Although not as famous as some of its African neighbours, Namibia is a haven for those searching for the best of African wildlife and wilderness.

The arid country offers contrasting landscapes that range from thorn bush savanna and rugged mountains to open plains of the renown Etosha Pan.

Some of the main highlights of Namibia include Windhoek, Kalahari Desert, Caprivi, Damaraland, Diamond Coast, Fish River Canyon, Etosha National Park, Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, Namib region and Waterberg National Park.

Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, is an attractive city surrounded by hills and the impressive Auas and Eros Mountains. Highlights include three German-style castles, dating back to the early 1900's, which add a touch of romance to the city and the Daan Viljoen Game Park, set in the rolling hills of the Khomas Hochland. Assorted species of antelope, zebra, baboons and ostriches can be seen here. Bird life is abundant with about 200 species.

The Kalahari is an area well worth visiting to experience the magnificent red dunes and meet up with its traditional inhabitants, the San Bushmen. Consisting a large variety of game, bird, tree and grasses; the Kalahari red-dune ecosystem, represents the traditional Bushman hunting area. Bushman trackers often take Namibia tours enthusiasts on foot trails into the veld to show them their means and ways of endurance.

East Caprivi bordered by the Kwando, Linyanti, Chobe and Zambezi rivers is a region of swamps and flood plains and a stark contrast to the Kalahari. Deciduous woodlands are dominated by trees such as wild seringa, copalwood, Zambezi teak, wild teak and several wild raisin and bushwillow species. Many species of animals congregate in this area to drink, especially elephant, roan and kudu.

West Caprivi is famed for almost 339 bird species. Game lodges in the area offer fishing, hiking, game safaris and river trips on traditional mokoro. Be sure to pick up some world famous pottery from here.

Damaraland is a region of dramatic rolling plains and distant mountain ranges and an abundance of unique geological features. These embrace a wealth of rock paintings and engravings; populations of desert-adapted elephant and black rhino. Also in this region is the Petrified Forest, where millions of years ago a cataclysmic event deposited giant tree trunks, which afterward turned to stone.