10-Day safari Tour and Top Attractions Visit in Namibia

Etosha National Park

Etosha National Park is home  to 114 large and small mammal species, more than 400 recorded bird species, scores of reptiles and even a fish species. Etosha is the  country’s flagship  park.  The size of the  park  has  been reduced considerably since it was first proclaimed in 1907, but it still remains larger than several European countries.

The Oshindonga name for the pan was Etotha, meaning ‘the place where no plants grow’, but early European traders, unable to pronounce the name, called it ‘Etosha’. The pan was once part of the massive Lake Kunene fed by the Kunene River, which at some time in the distant past dried up, leaving the current pan system. Newly excavated fossils belonging to marsh-dwelling antelopes such  as sitatunga, lechwe and tsessebe, and a 90- cm long catfish, are testament to much wetter periods.

Etosha has a proud record of black-rhino conservation, and white rhino were recently re-introduced. The park has also played a major role in the recovery of the endemic black- faced impala. The Etosha Ecological Research Institute attracts scientists from around the world.

Etosha’s waterholes are famous among international tourists for spectacular game viewing and at the Okaukuejo waterhole at night it is possible to see  black rhino, lion and elephant.

Park size: 22 935 km²

Natural features: The park is dominated by an expansive salt pan and several smaller pans. Scenic waterholes have abundant game. The veld is flat and open, with the only hills around Halali Rest Camp and in the extreme west of the park.

Vegetation: Lakes  and Salt Pans, Nama  Karoo and Tree and Shrub Savannah biomes.Vegetation type: Karstveld Pans, Western Kalahari, Mopane Shrubland, Etosha Grass and Dwarf Shrubland, North-Eastern Kalahari Woodlands, Western Highlands, Cuvelai Drainage. African moringa tree (Moringa ovalifolia) at Fairytale Forest, water-thorn (Acacia nebrownii),  Trumpet- thorn  (Catophractes alexandri), Mopane (Colophospermum mopane), Purple-pod terminalia (Terminalia prunoides).

Wildlife: Elephant, Black and White Rhino, Black-faced Impala,  Lion, Giraffe, Leopard, Eland, Burchell’s Zebra, Springbok, Blue Wildebeest, Oryx, Damara dik-dik. The 407 bird species recorded include Woolly-necked Stork, Lappet-faced Vulture, Hartlaub’s Spurfowl, Carp’s Tit, White-tailed Shrike, Ruppell’s Parrot, Meyer’s Parrot.

Namib-Naukluft National Park

The Naukluft section was  created to serve as  a sanctuary for Hartmann zebra, which are endemic to Namibia. The amalgamation of these two parks with state land was proclaimed as the Namib-Naukluft Park in 1979. The most significant change in boundaries occurred in 1986 when the old Diamond Area number 2 and a portion of Diamond Area number 1 were incorporated into the park.

Namibia’s largest conservation area contains some of the country’s most  iconic attractions: towering sand dunes at Sossusvlei, the imposing canyon at Sesriem, forgotten shipwrecks and ghost towns  along the icy Atlantic coast, stark inselbergs and mountain ranges, and lichen-encrusted gravel  plains.

Evidence of Stone Age life in the  Kuiseb  River dates back to 200 000 years. Other archaeological finds indicate that  the area was used by semi-nomadic communities when rain provided enough grazing for animals. The Topnaar people still  live along the Kuiseb River inside the park and were guaranteed rights of residence by Queen Victoria more than a century ago.

In the park, Sandwich Harbour thrived as a harbour and guano collection station, while several settlements were established along the coast after the discovery of diamonds in 1908.

Shipwrecks to be found along the coast include the Otavi at Spencer Bay, the Eduard Bohlen at Conception and the Eagle at Sandwich Harbour.

Much research on the desert environment has been conducted in the Namib-Naukluft Park, due to the establishment of the Gobabeb Training and Research Centre on the banks of the Kuiseb River.

Natural features: Sand dunes, Sesriem Canyon, gravel plains, Naukluft  Mountains and inselbergs in the north, ephemeral rivers.

Vegetation: Namib Desert, Succulent Karoo and Nama  Karoo biomes. Vegetation types: Southern Desert, Central Desert,Desert/Dwarf Shrub Transition, Central-Western Escarpment and Inselbergs, Succulent Steppe, Dwarf Shrub  Savannah. Welwitschia (Welwitschia mirabilis), camel-thorn (Acacia erioloba), shepherd’s tree (Boscia albitrunca), lichens and Commiphora spp.

Wildlife: Oryx, Hartmann zebra, Giraffe, Springbok, Brown hyaena, Leopard, Baboon. The 348 bird species recorded include Lappet-faced Vulture, Ludwig’s Bustard, Rüppell’s Korhaan, Dune Lark, Herero Chat and African Black Oystercatcher.

Cape Cross Seal Reserve

The Portuguese navigator, Diego Cão,  landed here in 1486 on his second expedition south of the equator and planted a stone cross (padrão) to mark his journey.

A replica is visible here today. Inclusive of a second replica, the area has been listed as a National Heritage Site. In the late 1800s, thousands of tons of guano (dried excrement of fish-eating birds used as fertiliser) were collected and exported to Europe. Cape fur seals were also harvested. About 100 workers lived at Cape Cross and a police station, customs and  post office were established  at the settlement, while a railway (the first in the  country) was built to cross the salt pan and transport workers. Many men lost their lives due to the harsh conditions at Cape Cross.

This reserve is a sanctuary for the world’s largest breeding colony of Cape fur seals, with up to 210 000 seals present during the breeding season in November and December. Sustainable seal harvesting takes place in the reserve annually under the auspices of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, which also sets the quota of seals to be harvested.

Park size: 60 km²

Proclamation: 1968

Natural features: Rocky bay, sandy beaches, salt  pan

Vegetation: Central Desert in the Namib Desert Biome. Vegetation:Sparsely vegetated, with dollar  (Zygophyllum stapfii) and pencil bushes (Arthraerua leubnitziae) dominating. A variety of lichens occur in the park.

Wildlife: Brown hyaena, Cape fur seal, Black-backed Jackal at the Guano platforms, Greater and Lesser Flamingo,Grey Phalarope, Damara Tern, Cape Teal, Caspian Tern, Black-necked Grebe and African Black Oystercatcher.

Windhoek

Windhoek, capital of Namibia, lies at an altitude of 1,665 m (5,460 f) in a beautiful valley, bordered by the Eros Mountains in the north, and the Auas Mountains in the south.

In town, worth of visiting: „Tintenpalast” („Ink Palace”), which houses Namibia’s parliament, the Christuskirche (Christ Church, 1896) of the Lutheran parish, the „Reiterdenkmal” (1912) and the „Alte Feste” (Old Fort); former headquarters of the Schutztruppe and today National Museum of Namibia.

Windhoek combines the modern architectural style with that of the German colonial era. In September, city is an organizer of /Ae/Games Festival, cultural event and a street party. Thousands music and dance lovers, traditional performers and viewers arrive in Windhoek.

Windhoek is considered to be the cleanest capital city in Africa! It also belongs to a group of the highest situated capitals of the World.