Windhoek

Home to a mere 160,000 people, Namibia's capital in the central highlands of the country is small, unhurried and known mainly for its German colonial buildings. Which, agreeable though that sounds, is hardly enough incentive to wing one's way to the tapering bottom quarter of Africa. However, throw in access to some of the best game viewing on earth, dune fantasylands, and mesmerising scenery in the planet's second-largest canyon, and you might understand why so many clued-up travellers nowadays see fit to do just that.

Windhoek, your gateway to all this wonder, is best explored on foot. A typical exploration of the city might start with Frühschoppen, a Namibian-style breakfast, followed by a stroll to the Post Street Mall for its German architecture, colourful modern buildings, and a display of meteorites which showered on Namibia in 1837.

Other sights include the striking Christuskïrche Lutheran church, the old Cape Dutch railway station and the parliament building, Tintenpalast. Those who stretch their legs further on the Hofmeyer Walk into the Klein Windhoek Valley bushland will be rewarded by a fine vista of the city - and a good reason to sink a drink or two at Thüringer Hof Beer Garden on your return.

Thereafter, expect to either fly or drive heartily to reach the country's biggest drawcards. About 500km to the north-west lies Etosha National Park and its famous saltpan, whose perennial springs attract thirsty animals from far and wide. On the Atlantic coast to the west is the Bavarian-style port of Swakopmund, a good base for surfing, sandboarding, quad biking and beaches.

The Fish River Canyon, one of the most spectacular sights on the entire continent, is to the south, and to the south-west are the towering red dunes of the Namib desert at Sossusvlei - like much of Namibia, every photographer's dream.