Kasaona\u2019s father was a farmer and poacher who became a game guard. He tells the story in Pride of Namibia: The Greatest Conservation Story Ever Told<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n
\n<\/p>\nWildlife in Namibia<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n<\/p>\nWildlife Conservation in Namibia<\/strong><\/h2>\n