Windhoek is Namibia’s capital, home to an international airport and a plethora of restaurants, shops, entertainment venues and accommodation options. The city is clean, safe and well-organised, with a colonial legacy that is reflected in its many German eateries and shops, and the widespread use of the German language. Windhoek has an interesting mix of historical architecture and modern buildings, many of which are worth a look, including the Alte Feste (Old Fort), the 1896 Christuskirche (Christ Church), and the more contemporary Supreme Court.
Located just south of the boundary of Etosha National Park in northwestern Namibia, Etosha South makes up the southern region of this wild paradise. The area is comprised of a collection of world class private game reserves. The national park can be accessed via the southern entrance at Andersson’s Gate. Visitors can catch a glimpse of a variety of wildlife including: lion, giraffe, elephant, white and black rhino, and a multitude of plains game. Popular activities include: enjoying an open 4x4 safari with an expert guide, half day or full day drives with the option of a picnic lunch with wine on the full day game drive.
Located in Northwestern Namibia, Etosha East is a protected sanctuary in the eastern part of the world-renowned Etosha National Park, known as one of the most accessible game reserves in Southern Africa. Etosha East boasts vast open plains scattered with semi-arid savannah grasslands dotted with watering holes and secluded bush camps. An impressive 5000-square-kilometre Etosha salt pan makes up a large area of the eastern side of the park and can even be seen from space. This remote area teems with abundant wildlife such as lions, elephants, black rhinos and giraffes, as well as a variety of birdlife featuring flamingos, ostriches, eagles, hornbills, and owls.
Bordering Angola, on the banks of the Okavango River in northern Namibia, the town of Rundu serves as the capital of the eastern Kavango region. Rundu is renowned for its local woodcarvers market as well as the numerous woodcarvers' huts dotting the side of the road. The town provides a great stopover to refuel for visitors heading to Katima Mulilo as well as an excellent base from which to explore the magnificent surrounding areas. Visitors to Rundu can enjoy the beautiful surrounds including the magnificent Popa Falls and Mahangu Game Reserve. Other popular activities include: great game viewing, excellent bird watching as well as kayaking on the spectacular Kavango river.
Set roughly 200 kilometres east of Rundu on the southeastern banks of the great Okavango River, the small village of Divundu is a wonderful destination from which to explore the river, game parks and national reserves of the area. Visitors can enjoy fishing or bird watching boat safaris, or visit the Mahango Game Park, which is home to herds of elephant as well as hippo, buffalo, giraffes, antelope, and many other animals. The spectacular Popa Falls, a dramatic series of cascades - are a popular must-see attraction. Divundu is also the perfect base for adventures in Botswana and the Okavango Delta.
Although game is not abundant as in Namibia’s other game parks, the Mamili National Park offers visitors a true wilderness experience. There are no facilities and very few people have discovered this very wild tract of land. Cradled by the V-shaped arms of the Kwando-Linyanti River, the 32’000 hectare park was set aside in 1990 to protect and conserve Namibia’s largest wetland, the Linyanti swamps. This is the area that also mostly resembles the Okavango Delta of Botswana further southwest. From its origins in the highlands of Angola, the Kwando River flows in a southeasterly direction for nearly 1000 kilometres. It then quite enexpectantly makes a 90° turn to the northeast to follow the Gumare fault and becomes known as the Linyanti River (further east in Botswana the same river is called the Chobe River!) The annual floodwaters of the KwandoLinyanti reach the area in August and September, inundating the floodplains and flooding the relic channels. Mamili is home to Namibia’s largest concentration of buffalo herds. Predators include lion, leopard and spotted hyena, while crocodile and hippo abound in the river. The success for viewing game differs, but the best season to view game is generally June to November.
Forming the boundary between Botswana and Namibia is the Chobe River - one of the most well-known perennial rivers in Africa. The Chobe River Front encompasses vast floodplains fringed by lush riverine woodlands. The abundant wildlife inhabiting the river and its shores can be viewed from a river safari where visitors can spot elephants, hippo, water-loving antelope including the rare red lechwe and a variety of other game such as giraffe, zebra, and buffalo. Nature lovers will delight in the incredibly scenic natural landscapes and bird watchers can look forward to the wide section of bird species which can be spotted along the river banks.
Resting on the southern banks of the Zambezi River at the western end of the eponymous falls, this popular tourist town is compact enough to walk around and makes an ideal base for travellers exploring the seventh wonder of the world, the unfathomably vast Victoria Falls. About two thirds of the falls can be viewed from the Zimbabwean side and, while the falls are undoubtedly the star attraction, the area provides both adventure seekers and sightseers with plenty of opportunities to warrant a longer stay. Popular activities include scenic flights over the falls in helicopters or micro lights, bungee jumping off the Victoria Falls Bridge, white-water rafting (seasonal), and day trips to Chobe National Park. The town itself offers some excellent accommodation and restaurant options as well as an eclectic variety of African curios and authentic art sold by friendly Zimbabwean locals who are wonderfully welcoming and eager to help you enjoy your stay.
