NAMIBIA

Namibia is a country of compelling beauty, abundant sunshine, and a feeling of unconfined space. With its unspoilt landscapes and large variety of game, Namibia is one of the larger countries in Africa. A sense of freedom is generated by the wide horizons, the clear unpolluted skies and a population density which is among the lowest in the world.



ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK is one of Southern Africa's finest and most important Game Reserves. Declared a National Park in 1907 and covering an area of 22 270 square km, it is home to 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and, surprisingly, one species of fish. Etosha takes its name from, and is dominated by, a massive mineral pan that stretches about 120 km from east to west and at its widest point is about 70 km across. The total pan area covers 5000 square km. Etosha means "Great White Place" in the Herero language and in the heat of the day the surface of the pan is dazzlingly white. Etosha pan is part of the Kalahari Basin, the floor of which was formed around 1000 million years ago.

SOSSUSVLEI - Namibia's famous highlight in the heart of the Namib Desert, is a huge clay pan, enclosed by giant sand dunes. Some of the spectacular hills of sand are, at a height of 300 metres, the highest in the world. Sossusvlei's rich ochre sand dunes are one of the most wonderous sights in the world. They rise to an astonishing 300m, (100m higher than their nearest rivals in Arabia) and they just begged to be climbed barefoot. Geologists say that this supreme desert covering most of the Namib-Naukluft Park could be the oldest in the world. The older the dune, the brighter the colour from slow iron oxidisation and a zillion minute fragments of garnets. The solitude is immeasurable and your place in the great scheme of life, takes on a curious insignificance.


THE AMAZING ANIMALS



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