[icenspice]

http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/268511/klm-adds-windhoek-service-from-oct-2016/

I have never been to Namibia and have never considered it.

And, by coincidence, I am reading Paul Theroux’s The Last Train to Zona Verde.

One to think about….

[Charles-P]

The city of Swakopmund is worth a visit. A German colonial style with still a substantial number of German speaking residents. It’s an excellent beach resort and desert visit is a must

[StephenLondon]

This is great news! Namibia is a terrific country to visit. It is known as the land of wide open spaces, and I have been six times on holiday so far.

Namibia’s Etosha National Park is one of the most amazing landscapes to experience. With 8,600 sq miles of parkland with a vast salt pan in the middle, it really needs to be seen to understand the amazing beauty. You drive yourself through the park, stopping at watering holes to see the wildlife. There are four camps within the park, so you can enter at the south gate and exit at the east gate taking in all the scenery in between without back-tracking. The last time I left the park, it was just as the camp gates opened. We were heading for the gates when we saw guinea fowl fly up and a cheetah leap in the air, happily catching one for breakfast. It was amazing.

The Namibian coastline is vast and mostly unspoiled. Access to the Skeleton Coast can require special permission and trained guides as it is rough and wild. To the north of Swakopmund is a seal colony (stinky, but amazing to observe), and depending on season, to the south (beyond Walvis Bay) is a large flamingo colony, reputed to have more than 1 million birds. I have been all over by car, from Keetmanshoop in the south to the Caprivi in the north (bordering Angola). I have loved every visit and can’t wait to return.

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SenatorGold

[SenatorGold]

Thank you Stephen for your insights of Namibia. I am currently considering a visit. Have you been to Sossusvlei? Can you recommend any lodges? What are the camps like in the Etosha National Park?

Qatar are also commencing flights to Windhoek – using the B787 – from the end of September I believe.

[ViajeroUK]

SenatorGold, If you do go to Namibia I can recommend a stop at Okanjima lodge en route to Etosha, especially if you are interested in Leopard or Cheetah, we drove there and stayed two nights before joining a small group trip.

From memory the National Park lodges in Etosha were comfortable enough (my wife didn´t complain!) but not luxury, although I understand new lodges have opened since we went. One of the lodges we stayed at had a floodlit watering hole, lots of animals coming and going around sunset and later, we had excellent views of a female rhino with a young calf(?) in the dusk. We visited Sossusvlei early one morning with the group trip to climb Dune 45, then a hike to a flat valley, by lunchtime we were heading out.

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SenatorGold

[SenatorGold]

Thanks Viajero, for your advice – much appreciated.

[maxgeorge]

Windhoek is perhaps the cleanest, safest city in Africa. It reminds me of Salisbury in Rhodesia before it became Harare.

There’s a couple of Marriott Protea hotels in the centre – always good value.

For a taster of Namibia’s delights, consider the luxury Desert Express train (namibiareservations.com) run by TransNamib railways. it runs over to Walvisbaai, and occasionally up to Tsumeb for Etosha.

Not all Namibia is desert – the eastern end of the Caprivi strip is tropical Africa, with some wild game reserves, such as Linyati, between the Zambezi and Chobe rivers.

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SenatorGold

[Cloud-9]

I have wanted to go to Namibia for a long time but my cousin and her family beat me to it last month.

They stayed at Soussevlei Desert Lodge which looked most acceptable, with their verandah adjacent to the desert.

4×4 on the dunes, ballon ride, safari drives. They rented a car and flew Air Namibia, one of the best airlines in Africa (ok, not saying much…)

QR go direct via DOH, but not daily, so you need to check the schedule to avoid a extra stop in South Africa (which would be on Air Namibia, so no hardship)

[LuganoPirate]

I’ll be going in March and really looking forward to it, though it will be by car not KLM! Thanks fellow posters for some good ideas of where to visit.

[icenspice]

Unless I wish to travel in an air freight container to Doha, I think KLM would be the best option for me!!

[StephenLondon]

[quote quote=753449]Thank you Stephen for your insights of Namibia. I am currently considering a visit. Have you been to Sossusvlei? Can you recommend any lodges? What are the camps like in the Etosha National Park?

Qatar are also commencing flights to Windhoek – using the B787 – from the end of September I believe.

[/quote]

Apologies, SenatorGold, for a tardy response…I’ve been away and out of touch (yay!).

I went to Soussusvlei moons ago (mid-1990s) and it was fine. As others have said, dune activities, etc. By midday, it was shockingly hot so we headed out.

Lodges in Etosha are fine. Opt for luxe/vip accommodation if you can. It exists, although you may need a good agent to help you. I’ve stayed in Halali in an house (replete with full American kitchen) which was far nicer than the regular accommodation. Food in the camps is fine, but far from luxe, as you are so far from anything.

Bring paper towel and windolene/windex (or buy it once in Namibia). After a couple of days on the road, you have so many dead insects on the windscreen your car fluid runs out!

It really is such a magical country. It is the one place on earth where I have honestly dropped my jaw at the exquisite sunsets, where the hills behind turned a hue of purple that was unreal, and the sun dropped below the horizon in an orange haze that was simply stunning.

[Author]

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