What to See in Namibia
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Location

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Namibia has 2 sites listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

The Coast

Natural Heritage

The Interior

Natural Heritage

Must-see & highly recommended

Fish River Canyon
★★★★ It's the second-largest canyon in the world and the second-most visited site in Namibia thanks to its trekking opportunities. The Ai-Aïs…
Kalahari Desert
★★★★ This is a legendary desert spanning South Africa, Namibia, and largely Botswana. In its arid landscape, you’ll find stunning scenery…
Namib Desert
★★★★ The world's oldest desert stretches along the entire length of Namibia's coast, with a maximum width of 160 km. It features several natural…
Etosha National Park
★★★★ Not far from the Angolan border, this is one of the country's most visited places. It's home to a wide range of wildlife, including lions…
Namib-Naukluft National Park
★★★★ Africa's largest park and the fourth-largest in the world. It is internationally renowned for the orange dunes of Sossusvlei and Deadvlei…
Sossusvlei
★★★★ This salt desert with its stunning sand dunes is Namibia’s most visited site. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the…

Recommended

Cape Cross
★★★ North of Swakopmund, Cape Cross is home to a colony of tens of thousands of fur seals.
Skeleton Coast
★★★ This is the northern part of the Namib Desert. Particularly inhospitable, this coast (a designated natural park) is littered with whale…

Worth a look / Other

Sesriem Canyon
★★ Just beside the eponymous locality, this small canyon is the country’s second most visited site.
Caprivi Strip
★★ This "panhandle" juts about 500 km into Botswanan territory, averaging 30 km in width. The largely marshy area is rich in minerals and…
Ruacana Falls
★★ Like Epupa, these are falls located on the border between Namibia and Angola. Nearby, you can also go rafting on the Kunene River.
Epupa Falls
★★ A series of waterfalls on the border between Angola and Namibia. Also worth seeing are similar falls further east at Ruacana Falls.
Damaraland
★★ A desert region in north-central Namibia where herds of elephants and rhinos can be seen.
Kaokoland
★★ This former Bantustan in the north of the country, extending into Angola, is the territory of the Himba and Herero peoples, whose…
Lüderitz
★★ It is the oldest town in southwestern Africa. The German colonial architecture, particularly its beautiful Art Nouveau villas, is very much…
Brandberg Massif
★★ These mountains in Damaraland near the coast are the highest in the country (2,606 m). You can see rock paintings and hike here.
Waterberg National Park
★★ In the northern part of Namibia, this small, somewhat hard-to-reach park is home to many bird species, as well as rhinos and antelopes…
IAi-IAis-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park
★★ This vast mountainous desert expanse, straddling Namibia and South Africa, offers stunning landscapes and numerous outdoor activities. It…
Khaudom Reserve
★★ Located on the border with Botswana, in the Kalahari, this hard-to-reach park is quite rich in wildlife, including lions, elephants, and…
Spitzkoppe
★★ A rocky massif in the Namib Desert that can be climbed. All around, you’ll find various San rock paintings.
Swakopmund
★★ It’s a tourist seaside resort with beautiful colonial architecture. More than for its beaches or surfing, visitors come mainly for…
Twyfelfontein
★★ Comprising scattered rocks in a desert environment, this UNESCO-listed rock art site is located a few kilometres from the Petrified Forest…
Windhoek
★★ Namibia’s capital and largest city, situated at 1,700 m above sea level. It retains a number of architectural traces of its colonial…
Gobabis
★ Primarily a stopover town between Botswana (or South Africa) and Windhoek on the Trans-Kalahari Highway.
Grootfontein
★ A small town in the northeast with partly colonial architecture and an old fortress. A few kilometres away, you can see one of the largest…
Henties Bay
★ A seaside resort north of Swakopmund, also popular for fishing.
Keetmanshoop
★ A small town in the south with German colonial remnants, Keetmanshoop is primarily a base for visitors exploring the surrounding areas…
Okavango
★ Between its source in Angola and its delta in Botswana, the Okavango flows through northern Namibia, partly forming the border between…
Opuwo
★ This small town of fewer than 10,000 people is the capital of Kaokoland. It’s typically used as a base for exploring the nearby Himba…
Oranjemund
★ On the South African border, this diamond-mining town has highly regulated access, as does the border crossing between the two countries at…
Otjiwarongo
★ The small town in north-central Namibia typically serves as a starting point for exploring the Waterberg Plateau.
Outjo
★ This town in northern Namibia is considered the gateway to Etosha National Park.
Daan Viljoen Reserve
★ A small reserve right next to Windhoek where you can explore wildlife via hiking trails.
Rundu
★ "Large" town on the Angolan border, its main tourist appeal lies in the Okavango River, which can be explored by canoe, as well as…
Tsumeb
★ A pleasant mining town in the north with a museum dedicated to this industry.
Walvis Bay
★ This former South African enclave south of Swakopmund is the country's main port. Its tourist appeal lies in fishing, birdwatching, water…
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