Tandem Skydiving
Firmly strapped to my skydiving instructor, Anthony, I'm sitting in the open doorway of the plane. For the past 25 minutes I've been watching his altimeter rise to over 3000m like the proverbial time bomb. Suddenly the world is a blur as we fall at over 190km/h in a series of somersaults. After 35 seconds of exhilarating freefall the parachute opens and we make a feather-light landing. It's over too quickly and I'm tempted to have another go.
Ground Rush Adventures, www.skydiveswakop.com.na

Sandboarding
Standing on top of a horrendously steep sand dune, I've got a snowboard strapped to my feet. Raymond reassures us that sandboarding is slower than snowboarding and a steep slope is essential to gain enough momentum. The friction of the sand may make it a bit slower but the 80m dunes set an intimidating scene in which to learn about balancing, turning and rhythm.
Alter Action, www.alter-action.com

Canoeing on the Kunene River
Flowing through wild, arid mountains on the border between Namibia and Angola, the Kunene promises remote and exhilarating canoeing and rafting. Whitewater rapids, with forbidding names like Smash and The Crusher, intermingle with calmer stretches where you may spot Africa's largest lizard - the 2m Nile monitor. A highlight of a river expedition on the Kunene are the Epupa Falls, a wonderful series of cascades dropping a total of 60m.
Felix Unite, www.felixunite.com

Hiking the Fish River Canyon
Over 160km in length and reaching 550m deep in places, the Fish River Canyon is the magnificent setting for one of southern Africa's greatest hikes. Numbers are strictly limited, so you need to book well in advance for a chance to tackle the 90km trail between Hiker's Point and Ai-Ais - a five day route on which you need to be totally self-dependent. Terrain varies from boulders and loose sand to river-crossings.
www.namibweb.com/canyon

Dune Boarding
"Just keep your mouth shut and you'll be fine" - and with that I'm released down the near vertical dune. It is exhilarating to travel at 70km/h with your face just inches from the sand. Unlike sandboarding, where you traverse back and forth, dune boarding takes a more direct route, ie: straight down! No experience is necessary, just lie on your front on a large piece of hardboard, pull up the front edge of the board, tuck your elbows in - and go.
Alter Action, www.alter-action.com

Rhino Tracking
Just 20m and closing fast, a 1000kg rhino is bearing down on us. It's surprising how fast and nimble such a hefty and solid animal can be. The rhino sends up large plumes of dust and I can almost reach out and touch her. Rhinos are renowned for their poor eyesight but excellent hearing, so we've been told to freeze if they charge. "There's a good chance they'll run straight past you if you keep still". Right here, right now, I'm not convinced…
Save the Rhino Trust, www.rhino-trust.org.na

Quad-biking
These fat-tyre bikes offer a way to access this vast expanse of sand not possible with other vehicles. The guides lead the way and there is plenty of opportunity to open up the throttle and experiment with jumping the dunes. Quad bikes are less damaging to the terrain than most off-road vehicles, but all the same, this trip utilises an area of dunes that is specially set aside for the activity. It lasts two hours, covering 60km, and by the end you're guaranteed to have sand everywhere.
Outback Orange, www.outbackorange.com

Sea Kayaking
It's a beautiful day… for sea kayaking with seals, and Jeanne Meintjes has thought of everything, right down to providing dry bags for our cameras. Once we've launched our kayaks at Pelican Point in Walvis Bay, it's not long before seals start to appear. First one and two and then, within minutes, there is a whole colony. Soon they start to play amongst the kayaks, slowly gaining enough bravado to leap over the bow of each boat. Their aim, it seems, is to get us as wet as possible.
Eco Marine Kayak Tours, www.gateway-africa.com/kayak

Parasailing
In a few hours you too can learn to fly. Alex Stauch of Albatross Paragliding Adventures has been parasailing for 15 years and is as enthusiastic as ever. After learning the basics of aerodynamics you'll be issued with a harness and helped to take off, fly and land. Stauch claims: "These dunes offer one of the safest places to learn the art of free flight. There are no obstacles or restrictions such as power lines, just mile upon mile of sand dunes, which range from 70m to 150m."
Albatross Paragliding Adventures, www.namibiaparagliding.com

Roaring Dunes
Described as singing, whistling, squeaking, roaring and booming, this phenomenon has to be experienced to be believed… Anyone who has slid down the steep lee sides of roaring dunes (found along the Skeleton Coast) will agree it is an extraordinary feeling. As you move down the slope the dunes make an unexpectedly loud noise. It is thought that the low frequency sound comes from the electrostatic discharge as the grains of sand rub against each other.
Skeleton Coast Safaris, www.orusovo.com/sksafari