Best places to visit in Namibia

This February I started the trip of a lifetime. I traveled the garden route and then from Cape Town to Namibia and Botswana, all the way to Victoria Falls. Namibia has fast become one of my favorite countries. What’s crazy is that most people don’t know about Namibia’s tourist attractions. Except for maybe the Germans, because it once was a German colony. I love that in Namibia you can drive for hours without seeing anyone. It’s vast landscape is something I’d never seen before and the night skies are among the most special I’ve seen. Camping underneath a blanket of stars tops any 5 star hotel in my book. If you aren’t convinced yet that Namibia is a place you need to visit, have a look at my favorite places to visit in Namibia!

The most beautiful places in Namibia

Sossusvlei Namibia

Without doubt, the most special and iconic place in Namibia is Sossusvlei. I feel like the photos I took almost look more like paintings than like photos. Try catching the sunrise in this Namib desert from Dune 45 if you have the chance. We didn’t have a really clear morning so it wasn’t the best sunrise, but at least we didn’t have to climb the dune in the blistering heat. Also, it’s easy to underestimate the climb. I sure did. 200 meters doesn’t seem that high, until you are making your way up and you are knee-deep in sand. It feels like every step you take you sink deeper into the sand. I managed to get my ass to the top in time for the sunrise though. If you are up for a challenge there is an even bigger dune you can climb called Big Daddy. This one stands 380m tall.

Fish river Canyon

Fish river Canyon is the second longest Canyon in the world. So you can imagine it’s a pretty impressive place. Chances are you’ve never hear of it, but it’s also the second most popular tourist attraction in Namibia. I haven’t been to the Grand Canyon, so I can’t compare, but I would say this is just as beautiful. Make sure to bring along a beer to enjoy the beautiful sunset! If just looking at this rugged landscape is not enough for you, you can do the Fish River Canyon Hiking Trail. It’s 90 km long and takes about 5 days and only for the real diehards. I think I’ll stick to watching the sunset with a beer;)

Walvis Bay

I remember that my friend was set on seeing the flamingo’s in Kenya’s lake Nakuru. We never got to see them there, because they migrated. I think we never saw more then 10 or 20. Finally here I was rewarded with hundreds of flamingo’s! We didn’t stay in Walvis Bay for long, but I recommend a short pitstop for a picnic on the beach while watching flamingo.

Etosha National Park

Etosha is one of the best places to go on a Namibia safari. The highlight for me was seeing rhino’s stomping around at night. A sight I hope the next generation will still be able to see. I wasn’t there during the best safari season though. The best time to see wildlife is between may and november. This is the Namibian winter and it’s the dry season. This means wildlife will be looking for water and gathering at the waterholes. Even though this was not the case while I was there, it was still worth a visit. If you are visiting in high season you should definitely book in advance, because campsites fill up quickly. After visiting Etosha and spending another night camping in Namibia you may be looking for a little more luxury. A good next stop is Windhoek, Namibia’s capital city. I myself am a vegetarian, but if you are a meat eater you will enjoy a stop at Joe’s beer house. Its famous for the locally brewed Namibian beer and generous portions of Namibian meat.

Have a look at this extensive guide to Etosha to plan your safari.

Skeleton Coast

It’s name is derived from the time when the beach was littered with seal and whale bones. The whaling industry caused this, but nowadays it’s just shipwrecks that sit along the coastline.

Swakopmund

Swakopmund is a colonial town on the seaside and the perfect place for the adventurous travelers among us. Weirdly the dry dunes are right next to the ocean. For an adventure filled day you can go sand boarding, quad biking or skydiving in this beautiful setting. If that’s not really your cup of tea, don’t worry. The city is a popular beach resort so take advantage of all the facilities you’ll have access too. If you feel like relaxing, take a dolphin cruise and enjoy a cocktail while you watch the sunset.

Spitzkoppe

Spitzkop is a granite mountain of  1,784 metres rising up in a otherwise flat landscape. You can hike up the mountain, but the last part involves some climbing. Besides that the site has incredible prehistoric rock paintings. We let a guide take us and tell us about the history of the place. After a short tour we climbed up the rock opposite Spitzkop for the sunset. We watched te sun fall beneath the mountain and as the darkness descended stars started to fill the sky. The rest of the night we enjoyed a nice dinner and campfire talking, drinking and gazing at a star filled sky. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful sky of stars in my life.

If you want to see more rock carvings, Twyfelfontein has te most in all of Africa. We didn’t make it there, but it’s a special place. If you’re not super into it though, the engravings around Spitzkoppe will be plenty for you.

So there you have it people. These spots are the reason Namibia has now became one of my favorite holiday destinations. Feel free to ask me anything about safaris in Namibia, campsites etc. for your visit to Namibia. Just comment down below.