Namibia.
It's hard to think of an iconic African landscape that Namibia doesn't possess
- Anthony Ham
Namibia: The land of endless horizons
Before we travelled there, people had told us about Namibia's epic endless horizons. But it wasn't until we were standing in the middle of a desert that seemed to stretch from one side of earth to the other, for eternity, that we really understood how epic they were.
Our 10-day Namibian road trip took us through some of the most unique and stunning landscapes we've ever seen. It was an experience straight from the pages of a classic road trip novel, only with more sand and a slightly greater risk of tyre blowout in the middle of a heat bowl.
Rolling through the Namib desert, having not seen another life for hours, surrounded by fossilised mountains, stark coastlines, and sand dunes as far as the eye could see, we'd never felt more insignificant. It was the most exhilarated and free we've ever felt on our travels.
The shifting sands of the world's most ancient deserts, the haunting and wild Skeleton Coast, and the thriving wildlife pans of Etosha: the whole of Namibia is a lesson in perspective and scale.
This is a country you come to when you want to feel small. Where else could you trace the spine of a Sossusvlei sand dune as tall as a skyscraper, or stand beside the fossilised skeleton of a 900-year-old tree?
If that's not enough, you could find yourself staring deep into Fish River Canyon, earth's second largest chasm, skydiving over the desert in Swakopmund, and exploring the long-abandoned diamond-mining ghost town of Kolmanskop. Don't forget to hold your nose when you visit the Cape Cross Seal Colony!
At night, standing in the middle of the desert under endless starry skies, you'll soon realise that when it comes to the natural world, Namibia boasts a billion star rating.
