Northern Namibia

The Ugab Rivier marks the start of Namibia's Skeleton Coast and since 1971, it has been protected as the Skeleton Coast National Park, which stretches up to the Kunene River at the Angolan border. The southern part of this conservation area - up to Terrace Bay - is only freely accessible with a permit. The northern part can only be visited with a private safari company.

Dense fogs, mighty storms and violent surf caused many ships in the past to run aground along the Skeleton Coast, and the desolate coastline has become known as the world's biggest ship graveyard. Those who were shipwrecked and managed to swim through the roaring surf and reach the coast, still didn't stand a chance of survival because of the waterless, hostile, 300km wide coastal desert.

The Caprivi is a narrow strip of land in the far northeast of Namibia, about 400 kilometres long. Germany exchanged the area - together with Helgoland - with the United Kingdom for Zanzibar in 1890. It was named after the German chancellor of the time, Graf von Caprivi.

The Caprivi is the wettest region in Namibia with its high rainfall and a number of major rivers like the Okavango, Kwando and Zambesi. The abundance of water in the Caprivi sustains a large variety of animal and bird species. There are no fences, so the animals can roam freely across the borders of the neighbouring countries of Botswana and Zambia.

Etosha is one of the largest and best game viewing parks in the whole of Africa. The reason is in the Ovambo name Etosha, which means 'huge white area' or 'place of dry water', depending upon whom you ask. For most of the year a vast shallow pan, which was once a lake the size of Holland, shimmers a glaring bright white from crystallized salt across its entire surface. Surrounding the pans is a variety of grass and woodlands amongst which live a wonderful variety of animals and birds, insects and reptiles.

Kaokoland is home to some 6000 Himba. These friendly people are closely related to the Herero and speak the same language. The Himba are herdsmen, breeding mainly cattle and goats while leading a semi-nomadic life. They migrate with their herds to the different waterholes from season to season.

For the Himba, clothes, hair and jewellery hold a special meaning and form an important part of their tradition and culture. Even newborn babies are adorned with pearl necklaces while older children are given bracelets crafted from copper and decorated with shells.

The Kunene Region is situated in Namibia's remote north-west, bordering Angola to the north. The Kunene River forms the border between Namibia and Angola. Here the landscapes, with their spectacular desert mountains, gorges, plains and ephemeral rivers are stunning. These seasonal rivers create a focus for wildlife - particularly desert adapted elephant and rhino. Zebra, giraffe and various species of antelope and even lion also thrive in this region.

Deep within the Skeleton Coast National Park, Terrace Bay is the most northerly point accessible by vehicle. Terrace bay is for the angling crowd rather than holidaymakers. The beach consists of pebbles and boulders and is a desolate and barren site. However, for fishing, it is the one place that is so remote your chances of catching fish are amongst the best in the Namibian coastline. The cold Benguela current, which runs offshore in the Atlantic Ocean, is the source of a large variety of fish species.