10. Kolmanskop
Kolmanskop, a few kilometers inland from the port town of Lüderitz is an abandoned town in the Namib Desert. In 1908, when a diamond was found here, lots of German settled in this area. With the enormous wealth of the first diamond miners, the residents built Kolmanskop in the architectural style of a German town, with amenities and institutions including a hospital, school, ballroom, casino as well as the first tram in whole Africa. As the diamond-field slowly exhausted, the town declined. In 1954, it was ultimately abandoned. The desert’s forces mean that tourists now walk through houses knee-deep in sand.
9. Twyfelfontein
Situated in north-western Namibia, Twyfelfontein preserves one of the largest concentrations of rock engravings in Africa. Over 6,000 years ago by ancient Bushmen, most of the carvings were created. The carvings were made by cutting through the hard surface layer of sandstone. It represents animals such as rhinoceroses, elephants, ostriches and giraffes as well as depictions of human and animal footprints quite similar to the cave man. It is one of the best tourist attractions in Namibia.
8. Skeleton Coast
Located on the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean coast of Namibia, the Skeleton Coast is quite infamous for dense fogs, mighty storms and violent surf. These caused many ships in the past to run aground along the Skeleton Coast, and the desolate coastline has become familiar as the world’s biggest ship graveyard.
Those who were shipwrecked and managed to swim through the heavy surf and reach the coast were not still safe. They had to face the waterless, hostile coastal desert. Dominated by high sand dunes, the coast north of Terrace Bay is the most attractive stretch of the Skeleton Coast.
7. Caprivi Strip
The Caprivi Strip is a narrow strip of land between Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana on the south and to the west is Namibia’s Okavango Region. The Caprivi is the wettest region in Namibia. It is one of the high rainfall area and a land of some major rivers like the Okavango, Kwando and Zambezi.
For The abundance of water, there are a large variety of animals, including a large population of elephants. There have four reserves to protect the wildlife. The animals can roam freely across the borders of the neighboring countries and it is one of the best tourist attractions in Namibia.
6. Spitzkoppe
The Spitzkoppe is a group of bald granite peaks in the Namib Desert. It is often called the “Matterhorn of Namibia”. The height of the highest peak is about 700 meter (2,300 ft) above the flat desert floor. More than 100 million years ago, by the collapse of a gigantic volcano, the granite massif was created and the subsequent erosion exposed the volcanic rock. Many bizarre rock formations and several San (Bushman) paintings are found in various places.
5. Swakopmund
Swakopmund is the biggest coastal town in Namibia. It is a popular beach resort for tourists as well as locals. Beautiful old German Colonial buildings are the testimony of the city’s German origins. It makes a stark contrast with the Namib Desert at the edge of town. The sand dunes at close distance provide several activities such as sand boarding, horse riding and quad biking while the beaches provide plenty of surf and sand.
4. Cape Cross
Located 120km north of Swakopmund, Cape Cross is home to one of the largest colonies of Cape Fur Seals in the world. In order to protect the biggest and best known of the 23 colonies of Cape Fur Seals which breed along the coast of South Africa and Namibia, the surrounding area was proclaimed a reserve in 1968. Around 150,000 seals gather at Cape Cross during the November / December breeding season. The name mentions to the large stone cross erected here by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century.
3. Sossusvlei
Situated in the Namib Desert, Sossusvlei is an enormous clay pan surrounded by huge, red sand dunes. It is one of the top tourist spots in Namibia. Through the desert, the Tsauchab River flows. Its rare flooding waters the vegetation that survives in the clay soil. The colors of the sand dunes are constantly changing during sunrise and sunset and provide a rare opportunity for some unbelievable photography. The mighty desert winds constantly alter the shape and texture of the dunes, providing an ever-changing desert landscape.
2. Fish River Canyon
The Fish River Canyon in southern Namibia is the second largest canyon in the world only the Grand Canyon in Arizona. It is absolutely breathtaking in its enormity. The canyon boasts a gigantic ravine, in total about 160km (100 miles) long, up to 27 km wide and in some places almost 550 meters deep. The fish river only contains a small amount of running water as it is being dammed.
1. Etosha National Park
The Etosha National Park is centered on the vast Etosha salt pan. The pan itself is usually dry and only fills with water briefly in the summer. Anyway it’s enough to stimulate the growth of a blue-green algae which lures thousands of flamingos. You can find most of the wildlife, including herds of zebra, wildebeest and antelope, can be seen around the waterholes that border the pan. Etosha is served by three well established rest camps and offers a great self-drive safari experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment