Namibia – Duniart Photography

Namibia – Wildlife Photography

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:58:33 +0000

Namibia Photography Highlights

Namibia is a powerful photography destination, known for its vast open spaces, dramatic light, and untouched landscapes. From the iconic red dunes of Sossusvlei and the rugged coastline to the endless horizons of the Namib Desert, the country offers striking scenes of desert minimalism and raw beauty.

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Ju’/Hoansi San Tribe – Naye Naye Concession

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 02:15:54 +0000

Well, it turned out we had a great time and learnt a lot about traditional San culture, and it was obvious the local community was also very welcoming to this initiative and concept of a Living Museum.

Visiting the Ju’/Hoansi San in the Naye Naye Concession

Day 6: Divundu – Ju’/Hoansi San tribe, Naye Naye Concession

We drove from Divundu southwards towards Grootfontein, and just after the vet fence our GPS sent us east, onto a dirt road and deep into traditional Ju’Hoansi San tribal land.

The story of the displacement of these Indigenous people of Namibia became instantly obvious: large cattle farms followed one after another… This used to be the San people’s tribal land, but all gone and converted for commercial use.

Eventually the scenery turned more wild, and we started to see some wildlife rather than cattle. This was the area where the Ju’Hoansi San were settled, nowadays living in fairly basic small villages. Our destination was what is called a living-museum, an effort to preserve traditional culture, combined with low-impact tourism to generate some income for the local community. We were initially a little sceptical about what kind of experience this would be.

We arrived at the village before noon, where we met the local San guide to discuss the program. He explained where we could set up camp and that they would visit us early afternoon.

After lunch the San community came out in full force, men, lots of women, and children of all ages. Impressive, to say the least! It may be called a museum and these people actually live in basic brick-and-mortar houses rather than their traditional makeshift bush huts, but it really gave a very authentic feel. The guide and his assistant referred to themselves as “actors”, but also explained that their traditional daily life had not completely changed since settling in a permanent small village and that a lot of cultural practices still survive until today.

Day 7: Ju’Hoansi San – Halali Camp, Etosha National Park

We enjoyed a beautiful sunrise and a relaxed morning, without our usual early morning game drive. We had asked the San women to come see us before breaking up camp and move to our next destination.

And that was our visit to the Ju’/Hoansi San. It turned out really nice, and immersive. We learnt a lot about traditional San culture, and it was obvious the local community was also very welcoming to the initiative and concept of a Living Museum.

For a much more in-depth story, check out my photo essay about the Ju’/Hoansi San tribe.

Time to drive to our next destination, the Etosha National Park. It would be my third visit to the park, and I couldn’t wait to see again the larger elephant herds, the rhinos, giraffes, lions, and hopefully again cheetah. So far, I have seen them every visit to the park!

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Brandberg Mountain & Doros Crater

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 12:03:07 +0000

Day 3 & 4 of 18 – Namibia Safari Trip – 2019

We didn’t really have a plan, other than that we wanted to drive to the Aba Huab riverbed, to search for desert-adapted elephant. But as we didn’t want to drive too much on tar roads, we decided to go off-road, and drive west of the Brandberg Mountain and then up north, towards the Aba Huab riverbed. We were fairly sure we could not make that in one day, so we were heading towards Rhino Trust Camp, and see where the day would end.

Day 3: Spitzkoppe – Rhino Trust Camp – Doros Crater area

Once we left the tar road we instantly felt a change; all of a sudden we were alone, surrounded with some of Namibia’s most spectacular scenery, between the Brandberg Mountain and the ancient Doros Crater.

We followed our GPS up north, towards the Rhino Trust Camp, a place we thought to perhaps put up camp.

Welwitschia, a plant unique for this part of the country. It gets most of its moisture and nutrients from the air and grows extremely slow. This plant is at least hundreds of years old and some plants are over a thousand years old.

We didn’t really like the Rhino Trust Camp site and as it was still fairly early we decided to continue up north. The landscape rapidly turned increasingly wild, and so did the road.

Somewhere between the Messum Crater and Brandberg Mountain, in the middle of extensive plains covered in granite boulders. A perfect place for our first night camping in the wild!

Namibia at its best! What to say…. A perfect night xxx

Day 4: Doros area – Twyfelfontein – De Riet – Huab riverbed

Today we were planning to drive to the Aba-Huab riverbed, where last year we saw our first desert elephants. We first had to cross the plains around the Doros crater though, towards Twyfelfontein. It was only when we got to Burnt Mountain that we saw again other people, the only person we had seen in the last 30 hours was a guard at the Rhino Trust Camp.

Early morning mist covered the plains, a scene I hadn’t seen before in Namibia. Early signs that the rainy season was not too far out anymore. It hadn’t rained here for almost 10 months.

Somewhere between Doros crater and Burnt Mountain. Honestly..? We were a bit lost and had no idea where we were exactly, but that didn’t matter. It was beautiful! Following our GPS would get us eventually to Twyfelfontein.

From Burnt Mountain we drove into the Aba-Huab riverbed, in search of desert elephants. No luck this time, so we decided to drive further upriver to De Riet, apparently an area with a high density of wildlife and occasionally also desert lions.

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Damaraland & Kaokoland Riverbeds

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 06:28:32 +0000

The remote landscapes of Damaraland and Kaokoland reveal one of the most striking desert ecosystems in Africa. Vast gravel plains, rugged mountains and wide sandy riverbeds shape a wilderness where wildlife survives under extreme conditions. Along dry river valleys, desert-adapted elephants move slowly between scattered trees, lions patrol immense territories, and traditional pastoral communities continue to live across the open desert.

For travelers and photographers, these regions offer a rare sense of scale and isolation. Wildlife, geology and culture remain closely connected here, unfolding across landscapes that feel both ancient and largely unchanged by modern development.

Remote River Valleys of Northwestern Namibia

Much of northwestern Namibia is defined by ephemeral rivers — dry river systems that flow only after seasonal rains. For most of the year these rivers appear as wide sandy valleys winding through desert mountains and gravel plains.

Although they may seem empty, these riverbeds form vital ecological corridors across the arid landscape. Beneath the surface, moisture remains trapped in the sand, allowing vegetation such as ana trees and acacias to grow where the surrounding terrain is otherwise barren.

Wildlife follows these corridors through the desert. Elephants move along the riverbeds in search of water and food, antelope gather where vegetation is most abundant, and predators track their movements across the open terrain.

For those exploring Damaraland and Kaokoland, these dry rivers become natural routes through the landscape — places where wildlife, vegetation and geology intersect in the vast deserts of northwestern Namibia.

Where Are Damaraland and Kaokoland?

Damaraland and Kaokoland are located in the Kunene Region of northwestern Namibia, forming one of the most remote landscapes in southern Africa. These vast desert regions stretch from the Skeleton Coast in the west to the interior highlands of northern Namibia and the border with Angola, covering immense areas of desert mountains, gravel plains and dry river valleys.

Among these valleys are some of Namibia’s most famous ephemeral rivers, including the Aba Huab, Hoanib and Hoarusib. For most of the year these rivers appear as broad sandy corridors through the desert, yet they form vital lifelines for wildlife moving across the arid landscapes.

Today, Damaraland and Kaokoland remain among the least populated regions in southern Africa. Wildlife still follows ancient migration routes through the dry river systems, while traditional pastoral communities such as the Himba continue to live across these vast open landscapes.

Damaraland and Kaokoland Landscapes

The remote northwestern corner of Namibia is often described using two names: Damaraland and Kaokoland.

Damaraland refers broadly to the rugged region between the Skeleton Coast and Etosha National Park. It is characterized by rocky mountains, open plains and scattered river systems such as the Aba Huab and Huab rivers. The area is known for its desert-adapted elephants and ancient cultural sites like Twyfelfontein.

Further north lies Kaokoland, one of the most isolated areas in southern Africa. The terrain becomes wilder and more remote, with dramatic valleys such as the Hoanib and Hoarusib rivers cutting through vast desert landscapes toward the Atlantic Ocean.

Both regions are part of Namibia’s Kunene Region, named after the Kunene River that forms the border with Angola. Yet the names Damaraland and Kaokoland remain widely used to describe the landscapes and travel routes of northwestern Namibia.

Together they form one of the most remarkable wilderness areas in Africa.

The Aba Huab River

The Aba Huab River is one of the most accessible dry river systems in Damaraland and offers a striking introduction to the region’s desert landscapes.

During most of the year the riverbed appears as a wide corridor of pale sand cutting through rocky hills and gravel plains. Tall ana trees grow along the banks, their deep roots reaching underground moisture hidden beneath the sand.

Driving through the Aba Huab riverbed reveals how wildlife adapts to the desert environment.

Desert-adapted elephants are frequently encountered moving slowly through the sandy valleys, feeding on tree bark and vegetation along the riverbanks. Giraffes and antelope occasionally appear among the scattered trees, while tracks in the sand reveal the presence of predators that move through the valley at night.

Further north, beyond areas such as De Riet, the landscape becomes increasingly remote. The riverbed winds through wide desert plains framed by distant mountains, creating scenes that feel both empty and alive at the same time.

For photographers, the Aba Huab offers dramatic compositions: elephants moving between trees, animals silhouetted against open desert horizons, and the textures of sand and stone defining the landscape.

The Hoanib River and Amspoort

Among Namibia’s desert rivers, the Hoanib River is perhaps the most famous.

Originating in the mountains of Kaokoland, the river winds westward toward the Atlantic Ocean, carving a vast valley through the desert. For most of the year the Hoanib appears dry, but its sandy channels support remarkable biodiversity.

Tall ana trees line parts of the riverbed, creating green corridors across an otherwise barren landscape. Wildlife follows these routes as they move through the desert.

Desert-adapted elephants are regularly seen traveling through the Hoanib valley, digging into the sand to access hidden water sources. Giraffes, springbok and oryx graze in the surrounding plains, while predators such as lions and hyenas patrol the wider region.

Near Amspoort, the Hoanib riverbed cuts dramatically between rugged mountains. The surrounding terrain becomes increasingly spectacular, with steep rocky slopes and wide sandy plains opening toward the Skeleton Coast.

