In our expertise, Namibia is actually a one-of-a-kind nation. It’s unspoiled, untamed, and comparatively untouched by improvement.
It’s the kind of place the place the sand dunes are manner taller than the buildings, and the place happening a roadtrip means you in all probability gained’t see one other soul the complete day.
There are simply two million inhabitants in a territory that exceeds 300,000 sq. miles. It’s one of many world’s least populated international locations and as you wander across the nation, you’ll begin to see why.
Namibia is sort of solely lined by a few of the world’s largest deserts.
There’s the Namib, after which the nation takes its identify, which runs the complete size of the nation’s shoreline. And there’s the world-renowned Kalahari, which covers the Japanese half of the nation and extends into Botswana.
Individuals come to Namibia for its huge house, intensive wildlife, and dramatic surroundings. There are the ghost bushes of the Deadvlei, the huge Fish River Canyon, and the unimaginable animals roaming the Etosha Pan.
With 12 nationwide parks in Namibia, in addition to quite a few different nature reserves and guarded areas, there’s loads of pure magnificence to discover within the Southern African nation.
Learn on to study extra about our favourite Namibia Nationwide Parks, embrace data on every park’s measurement, historical past, foremost sights, and the wondrous wildlife you may count on to see there!
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Greatest Nationwide Parks in Namibia Information
(Organized Alphabetically)
- Ai|Ais/Richtervelds Transfrontier Park
- Bwabwata Nationwide Park
- Cape Cross Seal Reserve
- Etosha Nationwide Park
- Khaudum Nationwide Park
- Namib-Naukluft Nationwide Park
- Skeleton Coast Nationwide Park
1. Ai|Ais/Richtervelds Transfrontier Park
This Namibian nationwide park was created in 2003 by combining Ai|Ais, a nationwide park in Southern Namibia, and Richtervelds, a park throughout the border in South Africa.
Essentially the most notable characteristic within the park is the Fish River Canyon. That is Africa’s largest canyon at about 100 miles lengthy, as much as 18 miles extensive, and over 1500 toes deep.
Climbing the Fish River Canyon is considered one of Namibia’s nice adventures. Nevertheless it’s additionally one which shouldn’t be undertaken evenly: There’s actually nothing within the canyon, and the hike usually takes 4 to 5 days.
In the event you select to deal with it, please plan accordingly and be sure to have all the mandatory hiking essentials.
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2. Bwabwata Nationwide Park
One of many few locations in Namibia the place the panorama just isn’t dominated by desert, the Caprivi Strip is a slim strip of land heading eastwards in the direction of Zambia and Zimbabwe from “mainland” Namibia.
This area is much wetter and extra fertile in comparison with what you’ll see additional south, thanks largely to the proximity of the Okavango Delta and the Kwando River.
This nationwide park varieties a part of the migration route of Elephants shifting between Zambia, Botswana, and Angola.
And the Mahango Reserve, which is discovered inside the park, is broadly thought to be among the finest locations to see birds in all of Namibia.
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3. Cape Cross Seal Reserve
Cape Cross, a small headland not removed from the coastal metropolis of Swakopmund, is finest recognized for its historic and naturalistic significance.
When it comes to historical past, this was the place the place Portuguese explorer Diogo Cao first landed throughout his 1486 expedition making an attempt to find a passage to the East. He erected a small stone cross there, a reproduction of which stands to this present day.
The park can be residence to one of many largest Cape Fur Seal colonies on this planet, with a inhabitants that may exceed 500,000 at some instances.
The shores of Cape Cross are actually affected by seals lounging, sleeping, mating, dying, fishing, consuming… there are seals so far as the attention can see!
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4. Etosha Nationwide Park
If Namib-Naukluft is all in regards to the scenic landscapes, Etosha is the very best place to go in Namibia to see Africa’s “Large 5” safari animals. Effectively, it’s truly the Large 4, as Cape Buffaloes aren’t discovered within the park.
Etosha Nationwide Park takes its identify from the big salt pan that covers 1 / 4 of the park. It’s so giant that it could possibly truly be seen from house.
The identify means “Nice White Place” in Ovambo– the language of the biggest indigenous Namibian tribe– in clear reference to the pan.
It’s pretty straightforward to identify wildlife in Etosha as a result of the park solely has sparse shrubs and no vegetation in any respect in and across the pan.
Plus, the shortage of water implies that the animals usually collect across the watering holes to drink.
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5. Khaudum Nationwide Park
Warden Dries Alberts described this park as follows:
“Khaudum Nationwide Park was established with conservation in thoughts, not for money era. This easy guiding attribute gave delivery to the true wilderness really feel that embraces one’s soul when visiting the park. It’s wild, and we wish to hold it like that.”
That is Namibia’s most distant nationwide park and its true “forgotten wilderness.” It attracts lower than 3000 yearly guests, because of its distant location and relative lack of vacationer amenities.
Getting there may be half the enjoyable, with some poorly maintained tracks that ought to solely be tackled by assured drivers.
However once you lastly make it there, the park is a superb place to see wildlife, together with Lions, Cheetahs, Hyenas, Roan antelope and large Elephant herds.
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6. Namib-Naukluft Nationwide Park
At nearly 20,000 sq. miles, that is Namibia’s largest nationwide park, and one of many largest nationwide parks on this planet.
It features a part of the coastal Namib desert and the Naukluft, the dolomite-like rocky mountains that rise from the plains of central Namibia.
A lot of Namibia’s most iconic websites are positioned inside the boundaries of Namib-Naukluft Nationwide Park.
These embrace the placing purple dunes of Sossusvlei, (equivalent to Large Daddy, the best dune within the nationwide park at about 1000 ft excessive); the Deadvlei, with its skeleton bushes set towards the large purple dunes; and the well-known Dune 45, a surprising place to look at the dawn over the desert.
Be sure you additionally go to the Sesriem Canyon, a 98-foot deep canyon that’s ignored by most vacationers.
Each 10 years or so, the ephemeral Tsauchab River begins flowing, flooding elements of the Deadvlei and Sossusvlei space. In the event you can catch it, don’t miss the enormous mirrors this creates, which mirror the stellar dunes.
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7. Skeleton Coast Nationwide Park
Namibia might be the one nation on this planet with a shoreline that’s solely protected. The Northern Namibian coast varieties a part of the Skeleton Coast Nationwide Park, taking its identify from the shipwrecks that litter its shores.
That is considered one of Africa’s most treacherous coasts, with unpredictable currents and a dense sea mist coming in from the ocean.
This has brought about many an skilled captain to lose their bearings and run their ships aground there.
The Skeleton Coast stays one of the inaccessible locations on this planet, with no 4×4 sturdy sufficient to barter sandy tracks.
A fly-in safari is admittedly one of the simplest ways to go to it. –by Margherita Ragg, courtesy of Green Travel Media, featured picture of Elephants taking part in in Khaudum Nationwide Park Namibia by way of Canva
BIO: Margherita is a contract author from Milan, Italy. She is keen about wildlife, ecotourism, and outside journey actions. She runs the favored nature and journey journey weblog The Crowded Planet along with her husband Nick Burns, an Australian journey and wildlife photographer.
