Namibië’s Pracht: Van Fish River Canyon tot Etosha

About the destination: Johannesburg is the port of entry for the majority of tourists visiting South Africa and its largest city. First time visitors may also not be aware that Johannesburg and Pretoria are only 60km from each other, but the two cities are worlds apart, and the contrast is fascinating. South Africa's largest city is cosmopolitan, quirky and vibrant with glorious weather and friendly people. One of Johannesburg endearing characteristics is that it is a truly international and very cosmopolitan place. Johannesburg is unapologetically and unmistakably African with enough First World infrastructure to make for comfortable tourism. Newtown and the Market Theatre area are the city's cultural precinct. Braamfontein, the university area, has a great Saturday market, lively night life, is very artsy. Don’t miss the stunning Apartheid Museum. The most well-known and celebrated of South Africa's townships is Soweto, the sprawling mix of shanty town and formal housing estates that lies approximately 30km outside of Johannesburg in Gauteng. Johannesburg offers lots of interesting and often quirky things to do, be willing to scratch beneath the surface and you'll find enough to happily occupy a few days and provide excellent context to help you understand the turbulent history that has made South Africa what it is today.

About the destination: Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area. Windhoek is the social, economic, political, and cultural centre of the country. Nearly every Namibian national enterprise, governmental body, educational and cultural institution is headquartered there. MAIN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS • Parliament of Namibia. • National Gallery of Namibia • Christuskirche

About the destination: Mariental is a city in central Namibia, which is on route B1 and the Tran-Namib Railway from Windoek to Keetmanshoop. It is the administrative capital of the Hardap Region in an area that has long been a center of the Nama people. It is near Hardap Dam, the largest lake in the nation.

About the destination: The Fish River Canyon is located in the south of Namibia. It is the largest canyon in Africa, as well as the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia. The Fish River is the longest interior river in Namibia. The river flows intermittently, usually flooding in late summer; the rest of the year it becomes a chain of long narrow pools. At the lower end of the Fish River Canyon, the hot springs resort of Ai-Ais is situated.

About the destination: Aus is a settlement in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It lies on a railway line and the B4 national road, 230 km west of Keetmanshoop and about 125 km east of Lüderitz and belongs to the ǃNamiǂNûs electoral constituency. Trains from Keetmanshoop now terminate at the village but formerly continued on to Lüderitz. The settlement is small but has a number of amenities including a hotel, police station, shop and garage. It is located in the Aus Mountains above the plains of the Namib Desert. The climate is usually hot and arid but snow has been recorded in winter in 1963. The village was formerly the site of a prisoner-of-war camp established by the South African army in 1915 to house German inmates captured during the First World War. The inmates initially lived in tents but later built brick houses. The number of prisoners reached 1500 but by May 1919 the last inmates left and the camp closed. A plaque marks the site today and some of the houses have been reconstructed. The area west of Aus is noted for its herd of feral horses living in the desert. Their origin is uncertain but today there is a population of between 150 and 200 individuals which have adapted to the harsh environment. They urinate less than domestic horses and can go five days without water. They drink at an artificial water hole at Garub Pan where a blind has been erected to enable tourists to watch the animals without disturbing them.

About the destination: Sossusvlei is a salt flat in the central Namib desert, which is within the Namib-Naukluft National Park. Fed by the Tsauchab River, it is known for the high red sand dunes that surround it, forming an important sea of ​​sand (erg). Dead Vlei and Hidden Vlei are close to Sossusvlei.