In these remote valleys, the scale of Namibia’s desert landscapes becomes fully apparent.

Puros and the Hoarusib Valley

Far to the north, near the small settlement of Puros, the Hoarusib River flows through one of the most remote parts of Namibia.

The Hoarusib valley is a classic Kaokoland landscape: towering mountains, vast sandy riverbeds and scattered Himba settlements spread across an immense and sparsely populated region.

Wildlife here has adapted to the harsh desert conditions in remarkable ways.

Desert-adapted elephants move along the Hoarusib riverbed, traveling long distances between water sources. Even more famously, the region has been home to small populations of desert-adapted lions, which have learned to survive in one of the driest environments on the continent.

Encounters with wildlife in these landscapes feel different from those in more traditional safari destinations. Animals appear as part of the landscape rather than as isolated subjects, moving slowly across immense desert horizons.

For photographers, Puros and the Hoarusib valley offer some of the most dramatic desert scenery in southern Africa.

Beyond its dramatic landscapes and wildlife, the region around Puros is also home to Himba pastoral communities who have lived in the remote valleys of Kaokoland for generations. Small Himba settlements are scattered across the Hoarusib valley and surrounding mountains, where families herd goats and cattle across the arid terrain.

The Himba are known for their distinctive cultural traditions, including the use of otjize, a mixture of butterfat and red ochre applied to the skin and hair for protection against the desert climate. Despite the harsh conditions of the region, these pastoral communities continue to maintain a close relationship with the land and seasonal grazing routes.

Encounters with Himba communities in this remote part of Namibia offer a glimpse into a way of life shaped by both desert landscapes and long-standing cultural traditions.

Learn more about the Himba Tribe of Namibia.

Desert-Adapted Elephants and Lions

One of the most fascinating aspects of northwestern Namibia is the presence of desert-adapted wildlife.

Unlike typical savanna elephants, the elephants of Damaraland and Kaokoland have adapted to survive in extremely arid conditions. They travel long distances between food and water sources, often moving along dry riverbeds where vegetation is more abundant.

These elephants are not a separate species but rather a population that has developed behavioral adaptations suited to the desert environment.

They tend to move in smaller family groups and cover vast territories in search of food.

Even more extraordinary are the desert-adapted lions of the region. These lions roam the remote valleys of Kaokoland, hunting antelope, seals along the Skeleton Coast, and occasionally livestock near remote settlements.

Their survival in such harsh conditions is a testament to the resilience of wildlife in Namibia’s desert ecosystems.

Related Destinations in Namibia

Several other regions explored on this site reveal different aspects of Namibia’s landscapes and cultures.

Etosha National Park
Wildlife gathers around waterholes across vast salt pan landscapes in one of Africa’s great safari destinations.

The Himba Tribe of Namibia
A pastoral culture living in the remote Kunene Region, known for their distinctive traditions and deep connection to the land.

The Zambezi Region (Caprivi Strip)
A lush corridor of rivers and wetlands in northeastern Namibia where wildlife and birdlife gather along the Zambezi, Kwando and Chobe rivers.

Wildlife Photography in Kaokoland and Damaraland

For wildlife photographers, the river valleys of northwestern Namibia offer a very different experience from traditional safari destinations.

The landscapes are vast and open, and wildlife encounters often unfold slowly across immense distances.

Rather than dense vegetation, the environment is defined by sand, rock and sky. Animals appear as part of the landscape, often framed by dry riverbeds, scattered trees and distant mountain ranges.

Photographing wildlife here requires patience and observation.

Long telephoto lenses are useful for isolating animals across wide plains, while wider focal lengths allow photographers to capture wildlife within the broader desert environment.

Light also plays an important role. Early morning and late afternoon often produce dramatic shadows and warm tones across the sandy riverbeds and rocky hills.

Dust, dry air and immense horizons create images that feel raw and elemental — reflecting the harsh beauty of Namibia’s desert wilderness.

Stories from Damaraland and Kaokoland

Over several journeys through Namibia, I have explored many of the dry river systems of Damaraland and Kaokoland.

Each visit revealed different aspects of these landscapes — from encounters with desert elephants in the Aba Huab riverbed to the dramatic scenery of the Hoanib valley and the remote settlements around Puros.

The following stories document these journeys through some of Namibia’s most remote regions.

Photo Galleries from Kaokoland and Damaraland

The desert landscapes of northwestern Namibia offer extraordinary photographic opportunities.

From vast sandy riverbeds and rugged mountain ranges to intimate encounters with desert-adapted wildlife, the region presents a visual narrative shaped by geology, climate and survival.

The galleries below explore these landscapes through photography.

Thinking about travelling through Namibia?

The journeys and stories on Duniart come from many years of travelling through Namibia — independently, with friends and family, and in places far beyond the usual routes.

Explore Kaokoland and its remote riverbeds as part of a private journey through northwestern Namibia with Namibia Guided Safaris.

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Etosha National Park, Namibia

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 03:11:51 +0000

Etosha National Park is one of the most remarkable wildlife destinations in northern Namibia and among the most distinctive national parks in Africa. The park is best known for its vast salt pan, dramatic dry landscapes and exceptional wildlife viewing around natural and man-made waterholes.

