A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE NAMIBIA
TO SEE NATURE AT WORK ONE DOESNT COME TO NAMIBIA ONLY TO SOAK IN ITS DESERT AND ITS FANTASTIC LANDSCAPES BUT TO DISCOVER A LAND LIKE NO OTHER

Discovery

It is easy to understand why Namibia is one of the cradles of Humanity. The life is peaceful here and the environment, although quite dry, invites the traveller to go through the origins of time. Traces of our ancestors are visible here, in the caves of Twyfelfontein, and through the San culture, descendants of the first men which remained rich and intact. A meeting with the Himba people, in a decor of colour ochre and grass, also represents a unique experience. Abounding in natural treasures, the country offers a a wide range of landscapes conquering even the more sceptic visitor. From the ocean of sand dunes from the Namib desert to the Fish River Canyon and a flora among the most diverse of Africa, will surely fascinate the nature lovers and explorers during the safaris and amazing excursions. From the Colony of sea lions in the Cape Cross Seal Reserve to the herds of wildebeests crossing the National Etosha Park among the lions and the birds, Namibia is indeed a key destination to observe the wild life. Namibia is also a place of isolation where travellers appreciate to rest and find themselves contemplating landscapes with no human presence as far as the eye can see.

Identity

The presence of Man in Namibia goes back a long time ago. Traces of camping and bones indicate that the Homo erectus was hunting the ancestor of the elephant about 750,000 years ago. Following the development of a community of hunters-gatherers - the Boskop - men tried to settle in grottoes and caves in South Namibia around 8000 before JC, in particular in the caves of Twyfelfontein and Brandberg. The first inhabitants of Southern Africa seem to be San, ancestors of the Boskop, who knew how to adapt to the hard geographical conditions of these places. The San gradually turned into a sedentary population from the moment they mastered agriculture techniques and organised their community around the livestock enclosure. At the 16th century, the Herero, African population belonging to the Bantu linguistic group, settled in the North and the West of the country. Because of their big presence, they imposed themselves on the local tribes to enjoy the best crop and resources. The first Europeans set foot for the first time in Namibia in 1486 with the arrival of the Portuguese sailor Diogo Cao. But it is only from the 17th century that the Dutch sailors started to explore the deserted coast and go inland.

With the start of First World War, the British pushed the South-Africans to invade Namibia, forcing the Germans to leave the Southern African territory in 1915. The treaty of Versailles officialised the withdrawal of Germany from its colonies and Namibia passed under South-African administrative control. The South-African government strengthened thereafter its presence in the country and started to go beyond its administration rights by redistributing the country’s farmland, therefore going against the will of the United Nations. Recently made independent, Namibia is today very opened to the world and has developed the touristic infrastructures.

Culture & Traditions

HIMBA

The region of Kaokoveld located in the North west end of Namibia has remained untouched and only a few tracks cross this region. It is the kingdom of Himba, a nomadic group who live of farming and have the particular characteristic of applying an ochre coloured mixture on their skin to protect themselves from the sun.

SOSSUSVLEI

Sossusvlei and its ocean of sand dunes of more than 30,000 km2 represent a unique experience for the travellers. In the middle of one of the driest ecosystems of planet, you will be able to contemplate this landscape constantly evolving with the wind. The place with its dunes as high as 300 metres high reveals magnificent colour especially after dawn.

SKELETON COAST

This littoral, almost unreal where the desert is thrown directly in the ocean bears this lugubrious name because of many boats which ventured too near as of banks and were failed in sand. Their wrecks strewing the beaches take part in the character of this area which is one of most inhospitable in the world. However this area is to be seen at least once in its life, an incredible experiment.

THE DAMARALAND

The area of Damaraland is made up of high plateaus and a wild nature which profit from many sources and rivers which bead there. It is also a territory on which can still evolve together and freely of the animals like the zebras, the giraffes, the antelopes, elephants and rhinoceros, demanding almost the visitor to be melted in this universe panting the time of a safari. Incredible fact, it is the only place in the world where for unexplainable reasons of the elephants succeeded in adapting to the life in the desert.

Essential

Overall three seasons ago in Namibia: one hot period and dries from October to December, a hot period but wetter from January to April and a period a little colder but dries from May to September. The variations in temperatures are very important, being able to reach 40° in summer and to go down to 0° in winter.

