© Nova Fisher 2015
Our Namibian Journey
Our itinerary was as much a safari of landscapes as it was of the wildlife. Our group of 11 travelled in a combination of light aircraft and 4x4 vehicles to access some remote areas of the country, and best experience the geography and enormity of the landscapes. Our journey in Namibia presented us with some spectacular scenery. Every evening we had a ‘sundowner’ which usually involved a drive to some amazing viewpoint to watch the sunset with an evening drink. It was an amazing experience! Click on any image to view a larger version / slideshow
The Land and People
Water affects the very core of the country, shaping the dramatic variety of landscape and sustaining its living beings. It’s extraordinary that the animals and plants have adapted to such a dry climate, with some areas having no water for 10 or more years. The population is dependent on groundwater for their livelihood. More than 100,000 boreholes have been drilled in Namibia over the past century. Inhabited from an early age by the San, also known as the “Bushmen”, invaded by the Bantu, colonized by the Germans (who called it ‘South West Africa’) and taken over by South Africa after WWI, Namibia finally gained independence in March 1990. Namibia is the 34 th largest country in the world (3 times the size of the UK) yet has only a population of 2.1 million people.
Etosha
- Etosha opened its gates to tourists for the first time in 1955 although it has existed as a protected area for more than a hundred years. It was proclaimed as a national park only in 1967. - Although Etosha is best known today as a spectacular refuge for an abundance of animals, it is also a part of the world that is providing critical evidence for the existence and evolution of ancestral animals. The rocks in the hills near Halali have revealed fossil life as old as 650 million years.Hoanib & Skeleton Coast
- This wasteland is a result of the Benguela current, dense fog and rough surf - the cause of many seamen’s doom. Famously, the Dunedin Star crashed here in 1942. When two rescue boats went to its aid, they sank as well. - It’s home to Namibia’s famous desert elephants that are known to surf sand dunes like snow-boarders. Other inhabitants include the black rhino, lion, cheetah, giraffe, oryx, zebra and springbok. - Between the Hoanib and Kunene rivers, the northern part of the park is only accessible by light aircraft (per government regulations).The Namib Desert
- At 55 million years old, the Namib Desert is the oldest desert on Earth. Homo sapiens have only been on Earth for 200,000 years and the Sahara is only 6000 years old. - With just 8mm of rain a year, Pelican Point, at Wolvis Bay, is one of the driest places on earth. - Despite its dryness, some areas of the desert experience up to 120 days of fog every year. - Incredibly the desert is home to almost 3,500 species of plant, some believed to be over 1000 yrs old.
Namibia makes a big impression – it’s a vast arid land of remarkable diversity
with endless deserts, huge dunes, dramatic canyons, captivating scenery,
beautiful sunsets, lions roaming in the deserts, and it’s very sparsely populated.
Namibia, Zimbabwe & Botswana
