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Namibia> Places to visit in Namibia |
The Namib Naukluft Park is one of the largest national parks in Africa, covering much of the central Namib Desert and the Naukluft Mountains. It is home to some of the rarest and weirdest plant and animal species in the world, including the Welwitschia Mirabilis, large lichen fields and Hartmann's Mountain Zebra. The park's main attractions are Sossusvlei, Sandwich Harbour and the Naukluft hiking and four wheel drive trails.
The park is a combination of the Namib Desert Park and the Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park as well as sections of the Diamond Area the area of the park is just under 50 000 square kilometers.
Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert is the one attraction that should not be missed while you are in Namibia, the dunes are amazing and even though this is a popular tourist destination it is still easy to gain a sense of solitude while climbing one of the dunes or walking to dead or hidden vlei.
The Namib Desert section of the Namib-Naukluft park includes the Swakop and Kuiseb River canyons. For people wanting to experience a sense of Namibia's vastness a few nights at one of the camp site at Kuiseb Bridge, Homeb, Mirabib, Bloedkoppie, Ganab, Vogelfederberg or Kriess-se-Rus should prove to be very exhilarating. All of these camp sites offer very basic facilities, and as they do not have receptions or shops (or even game wardens) they must be booked in advance.
On the coast Sandwich Harbour is a paradise for ornithologists and nature lovers visiting Namibia. The lagoon is fed by fresh water and is a sanctuary for large numbers of coastal birds. Sandwich Harbour is only accessible by four wheel drive vehicles due to the large Namib Desert sand-dunes that meet the Atlantic Ocean. Angling is not permitted from January 25 to April 15, camping is not permitted in the area.
Visitors to Swakopmund should take time to visit the Welwitschia trail. This drive through the Namib Desert takes a few hours and visits the Moon Landscape the Welwitschia Plains and the Namib desert oasis of Goanikontes. The route has several numbered beacons which identify areas of particular interest, a map and brochure as well as permits to visit the area should be obtained from the MET office in Swakopmund.
The Naukluft section of the park was initially created as a sanctuary for the Hartmann's mountain zebra. The mountainous area is extremely beautiful as well as having an interesting history. The Naukluft Mountains were the base of Hendrik Witbooi, an important player in the history of Namibia, who terrorized the German Colonizers from his well protected mountain strongholds. Hendrik is now fondly remembered and his portrait can be found on all the Namibian bank notes. (..more)
From the Kudusrus campsite there are several hiking trails and a four wheel drive trail. For the less energetic a short walk from the camp will bring you to several rock pools were you can spend many hours sunbathing and swimming in the tranquil environment. Watch out for the cheeky baboons who often sneak into camp and will rip open tents in search of food.
As the Kudusrus campsite is fairly small it is often hard to get bookings, if this is the case we recommend camping at Tsauchab River or staying in the accommodation at Zebra River Lodge for more lodges in this region visit our lodging section.