© Lonely Planet Publications 304 lonelyplanet.com NAMIBIA •• Highlights 305 extreme sports in Swakopmund ( p360 ), N a m i b i a HOW MUCH? take a safari through Etosha ( p332 ), hike Dune surfing US$25 the Fish River Canyon ( p385 ) and go on an exped ition through the northwest and Foreign newspaper US$1.70 along the Skele ton Coast ( p354 ). Night in a budget hotel US$12.50 Package of kudu biltong US$1 CLIMATE & WHEN TO GO Traditional German dinner US$6 Namibia’s climatic variations correspond Wedged between the Kalahari and the South Atlantic, Namibia enjoys both vast potential roughly to its geographical subdivisions. In and promise as one of the youngest countries in Africa. In addition to a striking diversity LONELY PLANET INDEX the arid Central Namib, summer daytime of cultures and national origins, Namibia is also a photographer’s dream – it boasts wild temperatures may climb to over 40°C, but seascapes, rugged mountains, lonely deserts, stunning wildlife, colonial cities and nearly 1L of petrol US$0.75 can fall to below freezing during the night. Rainfall is heaviest in the northeast, which unlimited elbow room. 1L of bottled water US$0.50-1 enjoys a subtropical climate, and along the Bottle of beer US$1 A predominantly arid country, Namibia can be divided into four main topographical re- Okavango River, rainfall reaches over 600mm Souvenir T-shirt US$5-10 annually. The northern and interior regions gions: the Namib Desert and coastal plains in the west, the eastward-sloping Central Plateau, Snack US$1-2 experience the ‘little rains’ between October the Kalahari along the borders with South Africa and Botswana, and the densely wooded and December, while the main stormy period bushveld of the Kavango and Caprivi regions. Despite its harsh climate, Namibia has some occurs from January to April. of the world’s grandest national parks, ranging from the wildlife-rich Etosha National Park HIGHLIGHTS Note that accommodation is frequently Sossusvlei ( p371 ) Watch the sun rise from booked out in national parks and other tour- to the dune fields and desert plains of the Namib-Naukluft Park. the tops of flaming red dunes on the edge ist areas, especially during public holidays. The Namib is one of the oldest and driest deserts in the world, and is the result of the of ephemeral salt pans. The busiest times are consistently during the Etosha National Park ( p332 ) Go on a self- Namibian, South African (see p585 ) and Euro- Benguela Current sweeping north from Antarctica, which captures and condenses humid air drive safari in one of the continent’s pean school holidays. See p742 for more on that would otherwise be blown ashore. Its western strip is a sea of sand comprised mainly premier wildlife venues. the climate in Southern Africa. of apricot-coloured dunes interspersed with dry pans. However, the barren and inhospitable Swakopmund ( p355 ) Get your adrenaline fix landscapes of the Namib are markedly different from those present in the Kalahari. Unlike at this popular extreme-sports capital of HISTORY the Namib, the Sahara and other ‘true’ deserts, the Kalahari is a semi-arid landscape that is Namibia. For information on the general history of Fish River Canyon ( p385 ) Test your endur- Southern Africa, see p37 . covered with trees and crisscrossed by ephemeral rivers and fossil watercourses. It is one of ance on the five-day hike through one of the continent’s most prominent geographical features, and stretches across parts of Congo, the world’s largest canyons. The Scramble for Africa Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Off the beaten track ( p354 ) Leave the sealed The Germans, under chancellor Otto von Bis- road along the Skeleton Coast, a desolate marck, were late entering the European scram- strip of fog-covered coastline. ble for Africa. Bismarck had always been against colonies; he considered them an expensive il- ITINERARIES lusion, famously stating, ‘My map of Africa FAST FACTS Three Days Namibia’s tourist highlight is is here in Europe. Here is Russia and here is Area: 825,000 sq km the expansive sand sea of the Namib (see France and here we are in the middle. That is p373 ), and if you have only a few days to my map of Africa.’ But he was to be pushed into Capital: Windhoek visit, this is where you’ll want to focus. an ill-starred colonial venture by the actions Country code: %264 From Sesriem ( p371 ), spend a day hik- of a Bremen merchant called Adolf Lüderitz. Famous for: Namib Desert, Kalahari, ing through the dunes, or arrange for Having already set up a trading station in Etosha Pan a scenic flyover from the beach town of Lagos in 1881, Lüderitz convinced the Nama Swakopmund ( p355 ). chief, Joseph Fredericks, to sell Angra Pequena, Languages: English, Afrikaans, German, One Week Combine a visit to the Namib where Lüderitz established his second station Oshivambo, Herero, Nama with a safari through Etosha National Park trading in the stinking guano of thousands Money: Namibian dollar (N$) ( p332 ), one of the continent’s most dis- of cormorants who nest along the coast. He Phrase: Howzit? (How are you?) tinctive safari experiences. Splurge on a then petitioned the German chancellor for NAMIBIA Population: 1.83 million rental car, and get ready for some hair- protection. Bismarck, still trying to stay out of raising, self-driven good times. Africa, politely requested the British at Walvis One Month With a month, you can hire a Bay to say whether they had any interest in the NAMIBIA 4WD or use a reputable safari company matter but they never bothered to reply and in and see the best of the country: take a 1884 the newly named Lüderitz was officially tour of the Namib ( p373 ), splurge on some declared part of the German Empire. 306 NAMIBIA •• History lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com NAMIBIA •• History 307 Reaping the Whirlwind of German colonial rule in Southwest Africa. WHAT’S YOUR BUDGET? Meanwhile, in the south of the country, dia- By this time, though, the Germans had all but If you’re camping or staying in backpackers’ hostels, cooking your own meals and hitching or monds had been discovered at Grasplatz, east succeeded in devastating the Herero tribal using local minibuses, you’ll get by on as little as US$15 per day. A plausible midrange budget, of Lüderitz, by a South African labourer, structures and taken over all Khoikhoi and which would include B&B or doubles in backpackers’ accommodation, public transport and at Zacharias Lewala. Despite the assessment Herero lands. The more fortunate Owambo, least one restaurant meal daily, would be around US$50 to US$80 per person (if accommodation of De Beers that the find probably wouldn’t in the north, managed to avoid German costs are shared between two people). In the upper range, accommodation at hotels, meals in amount to much, prospectors flooded in to conquest, but were subsequently overrun restaurants and escorted tours will cost upwards of US$300 per person per day. stake their claims. By 1910, the German au- during WWI by Portuguese forces fighting To reach Namibia’s most popular tourist sites, you’ll have to take an organised tour or hire thorities had branded the entire area between on the side of the Allies. a vehicle (see p395 ). Car hire may be expensive for budget travellers, but if you can muster a Lüderitz and the Orange River a Sperrgebiet In 1914, at the beginning of WWI, Britain group of four people and share costs, you can squeak by on an additional US$20/50 per day for (closed area), threw out the prospectors and pressured South Africa into invading Na- a 2WD/4WD vehicle, including petrol, tax, insurance and 200 free kilometres per day. granted exclusive rights to Deutsche Dia- mibia. Under the command of Prime Minis- manten Gesellschaft. ter Louis Botha and General Jan Smuts, the But for all the devastation visited upon the South Africans pushed northwards, forcing Initially, German interests were minimal, the Herero and pursue a system of semino- local populace Germany was never to benefit the outnumbered Schutztruppe to retreat. and between 1885 and 1890 the colonial ad- madic pastoralism. The problem with this from the diamond riches they found. The In May 1915, the Germans faced their final ministration amounted to three public admin- was that all the best land fell within the ter- advent of WWI in 1914 was to mark the end defeat at Khorab, near Tsumeb, and a week istrators. Their interests were served largely ritories of either the Herero or the Nama through a colonial company (along the lines and they weren’t about to give it up without 0 200 km NAMIBIA 0 120 miles of the British East India Company in India a fight. Zambezi prior to the Raj), but the organisation couldn’t In 1904, the paramount chief of the Herero Cuando River Z A M B I A Epupa A N G O L A River maintain law and order. invited his Nama, Baster and Owambo coun- Falls Uutapi/ Katima Ombalantu Bwabwata Mulilo Rive O So in the 1880s, due to renewed fighting terparts to join forces with him to resist the r Oshikango k NP Kunene Ruacana av ango River between the Nama and Herero, the German growing German presence. This was an un- Owambo Country Strip Kongola Kasane Ruacana Rundu Falls Oshakati Ondangwa Caprivi River government dispatched Curt von François likely alliance between traditional enemies, Divundu Popa Mudumu ὈὈOpuwo ὈFallsὈNP and 23 soldiers to restrict the supply of arms especially considering that warring between Kaokoveld Chobe Etosha Khaudom Shakawe Namutoni GR Mamili from British-administered Walvis Bay.