Namibia

With over 300 days of sunshine, Namibia is a good destination all year round, with fewer extreme seasonal changes than other parts of southern Africa. It has a semi-desert climate, with warm days and cold nights. It is home to the last of the desert elephants, black rhinos, and the few remaining lions adapted to life in the desert.

An adventurous and photographic paradise, this country offers a wealth of interests.
We present just some of the most famous parks of this country that we visit on our specially created self-drive safari adventures.

The Skeleton Coast is the place where the Atlantic Ocean meets the dunes of the Namib Desert. Stretching along the northwest coast of the country, this unique place is characterized by huge dunes, shipwrecks, and 120 rugged desert landscapes that meet the cold waters of the Atlantic. The name ‘Skeleton Coast’ derives from the numerous shipwrecks scattered along the coast, which adds to its mysterious atmosphere. Cape Cross is one of the largest seal colonies in the world.

Sossusvlei, also known as Sosus Vlei, is a vessel of salt and clay surrounded by towering red dunes in the southern part of the Namib Desert, within the Namib-Naukluft National Park in Namibia. The name ‘Sossusvlei’ is often used to refer to a wider area, including other nearby vlei such as Deadvlei and other tall dunes. These sights are one of the main attractions for visitors to Namibia.

The oldest desert in the world, the Namib, covers a fifth of the country’s land area and is over 80 million years old.

Damaraland, a mountainous region, an icon of Namibia, is home to many wildlife adapted to the desert environment, such as elephants, rhinos, zebras and lions, which manage to survive in this almost hostile environment.

An unavoidable attraction is the picturesque Brandberg, Namibia’s highest mountain, which preserves thousands of years old ancient hand-painted paintings on the rocks.

The rocky outcrops of Twyfelfontein abound in exquisite artistic drawings of the San tribe, they are considered one of the best-preserved hand-carved paintings on the continent. A visit to the Petrified Forest, which dates back millions of years, experiences an impressive landscape with gigantic fossilized trees.

The Hoanib River, The Hoanib is one of the 12 seasonal rivers in western Namibia, formerly the border between northern Damaraland and Kaokoland. With a length of 27 kilometers, this area has a low population density, an oasis in a river valley and a high population of wildlife such as Hoarusiba, making it one of the last true wilderness areas in Namibia. This is one of the few habitats of desert elephants, with characteristic high rocks made of eroded stone (up to 10 m in height). Matimba has chosen this area for wild camping, where we will spend 4 days on our tours, with our own chef and sleeping in tents placed on our jeeps.

Fish River Canyon is located in the south and is the largest canyon in Africa. This impressive natural formation is one of the most visited and popular destinations in Namibia. It stretches over 160 km in length with a width that reaches up to 27 km and a depth that in some places reaches 550 m.

Etosha, the pearl of Namibia when it comes to safari and wildlife. Etosha Pan is a large salt pan, which forms part of the Cuvelai-Etosha basin in northern Namibia. It is a huge cavity in the ground where water can collect or where a salt deposit remains after the water evaporates. The 120-kilometer-long dry lakebed and its surroundings are protected as Etosha National Park, Namibia’s second-largest wildlife park, covering 22,270 square kilometers. The pan is mostly dry, but after heavy rains it is flooded with a thin layer of water, which is heavily salted with mineral deposits on the surface.

There are also many private reserves where safaris are led with local guides in open vehicles, who use their private properties for off-road driving.
Some of the best are Erindi Game Reserve, Okonjima Reserve, Waterberg.
On our travels, we always end the tour in one of them. We leave the best safari experiences for last with a dose of luxury that these reserves and accommodations provide.