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1.1 Namibia
- A Bountiful Harvest Awaits the Adventure Traveler
Namibia's barren and unwelcoming coastlines
served as a natural deterrent to the ambitions of European
explorers. That was until 1884 when the German merchant
Adolf Luderitz established a permanent settlement between
the Namib Desert and the Atlantic seaboard that afterwards
took his name. Bismarck subsequently declared the territory
covered by Namibia a German colony and named it Südwestafrika
or South West Africa. As German settlers moved into
the interior, conflict was inevitable with the inheritors
of the land.
The German occupation was a particularly
unhappy experience for the Herero. The Herero resented
the German's harsh and racist rule and the effect of
the encroachment on their lands on their livelihood
and way of life. On the first day of the year 1904,
the Herero led by Chief Samuel Maharero, rose suddenly
and unexpectedly in arms against their colonial overlords.
The Nama joined the insurrection and the authorities
did not regain control even after six months of trying.
Over 100 German settlers and soldiers died in the uprising.
Historians now consider events that followed to constitute
the first genocide of the twentieth century.
Lieutenant General Lothar von Trotha
was furnished with a contingent of 14,000 soldiers and
tasked to put down the rebellion. The governor general
of the territory was then Rudolph Goering -the father
of Herman Goering, Hitler's right hand man. Lothar von
Trotha was a generation ahead of his time and his kind
of thinking was to become government policy under the
Third Reich. He argued that the Herero must be destroyed
as a people and he did not wince at the murder of women
or children. At the end of it all, 100,000 Nama and
Herero were killed. The survivors were herded in concentration
camps where unspeakable things happened. The Herero
fared very badly and 80% of her people perished. The
population of the Nama diminished by 35-50%.
Windhoek, the capital of 165,000 people
is the only true city in the country. For those traveling
to more remote regions, this is where you settle practical
matters. The positive aspects of the German period can
be seen in the charming style of older buildings in
the city. Places of interest in the city include the
State Museum, State Archives, and the Namibia Crafts
Centre. The Dan Viljoen Game Park lies 24 Km west of
Windhoek on the gentle hills of Khoma Hochland. In this
resort you find ostriches, baboons, zebras and over
200 species of birds. The Waterburg Plateau Park, located
230 km from Windhoek is popular with weekenders. This
extensive mountain wilderness is home to cheetah, leopard,
kudu, giraffe, and white rhino.
Etosha National Park is what brings
wildlife lovers to Namibia. The park is comparable in
size and diversity of species with the best in Africa.
The unusual terrain of Etosha holds savanna grassland,
dense brush and woodland. But it is the Etosha Pan,
a depression that sometimes holds water and covers 5,000
sq km, that is the heart of park. The perennial springs
around the pan, attract many birds and land animals
in the dry winter months. The effect of this background
is magical and some of the best wildlife photographs
have been taken here.
There are 144 mammal species in the
park and elephants are particularly abundant. Some other
interesting wildlife here includes giraffe, leopard,
cheetah, jackal, blue wildebeest, gemsbok and black
rhino. The birding is great at Etosha and over 300 bird
species have been recorded. You will get best value
by spending at least three days here. There are excellent
accommodation facilities at the three rest camps of
Namutoni, Halali and Okaukuejo. The best time to see
animals is between May and September, when water draws
them in huge numbers to the edge of the pan. Etosha
is 400 km to the north of Windhoek by road.
The Fish River Canyon is unrivalled
in Africa and only the Grand Canyon in the U.S in larger.
The Canyon runs for 160 km and reaches a width of 27
km and depth of 550 m. But size alone does not explain
the appeal of the canyon. You experience incredible
views at various points along the rim. Adventure lovers
do not merely come for the views. Hiking through the
canyon is the ultimate endurance adventure for hikers.
There is an established 90 km hiking trail that will
take you 4-5 days to cover.
The trail ends at Ai-Ais hot spring
resort where you can unwind. You are allowed to hike
between early May and end of September. The hike is
quite strenuous and needless to say, you must be physically
fit. The authorities disbelieve the capacity of most
people to undertake the hike and will actually insist
on seeing a medical certificate of fitness before allowing
you to start off. Fish River Canyon is 580 km to the
south of Windhoek.
The Skeleton Coast has been the graveyard
of seafarers and whales and deserves that morbid name.
The problem is the dense fogs. And woe to the ship wreck
survivor who expects respite onshore! Ahead is the Namib
Desert, one of the driest and most unwelcoming places.
Adventure travelers love trekking along the coastline
as they enjoy the stark beauty of the area. To the south
at Cape Cross, you find a seal colony carrying tens
of thousands of seals. The Skeleton Coast Park covers
16,400 sq km and begins at 355 km northwest of Windhoek.
The Portuguese explorer Diego Cao reached
this part of the world in the year 1486. He is probably
one of the people whose experiences discouraged Europeans
from venturing ashore until the arrival of the Germans
400 years later. Further south is the Namib-Naukluft
National Park, a vast wilderness covering 50,000 sq
km. The landscape is very diverse and covers mountain
outcrops, majestic sand dunes, and deep cut gorges.
For really spectacular dunes, the Sossusvlei area is
unsurpassed. Here you have dunes rising to 300 m! The
orange tint giants extend as far as the horizon and
the area has an unreal, unforgettable atmosphere.
To the northeast of the country, the
well-watered Kavango and Caprivi Strip region offers
an unspoilt wilderness suitable for rugged game viewing
and camping. The area also promises a feast for bird
lovers. Game reserves in the area include: Kaudom, Caprivi,
Mahango, Mudumu and Mamili. Poachers did great damage
to wildlife during the years of the civil war in neighbouring
Angola. Animal numbers are however building up rapidly.
Some of the wildlife in the region includes leopard,
elephant, buffalo, cheetah, lion and various antelope
species. The Caprivi Reserve falls in an area of swamps
and flood plains. Here you have an opportunity to partake
fishing, hiking, game viewing safaris and river trips
in traditional mokoro boats.
In Namibia you can enjoy up to 300 days
of sunshine. The coast is temperate and thermometers
run between 5C-25C. Inland, daytime temperatures range
from 20C-34C, but can rise to 40C in the north and south
of the country. Winter nights can be quite cold and
frost occurs over large parts of the country. The rains
inland fall in summer (November-April) and are heaviest
in the Caprivi region. Rains do not much affect travel,
but beware of flash floods in the vicinity of riverbeds.
The best time to travel is over the dry months of March
to October, when it is easier to see animals at waterholes.
It is best to avoid the Namib Desert and Etosha between
December and March when it can get unbearably hot. Before
you travel to this country, make sure you review our
Namibia
safari and tour offers.
You can get by wearing light cottons
and linens in summer. Over winter nights and mornings,
you need heavier cottons, warmer wraps and sweaters.
Comfortable walking shoes are essential, as the ground
gets very hot. Some useful stuff to pack includes: camera,
binoculars, sunglasses, sun hats, sunscreen and mosquito
repellant. Be ready for dusty conditions and carry your
clothing, equipment and supplies in dust proof bags.
Do not be tempted to buy items made of ivory. You may
not be allowed to carry them through customs at home.
And it also good that you do not encourage the trade
in ivory products that keeps poachers busy.
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