Namibia Tours, Namibia Travel, Namibia Vacation, Namibia Holiday, Namibia Trip

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Namibia Tours
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Namibia Highlights 10-days
The Best Of Namibia 14-days

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About Your Tour of Namibia

Namibia is a country in Southern Africa on the Atlantic Coast. It is bordered by Angola and Zambia to the north, Zimbabwe to the northeast, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south. Namibia received independence form South Africa in 1990 and the capital is Windhoek.

Namibia is a land of many contrasting landscapes. When traveling through Namibia, you'll experience the wide open spaces of vast desert landscapes and the coastal beauty of the Western Skeleton Coast along the Atlantic Ocean.

The desolate Namib Desert is said to be the oldest desert in the world with its spectacular high giant sand dunes and awe-inspiring sense of space. With the assistance of the wind the dunes are usually formed around an obstruction such as vegetation or a rock. Persistent winds form the curves and contours of the dunes; these circular winds blow from the base of the sand dune up to form a sharp edge on the top. It is an awesome experience walking barefoot in the cool of the morning through the soft red sand of a dune, looking over a sea of sand dunes and spotting an Oryx (gembsbok) while waiting for the sun to peek over a distant red dune.

The central part of Namibia with its thorn bush savannah and rugged mountains gives way to the majestic Fish river Canyon in the South. The Northern landscapes range from dense bush and open plains of the rich game viewing Etosha Pan to woodland savannah and lush vegetation.

Prehistoric rock art; the ancient fossil plant, the Welwitshia Mirabilis; the Moon-valley landscape as well as the wild skeleton Coast, bare witness to the timelessness of this beautiful country.

One of the world's rarest plants found in Namibia is the Welwitshia Mirabilis or "Dwarf Tree". These 'living fossils" are still growing in the Namib Desert, with an estimated lifespan of 1500 years. For more information go to: www.plantzafrica.com/plantoftheweek/plantweekmaxfram.htm

Twyfelfontein, in the Khorixas district, is the site of one of the largest most spectacular and longest running outdoor art exhibitions in the world. The artists were mainly the San (Bushmen) people. The age of rock engravings has been established to be from 2000 to 6000 years old.

Our Safari in the Country of Namibia offered us a priceless cultural and wildlife experience where an ancient world of unsurpassed natural beauty was brought to us.

PEOPLE OF NAMIBIA

Out of the 11 different Language and cultural groups living in Namibia, I would like to share about 3 of the most outstanding people groups.

Himba People

The Himba people are a tribe who inhabit the Kaokoland area of Northern Namibia. The Himba are actually descendants of the Hereto group. The Himba have clung to their traditions and the beautiful Himba Women are noted for their interesting hairstyles and traditional jewelry.

Apart from wearing only a loin cloth or goat skinned miniskirt, the Himba men and women rub their bodies with red clay mixed with fat to protect them from the sun and to also give their appearance a rich red color.

For more pictures and information about the Himba and Herero people, go to: www.american-pictures.com/gallery/namibia/index.htm

Herero People

The dress of the Hereo women, known as "oborokweva" is colorful and is worn over layers of under-garments to make it fan out and accentuate the graceful walking style of its owner. It is also a sign of a married woman. A Herero woman is not fully clothed unless she wears the "Otjikaeva" headdress, which often matches the colors of her dress. A Shawl is worn over the shoulders and sometimes and apron completes the ensemble.

Bushmen or San People

The Bushmen are the oldest ethnic group in Namibia. They still live a traditional life as hunters and gatherers, the women collect wild fruits, berries and wild onions - rich in starch, whereas the men pursue hunting. The Bushmen have a deep understanding of nature and the ecology of the land. They are able to identify hundreds of plant species and are known to be excellent animal trackers. An estimated 30,000 Bushmen live in Namibia today, but only 2,000 of them still follow their traditional way of life. The Bushmen are also expert archers. Although the bows are relatively small, the range of tan arrow tends to be below 12 meters. For this reason, the Bushmen have to approach and shoot their quarry at very close range, a skill that requires the greatest patience and nimble feet. If an animal is hit by an arrow it has no chance to escape. The tips of the reed-shafted arrows are coated with a highly toxic poison, obtained from the larvae of a certain beetle. The poison, which even in tiny amounts is fatal to humans, is made using a recipe known only to the Bushmen. Various plant ingredients are added in order to intensify the effect. As of yet, no one has found an antidote against the San's arrow poison.

WILDLIFE OF NAMIBIA

The most stunning attraction throughout Namibia is the abundant Wildlife. The best game viewing in Southern Africa is Etosha Game Park Etosha Game reserve was declared a National Park in 1907 and covers an area of 22 270 square km. It is home to more than 114 mammal species and 340 different bird species.

Visiting Etosha Game Reserve we saw many herbivore species such as Kudu, Springbuck, Oryx, etc., as well as elephant, giraffe, rhino and lions, walking freely to be seen on our game viewing trips every day. Throughout Namibia, we also saw leopard and cheetah among many other wildlife species.

*Article by Maryna Conway

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