NAMIBIA

As the rays of the rising sun transform the sand dunes to a glorious deep red, flocks of flamingoes take to the sky in a blur of pink and the myriad calls of wild animals break the quiet of an African morning, Namibia wakes up to a new day .
Despite its transition into the modern world of cell phones, satellites and skyscrapers, Namibia has retained its ancient character and traditions and its multi-ethnic tribal culture. A young nation that has made all the right moves to preserve and protect its environment, Namibia has vast open spaces with spectacular natural wonders like the unusual coastal Namib Desert, the deep bowl of Etosha, abundant wildlife and the stunning grandeur of the Fish River Canyon, idyllic Bavarian style villages in an African ambience and the mysteriously eerie Skeleton Coast where hot African and cold Arctic temperatures marry to lure ships to an untimely end.

Namibia’s contrasting landscapes hide awesome phenomena such as the world’s largest underground lake aptly named Dragon’s Breath; the Hoba Meteorite, the largest chunk of extraterrestrial rock to be found on earth; the tallest dunes of red sand at Sossusvlei where wind patterns seem to be frozen for eternity and the hospitable Namib Desert that strangely sustains elephants, lions, giraffes and rhinos, as well as the oldest living fossil tree on earth, the WelwitschiaMirablis. Such unusual enchantments coupled with abundant sunshine, political and economic stability and a well-developed tourism infrastructure attracts tourists from across the globe.

Capital: Windhoek

Best time to visit:

  1. Though often regarded as a year-round destination, the best time to visit most areas of Namibia is between April to October.
  2. Marking the end of the wet summer season, the months of April and May are the harbingers of the cool and dry winter months in Namibia, and are a good time to visit as the landscape remains lush from the prior rains and the air begins to become more pleasant and calm.
  3. The peak season though is between end May to October. Being the winter months, temperatures start to fall, dropping to freezing point on some nights in parts of the desert areas.
  4. Most of Namibia is best avoided during its wet season, between December to March. Though the region receives relatively lesser rainfall than its surrounding countries, these months tend to be off-peak season, as the thunderstorms restrict movement around the region and most national parks too may shut down, owing to the poor game viewing during this period.
  5. If visiting Namibia during the summer months, between November to March it may be better to travel to the coastal areas, namely the Skeleton Coast and The Namib.
  6. While the climate in Namibia during these months is generally warm and humid, with expected rainfall especially during the months of January and February, these coastal areas tend to be relatively cooler and may offer a good respite from the heat of the inland areas.

Minimum days required: 5 days

Places of Interest:

  1. Etosha National park
  2. Fish River Canyon
  3. Sossusvlei
  4. DaanViljoen Game Reserve
  5. Zambezi Region
  6. Shark Island
  7. AlteFeste

Climate:

  1. Even though a large part of the landmass of Namibia lies in the tropics, the country actually experiences an archetypal desert type climate with hot, dry days and cooler nights. Most of the country is classified as arid, semi arid or desert and only 8% of the entire country receives plenty of rain.
  2.  Rainfall is minimal and erratic in most parts like the coastal Namib Desert, which receives an annual precipitation of 51mm, the inland areas receive 152mm of rainfall but the sub-humid region receives over 500mm of annual rainfall. Between end October and early April, the country gets rain on clouds borne by the northeast winds.
  3. The extremely unpredictable rainfall ensures high temperatures throughout the year. Summer and winter temperatures see a great deal of variation with average mean temperatures in the range of 35°- 42°C across the country except for slightly cooler areas like the highlands and the coastal plain.
  4. In the Okavango and the Kalahari basin temperatures soar up to 40.8° to 47.8°C respectively while Walvis Bay, Windhoek and the Central highlands are a wee bit cooler at 35° -36°C.
  5. The Kalahari basin, Okavango, Caprivi and the Orange River trough are the hottest parts of Namibia. October is the warmest month in northern Namibia, December in the highlands and January along the coast and in the south.
  6. July is the coldest month for the large part of the country while August is the coolest month along the coast. In the winters, night temperatures can fall as low as -5°C.

Currency: Namibian Dollar

Things to carry:

  1. First aid kit packed with essential medication, sunscreen and sun block creams with high SPF, lip salves and balms, insect and mosquito repellents are the imperatives on the list of items to pack in.
  2. Clothing requirements are met by light, loose-fitting cotton or natural fiber clothes for the better part of the year but as night temperatures tend to be lower in the open desert, so woolens garments are necessary.
  3. Binoculars, cameras, sunshades, swimming togs and good comfortable shoes are the other things to carry along.

How to get there:

Air

  1. Namibia has two international airports – the Hosea Kutako International airport, 42 km from the capital, Windhoek and the less used airport at Walvis Bay. Windhoek also has a smaller airport, the Eros Airport that is the operational base of the national carrier, Air Namibia.
  2. International and regional flights connect Windhoek International Airport to the premier European cities as well as to destinations in Africa.