Unlike many African parks dominated by rivers and dense vegetation, Etosha is defined by openness. The immense Etosha Pan stretches across the center of the park like a pale horizon, visible even from space. Around its edges lie grasslands, mopane woodland and scattered waterholes that attract large numbers of animals during the dry season.

This combination of open terrain and concentrated water sources makes Etosha one of the best places in Africa to observe wildlife in relatively accessible conditions. Elephants, lions, giraffes, zebras, springbok and large herds of antelope gather at the waterholes, while black rhino and leopard also inhabit the park.

For photographers and wildlife enthusiasts, Etosha offers a rare mix of dramatic landscapes and intimate animal encounters.

Etosha National Park in the Landscape of Namibia

Etosha National Park lies in northern Namibia, forming one of the country’s most important wildlife regions. The park sits between the semi-arid savannas of central Namibia and the more tropical landscapes of the Zambezi Region to the northeast.

Together with destinations such as the remote river valleys of Kaokoland, the wetlands of the Zambezi Region (Caprivi Strip) and the cultural landscapes of the Kunene Region, Etosha forms part of a wider network of ecosystems that define northern Namibia.

While Etosha is primarily known for its wildlife and salt pan landscapes, these surrounding regions reveal a different side of the country — remote deserts, river systems and traditional communities such as the Himba people.

The Etosha Salt Pan

At the heart of the park lies the Etosha Pan, a vast expanse of white mineral crust covering more than 4,500 square kilometres. The pan formed millions of years ago when an ancient lake gradually dried out, leaving behind a shimmering salt surface that now dominates the landscape.

For most of the year the pan appears almost lifeless, a flat and blindingly bright horizon stretching into the distance. Yet this emptiness defines the ecosystem around it.

Seasonal rains occasionally transform parts of the pan into shallow lagoons that attract flamingos and other waterbirds. During the long dry season, the surrounding grasslands become vital grazing areas for herbivores moving between waterholes.

From many viewpoints in the park, the pan creates a sense of immense scale. The horizon seems endless, broken only by distant animals crossing the pale surface.

Wildlife of Etosha National Park

Etosha supports an extraordinary diversity of wildlife adapted to semi-arid conditions. Large mammals are particularly visible during the dry months, when animals concentrate around water sources.

Elephants are among the park’s most iconic inhabitants. Their skin often appears pale grey or almost white, coated in mineral dust from the Etosha salt pan. This ghostlike appearance has earned them the nickname “ghost elephants” of Etosha.

Lions are frequently seen resting in the shade during the heat of the day, becoming more active toward evening when hunting opportunities increase.

Other commonly observed species include plains zebra, springbok, blue wildebeest, giraffe, kudu, oryx, and spotted hyena.

Etosha is also one of the few places in Africa where black rhinoceros can still be observed in the wild, particularly near protected waterholes during the night.

Birdlife varies seasonally. During rainy periods the park attracts large numbers of migratory birds, including flamingos, pelicans and numerous raptors.

Waterholes and Wildlife Encounters

Waterholes are the defining feature of the Etosha safari experience.

Because natural water is scarce across much of the park, animals depend heavily on permanent water sources. Some are natural springs, while others have been developed to support wildlife during prolonged dry seasons.

For visitors, these waterholes offer extraordinary opportunities to observe wildlife behavior. It is common to watch multiple species gather at the same location: elephants arriving cautiously, herds of zebra drinking quickly before moving on, antelope scanning the surroundings for predators.

One of the most famous locations in the park is Okaukuejo, where a floodlit waterhole allows visitors to observe wildlife after dark. Rhinos, elephants and lions are often seen approaching the water in the quiet hours of the night.

The rhythm of Etosha often revolves around these places — long periods of stillness suddenly broken by dramatic animal interactions.

Related Destinations in Namibia

Namibia’s landscapes are incredibly diverse, ranging from coastal deserts and ancient dunes to river valleys and wildlife reserves. Several other regions explored on this site reveal different aspects of the country’s natural and cultural heritage.

Kaokoland Riverbeds
Remote dry river valleys in northwestern Namibia where desert elephants and lions move through vast desert landscapes.

The Himba Tribe of Namibia
A pastoral culture living in the remote Kunene Region, known for their distinctive traditions and deep connection to the land.

The Zambezi Region (Caprivi Strip)
A lush corridor of rivers and wetlands in northeastern Namibia, where wildlife and birdlife gather along the Zambezi, Kwando and Chobe rivers.

Wildlife Photography in Etosha National Park

Etosha National Park offers exceptional opportunities for wildlife photography. The open landscapes, sparse vegetation and concentration of animals around waterholes create conditions where wildlife can often be observed and photographed at relatively close range.

Unlike many forested safari destinations, Etosha’s terrain allows long sight lines across plains and dry pan landscapes. Animals approaching waterholes are frequently visible well before they arrive, making it easier to anticipate behavior and prepare for the moment.

For photographers, patience at waterholes often produces the most rewarding encounters.

Light and Timing at Waterholes

Waterholes define much of the photographic rhythm in Etosha.

