About Namibia

Namibia, located in southwest Africa, is bordered by Angola to the north, South Africa to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. While the country is rich in mineral resources, including gold and diamonds, it never experienced a gold rush akin to California’s. Instead, scattered remnants of abandoned early prospecting sites – rusted mining equipment and deserted settlements – stand as silent witnesses to Namibia’s early mining history.

Today, tourism plays an increasingly vital role in Namibia’s economy. The country’s breathtaking landscapes, diverse wildlife, and vast national parks rank among the world’s top travel destinations, attracting large numbers of visitors. Yet, Namibia’s sheer size ensures that unspoiled nature remains accessible almost everywhere. A few striking facts highlight this: 

• Despite being twice the size of Germany, Namibia’s population is only one-twentieth as large. 
• With just four inhabitants per square kilometre, it is one of the least densely populated countries on Earth. 
• The climate also presents extreme contrasts. Rainfall in the Namib Desert is barely higher than in the Atacama, the world’s driest desert, and in regions like Deadvlei, precipitation is often recorded as zero. 

For more than four years, Deadvlei remained entirely dry – until the day we arrived. That night, an unexpected downpour transformed the desert, sculpting intricate patterns into the dunes and creating striking, ephemeral structures – an extraordinary bonus for my photography.

That moment was unforgettable. Rain in the desert is a rare sight, but after four years of complete drought, it felt almost surreal. The way water interacts with the dunes – darkening and reshaping the sand, forming mesmerizing contrasts, etching delicate patterns, and briefly solidifying into sculptural formations – is one of nature’s most fleeting wonders. 

Experiencing this firsthand reveals just how alive even the driest landscapes can be.