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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Namibia

21 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Namibia

Updated October 29, 2021

Cities

Unusual Attractions in Namibia

Namibia

Kolmanskop Ghost Town

The remains of diamond fever taken over by the desert.

Namibia

Eduard Bohlen Shipwreck

Far from the shore, this sandy victim of the Skeleton Coast looks like it was plopped in the middle of the desert.

Namibia

Namib Sand Sea

A desert that rolls right up to the ocean, where it's so dry animals live off the fog.

Sossusvlei, Namibia

Dead Vlei

This "dead marsh" sits among the largest sand dunes in the world, a forest frozen in time.

Namibia

Fairy Circles of Southern Africa

Unexplained bald patches in the landscape grow and recede over time, as though they are somehow alive.

Namibia

Shipwreck Lodge

Ten shipwreck-shaped chalets lie along the sand dunes on Namibia’s Skeleton Coast.

Namibia

Hoba Meteorite

The largest known meteorite on Earth was too big to move.

Namibia

Welwitschia

Bizarre living fossil only grows in a small chunk of the Namib Desert.

See All 21 Things To Do in Namibia

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Namibia

Walvis Bay, Namibia

The Raft

Hitch a boat ride to dine on stilts while watching wildlife.

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Natural Wonders 4

Geological Oddities 3

Roadside Attractions 2

National Parks 2

Places To Stay 1

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Stories About Namibia

Why Rhinos Fly Upside Down Over Namibia

Researchers determined that the pachyderms fare just fine when they sail suspended from a helicopter.

by Ashley Stimpson

February 9, 2021

The Transformation of Namibia's Etosha Pan, From Parched to Soaked

Satellite images track the shift from dry to wet at a vast, prehistoric lake bed in southern Africa.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

January 22, 2020

The Most Isolated War Grave of the British Commonwealth Is in the Namibian Desert

In 1915, South African forces fought Germans for control of territory in southern Africa.

by Sarah Laskow

October 23, 2018

The Secret World Inside Tiny Fog Droplets

From the Namib Desert to Maine, fog is teeming with life.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

August 30, 2018

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