During the dry season, many animals depend on permanent water sources scattered across the park. This creates natural gathering points where elephants, antelope, zebras and predators may appear throughout the day.

Light conditions change dramatically over the course of a day, and positioning yourself relative to the sun can make a significant difference.

Early morning and late afternoon usually provide the most favorable light. The low sun creates softer shadows and warmer tones, while animals tend to be more active during these cooler hours.

When arriving at a waterhole, it is often worth considering where the sun will move over the next hour. Parking on the side that places the sun behind you can greatly improve lighting on animals approaching the water.

Midday light can be harsh, but it can also produce dramatic contrasts against the pale dust and open sky that define Etosha’s landscape.

Observing Animal Behavior

Wildlife photography in Etosha often rewards patience rather than constant movement.

Many encounters unfold slowly. A herd of elephants may approach a waterhole cautiously, drinking and interacting with one another before moving on. Antelope often arrive in waves, stopping repeatedly to scan the surroundings for predators.

Predators themselves frequently appear only after prey species have gathered.

Spending extended time at a single waterhole allows photographers to observe these patterns and anticipate moments of interaction — elephants spraying dust, zebras jostling at the water’s edge, or lions moving silently through nearby grass.

Lens Choices and Photographic Approach

Because wildlife distances vary widely in Etosha, many photographers prefer a flexible combination of telephoto and medium-range lenses.

Long telephoto lenses in the 400–600mm range are ideal for isolating animals at greater distances or capturing portraits of wildlife approaching the waterholes.

At the same time, the openness of the landscape occasionally allows opportunities for wider environmental images, where animals appear against the immense backdrop of the Etosha Pan or the surrounding savanna.

Dust, strong light and long viewing distances are part of the photographic character of the park. These conditions often produce images that feel raw and atmospheric, reflecting the harsh beauty of northern Namibia’s dry landscapes.

Night Photography at Okaukuejo

One of Etosha’s most unique photography opportunities can be found at the floodlit waterhole at Okaukuejo and Halali Camp.

After sunset, animals such as elephants, black rhino and occasionally lions approach the illuminated waterhole. Watching wildlife emerge quietly from the darkness toward the water can be a remarkable experience.

Photographing in these conditions requires higher ISO settings and careful attention to movement, but the atmosphere of nighttime encounters at Okaukuejo and Halali is unlike anything else in the park.

For wildlife photographers, Etosha combines dramatic landscapes with intimate animal encounters, making it one of the most rewarding destinations in southern Africa.

Safari Experience in Etosha

Etosha is well suited to self-drive exploration. A network of gravel roads connects the park’s main camps and waterholes, allowing visitors to move between different habitats over the course of a day.

Because the vegetation is generally sparse and the terrain open, wildlife sightings can occur at considerable distances across the plains. The landscape encourages patience and observation rather than fast movement.

Morning and late afternoon drives often provide the best conditions, when the light softens and animals become more active. During the hottest hours of the day, many species seek shade under sparse trees or rest near water.

Photographically, Etosha offers striking contrasts: pale dust, blue sky, dark silhouettes of animals and dramatic evening light over the pan.

Best Time to Visit Etosha National Park

Wildlife viewing in Etosha varies significantly between seasons.
The dry season, from roughly May to October, is generally considered the best time for wildlife photography, as animals concentrate around permanent waterholes.

During the rainy season the landscape becomes greener and birdlife increases dramatically, although wildlife disperses more widely across the park.

Photo Gallery from Etosha

Beyond individual stories, Etosha’s wildlife and landscapes lend themselves naturally to photographic exploration.

The gallery below highlight some of the wildlife and landscapes that define Etosha National Park — from elephants and lions to the vast horizons of the Etosha salt pan.

Thinking about travelling through Namibia?

The journeys and stories on Duniart come from many years of travelling through Namibia — independently, with friends and family, and in places far beyond the usual routes.

Explore Etosha National Park and its wildlife as part of a private journey through Namibia with Namibia Guided Safaris.

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Ju/’Hoansi San Tribe

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 10:23:09 +0000

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Himba Tribe

Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:05:30 +0000

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The Ju/’Hoansi San Tribe

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:25:36 +0000

The Ju’/Hoansi San of Namibia

The Ju’/hoansi, often referred to historically as the !Kung San, are one of the Indigenous San peoples of southern Africa. Today they live primarily in northeastern Namibia, as well as parts of Botswana and southern Angola.

Anthropologists consider the Ju’/hoansi among the oldest continuous cultural groups on Earth, with ancestral roots stretching back tens of thousands of years. For most of their history they have lived as hunter-gatherers in the Kalahari region, adapting to a landscape that appears harsh yet supports a remarkable diversity of plant and animal life.

Their traditional way of life is deeply connected to the rhythms of the desert environment, relying on knowledge of seasonal plants, animal movements and water sources passed down through generations.

Hunter-Gatherers of the Kalahari Desert

For thousands of years the Ju’/hoansi have survived through a sophisticated system of hunting and gathering.

Much of their diet comes from wild plants, roots, berries and nuts gathered across the savanna and dry woodland of the Kalahari. One of the most important traditional food sources is the mongongo nut, valued for its high protein and fat content.

