Go, Namibia!

Namibia. This amazing African country is one of superlatives – it has the oldest desert in the world, the world’s oldest living plants, the highest sand dunes, a world-famous game reserve incorporating a mighty salt pan, some of the world’s strangest creatures, the biggest open-air collection of rock art … The list is impressive.

I’ve been fortunate enough to visit several times, but perhaps my most memorable trip was earlier this year.

Hosted by Hilmar Tonnemacher of Abenteuer Afrika Safari and Lisa Roos of O&L Leisure, my daughter Tara and I, plus a small group of travel professionals, undertook a whirlwind tour of some of Namibia’s most iconic and exciting destinations.

We flew from Johannesburg to the capital Windhoek, where we met our Westair Aviation pilot. He was to fly us first to Etosha in the north, then back down to Swakopmund on the shores of the Atlantic, and finally far north-east to the Chobe River bordering Botswana.

The comfortable, classy Mokuti Etosha Lodge, where we stayed, sits alongside Etosha’s Von Lindequist Gate near the Namutoni Fort, strikingly reminiscent of a French Foreign Legion outpost. Once a German fort, the building today has the Namibian flag fluttering over its white walls, which gleamed in the morning sun as Hilmar talked us through its history.

Then it was off on a game drive in "the place of dry water” that includes a 5 000km² pan: a flat calcrete depression that lures thousands of flamingos to feast on its blue-green algae.

Expect shimmering mirages reflecting off the white surface: it’s a surreal experience. But Etosha is also home to grassland and scrub where game abounds. Because of the lack of surface water for much of the year, wildlife of all kinds is attracted to the permanent waterholes.

Drive your vehicle (Etosha is very vehicle-friendly) to one of these waterholes and just sit and wait. Maybe a pride of lions will join you, or a black rhinoceros. Perhaps you’ll watch a jackal jumping up in the air to snap at the sandgrouse collecting water in their breast feathers to take back to their young, but whatever you spot, you certainly won’t be disappointed.

The tiny town of Swakopmund on Namibia’s Atlantic coast is our next stop. Imagine a giant hand has plucked a little German town, transported it from the Baltic coast to African soil and dropped it down on the coast between the desert and the sea. This has to be one of sub-Saharan Africa’s most charming towns.

We stayed at the Strand Hotel Swakopmund, renowned for its warm and friendly atmosphere (gemütlich, as the Germans say). Our rooms overlooked the long promenade and sandy beach with its colourful parasols, where families picnic and paddle. Swakop (as the locals call it) is famous for its seafood and we feasted on sushi, fresh oysters and seared salmon for lunch, although the beef filet mignon reminded us that Namibia is also famous for its cattle industry.

A trip from Swakop along the awesome coastal road between desert and sea took us to Walvis Bay where, on a memorable boat ride, we made friends with a charismatic seal, watched dolphins riding in our slipstream, spotted a humpback whale breaching, and saw thousands more Cape fur seals grunting, grooming, sunbathing and swimming at Seal Island.

The more adventurous members of our group opted for quad biking and sandboarding in the high dunes. That night we rode a huge, purpose-built bus deep into the moonscape of the Namib Desert. It’s a breathtaking sight.

The sun set on the rocky ridges, black rocks and stony hills where blockbuster sci-fi movies have been shot. As night fell, a fire dancer named Zelda twirled flaming torches on a high ridge as we sat at a wooden table in a narrow ravine, illuminated by hundreds of flickering candles, where Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt once also dined. Tara and I both agree that this was one of our most memorable travel experiences.

Then it was time to head back north to the Zambezi Region (still referred to by many as the Caprivi Strip), Namibia’s own water wonderland. Chobe Water Villas face Chobe National Park in Botswana on the opposite side of the river, where herds of buffalo and elephant meander along the banks, hippos chortle and dunk, baboons and impala come down to drink and a solitary lion wanders by.

The villas are exquisite. Contemporary European style meets traditional Africa. Silver chandeliers fashioned as weaver nests and “curtains” of pebbles suggesting falling rain punctuate the spacious interiors. Later that night, I sat on my big private deck overlooking the river and watched a shooting star as an owl hooted and tiny frogs provided a backing chorus. The Milky Way glittered above.

To Namibia’s natural wonders add as a bonus the country's excellent infrastructure, affordability and expanses of open spaces (with only one and a half people per square kilometre, on average).

You must go and see for yourself …

Kate Turkington's trip to Namibia was courtesy O&L Leisure and Abenteuer Afrika Safari.

See our Namibia gallery for more pictures.