Namibia

One of the best self-drive countries on earth. Hire a 4×4 and go

Namibia is one of the least densely populated countries on earth and one of the best places anywhere for a self-drive trip. The gravel roads are well maintained, the distances are enormous, and you can drive for hours seeing almost nobody, which is precisely the appeal.

Sossusvlei is the image everyone knows: rust-red dunes up to 300 metres high, with the dead camelthorn trees of Deadvlei standing on a white clay pan. Getting there for sunrise is the standard advice and it is correct. Further north, Etosha National Park is built around a salt pan where wildlife congregates at waterholes, making it one of the easiest parks in Africa to self-drive.

The Skeleton Coast is where the desert meets a cold Atlantic, littered with shipwrecks and seal colonies. Damaraland has desert-adapted elephant and ancient rock engravings at Twyfelfontein. And Namibia has more of its territory under conservation protection than almost any country, with community conservancies giving locals a direct stake in wildlife.

Annual events and festivals

• Independence Day (21 Mar) — marks 1990 independence from South Africa, the most recent in mainland Africa.
• Windhoek Karneval, WIKA (Apr) — a German-influenced carnival, a legacy of colonial history.
• Oktoberfest, Windhoek (Oct) — another German legacy, taken seriously.
• Maherero Day (Aug) — Herero people gather at Okahandja in traditional Victorian-influenced dress.
• Windhoek Industrial and Agricultural Show (Sep-Oct) — the biggest annual gathering in the capital.
• Heroes Day (26 Aug) — commemorating the start of the liberation struggle.
• Namibia Annual Music Awards (varies) — the main event in the domestic music scene.
• Kuste Karneval, Swakopmund (Aug-Sep) — the coastal version of the carnival.
• Nama Festival (varies) — traditional Nama cultural celebrations in the south.
• Wild Cinema Windhoek Film Festival (varies) — the main film event.