Namibia

6x Namibia off the beaten track

Sossusvlei? Check! Etosha? Check! The Fish River Canyon? These places are usually included in a travel itinerary for Namibia. But which places should you visit during your trip besides these big highlights? These are the six most beautiful off the beaten track places in the country.

#1 The Brukkaros volcano

Can you imagine: sleeping on a volcano. In a place where observatories have been built, because the stars are so bright. Without electricity or electricity, so just you, the old volcano and the stars. Our best camping spot was on the Brukkaros volcano in southern Namibia. We made a beautiful hike, braved the heat and then saw the most beautiful sunset and starry sky ever. Read our blog about this unique experience here!

#2 Sleaping at the Skeleton Coast

A road trip along the Skeleton Coast in the north of Namibia is often made, but most tourists just come here for a day trip. Such a shame! Do you want to fall asleep while roaring the wild ocean? Take a dip in the ice-cold water with a seal? Spend the night here as well! You can only fully taste the desolate atmosphere of the Skeleton Coast when you camp in Torra Bay or book a place to sleep in Terrace Bay.

#3 Hiking at the Naukluft mountains

Most tourists only travel through the Naukluft Park on their way to the famous Sossusvlei. Stay here for a day or so and go on one of the beautiful hikes through the mountains. We walked the Olive Trail, where we first climbed a mountain and then hiked through a kind of canyon back to the starting point. The beautiful surroundings were impressive and we did not see another hiker.

#4 Ghost town Kolmanskop

The abandoned German diamond town is almost never on your travel route, but it is definitely worth the detour. Kolmanskop was once a prosperous town in the middle of the desert, but as the diamond fever continued further south, it was abandoned overnight. It is now slowly disappearing among the sand dunes of the desert. In all building there is at least a few centimeters of sand on the ground, but most houses have already been partly taken over by the desert and the sand comes in through the windows and doors. A unique and spooky place! Read more about visiting Kolmanskop in this blog.

#5 Camping in the Namib park

Just like its counterpart Naukluft, this park is usually an area that you only drive through on the route between Sossusvlei and Swakopmund. But this park is worth a day or two as well. Get a permit permit from the NWR in Swakopmund to see the most famous plant in Namibia on the Welwitschia Drive and to spend the night in the park. You can set up your tent in the middle of nowhere at one of the basic camping spots spread throughout the park!

#6 Take a canoe trip in Noordoewer

Always wanted to be in two places at the same time? On the water of the Orange River you are both in South Africa and Namibia at the same time. You can make a beautiful canoe trip as a one or multiday trip on this natural border between the two African countries. A must if you’d like to experience something different than the dry river beds and vast desert in the rest of the country. The Orange River is the only river in the country that flows all year round.