Table of contents for go! Namibia 2023 in go!

Namibia has many incredible places I would love to return to again and again, like Spitzkoppe, the Fish River Canyon and Möwe Bay. But if I had to choose only one, it would be the Skeleton Coast. (Turn to page 40 for more of our favourite destinations.) A few years ago, I interviewed Emsie Verwey, who researches brown hyenas and works at the Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp. We departed from Doro Nawas lodge about 80km west of Khorixas in a light aircraft and landed in the desert an hour later. That afternoon, Emsie took us to a scenic spot for sundowners (pictured). I would never be able to find it again on my own, but it’s one of those places where you feel at one with nature, where the scenery…

COMPULSORY STUFF PASSPORT. It needs to be valid for six months or more from the date you plan to leave Namibia, and it should have at least two blank pages. BIRTH CERTIFICATES. All children under 18 need an unabridged birth certificate to cross the border unless they have a passport with their parents’names listed in the back. DRIVING LICENCE. Your South African licence is valid in Namibia – keep it at hand. VEHICLE REGISTRATION DOCUMENTS. Bring the original or certified copies of these documents. Remember the papers for the trailer or caravan. LETTER OF AUTHORISATION. If you’re still paying off your car, you need a letter of authorisation from the bank. If the car you’re travelling in doesn’t belong to you, you need a letter written by the owner giving…

On paper, the mission looks simple: Walk through the Kuiseb Canyon from east to west over the course of a week, to see whether it can be a safe and “official” hiking trail. The canyon is not completely untouched – there have been people here before. During World War II, two young German geologists, Henno Martin and Hermann Korn, hid out here with their dog Otto for two years. They were afraid that the government would lock them up. Martin wrote about their hardships in The Sheltering Desert, a Namibian classic. Our entrance into the canyon is about 140km east of Walvis Bay, near the C14. A cave in which Martin and Korn lived is close to the road and open to the public. Not far from this cave, the…

1 Look for wild horses See the famous wild horses of the Namib at the Garub waterhole, next to the B4 about 20km west of Aus. 2 Visit the Bogenfels rock arch This spectacular rock arch is in the Sperrgebiet, a restricted area, and you can only get there on an official tour from Lüderitz. Bogenfels is the main attraction, but there are many other surprises in the Sperrgebiet, including the deserted mining town of Pomona, and Fairytale Valley, named after a field of diamonds that once lay glinting in the sun. A tour costs R4 950 per person (minimum four people) and it includes drinks and snacks. You have to supply a copy of your ID (if you’re Namibian) or passport (if you’re a visitor) to gain entry to the…

Using notes made by Bartolomeu Dias, German cartographer Henricus Martellus was the first to write down a name for the deserted bay on the coast of south-west Africa:“Praia dos Sardinha”, which means Sardine Beach. That was in 1489. Two years before, Dias had given the same place a different name –“O Golfo de Santa Maria da Concieção” – when he’d stopped here on his historical journey to India. It had been 8 December, Immaculate Conception Day as celebrated by the Catholic Church. The next name you see on Portuguese maps dating from the 16th century is“Bahia das Bahleas”, which means Whale Bay – a name inspired by the great number of these marine mammals that seafarers encountered. The Nama and Topnaars were the first people to explore the area around…

1 Go game viewing in Etosha Book at least five nights in this popular national park: Two nights at Okaukuejo so you can go to the Ombika, Olifantsbad and Nebrownii waterholes; two nights at Halali so you can drive to the pan and see vultures at Sueda waterhole; and one night at Namutoni, which is quieter. You can also explore the remote western part, with a stay at camping-only Olifantsrus – it has only 10 stands. Day visitors pay R100 per person, plus R50 per vehicle. 2 Do a sunset river cruise in the Zambezi Region Make sure to book at least one sunset cruise on the Kavango, Kwando or Zambezi rivers. You’ll see waterbirds by the dozen, and maybe even big game like elephants, hippos and crocodiles. Rates vary from R350…

On a cold winter morning in July 2022, my wife Christa and I were shivering in Pretoria and we decided we urgently had to find a warmer place to spend our time. We chose Brandberg in Namibia, which we’d visited for the first time as an engaged couple 55 years previously, in 1967. The first 4x4 vehicle I owned was a small Jeep and that’s what we set off in, all those years ago. We wanted to see the north-western parts of the country, mainly Damaraland – a place that would draw us back many times in the future. I had lived in Namibia as a child, but it was Christa’s first time in the country. My first time back under my own steam had been in 1966, when my…

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, Namibia was the first of South Africa’s neighbouring countries to open its borders. Johan and Jana saw the opportunity for an adventure. Months of meticulous planning and mapping ensued before they saddled up and left Cape Town for the Kunene River. They crossed the border at Vioolsdrif in August 2021 and after 10 weeks of pedalling (including rest days), they reached their final destination, Epupa Falls. From there, they hitchhiked home. They traversed 3000km of Namibian soil on their epic journey to the Angolan border without any significant mechanical woes. Here’s how they did it and what they learnt along the way. What inspired the trip? Johan: I had some spots I’d always dreamt of going to and I thought: “Let’s make this trip about connecting…

Depending on who you ask, Bethanie was initially named Klipfontein or Ui‡gandes. The latter was the name used by the Boois, an Oorlam family who settled here in 1804. In many respects, Bethanie is a village of firsts. In 1814, the London Missionary Society established the first mission station in Namibia here. Missionaries from the station, Johann Heinrich Schmelen and later Hans Christian Knudsen, made one of the first attempts to transcribe the Nama language. Schmelen built what is considered the second-oldest European house in the country. The churches built by the missionary societies are also some of the oldest in the country. And in 1883, the first purchase deed negotiation took place here in the house of Nama chief Josef Frederik. A representative of Adolf Lüderitz had come to…

