A diversity of treasures

From the towering dunes of Sossusvlei to the sheer beauty of the Skeleton Coast, Sarah-Jane Phelps explores Namibia...

A diversity of treasures

Just back from a two week tour of Namibia – what a fantastic country – so diverse and unique. Namibia is still fairly new to tourism and yet the road infrastructure is excellent, making self drive itineraries very easy, especially as they drive on the same side of the road as we do. It is easy to cover the various parts of the country either by road (most drives from one place to the other are about 6 hours) or by air in the small 5/6 or 12 seater planes. Although some have strict luggage limits of 12kgs which has to be borne in mind.

My first impression of the country was how vast and sparsely populated it is… you can drive for miles without seeing another vehicle. The terrain varies from place to place but initially it is the desert you remember.

Highlights for me were the spectacular red sand dunes of Sossusvlei, viewing the desert elephants and desert rhinos in Damaraland and best of all the wilderness experience of the Skeleton Coast. Unfortunately Etosha, where we should have seen plenty of game, was raining and the animals had no need of the usual waterholes – preferring to stay hidden in the bush – so this was a little disappointing and highlights the importance of going to this area at the best time of year between May and October.

The Skeleton Coast – a landscape of coastal dunes, canyons, desert plains and mountain ranges - was the most amazing experience. It is one of the most inhospitable landscapes in the world, almost uninhabited, severely short of water and yet we managed to see five lions walking along a dry river bed! They had somehow successfully adapted to this desert environment.

I would recommend Namibia as a truly wilderness experience. It should not be sold as a safari destination but you may be privileged enough to see these fascinating desert animals that survive in such a fragile environment.