8 Days in Africa's Emptiest Country

Namibia is a country of staggering emptiness and beauty. With a population of just 2.5 million in an area twice the size of California, it's one of the least densely populated countries on Earth — and that's precisely its appeal. This eight-day route loops through Namibia's greatest hits: the towering red dunes of Sossusvlei, the haunting dead trees of Deadvlei, the shipwreck-strewn Skeleton Coast, and the wildlife-rich waterholes of Etosha National Park. The journey begins in Windhoek, Namibia's small but charming capital, before heading south to the Namib Desert — the world's oldest desert at 55 million years. Climbing Dune 45 at sunrise is a rite of passage: the interplay of light and shadow on the orange sand creates one of Africa's most photographed scenes. Deadvlei, a white clay pan dotted with 900-year-old dead camelthorn trees against a backdrop of rust-red dunes, looks like a surrealist painting. The Skeleton Coast earned its name from the whale bones and shipwrecks scattered along its foggy Atlantic shores. It's eerie, beautiful, and utterly remote. Etosha National Park offers classic African safari without East Africa's crowds — self-drive to floodlit waterholes where elephants, lions, rhinos, and giraffes gather at dusk. Namibia is also one of Africa's safest countries for self-driving, with well-maintained gravel roads and excellent camping infrastructure. Whether you're camping under the Milky Way at Spitzkoppe or watching a cheetah hunt on the Etosha plains, Namibia delivers raw, unfiltered wilderness that stays with you forever.