Nearly twice the size of California and with fewer than 3 million people, Namibia is one of the most sparsely populated countries on the planet. It was a great pleasure to return to a land where well-managed tourism helps sustain its sensational landscapes and unique wildlife, and the small scale and wide spacing of lodges and camps ensure that crowds are almost never a problem.

Of course, Namibia’s appeal is not limited to the absence of other travelers. The country’s desert-adapted wildlife, including elephant, giraffe, lion and rhino, is endlessly fascinating. Some of its tribal people, most famously the Himba, maintain lifestyles unchanged by the centuries, in spite of modern pressures. And Namibia’s varied landscapes, ranging from shattered mountains of micaceous schist to sculptural sand-dune seas, provide a breathtaking sense of desolation. At night, the moon and stars burn with startling intensity.

Our journey took us to the immense red dunes of Namib-Naukluft National Park, the labyrinthine canyons around the Hoanib Valley, the brooding Skeleton Coast and the relatively fertile veld near the capital of Windhoek. I was eager to try out two new upscale properties in Namibia’s northwest, both run by Natural Selection. Two of this company’s founders, Colin Bell and Chris McIntyre, started the justly acclaimed Wilderness Safaris in the 1980s. I wondered whether Hoanib Valley Camp and Shipwreck Lodge, both within striking distance of Wilderness Safaris’ excellent Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp, deserved the many plaudits they’ve received in the travel press.