Namibia

Named after the oldest desert in the world, the Namib, which is located in the South West of the country, on the Atlantic coast. Wind-sculptured dunes rise 1100 ft into the air off gravel plains, where oryx and springbuck graze on desert grasses. Prehistoric plants grown amongst the ancient gravels, and tiny ‘stone plants’ have evolved to resemble the stones and gravels to avoid being found and eaten by animals!

Shipwrecks still lie along the Skeleton Coast, their rusting hulks wrapped in silence, just ribs against the sky. Cape fur seal colonies are scattered along this bleak coastline, providing food for jackals and brown hyenas…lonely predators of the coast. Lions used to roam here too.

The extreme environment creates conditions that have forced creatures to adapt to heat and dryness….insects, birds, chameleons, snakes and of course elephants, rhino, ostriches, predators and of course people too. The Himba tribe live along this rugged area, wanderers with their cattle following the rain.

Unique Hartmann's Mountain Zebra occupy the rocky mountains, sure footed amongst the rocks and blending in with a very special stripe pattern too. There are a number of endemic species of birds and invertebrates, all of which have evolved unique strategies to cope with the extreme heat and cold.

In the north, the Etosha National Park is the main park of the country, built around an extinct lake bed about 8880 sq. miles/23000 sq km. Elephant, desert adapted rhino, kudu, springbuck, red hartebeest and numerous predators live here. An incredible array of wildlife, and Damara Dikdik too.