27 awe-inspiring pictures of Namibia

Namibia has some of the world's most astonishing landscapes. It's home to the world's oldest desert, a long and undeveloped coastline and national parks that teem with wildlife. After spending ten days exploring this vast land, Lottie Gross shares some of her favourite photos from Namibia.

Namibia is such a pleasure to view through a lens, but it can be difficult to photograph. Not because it's un-photogenic – it's quite the opposite, really – but because it's so full of 'wow' moments that it's easy to forget to pick up the camera.

The squawking seal colony of Cape Cross is mesmerizing to watch. The seals are ungraceful and their stench so pungent it makes your eyes water on first whiff, but their sheer number is staggering, especially when you look further out to see even more heads bobbing in the waters.

Then there's the Namib desert: one of the world's harshest, driest environments. It's like an inland ocean of orange and red with dunes standing so tall they're almost hard to comprehend.

Over ten days, while witnessing so many starkly different sides to this extraordinary country, I took over 1000 photographs. Here is just a small selection of my favourites.

Ready to plan your trip? Don't miss our guide to the best things to do in Namibia.

The Martian landscapes of the Namib desert

An oryx grazes on shrubs in the Namib Naukluft National Park

A long road through the dry Namib Naukluft National Park

Sunrise over one of the world's tallest sand dunes in the Namib desert

People scale the sand dunes in the Namib Naukluft National Park

The white mineral pans of Dead Vlei

Petrified trees in Dead Vlei

A zebra on the look out in the wilderness

The Cape Cross seal colony

A baby seal at Cape Cross

Sand dunes rise from the Namib desert

The Namib desert as seen from a scenic flight

Sossuvlei and Dead Vlei from above

An aerial view of the coast

Marshland on the coast

Flamingos on the coast of Namibia

Flying over Swakopmund

Sunset over Swakopmund

Sunset over the pier in Swakopmund

A giraffe peers over trees in Etosha National Park

Animals drink from a watering hole, Etosha National Park

Sunset in Etosha

Etosha salt pan

Sunset in Etosha

Explore more of Namibia with the Rough Guide to Namibia. Compare flights, find tours, book hostels and hotels for your trip, and don’t forget to buy travel insurance before you go.