One hundred percent African exoticism, a large number of sunny days a year, a very rich flora and fauna, unusual “lunar” landscapes, a wide selection of quality hotels, lodges and campsites and excellent conditions for outdoor activities – all this makes Namibia a popular tourist destination. Numerous guests of the country are not stopped even by hefty expenses for air travel.
Capital:
Windhoek (“windy corner”) with a population of about 200 thousand people, is located at an altitude of 1650 m above sea level.
Language:
The official language is English. Afrikaans, German, Herero and Ovambo are also common.
Territory of Namibia:
824.268 sq. km
Population:
1.6 million people.
The main tribes are: Herero, Ovambo, Nama, Damara, Himba, Bushmen, Caprivi, Tswana. About 75,000 whites (Afrikaners, Germans, British) live in Namibia.
Religion:
Predominantly Christian (Protestant). The rest are adherents of local beliefs.
Currency:
The national currency of Namibia is equal to the South African rand (ZAR), which is legal tender in the country. It is impossible to pay with other foreign currency in the country.
Geography:
Namibia is a country in southwestern Africa. In the north it borders on Angola and Zambia, in the east – on Botswana, in the southeast and south – on South Africa. From the west it is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The main part of Namibia is made up of highlands that occupy the center of the country. There is the highest point (Mount Königstein (Brandberg), 2606 m). From the west, the central plateau is bounded by the Namib Desert, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, from the south by the Orange River, from the east by 20 m and 21 m degrees east longitude and the Kalahari Desert. The Caprivi strip and the extreme north of the country are occupied by the jungle.
Climate of Namibia:
The climate is dry, typical of semi-deserts, where drought occurs regularly. During the day it is usually warm or very hot, at night it is cool. Seasons can be divided into summer (October – April) and winter (May – September). Summer is usually dry and hot, daytime temperature sometimes reaches +40 °C, and at night it drops sharply to +20 °C, and even to -1 °C in the desert. Winter is very mild, sunny with an average daytime temperature of +25 °C and a night temperature of +5 °C. Due to the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, a cool and dry climate prevails in coastal areas all year round. Short rains are possible in the summer from January to April, most often in the morning. There is no rain in winter.
The most successful period to visit the country is summer – from November to April.
Cuisine and restaurants:
For cooking meat dishes in Namibia, they use beef and lamb, as well as antelope, crocodile, ostrich, zebra and other game meat. In the interior of the country, the eggs of almost all bird species and some types of insects (ants, termites, etc.) are eaten.
Most restaurants serve both European cuisine and traditional African dishes cooked on fire or in a large bowl, externally pan-like. Restaurants specializing in the cuisine of various countries are widely represented – German, Arabic, Indian, etc.
The locals treat local beer with extraordinary trepidation, and every October they celebrate their own Octoberfest. Windhoek’s breweries export several popular beers such as Windhoek Lager, Tafel Lager, Windhoek Export, Windhoek Special and Windhoek Light and Das (Pilsner).
Alcohol is sold only in specialized stores. In some supermarkets you can sometimes buy beer and wine. You can buy alcohol on weekdays until 17:00, until 13:00 on Saturday, and on Sundays these shops are closed.
Entertainment, excursions and attractions in Namibia
Damaraland
a desolate and beautiful wilderness located southwest of Otchiwarongo. Local “must see”: rock paintings (4-2 thousand years BC), erosional forms Wingerklip, “Stone Forest” (a national reserve in which you can see trees petrified 300 million years ago), white rocks dotted with ancient petroglyphs -Lady. The Spitzkopp (1728 m) and Pondoks (1692 m) are ideal for mountaineering and trekking.
Lüderitz
a small port with many interesting German-style historic buildings built during the diamond rush. Today it is the largest center for lobster fishing and oyster farming. In the vicinity of the city, you can visit abandoned cities and diamond mines – Elizabeth Bay, Pomona, Bogenfels and the famous “ghost town” Kolmanskop.
Fish River Canyon
the second largest canyon in the world after the Colorado Canyon (160 km long, 27 km wide and 550 m deep). The best time of the year for hiking is the relatively cool period from May to September.
Grootfontein
a small town in the north of the country, founded by German settlers at the end of the 19th century. The main local attraction is the site of the fall of the world’s largest meteorite Hoba, which is excellently preserved. A meteorite weighing 50 tons fell here about 80 thousand years ago and was discovered in the twenties of the XX century.
10 reasons to go to Namibia
- The country of the eternal sun – 300 sunny days a year will provide you with maximum travel pleasure.
- Namibia is the second largest canyon after the United States – Fish River.
- The Namib Desert is the oldest desert 80 million years old with the highest dunes in the world, smoothly shimmering from pale yellow to fiery scarlet hues (Sossusvlei area in the Namib Nakluft National Park).
- You can visit the ghost town of Kolmanskop. Along with an excellent savannah safari, in addition to the famous “Big Five”, Namibia is home to the rarest and most unique species of animals (8 species) and about 30 species of rare monitor lizards and lizards.
- Namibia is an undeniable dream of any photographer.
- The largest population of cheetahs lives here.
- The brightest ethnographic and cultural diversity in Africa, ranging from European peoples to the indigenous tribes of Namibia.
- The clearest sky for stargazing and a ship graveyard in the desert.
- On a safari you will see herds of elephants numbering more than a hundred individuals.
- You can visit Namibia all year round, and its natural contrast will leave fabulous impressions forever.
