Namibia is a country of striking natural beauty. Best known for its vast deserts, Namibia’s dramatic terrain is situated on the western side by the Atlantic Ocean. From spiky massifs, to Africa’s largest salt pan, the varied contours of the driest country in the sub-sahara are home to a huge array of flora and fauna, making Namibia the perfect escape for those seeking a combination of wildlife and natural beauty.

The amber mountains of the Namib Desert act as an impressive entrance to the Namib-Naukluft National Park, where the arid Sossusvlei salt and clay pan provides the backdrop to a variety of small reptiles, jackals, antelopes and ostriches. The red clay dunes of Sossusvlei reach up to 300m in height and really come to life when the setting sun shifts their colour through a spectrum of reds and browns.

The once diamond-rich ghost town of Kolmanskop is also found here, and visitors can tour the abandoned houses, deserted bowling-alleys and desolate ballrooms as the town is reclaimed by the desert.

Many of Africa’s large mammals reside in the dry riverbeds of the Namib Desert, including elephants, giraffes and black rhinos, but those wishing to see the ‘Big Five’ should head to Namibia’s greatest eco-region, Etosha National Park.

Known as the ‘Great White Place’, Etosha was once a large inland lake that has long since evaporated, and is now an immense, silver pan of salt-encrusted sand that is so vast that it can be seen from space. From here, a self-drive safari provides the best way to witness the ‘Big Five’ who can be found at the park’s southern waterholes, which is a truly unique and unforgettable safari experience.