Namibia has declared its entire coastline a National Park. The Skeleton Coast Park covers over 26 million acres, making its total size larger than the country of Portugal! The national park even defies borders as it connects with South Africa’s Richetersveld National Park in the south and Angola’s Iona National Park in the north.

One of the objectives behind the national park designation is twofold: increasing tourism and keeping poaching at bay. The Skeleton Coast National Park includes abundant wildlife such as hyenas, black rhinos, desert elephants, African penguins, Cape fur seals, and the small prides of lions that have recently returned to the area, perhaps knowing they were being given a protected home!

Holiday season is upon us; stores are open well into the night, people are cramming into small spaces to get the best deals on the best presents and trees around the world are decorated with aplomb. But outside? It’s nasty. With over a week of rain just passed and ten more days on the way, one has to wonder – do I really want to stay home this year?

Would you rather spend the holidays at home, snuggled inside around a fire while the elements beautify (snow) or dull (rain) the nature outside or head to a hot and dry destination for unseasonable temperatures and suntans and trade in your sleigh for a surfboard?