Men traditionally hunt game such as antelope and smaller animals using bows and poisoned arrows. Tracking is one of the Ju’/hoansi’s most remarkable skills. Experienced trackers can follow subtle signs across vast distances — faint footprints, disturbed sand or broken vegetation — often pursuing animals for many hours.

This intimate understanding of the landscape allows the Ju’/hoansi to live sustainably in environments that appear inhospitable to outsiders.

An Egalitarian Social Structure

Ju’/hoansi society is often described as one of the most egalitarian social systems documented by anthropologists.

Decisions are generally made collectively, and leadership is informal. Elders and experienced hunters may guide discussions, but authority is rarely enforced through hierarchy or status.

Sharing resources is central to community life. Meat from a successful hunt is distributed among the group, reinforcing cooperation and social bonds. Accumulation of wealth or strong social stratification is largely absent.

This emphasis on cooperation and mutual support has historically helped small communities survive in unpredictable environments.

Language and Cultural Identity

Language is a defining element of Ju’/hoansi identity. They speak Ju|’hoan, a member of the Kx’a language family, often referred to as a “click language” because of the distinctive sounds produced with the tongue.

These clicks are not decorative sounds but fully integrated consonants within the language, forming an essential part of communication.

Beyond language, oral traditions remain central to cultural life. Storytelling, songs and dances are used to pass on knowledge about animals, landscapes and spiritual beliefs. Cultural knowledge is shared collectively, reinforcing identity and continuity across generations.

The Trance Dance and Healing Rituals

One of the most important cultural practices of the Ju’/hoansi is the trance dance, a traditional healing ritual.

During these ceremonies, community members gather around a fire while healers enter a trance-like state through rhythmic dancing and chanting. In this altered state, they are believed to access a spiritual energy known as n|om, which can be used to heal illness and restore balance within the group.

These rituals serve both spiritual and social purposes, addressing not only physical ailments but also tensions within the community.

Modern Challenges and Cultural Resilience

Like many indigenous communities, the Ju’/hoansi face significant challenges in the modern era.

Loss of ancestral lands, reduced access to traditional hunting areas and pressures from modernization have disrupted aspects of their traditional way of life. Government resettlement programs and conservation initiatives have also restricted mobility across parts of the Kalahari region.

At the same time, Ju’/hoansi communities continue to adapt. Cultural preservation initiatives, community-based tourism projects and support from non-governmental organizations aim to strengthen education, protect traditional knowledge and improve economic opportunities.

Despite these pressures, the Ju’/hoansi remain a powerful symbol of cultural resilience — preserving knowledge systems that reflect a deep and sustainable relationship with the natural world.

Thinking about travelling through Namibia?

The journeys and stories on Duniart come from many years of travelling through Namibia — independently, with friends and family, and in places far beyond the usual routes.

Discover the Ju/’Hoansi San and their culture as part of a private journey through Namibia with Namibia Guided Safaris.

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The Himba Tribe

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:53:58 +0000

Who Are the Himba?

The Himba are an Indigenous semi-nomadic people residing primarily in Namibia’s arid Kunene Region, with some communities also found in southern Angola. With a population of approximately 50,000, the Himba are renowned for their resilience, cultural traditions, and distinctive appearance, which have remained largely unchanged despite external influences and modernization.

You can explore a collection of portraits and scenes from Himba life in my Himba photo gallery.

Livestock and Daily Life

The Himba are traditionally pastoralists, relying heavily on cattle and goats for their livelihood. Livestock serves not only as a source of milk and occasional meat, but also as a measure of wealth and social status. Cattle play a central role in marriage negotiations, inheritance, and spiritual rituals.

Milk is a dietary staple, and women often spend hours churning it into butterfat — an essential resource in daily life.

The Himba Village and Traditional Mud Huts

A traditional Himba village, known as an onganda, is usually arranged in a circle, with small mud huts surrounding a central livestock enclosure. The layout is practical but also deeply symbolic.

The huts are built from a mixture of mud, clay, branches, and cattle dung. From the outside they appear simple and earthy, blending almost seamlessly into the dry landscape of northern Namibia. Inside, the spaces are compact and minimal, designed to stay cool in the intense desert heat.

At the heart of the village lies the cattle kraal — a reminder of how central livestock is to Himba life. Nearby, the ancestral fire burns continuously, forming the spiritual center of the homestead.

Walking into a Himba village feels both intimate and timeless. Everything — from the circular layout to the natural building materials — reflects a way of life shaped by climate, tradition, and continuity.

The Sacred Meaning of Otjize

One of the most defining features of Himba culture is the daily application of otjize, a mixture of butterfat and ground ochre.

Far more than a cosmetic practice, otjize carries deep symbolic meaning. The rich red color represents the earth and the life-giving power of blood. It signifies beauty, fertility, and cultural identity, connecting women physically and spiritually to the land.

In practical terms, otjize also acts as natural sun protection and helps cleanse the skin in a harsh desert climate where water is scarce.

