In recent years, Namibia has gone from a largely unknown entity to a regular feature on just about every ‘Top 10’ list of places to visit in the world. And a Namibian assignment is now routinely seen as a dream gig for travel writers.
So before you plan your own trip, we recommend you read up on the experiences of others in our beloved Namibia. This will help to have your wanderlust firing on all cylinders, and it will also ensure you’re well-informed about the country and will have a better idea of what to expect when you get there, all of which should help you to make the most of your Namibian adventure.
With an ever-growing library of Namibian articles, we did some sifting to pick a few of our favourites for you. Our reading tips for your Namibia trip:
The Open Road:
Namibia is a dream destination for avid roadtrippers and self-drivers. Two articles that encapsulate the thrill of the open road, which is so much a part of the Namibian experience, are Sarah Khan’s recent piece in the New York Times about a seven-day road trip with a group of girlfriends, and Christopher Clark’s humorous and happy-go-lucky ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to Namibia’, which featured on Mahala back in 2014.
Tips and Tricks:
The Lonely Planet website has a number of useful articles that give valuable tips and insights into Namibia, such as the ‘Self-drive safaris in Namibia’ article by Paula Hardy. There’s more inspiration and tips for self-drivers in this Rough Guides article from Kyle Cunningham. And here are ten more self-drive tips from Africa Geographic.
Conservation:
As discussed previously on this blog, conservation is enshrined in Namibia’s constitution and is a very important part of the country’s fabric. If you want to get a good sense of some of the good conservation work that Namibia has done, Remy Scalza’s piece for the New York Times is a good place to start, while Christopher Clark’s post for the Etosha National Park blog deals with the ongoing discussion around the role of hunting in the country.
Where to Go:
For good, digestible round-ups on some of Namibia’s highlights and hotspots, in 2015 CNN published a piece with some stunning images, while Travel Africa published a more detailed and comprehensive list around about the same time. For a fascinating report on a lesser-known gem, see Horatio Clare’s report from Khaudum National Park. Lottie Gross also recently published a beautiful piece for Rough Guides about flying over the Namib.
History and Culture:
How Africa has a short and useful rundown of some of Namibia’s main ethnic groups, while Africa Geographic published a stunning photographic feature on the iconic Himba tribe in 2014. The BBC’s Namibia timeline is a quick and easy way to get an overview of the country’s history. Returning to the contemporary context, CNN recently published a piece on Namibia’s booming film and television industry.
