Namibia in the era of mass tourism

With about 1.6 million inhabitants on a surface of 824 292 qm Namibia is sparsely settled and withit a lonely country - so it's often described in the most travelguides. An oasis for civilization-damaged citizens. Certainly the statement is not wrong, it depends only therefrom at which time and where you stay in this country. What happens every evening in the high season in the Etosha National Park (here seems to be the whole year high season) has nothing to do with rest and seclusion. Endless queues at the reception, unkindly staff, in the morning afterwards traffic jam in the camp before the gate is opened and during the day scramble for the best place at the waterhole. Between a lot of mud and dust and the hurry from waterhole to waterhole to miss nothing. Anyway you should be a big enthusiast of the African Wildlife to find it really great. Southern, in the dunes of the Sossusvlei, it's the same. Early in the morning at 6 o'clock waiting in front of the gate. Afterwards driving Highspeed (only 60 km/h is permitted, but it doesn't matter) in the direction dune 45. Dune 45 rush up in the crowd to snatch a good place and then to observe the probably less romantic sunrise. Actually, it's stupid to stand up in vacation already at 5 o'clock in the early morning, but if it's written in the travelguide...

The mass tourism is already coming to southern Africa, even if at a higher level.

You cannot escape the crush in the Etosha, except you ignore the park. Because there are barely alternatives to the Etosha National Park in Namibia, it's nothing else remains to be done to jump in the crush. At our holiday season in June it was not so bad that, how described in the guide, a gigantic cloud of dust is arising about the park - mostly we had only to swallow the dust of the ahead-moving vehicle.

In Sossusvlei there are other possibilities to spend the day. We have decided deliberately against the mass fight in the dunes at the morning. We started our drive about 10 o'clock from the not very comfortable camping site, shot a lot of photos and arrived midday the Vlei. On the way in the Vlei we were almost alone on the street, we came accross with the first from tomorrow. By day we visited Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. Late in the afternoon, in the nicest sunset light, we drove along the dunes in direction Sesriem. Enthused by the beauty of the landscape, next morning we still started to a second photo session in the dunes, before we leaved in direction Swakopmund.

Fortunataly in the remaining parts of the country it's considerabely quieter. Very lonely and with it also restfully it is, e.g. at Brukkaros, a collapsed volcano nearby the street Windhouk - Keetmanshoop. There are excellent possibilities for hiking, we were the only there. Almost alone we were on the Welwitschia Trail (1500 year-old plants), in the Naukluft park and on the Vingerklip. Also the towns Lüderitz and Swakopmund as well as the quiver tree forest nearby Keetmanshoop were not overrun. In the Giant's Playground we walked around alone even more than one hour, because we did not find the exit again.

Advisable for rest seekers are private guest's farms, which are distributed in the whole country. Seldom all rooms are occupied, there is a little bit like a "personal care ", sundowner drives are offered about the beautiful situated farm area. Particularly the Otjitotongwe Cheetah Guestfarm is to be emphasized here. The farm has committed to protect the cheetahs in Namibia and take care for the animals in generous open area. In addition to the wild there are 5 tame cheetahs which one can stroke under supervision.

There are a lot of possibilities to make a vacation in Namibia adventuresome. Every now and then it's advisable to look for rest distantly of the current tourist hotspots, because it is not sure, that the official recommended highlight also becomes the best experience during the travel.