Namibia has always been a rather strange and mysterious destination. It is the place where ghostly abandoned towns and skeleton beaches have ignited imaginations and enticed travellers from all over the world.
Today, Namibia is still an off the beaten track kind of destination and somewhat unknown in the travelling world. This is to the advantage of tourists who come here since some of the biggest attractions will be without tourists which will mean that you have some of the best scenes all to yourself.
While you are planning your Namibia tour, here are 10 exciting facts about the country that you should know about it:
1. Namibia is home to some 3000 free roaming cheetahs
Of all of the Southern Africa countries, Namibia has the most free roaming cheetahs. This massive population makes for some truly otherworldly sightings, especially when you see a cheetah racing across the grasslands at breakneck speeds. The cheetah is after all the fastest land mammal.
2. Namibia is named after the world’s oldest desert
The Namib Desert is considered the oldest in the world and it is estimated to be well over 1 million years old!
3. Namibia has the second smallest population in the world
Less than 2 million people call Namibia home and this makes travelling here quite exceptional as you will hardly ever come across another person while out on the road.
4. Namibia has a Skeleton Coast
And it is called the Skeleton Coast because when a dense fog descends on the desert sands from the icy cold Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is not just eerie but it is downright dangerous for passing ships. In the past, this stretch of coast claimed numerous ships.
The coastline is also a common place to see whale and seal bones.
5. Namibia was a German colony
Not only was Germany once in control of Namibia, but during World War 1, when South Africa was under British control, it was captured by South Africa. Namibia only became an independent nation in 1990.
6. Namibia has 13 ethnic groups
Nomadic tribes, who move from one place to the next in search of water and a place to feed their animals, make up a few of Namibia’s ethnic groups. The Himba are the people who you might come across the most, and they really stand out because it is only in the last 15 years that the tribe first had contact with the western world.
7. Namibia has desert elephants
These are not completely unlike your normal African elephants but they are different in that they are adapted to life in the desert.
8. Namibia’s environment is protected in its constitution
This makes Namibia the only country in the world with such a clause in its constitution.
9. Namibia has some of the highest dunes
The sand dunes of Namibia are quite the sight to behold, in fact, they are the very reason why most people choose to travel to this beautiful country. The sand dunes of the Sossusvlei are among the highest in the world.
10. Namibia has sandboarding!
Where else in the world can you go sandboarding? When you visit Namibia, you can go sandboarding down the dunes and it is truly an exhilarating ride!