About the destination: Palm-lined streets, seaside promenades, fine accommodation, a pleasant summer climate and decent beaches. Welcome to Swakopmund - Namibia's premier holiday resort! During the summer holidays and long weekends, thousands of Namibians flock to the coast, and this human migration happens for a number of reasons; Swakopmund has a real holiday feel to it and everyone wants to be there; during the December holidays, the cool Namibian coast offers relief from the intense heat of the interior; and more importantly as far as the tourist is concerned in these modern times, Swakop has changed, and has become the countries leading adrenaline destination, with a wide range of activities to suit all ages and (most) egos. The area of Namib Desert around Swakopmund is named the West Coast Recreational Area. And recreation is the towns number one draw card. There are countless pursuits to help you spend your time, and money. For those interested in adventure activities Swakopmund offers sandboarding, quad biking, dune carting, parachuting, hot air ballooning, shark fishing, deep sea fishing and beach angling to name but a few. For the more sedentary there are restaurants, cafes, art galleries, the Swakopmund Museum, a snake park and aquarium. If danger isn't your middle name, then the architecture and general feeling of Swakopmund might be more to your liking. This town has the ambiance associated with a small German village, and the town seems to be stuck in time. (Less for those who care to jump out of perfectly serviceable aircraft shouting 'Geronimo' before it lands safely.) Although in recent times the new generation have woken up to the tourist potential of the area, Swakopmund still manages to create a feeling of timelessness. Buildings and monuments of note in Swakopmund include the Hohenzollern Building, the Marine memorial, the War memorial in memory of those killed in World War 2, Princess Rupprecht House originally a military hospital now a private guest house.The Kaserne buildings originally served as a barracks and is of a similar design to the Alte Feste in Windhoek and Fort Namutoni in Etosha. The old Swakopmund Prison is still fully operational and provides budget accommodation for the criminal fraternity of the Namibian coast. The Swakopmund Railway station was completed in 1901 and now houses the Swakopmund Hotel, while the bells of the Deutsche Evangelical Church were imported from Germany. Standing close to the State House (Kaiserliches Bezirksgericht) is the Swakop Lighthouse at just over 20 meters it has been functional since 1902. The main beach area is called the Mole, and is the result of a largely unsuccessful attempt to construct the artificial harbour (as South Africa owned the only natural harbour in the area at Walvis Bay). The towns most iconic symbol is the Swakopmund jetty, initially used as mooring for ships it later became a popular are for anglers and walkers, it has fallen into disrepair on numerous occasions and has been subject to several attempts to rescue it from complete dereliction. Recently large scale work has been completed on the jetty which now proudly boasts a small restaurant and bar area. True to its German traditions early mornings and evenings in Swakopmund can be cold throughout the year, as the cold Atlantic Ocean meeting the Namib Desert creates a fog bank. This coolness is often a relief from the heat of the rest of Namibia, but does mean that Swakopmund is not the tropical sunbathing mecca that most people imagine. There is a great variety of accommodation in Swakopmund which cater for all tastes and budgets. It should be noted that these establishments will definitely need to be booked in advance especially if you are travelling in the busy December holidays. For day trippers a visit to the Cape Cross Seal Colony is worth a visit as it offers a taste of the Skeleton Coast and the seals are worth a visit. The Welwitschia drive is an interesting way to spend a few hours and introduces you to some of the fauna and flora of the Namib Desert. Bird lovers can pay a visit to the Swakopmund Salt Works or the Walvis Bay Lagoon, which in season is frequented by thousands of flamingos.

About the destination: Palmwag is a nature reserve in northern Namibia. It is located in the Kunene region, in northwestern Damaraland, halfway between Swakopmund and the Etosha National Park. It covers an area of 400,000 hectares. An interesting tree species that are being found there palm tree hyphaena pertesiana. Wildlife species in Palmwag include leopard, lion, cheetah, mountain zebra, Angolan giraffe, springbok, kudu, and African bush elephans. The reserve also has the largest population of south-western black rhinos in Africa; a local organization called Save the Rhino Trust protects them. Palmwag is also a tourist attraction. The main accommodations in the reserve are the "Palmwag Lodge" and the "Palmwag Rhino Campo", a mobile tented camp managed by Rhino Trust which is intended to provide a base for rhino watching.

About the destination: Etosha National Park is the 2nd largest of Namibia's game. It spans 20,000km² in Northern Namibia. The park surrounds the Etosha salt pan, which attracts animals, particularly in the drier winter months, because it is a source of water in a very dry land. Wildlife that can be seen here include: Rhinos, Lions, Zebra, Giraffes, Gemsbok, Springbok, Wildebeest, Elephants, and Jackals. At all three rest camps, there is are watering holes just outside the perimeter fence. At night they are lit with flood lights and visitors can sit and watch as the animals come down to drink, flirt and occasionally fight well into the night. They are ideal places to wander down to with a sundowner after getting back from a day’s game spotting. Visitors are not allowed out of the rest camps after sunset so the waters holes can provide the opportunity to continue watching the animals after dark.

About the destination: Waterberg Plateau Park is a national park in central Namibia on the Waterberg Plateau, 68 kilometres (42 mi) south-east of Otjiwarongo. The plateau and the national park are named after the prominent table mountain that rises from the plateau, the Waterberg (Afrikaans: Water Mountain).

About the destination: Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area. Windhoek is the social, economic, political, and cultural centre of the country. Nearly every Namibian national enterprise, governmental body, educational and cultural institution is headquartered there. MAIN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS • Parliament of Namibia. • National Gallery of Namibia • Christuskirche