NAMIBIA DEL NORD

Walvis Bay is Namibia's main port and a city with a dual personality: on one side an industrial and commercial hub, on the other the gateway to one of the African coast's most extraordinary natural spectacles. The Walvis Bay Lagoon, a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, hosts tens of thousands of greater flamingos each year feeding in its shallow, brackish waters, alongside pelicans, cormorants and over 70 species of migratory birds from the northern hemisphere. Catamaran excursions in the bay are among the most exciting experiences on the Namibian coast: dolphin sightings, Cape fur seals that clamber aboard, hand-fed pelicans, and freshly harvested oysters served directly on the boat. The Namib sand dunes reach the ocean's edge just south of the city, creating the surreal contrast of desert meeting sea. A few kilometres away, the Walvis Bay Saltworks — one of Africa's largest salt extraction plants — features evaporation pans coloured deep pink by halophilic bacteria, visible even from the air. Walvis Bay is usually visited in combination with Swakopmund, around thirty kilometres away. Swakopmund is Namibia's main coastal city and one of the country's most fascinating destinations, renowned for its striking German colonial skyline that rises out of the desert right at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Founded in 1892 as a trading port during the German South West Africa protectorate, it preserves a remarkably intact Wilhelminian architecture: the Kaiserliches Bezirksgericht (former district court), the 1901 railway station, the Woermannhaus with its watchtower, and dozens of villas with decorative gables and white stucco give the town the appearance of a Bavarian village transposed into the African desert. The seafront and its pier — extending nearly 400 metres into the open sea — is the favourite gathering spot for residents and travellers at dusk. Swakopmund is also the adrenaline capital of Namibian adventure: quad biking and sandboarding on the Namib dunes just minutes from the centre, paragliding over the ocean beaches, kayaking among seal colonies at Walvis Bay, and night drives through the desert to spot scorpions and web-footed geckos. The Swakopmund Museum offers a comprehensive overview of the region's natural and colonial history, while the Kristall Galerie houses the world's largest quartz crystal (520 kg). Local gastronomy is heavily influenced by German cuisine: Kaffee und Kuchen in the historic town-centre cafés, fresh oysters and prawns from Walvis Bay, craft beer in the brewpubs. Swakopmund makes an ideal base for exploring the Skeleton Coast to the north, the Cape Cross reserve with its tens of thousands of Cape fur seals, and the vast Namib expanses stretching east.

Leaving behind the cool coastal climate of Swakopmund, your journey quickly leads into the rugged and expansive landscapes of Namibia’s interior. The Atlantic breeze gives way to dry air and wide-open terrain shortly after departure. A worthwhile stop can be made at Cape Cross, home to one of Africa’s largest seal colonies. Alternatively, the route via Henties Bay leads inland through barren plains and striking rock formations. As you move further from the coast, the scenery changes dramatically, with rugged mountains, dry riverbeds, and a profound sense of isolation shaping the landscape. A highlight along the way is the Brandberg region, Namibia’s highest mountain, known for its ancient rock art, including the famous “White Lady.” Entering Damaraland, the surroundings become even more raw and untouched. This region is renowned for its unique scenery, rare desert-adapted elephants, and impressive geological formations – a truly memorable destination. . Damaraland is one of Namibia's most spectacular and untamed regions, a vast desert plateau in the centre-west of the country inhabited by the Damara people and traversed by landscapes of rare primordial beauty. Red granite mountains, valleys carved by seasonal rivers, rocky canyons and endless plains succeed one another for hundreds of kilometres, forming a scene of silent grandeur. This land preserves some of Namibia's most extraordinary heritage: at Twyfelfontein lies one of Africa's largest rock art complexes, with around 2,500 engravings and paintings made by the San people up to 6,000 years ago, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. The Burnt Mountain and the Organ Pipes, near Twyfelfontein, offer striking geological formations — columns of black dolerite rising from the ground like petrified organ pipes. Damaraland is also one of the few places in the world where it is possible to spot desert-adapted elephants — a population that has evolved to travel dozens of kilometres in search of water along seasonal riverbeds — and black rhinos roaming free in their natural habitat. The region's exclusive lodges, often built in perfect harmony with the landscape, organise walking-based tracking of these large mammals with specialist guides. Palmwag, in the northern part, serves as the base for safaris across an enormous private concession. Damaraland is best explored in a self-drive 4x4 or as part of a Namibian circuit linking Swakopmund, Etosha and the north of the country.