The preparation and application of otjize is a daily ritual, reinforcing both tradition and identity across generations.
If you would like to explore this tradition in greater depth, you can read more about the meaning and symbolism of otjize here.

More about otjize here:

Social Structure and Gender Roles

Himba society is patriarchal, though women carry significant responsibilities within the household. They care for children, maintain the homestead, prepare food, and oversee daily domestic activities.

Men are primarily responsible for herding livestock and making major family decisions. Marriages are often arranged, and polygamy is common, particularly among wealthier men.

Every individual belongs to two clans — one through the father and one through the mother — forming a complex system of bilateral descent that shapes inheritance, identity, and social belonging.

Spirituality and the Sacred Fire

Spiritual life is deeply woven into Himba culture. The Himba worship Mukuru, their supreme god, and maintain a sacred ancestral fire called okuruwo.

This fire represents a spiritual connection between the living and the ancestors and is never allowed to extinguish. Rituals, offerings, and prayers are conducted around it, ensuring protection, guidance, and continuity.

The structure of the homestead reflects this spiritual worldview, with the ancestral fire and cattle kraal forming the symbolic heart of village life.

Hairstyles, Jewelry and Social Identity

Himba hairstyles and jewelry are not merely decorative — they communicate age, marital status, and social position.

Young girls wear forward-hanging braids, while married women wear the distinctive erembe crown made from goatskin. Men also have specific headpieces that indicate life stages.

Beads, shells, and metal adornments serve both aesthetic and symbolic functions, forming a visual language within the community.

Challenges in the Modern World

Despite their resilience, the Himba face growing challenges. Climate change threatens their cattle-based economy, and prolonged droughts strain traditional pastoral systems.

Tourism has created income opportunities but also cultural pressure. Infrastructure projects and land disputes further complicate their ability to maintain traditional territory and way of life.

Yet the Himba continue to adapt while preserving their identity — proving that tradition is not static, but evolving.

Thinking about travelling through Namibia?

The journeys and stories on Duniart come from many years of travelling through Namibia — independently, with friends and family, and in places far beyond the usual routes.

Discover the Himba and their traditions as part of a private journey through northwestern Namibia with Namibia Guided Safaris.

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The Himba Tribe: Otjize

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:31:26 +0000

What is Otjize?

Otjize is a traditional paste made from butterfat and finely ground red ochre, sometimes infused with aromatic resins. It is most closely associated with the Himba people of northern Namibia, where it forms one of the most recognizable elements of their cultural identity.

The deep terracotta color of otjize gives Himba women their striking appearance — a look that has become symbolic of the tribe itself.

If you would like to learn more about the Himba’s history and way of life, you can read my detailed story to the Himba tribe of Namibia.

Why Do Himba Women Use Otjize?

Otjize serves several practical purposes in the harsh desert climate of the Kunene Region.

Applied daily to the skin and hair, it acts as natural sun protection, shielding the skin from intense UV exposure and preventing it from drying out in the arid heat. The paste also functions as a mild insect repellent and supports skin hygiene in an environment where water is scarce and regular bathing is not always possible.

What may appear purely aesthetic is, in reality, a smart adaptation to a demanding environment.

The Cultural Meaning of Otjize

Beyond its practical use, otjize carries deep symbolic meaning.

The red color represents both the earth and blood — powerful symbols in Himba cosmology that stand for life, fertility, and a connection to ancestral land. The daily application of otjize is not merely cosmetic; it is a ritual that reinforces identity and belonging.

Girls begin using otjize from a young age, and the tradition is passed from mothers to daughters, strengthening generational continuity within the community.

Otjize and Himba Hairstyles

Otjize is closely tied to the Himba’s elaborate hairstyles. Women shape their hair into thick braids or cone-like forms that are carefully coated in the red paste.

These hairstyles communicate age, marital status, and social position. A young girl’s braids differ from those of a married woman, and each stage of life is visually represented through hair and adornment.

The preparation and application of otjize is often a slow, deliberate process — blending aesthetics, ritual, and social meaning.

You can see more examples of otjize-covered hairstyles in my Himba photo gallery.

A Symbol of Cultural Resilience

In a world increasingly shaped by modernization and outside influence, otjize remains an important part of daily life for many Himba women. Despite growing exposure to tourism and change, this tradition continues to be practiced and passed down through generations.

Otjize reflects cultural identity, continuity, and a strong connection to heritage. For the Himba, it is far more than a cosmetic paste — it is an essential expression of who they are.

Thinking about travelling through Namibia?

The journeys and stories on Duniart come from many years of travelling through Namibia — independently, with friends and family, and in places far beyond the usual routes.

Discover the traditions surrounding otjize and the Himba way of life as part of a private journey through northwestern Namibia with Namibia Guided Safaris.

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Namibia Country Page

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 09:00:43 +0000

NAMIBIA — PHOTOGRAPHY

Wild deserts, wildlife, and cultures across southern Africa’s most dramatic landscapes

Namibia is shaped by vast arid landscapes, wide horizons, and a close relationship between land, wildlife, and people.

