The Hidden Gems of Africa (part 1)

On each and every one of our trips throughout the years, we have travelled to countries far away from Europe in search of hidden gems - the unknown places that are not in any guidebook, the "off the beaten track" itineraries that most people rarely venture into, the "once in a lifetime" experiences that look like dreams come true straight out of a National Geographic documentary… Therefore, it might sound like a paradox that the seventh continent we landed on, our own last terra incognita, was actually the closest to our home. I guess that Africa’s vastness and wilderness had always sounded a little bit scary, even after almost 20 years of travelling around the world. 

Still, old habits die hard and for our first trip to our last continent, we chose the furthest part of it - Southern Africa. Also, driven by our constant search for hidden gems, and following the advice of a friend who many years ago in Singapore told me that her favourite trip ever was sleeping in a 4WD rooftop tent in a place that many people could not even locate on a map, we decided to visit first the less-known countries of Namibia and Botswana. And since travelling is not about the destination but about the journey itself, we opted for a self-drive safari road trip from the world’s oldest desert in Namibia to the world’s largest waterfall in Zambia and Zimbabwe - nothing less - and it knocked our socks off!

The precious gems

Both Namibia and Botswana boast a wealth of real hidden gems as they are each known for their high-quality gemstones. 

Their diamonds are some of the best in the world. Based on data reported by the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, Botswana is the 2nd largest producer of diamonds in the world in terms of both carats and value, while Namibia is the 8th by carats but the 5th by value, and is also known for its marine diamond mining along the coast, where diamonds are extracted from the seabed.

Apart from diamonds which are qualified as precious stones, both countries mine precious metals such as gold and silver, and semi-precious stones such as agate, amethyst, azurite, dioptase, jasper, malachite, orange spessartite garnets, quartz crystals, as well as colorful tourmaline crystals, which come in various shades, including pink, green, and blue. 

If you want to see some beautiful gemstones, the best place for that is the Kristall Galerie in Swakopmund.

The museum displays some spectacular specimens of minerals and semi-precious stones with intricate patterns and vibrant colours, and even a meteorite!

It also houses a replica of the original Otuja Tourmaline Mine discovered in a farm in the Erongo region of Namibia, as well as its gorgeous collection of crystals, including the world’s largest known quartz crystal cluster! This awe-inspiring natural wonder is 3.5m high and 3m wide, weighs a whopping 14.1 tons and is estimated to be approximately 520 million years old!

But precious stones and minerals are not what we came to Africa for. To us, the real gems of Namibia and Botswana lie somewhere else - in their landscapes, wildlife, adventure activities, culture, architecture and cuisine...