go!

South Africa’s number one travel and outdoor lifestyle magazine. We pay our own way and tell it like it is. We drive back roads and speak to real people, giving you practical information about affordable destinations in southern Africa. Each issue is crammed with excellent photography, honest gear reviews and delicious recipes to make at home or in the bundu. Whether you’re looking to escape for a weekend or a month, your journey starts here.

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HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

BORDER INFO

SOUTH • Many South Africans have family albums with sepia-tinged photos of the Fish River Canyon, the deserted houses of Kolmanskop, the quiver trees around Keetmanshoop and the wild horses of Aus. Do you? Then it's about time you visit – or revisit – southern Namibia! Add these five things to your itinerary.

The call of the Kalahari • Many tourists bypass the south-eastern side of Namibia. All the better, say those who are familiar with the hidden joys of the region. Here are six places that will make your holiday sing.

SOUTH

SOUTH PLACES TO STAY

CENTRAL • In the middle regions of Namibia, you get to experience the higher-lying parts of the country – like the Khomas Hochland with its sinuous mountain passes – and also the ginormous plains of the Namib Desert. And when you reach the coast, the icy blue Atlantic awaits… Here are seven must-do activities.

Windhoek • “You'll meet the friendliest people, and it's a small city so you can easily access all the different parts,”says photojournalist Ndinelao Shikemeni who has called Windhoek home for the past 23 years. She shares some of her favourite places.

Swakopmund • SandraWindisch lives in Swakopmund with her husband Rainer and daughters Nele (9) and Mila (10). They run the family business Otto Günther, a kitchenware retailer that was founded in 1908 by Sandra's great-grandfather, mister Günther himself! Sandra shares some of her favourite spots in Swakop.

Find your favourite dune • Aranos is not on many travellers’ itineraries, but this small town in the Kalahari is just the place to restore your faith in humanity.

CENTRAL

CENTRAL PLACES TO STAY

NORTH • Namibia has no shortage of wild, faraway places. But when you travel to the north of the country – the white plains of Etosha, the Skeleton Coast, and the mighty Kunene, Kavango, Kwando, Zambezi and Chobe rivers – you feel as if you've reached the ends of the earth! Here are 10 highlights of the region.

The real Wild West • Experts say the dunes of the Skeleton Coast are made of sand from the Orange River, carried up the coast for almost 2 000 km then ripped off the beach by the fearsome winds. It's an equally wild journey for humans to get to this remote corner of Namibia. Jump in!

Where elephants have right of way • Seven wild campsites await your tent and camping chair in the Nyae Nyae Conservancy, the baobab-filled home of the Ju/'hoansi people.

Wet and wild • You'd be forgiven for thinking that Namibia is a desert from top to bottom. Many of its iconic attractions like the Fish River Canyon and Sossusvlei are as dusty as they come. But four mighty rivers also flow through Namibia – the Kavango, Kwando, Zambezi and Chobe. Here's your guide to Namibia's lush and untamed north.

Get soaked and stoked! • Livingstone in Zambia is only about 130km from the Ngoma border post in the far north-east of Namibia. Hop across and get soaked in the spray of Victoria Falls.

NORTH

ZAMBEZI REGION

NORTH PLACES TO STAY

Discover the furthest reaches of Namibia • Get “lost” in the Kunene Region with go! and Heuningland Tours.

STAY HERE • MUKUKU REST CAMP, RUNDU

STAY HERE • OMENYE CAMPSITE, PUROS

NAMIBIA AT ITS BEST