Namibia

While Namibia’s human population is sparse, its wildlife is not. Over 200 mammal species roam the country, including the largest population of free-roaming cheetahs on earth, alongside elephants, lions, black and white rhinos, giraffe, hippos and zebra, plus over 640 bird species and unique desert-adapted reptiles and insects. Namibia’s rugged terrain is a celebration of life against the odds, and a photographer’s dream.

The best time to visit is July to October, when temperatures sit just above 20°C and rain is unlikely, ideal for both wildlife viewing and adventure activities like sandboarding, skydiving and quad biking near Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.

Start in Windhoek, the capital, before venturing out. In the south, the Fish River Canyon is the second largest canyon in the world and a hiker’s rite of passage. West lies the Namib Desert, the oldest desert on the planet, home to the towering dunes of Sossusvlei and the abandoned diamond-mining town of Kolmanskop, slowly being reclaimed by sand.

Further north, Twyfelfontein‘s ancient rock engravings sit against the red rock of Damaraland, prime territory for tracking desert-adapted elephant and rhino. Along the coast, the Skeleton Coast‘s fog-bound shipwrecks give way to the Purros Conservancy, a true community-run wilderness.

No trip is complete without the north. Etosha National Park‘s waterholes draw elephant, lion, rhino and giraffe into full view, while the private Ongava Game Reserve just outside its borders offers superb rhino sightings.

You will long remember the deafening silence of the desert and the glow of Namibia’s horizons. As they say, “You can leave Namibia, but Namibia will never leave you.” We can believe it.