1 Set sail on the bay The “bay of whales” is huge – it’s about 10 km from the harbour to Pelican Point, the furthest tip of the peninsula that curls around like a protective arm – and the best way to experience it is aboard a yacht. The Walvis Bay Lagoon is to the south – a haven for thousands of birds including big flocks of flamingos – and the bay itself is rich in marine life: seals, dolphins (Heaviside’s, bottlenose and dusky), sunfish, whales and even leatherback turtles are often seen. A pelican might perch on the boat to rest. At Pelican Point, you’ll see (and smell) the colony of about 60 000 Cape fur seals. Between July and November, southern right whales and humpback whales swing by.…

NO MEAT CROSSES THE RED LINE! The Red Line, which runs across the breadth of Namibia, dates from the 1960s when buffalo in the northern parts of the country were infected with foot-and-mouth disease and it spread to other livestock. This veterinary cordon fence is still in place and prevents meat and other animal products from travelling from north to south and also west to east in places. There are checkpoints where the Red Line crosses main routes; should you go through one of these roadblocks you’ll be required to open your Coleman. You may also have to drive your vehicle through a dip trough filled with disinfectant, and dip the soles of your shoes in a shallow bath. It’s the law so don’t try to convince the officials to…

In Namibia, it often feels like you’re the first person to travel through a landscape, that you’ve been transported to another, wilder era. If exploring the distant parts of our neighbouring country has always been on your bucket list, then this Kunene Region Photography Tour is for you. Expert guide Douwe Vlok from Heuningland Tours will take a group of 16 people on a self-drive, 4x4 trip of the region. Toast Coetzer will act as your photography guide, offering advice and tips on how to improve your photography skills (all cameras welcome, even smartphones). You’re guaranteed to take more than a few pics that will impress the people back home. The adventure kicks off at Spitzkoppe – home of the famous Rock Arch – and from there we will traverse…

PARK FEES The daily park fee for SADC residents is R100 per adult and R50 per child under 16, plus R50 per vehicle. This is for |Ai-|Ais, Etosha, Namib-Naukluft, Dorob, the Waterberg Plateau, Skeleton Coast, Sperrgebiet and Cape Cross. Entrance to the other parks costs R70 per adult and R30 per child, plus R50 per vehicle (or more, depending on vehicle size). Remember to budget for park fees if you plan to stay over in a national park. GET DISCOUNTS WITH THESE CARDS NamLeisure. With a NamLeisure Card in your wallet, you get 25% discount on all formal accommodation (excluding camping), meals and activities at NWR. A solo card costs R500 per person; a family card (two parents and two children aged 13 – 17) costs R1 400. The card…

“On the eastern edge of the Namib Desert, millions of ochre-coloured bare patches in the grass have created landscapes of unique beauty that are often regarded as one of the greatest mysteries in ecology,” writes Norbert Jürgens, head of the Biodiversity Working Group in the Department of Biology at the University of Hamburg, in a recent book entitled Fairy Circles of the Namib Desert. Sometimes, tall grasses grow on the perimeter of these barren patches – forming what are known as “fairy rings”. Until the 1970s, nobody gave the fairy circles, which range from 3m to 20m in diameter, much thought. The local Himba people will tell you they’ve always been there – and that they make great animal kraals. If myths ever existed about the fairy circles, they’ve long…

CENTRAL NamibRand Nature Reserve This huge reserve (2 250 km²) is blessed with countless surreal landscapes, an abundance of plants and animals, and unrivalled photo opportunities. Whether you hike, self-drive or do a guided tour, you’ll be mesmerised by the plains, dunes and valleys on the edge of the Namib. There are a few accommodation options in the reserve. The Family Hideout (#111, p 104) is an affordable choice. It’s a tastefully renovated farmhouse that’s perfect for small groups. There are also three private campsites with flush toilets and hot water, for the adventurous traveller who also likes a bit of luxury. – Phil Sturgess & Carina de Klerk CENTRAL Gamsberg Pass The Khomas Hochland is a high plateau in central Namibia. To get to the desert below, you have…

1 Visit Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei If you want to take photos of this spectacular desert landscape, stay at Sesriem or Oshana campsite. These campsites are inside the Namib-Naukluft National Park, which means you’re allowed to drive to Sossus and Dead Vlei an hour earlier and stay an hour later than visitors who stay outside the park. There’s a tarred section of road for about 50km from Sesriem to the Sossusvlei parking area; from there you can catch a ride in a Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) 4x4 taxi (R180 per person return) or drive the final 4km sandy section in your own 4x4. Park fee R100 per person, plus R50 per vehicle. 2 Feel small at Spitzkoppe You need at least two days to explore around this magnificent inselberg, so…

Ugab Terrace Lodge A sign along the road warns us of the steep gradient we need to navigate before reaching the lodge. Do you know what they say about a steep drive to reach your destination? I don’t either, but it should go something like this: “The higher the lodge, the better the views!” And boy, does Ugab Terrace Lodge deliver. What better way to experience this region than by staying on one of the terraces themselves, and enjoying a 360-degree view of the valley formed over millions of years? Certain lodges attempt to be overly luxurious with decor designed to keep you indoors. Not so at Ugab Terrace: This is where you go if you want to feel part of nature in simplicity and style. The lodge has unrivalled…