Kaokoland — now officially named the Kunene Region — is one of the most remote and unspoilt areas on the African continent, a territory of volcanic mountains, dry valleys and semi-desert plains in the far north-west of Namibia, bordering Angola. This region is home to the Himba people, a semi-nomadic pastoral community whose women are world-famous for their distinctive aesthetic: skin and hair covered with a mixture of red ochre and butterfat, jewellery made from shells and copper, and clay-sculpted hairstyles. The Himba communities preserve ancient traditions, a still-functioning tribal structure and a spirituality rooted in ancestor veneration and the sacred fire. The lodges and tented camps of the region organise respectful visits to Himba villages, accompanied by local guides. The region's wildlife includes the desert-adapted elephants also found in Damaraland and lions that have adapted to arid conditions. Kaokoland is reached by 4x4 vehicles on unpaved tracks requiring off-road driving experience: the isolation is an integral part of the experience and one of the reasons this region remains among Africa's most authentic.

Epupa Falls is a waterfall system on the upper course of the Kunene River, on the border between Namibia and Angola, in the heart of remote Kaokoland. The falls — up to 37 metres high at their main drop and spanning around 500 metres in total along a stretch of rapids — plunge into a series of green channels set between tall Makalani palms and baobab trees, creating a surprisingly lush oasis in an otherwise bare and mountainous landscape. The name 'Epupa' in the Himba language simply means 'foam of the water'. This corner of Namibia is inhabited by Himba communities and a visit to the falls is often combined with an authentic encounter with this people in their daily life. Access requires a 4x4 vehicle on dirt tracks from Opuwo. Sunset over the falls, with the waters gilded by raking light and palm trees silhouetted against the sky, is one of the most evocative scenes in north-western Africa.

Leave the park; the advice is to get comfortable and enjoy the scenery.

Otjiwarongo is a small town in the interior of central Namibia, set along the country's main north-south highway and used by travellers as a transit stop between Windhoek and Etosha National Park. Its name in the Otjiherero language means 'place where cattle grow fat', reflecting the pastoral traditions of the Herero people who inhabit the region. In the immediate surroundings lies the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), the world's most important cheetah research and rehabilitation centre, founded in 1990 by American biologist Laurie Marker: a visit to the CCF allows guests to observe cheetahs at close range, watch training sessions with Anatolian shepherd dogs and learn about the coexistence programmes between big cats and local farmers. Just outside town is a Crocodile Ranch where Nile crocodiles at various stages of growth can be seen. Otjiwarongo offers a reasonable selection of accommodation and restaurants for a transit stop, and is the most convenient starting point for reaching Etosha Park in around two hours by road.

Windhoek is the capital and beating heart of Namibia, a city that surprises visitors with its orderliness, cleanliness and a peculiar blend of African, German and Afrikaner cultures. Set in a shallow basin among savanna-covered hills at around 1,650 metres above sea level, it enjoys a dry, sun-drenched climate for most of the year. The historic centre preserves some of the most striking evidence of the colonial era: the Christuskirche, a Lutheran church built in 1910 in a distinctive neo-Romanesque Gothic style, presides over the main square alongside the old Kaisers Palace and the Alte Feste fortress, now home to the National Museum of History. The Post Street Mall pedestrian zone offers local crafts, silver jewellery and souvenirs of every kind, while the neighbourhood markets — particularly those of Katutura, the lively township established during the apartheid era — give a genuine glimpse into everyday Namibian life. Downtown restaurants span a wide culinary range, from German classics (wurst, schnitzel and craft beer) to game grills, with local highlights such as oryx stew and traditional Herero dishes. Joe's Beerhouse is an informal institution for those who want to enjoy open-air barbecue in a relaxed atmosphere. Windhoek serves as the obligatory gateway to any Namibian safari: Hosea Kutako International Airport, around 40 km from the city centre, is the country's main hub and channels travellers towards the great reserves of the north and south. The city also hosts museums dedicated to pre-colonial history and the 1990 independence, contemporary African art galleries and accommodation of every category. While not a destination in its own right, Windhoek is worth at least a day's exploration: its contradictions — modernity and tradition, European heritage and African vitality — make it an authentic introduction to this country's unique character.