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At first glance, Namibia might seem like one of Earth's most desolate places. With its ancient deserts, parched salt pans and a windblown shoreline littered with the weathered hulls of foundered ships, there would seem little potential for life and color—and little to interest the average traveler.

But there is a startling beauty in its vistas—from the multihued dunes of the Kalahari and Namib deserts to the foggy shores of the Skeleton Coast. The deep fissures of the Fish River Canyon make for steep but exhilarating walking. And surprisingly, Namibia is home to an incredible variety of plants and animals that have adapted to the extreme climate. Its national parks and wildlife refuges are among the finest in Africa.

Perhaps most surprising are the people who have adapted to this harsh environment: San Bushmen and the Herero women with their banana-shaped headdresses and bright Victorian-style dresses patterned after those of early German missionary women. Namibia is a thinly populated country, but it's still a great place for people-watching and experiencing another way of life. The German influence can also be seen in the colonial-era towns scattered along the coast and central highlands—there is something surreal about imperial-style German architecture poking up above desert sands.

Namibia has a lot to offer those looking for an unusual place a little off the beaten track. Although its terrain is harsh and demanding, it is actually one of the safer and more stable countries in Africa. For these reasons, the country is gaining popularity among travelers who have been to the continent before, or who are looking for a less-polished African adventure.

Geography

History

Among the first people to inhabit Namibia were the Bushmen (San), nomadic hunter-gatherers who lived in small family groups. The San were joined by the pastoral Khoi-Khoi around 2,000 years ago. Both of these ancient inhabitants were gradually displaced following the arrival of Bantu-speakers from the north about 500 years ago. The country was then colonized by Germany in the late 19th century. During German rule, two-thirds of the Herero people were killed after revolting against their oppressive rulers. In August 2004, Germany apologized for the first time for the colonial-era genocide which killed 65,000 members of this ethnic group.

At the end of World War I, the League of Nations entrusted the territory to South Africa (then known as Southwest Africa), which ruled the country well into the 1980s. Disgruntled by South Africa's enforced system of apartheid rule, which saw indigenous peoples confined on reserves while the country's most fertile land was handed over to white settlers, the South-West Africa's People's Organization (SWAPO), a Marxist guerrilla group, launched a war of independence in 1966. Under increasing international pressure, South Africa eventually agreed in 1988 to end its administration in accordance with the United Nations peace plan for the region. In 1989, elections gave SWAPO a majority of seats in a constituent assembly. The new nation, called Namibia, became independent on 21 March 1990. Sam Nujoma, the leader of SWAPO, served as the president until November 2004, when the Minister of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation, Hifikepunye Pohamba, was elected as the country's president. Pohamba was sworn in as Namibia's second president on 21 March 2005.

Although still economically dependent on South Africa (especially for foodstuffs), in good years Namibia is better off than many other countries of the region because of its productive mining, ranching and fishing industries.

Snapshot

Namibia's foremost attractions are game reserves, deserts, canyons, beaches, ostriches, flamingos, Bushman culture and ecotourism adventures.

Namibia will appeal to well-seasoned travelers who have already been to the more developed nations in eastern or southern Africa and who want to see more of what the continent has to offer.

Potpourri

The world's largest meteorite was discovered in 1920 on a farm in north-central Namibia. The site, now a national monument, is open to visitors for a nominal fee. It's on Hoba Farm, 15 mi/25 km northeast of Otavi.

Namibia has the world's largest known underground lake. Called Dragon's Breath Cave, the large subterranean reservoir, 30 mi/46 km from the town of Grootfontein, is only for the extremely adventurous—it involves descending by ropes and ladders, sliding down tunnels and clambering down narrow ledges.

Namibia's dunes are famous for their dramatic shapes and colors. The dune fields of the Namib Desert, composed of quartz sand, range in hue from light cream to violet and brick red. The dunes near Luderitz are known as the roaring dunes for the rumbling sound they make as the sand grains shift over the slipface, or top, of the dunes.

The Brandberg, a mountain in northwest Namibia, has some interesting rock paintings. The most famous of these is the so-called White Lady, a tall human figure that was once cited as evidence of ancient European settlement but is now recognized to be a stylized representation of a male bushman in hunting regalia.

Tribal groups include the Bushmen (San), Nama (Hottentots), Wambo (Ovambo), Himba, Herero, Damara, Kavango (Okavango) and Caprivians.

The Singing Rocks, south of the town of Goageb, are made of resonant black limestone.

The Rehoboth Basters—one of the major ethnic groups in Namibia—are the offspring of the Nama people and early Dutch settlers, and they speak Afrikaans. The Basters, many of whom live and work in Windhoek, are proud of their unique history and name, even though the word basters means bastard.