10-15° WINTER / 35° SUMMER
THE Namibian Dollar
+1 WINTER
ENGLISH
WINDHOEK
THE OSHIFIMA

Form your trip

The stages

A travel in Namibia will bring you in the heart of the cradle of Humanity. You will have the possibility of carrying out incredible safaris where the diversity of fauna and flora will leave you without voice. It is a travel which one could describe as return to the sources so much the traces of the cultures ancestral and thousand-year-old are still present. Leave to the meeting the Himba people and their culture. In Namibia, all the landscapes are offered to you: sea with the desert via Fish To rivet Canyon, one of largest the canyon in the world, Namibia will offer a multiplicity of surprises to you.

PARK ETOSHA

Formed around Etosha Side, immense extended from desert salt of more than 5,000 km2 which are metamorphosed in not very deep lagoons at the rainy season, National Etosha Park is prided to be part of impressing and tempting nature reserves of planet. Destination impossible to circumvent of Namibia, savanna surrounding Etosha Side shelters a very heteroclite fauna with 114 species of mammals, 340 species of birds and 16 different species of reptiles and Amphibians. It is enough to stop its vehicle close to a water supply point and to wait a little to see arriving lions, elephants and other wild animals often per hundreds.

DAMARALAND

The area of Damaraland is made up of high plateaus and a wild nature which profit from the many sources and rivers which bead there. It is also a territory on which can still evolve together and freely of the animals like the zebras, the giraffes, the antelopes, elephants and rhinoceros, demanding almost the visitor to be melted in this universe panting the time of a safari.

 

DESERT OF THE NAMIB

Located in the south-west of Namibia, the desert of Namib is characterized by a great geological diversity made up by immense and quiet dunes, canyons and mounts limestones. This immense desert of more than 89,000 km2 which skirts the Atlantic Ocean until melting itself in the Kalahari Desert is regarded as the oldest desert of the world. It shelters the greatest private reserve of Southern Africa, NamibRand. In Sesriem, you will be able to discover the red dunes of Sossusvlei, which can reach up to 300 meters in height as well as immense a 40 depth meters canyon carved by the river on 3 km. You will be able to also discover Kuiseb Canyon which sheltered during the second world war the German geologist Henno Martin and his fellow-member Hermann Korn. In this hostile environment, survive of many reptiles, the rodents, the springboks, the hyenas as well as lions.

KALAHARI DESERT

Sands of Kalahari extend on Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia and Congo, is seven countries. The trees and rivers which feed the landscape are at the origin of natural huge parks where many wild animals live. Appointment with the Exchange Kalahari Range Reserve, which occupies 52,000 km2 of flat landscapes, to observe the Springbok, Oryx or the Hyena brown. Ground of hunting, the reserve was formerly inhabited by the tribe of the nomads San, so called Bushmen, whose lifestyle is disturbed, causing a real societal debate. It will be possible for you to leave to the meeting this tribe using an interpreter in order to learn some more on their culture and the challenges which expect them.

FISH RIVER CANYON

Borders of the South of Namibia release an undeniable feeling from size and insulation. Whatever the way that you survey to arrive there, the infinite deserts will carry you until Fish To rivet Canyon where you will be filled with wonder by this gigantic opening in the ground which constitutes one of the geological formations most poignant in the world with its airs of Grand Canyon. Single in Africa, Fish To rivet National Canyon Park is 160 km long and more than 27 km broad and is in fact made up of two overlapping canyons one in the other. A few kilometres from there you will be able to bathe in hot springs of Have-Board to benefit from their therapeutic virtues. The adventurers will be able to be mislaid until Gondwana Park Canyon which also lodge an abundant fauna and towards Noordoewer to enjoy outputs on the Orange river born in the south of the canyon.

SKELETON COAST

Wrapping nearly 2 million hectares of dunes and gravel, the North of the Namibian coast bears this lugubrious name because of many boats which ventured too much close to banks and were failed in sand. Their wrecks strewing the beaches take part in the character of this region which is one of most inhospitable in the world. The national park of Skeleton Coast is located at Ugabmund, a hundred kilometers north of Cape Cross-country race and gives sometimes the impression of the hell when the dense fog mixes with the whirling sand columns. Few visitors are authorized to penetrate up to that point not to damage this fragile ecosystem.

KAOKOVELD

The region of Kaokoveld, at the Western Northern end of Namibia, is a ground remained wild that only some sand tracks cross. It is the kingdom of Himba, populates wandering living breeding which has the characteristic to apply to their skin a mixture of ochre to the skin to protect itself from the sun. Fauna and the flora are not remains about it and succeeded in adapting to the painful conditions of the environment. The déserticole elephant, species in the process of disappearance, are more the good example.

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