Along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean lies the vast and magnificent Namibia, which is perfect for travelers who love the excesses of nature. Here the mountains turn apricot, home to the Bushmen, the Kalahari desert, the ghost town of Kolmanskop, wild desert horses and the hilly sand landscape of the Namib desert in changing colours.
Namibia is bordered to the north by Angola and Zambia, in the east with Botswana, in the south with the republic South Africa. Named after the Namib Desert, Namibia is the second least populated country in the world. This is also why it is an increasingly popular destination for those who can spend hours watching nature in all its colors and forms. In Namibia, starting with the Namib Desert, which is 2,000 kilometers long and is the oldest desert in the world.
The Namib Desert – a sea of sand and massive dunes
Namib is a sea of sand and there are massive dunes that stretch along the entire Atlantic coast. They are the largest in the world and one of the most recognizable Namibian features. Among them, the most accessible are the Sossusvlei Dunes, which are said to be the most magical if caught at just the right time early in the morning. If on one side Namibia is surrounded by the Namib, on the other it is located Kalahari, a semi-sandy desert in southern Africa that stretches across Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. The Kalahari is characterized by red-brown sand, and the original inhabitants of the Kalahari Valley there Bushmen, who still live today in large family communities and make a living by hunting and gathering.
Fish River Canyon and Desert Horses
In the south of Namibia is the Gondwana Canyon Park, which hides another gem - Fish River Canyon. The Fish is a 650-kilometer-long river in Namibia, and 160 kilometers of its course flows through the famous Fish River Canyon, which is 550 meters deep and 27 kilometers wide. Famous because it is the second largest canyon in the world, only the Grand Canyon in Arizona is bigger than it. It is best seen from the lookout point, below which an incredible view opens up. In this, the southern part of the country, at the entrance to the Namib desert, there are another specialty of animals. In addition to the big 5, which can be found in Namibia, but not all at one end, special animals include wild desert horses. Their origins have always been mysterious, as has their adaptation to life in harsh conditions. Perhaps that is precisely why many tourists visit Namibia every year with the desire to see wild desert horses.
A ghost town in the middle of the desert
Deserts are not just dunes and a rainbow of colors, there is much more hidden in the embrace of the Namibian sand. Among the more interesting things is definitely the ghost town of Kolmanskop, which is located in the south of the country and is only a few kilometers away from the port of Lüderitz. In 1908, a diamond was found here and this was the reason for the construction of the town. People migrated en masse to the desert looking for a quick buck. The city has developed in all its perfection, including schools, medical institutions, a power plant, a casino, a theater. After the First World War, the market collapsed, the diamond rush passed and the miners started to leave the city. Kolmanskop has been covered by the sands of time, literally, the buildings are really partially covered with sand dunes.
