Tourism is one of the main contributors to Namibia's GDP (Gross Domestic Product). There’s plenty to whet the appetite and the country, which only gained independence from South Africa in 1990, is growing into a popular travel destination.
One of the Namibian tourism industry’s main draw cards is its extensive wildlife. This consists of several endangered species including the wild dog, black rhino, oribi, puku and the black and white rhino, which are on the verge of extinction.
In southern Africa, Namibia is the country with the largest population of cheetah not contained within national parks. It’s also home to over twenty species of antelope.
Wildlife lovers can enjoy themselves by visiting some of Namibia’s finest national parks, such as the Etosha National Park, Waterberg National Park and Cape Cross Seal Reserve.
Other popular tourist attractions for wildlife include the Khaudum National Park, Mamili Game Reserve, Mudumu National Park, Kaokoland Nature Reserve, Mudumugame Game Reserve, Khaudom Game Reserve, Namib-Naukluft National Park and the Skeleton Coast National Park.
Namibia has 115 species of fish and is home to 250 species of reptiles. Records show 6331 species of insects, but there could well be over 30000 such species.
As if the wildlife on its own isn’t quite enough, Namibia has two popular deserts: the Namib and Kalahari desert.
The Namib desert, perhaps the more popular of the two, is the world’s oldest desert and covers over 45000 square kilometres. It spans 2000km along the Namibian coast into Angola in the north and South Africa to the south.
The incredibly vast and varied landscapes of these deserts are distinctly orange from oxidized iron in the sand. This makes for an ethereal experience like no other. It’s barely surprising that hikes in the desert are extremely popular amoung tourists.
The Fish River Fish River Canyon Park, which has its source in the Eastern Naukluft Mountains, is one of the world’s largest Canyons and one of Namibia’s most recognised tourist attractions. It’s also Namibias longest river, with parts of it flowing into the Orange River.
One of the growing components of Namibia’s economy is sport hunting. Namibia boasts several species popular in international sport hunting.
Sandboarding, skydiving and 4x4ing are other popular sports-related attraction and there’s a host of companies offering these activities across the country. There’s just so much to explore in Namibia.