Namib Desert among top 10 beauty spots

Namibia’s Namib Desert has been named one of the ten most beautiful places in the world. Conde Nast Traveller, one of the world’s premier travel magazines, recently released its list of the 50 most beautiful places in the world. It listed the Namib Desert as the tenth most beautiful place in the world. According to the website of Conde Nast Traveller, “the red sand dunes and skeletal trees make Namibia the closest thing we have to Mars on Earth.” The Namib Desert was also the filming location for Mad Max: Fury Road. The Namib Desert is commonly referred to as the world’s oldest desert as it has been around for about 43 million years. The desert is a large expanse of moving gravel plains and dunes of all shapes and sizes that span along the entire coastline. Namibia has also been listed as one of the top seven adventure destinations for 2016. According to CNN Travel, Namibia may be Africa’s best “new” safari country. “One of the world’s most forbidding stretches of coastline, Namibia’s Skeleton Coast has been the final resting place of hundreds if not thousands of ships, many of whose crumbling hulls still rust on the beach,” says CNN writer Charles Coxe. He adds that this reputation has hidden Namibia’s real story. “Namibia is now a showpiece for environmental stewardship and sustainable tourism in Africa.” According to CNN Travel a full 40% of Namibia’s land is under protection and local communities are hired to serve as guides and help protect the wildlife. CNN Travel says that although the Namibian scenery and community experiences are unique the true highlight is the animals. “Although the north-eastern Namibia scenery and San experiences are unique, the true highlight during a visit to Khaudum, the former Bushmanland and the Caprivi is the animals.” According to CNN Travel Namibia is the African nation with the most success at consistently increasing its wildlife population, including desert rhinos, elephants, gazelles, lions and the largest free-roaming cheetah population in the world. ELLANIE SMIT