Red glowing sand dunes, green steppes and a bright blue sky: Namibia is a country of colours and an exotic destination. This applies not only to safari lodges in Namibia's national parks, but also to the hotels in the pretty beach town of Swakopmund and in the capital Windhoek.
Swakopmund is probably the most German of all African cities and is sometimes affectionately called a North Sea resort on the Atlantic Ocean. Whether it’s Black Forest cake, beer brewed in accordance with the German Purity Law or German daily newspapers - Namibia's colonial past is omnipresent in the coastal town of Swakopmund. Here, half-timbered houses are lined up next to Art Nouveau houses, just as they could be found in any small German town. In addition, the location is predestined: the hotels in Swakopmund are located exactly at the border between the Atlantic Ocean and a seemingly endless sand desert. But one does not come here for bathing, the water temperatures seldom rise higher than 16 degrees Celsius because the cold Benguela current flows off the coast. With beach volleyball, sandboards, horseback rides on the sea and the pier, the sandy beach and the pretty beach promenade is nevertheless the hub of the city. In the African summer – especially in December – the cooling Atlantic Ocean makes the town a much sought-after holiday destination for Namibians who want to escape the summer heat.
Namib is the oldest desert in the world and a paradise for nature lovers. Farms with extensive properties and huge sand dunes shape the picture of the desert. The orange-red colour of the sand combines with the blue sky, dried up white salt lakes, dried up grasses and few bushes and trees to a breathtaking play of colours. The highest dunes are at Sossusvlei, a salt pan. The orange-red sand dunes of Sossusvlei rise up to 380 metres above the plateau. Many lodges and hotels in Namibia's desert organize tours and safaris to the national parks. In search of the Big Five, we drive on rutted tracks through the steppe and desert. In the north of Namibia lies the Etosha National Park, a paradise for animal observers. Antelopes, zebras and giraffes are at home here. Rhinos, elephants and even lions also live here.
Windhoek is the capital of Namibia. Most international tourists stay in the hotels of Windhoek when travelling to Namibia. The largest city in the country is also located directly in its geographical centre. A red-brown mountain range separates the city from the desert. In the city centre you can still see remnants of the colonial past. Many street signs are in German. The parliament rules from the Ink Palace and the most famous sight is the Christuskirche with its pointed red roof.