From the towering dunes of the Namib Desert and the immense salt pan of Etosha National Park to the remote riverbeds of Damaraland and Kaokoland, Namibia offers some of the most striking and varied environments in southern Africa. These dry landscapes are home to desert-adapted wildlife, including elephants, lions and giraffes that move across ephemeral river valleys.

In contrast to the arid west, the far northeast along the Kavango River and the Zambezi Region (formerly the Caprivi Strip) reveals a greener Namibia of rivers, floodplains and woodlands, where wildlife and birdlife gather along permanent water systems.

Exploring Namibia Through Photography

This site explores Namibia through photographic journeys across its landscapes, wildlife regions and traditional cultures.

The galleries and stories below document environments ranging from the dunes of the Namib Desert and the wildlife plains of Etosha to the remote riverbeds of Damaraland and Kaokoland. Alongside landscapes and wildlife, several projects also focus on communities closely connected to these environments, including the Himba people of northwestern Namibia and the Ju’/Hoansi San of the Kalahari.

Together these galleries and stories offer a visual overview of Namibia — from desert and savanna to river systems and traditional cultures.

Namibia Destinations and Regions

Namibia’s landscapes are remarkably diverse, ranging from the vast desert dunes of the Namib to wildlife-rich savannas and remote river systems in the northwest. Each region reveals a different side of the country’s natural environment and cultural traditions.

The destinations explored on this site highlight several of Namibia’s most distinctive landscapes and ecosystems.

Etosha National Park

One of Africa’s great wildlife reserves, centered around the immense Etosha salt pan and a network of waterholes that attract elephants, lions, giraffes and black rhino.

Damaraland and Kaokoland

Remote desert landscapes of mountains and dry riverbeds where desert-adapted elephants and lions move through valleys such as the Aba Huab and Hoanib.

The Namib Desert and Sossusvlei

Towering red dunes and ancient desert landscapes in one of the oldest deserts on Earth.

The Zambezi Region (Caprivi Strip)

A lush contrast to Namibia’s deserts, where the Kavango, Kwando and Zambezi rivers support wetlands rich in wildlife and birdlife.

Traditional Cultures

Communities such as the Himba of northwestern Namibia and the Ju’/Hoansi San of the Kalahari maintain deep cultural connections to the landscapes they inhabit.

— Photo Galleries — Namibia Country Page

visual collections

Namibia Photo Galleries

Namibia - Wildlife Photography

Ju/'Hoansi San Tribe

Himba Tribe

Spitzkoppe & Doros Crater

Swakopmund & Walvisbay

Zambezi Region: Mahango & Kavango River

Puros & Kaokoland

Palmwag Conservancy

Hoanib Riverbed

Aba-Huab Riverbed

Sossusvlei & the Namib Desert

Etosha National Park

— PHOTO STORIES —

visual journals

Namibia Stories & Photo Essays

Damaraland & Kaokoland Riverbeds

Etosha National Park, Namibia

The Ju/'Hoansi San Tribe

The Himba Tribe

The Himba Tribe: Otjize

— TRIP REPORTS —

visual journeys

Namibia Safari Trips

Namibia & South Africa - 2024

Namibia & Botswana - 2018

Namibia Safari Trip - 2019

These journeys explore Namibia through remote deserts, wildlife reserves and traditional communities across one of Africa’s most visually striking landscapes.

Thinking about travelling through Namibia?

The journeys and stories on Duniart come from many years of travelling through Namibia — independently, with friends and family, and in places far beyond the usual routes.

If you would like to experience Namibia in a similar way, I now offer private guided expeditions through Namibia, shaped around the places, landscapes and experiences that interest you most.

Namibia Travel and Photography FAQ

Where is Namibia located?

Namibia is located in southwestern Africa, bordered by Angola, Botswana, South Africa and the Atlantic Ocean.

What is Namibia famous for?

Namibia is known for the Namib Desert, the towering dunes of Sossusvlei, wildlife in Etosha National Park and remote regions such as Damaraland and Kaokoland.

When is the best time to visit Namibia?

The dry season between May and October is often considered the best time for wildlife viewing, especially in Etosha National Park.

What wildlife can be seen in Namibia?

Namibia is home to elephants, lions, giraffes, rhinos, cheetahs and a wide range of desert-adapted wildlife.

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Sossusvlei & Deadvlei

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 13:05:23 +0000

Sossusvlei & Deadvlei

Day 21: Spitzkoppe – Sossusvlei

Before we arrived at Sossusvlei we drove through Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, the 2 main cities on the west coast of Namibia. This is where the Namib desert reaches the Atlantic Ocean. It’s quite a dramatic sight to see the desert dunes just disappear in the ocean..! The desert near Walvisbay has a couple of lagoons, home to a large colony of flamingoes. So we made a stop there, to have a closer look.

Next stop was at a lonely rocky outcrop in he middle of nowhere, where we had lunch overlooking the Namib desert.

A quick stop at Solitaire and another hour to our campsite in Sesriem, gateway to the Sossusvlei. We put up camp and decided to relax, to save our energy for tomorrow’s long day in the red sand dunes of Sossusvlei and Deadvlei!

Day 22: Sossusvlei

We woke up early morning, as we wanted to be a little bit in the front of the queue to enter the park when the park’s gates opened. As soon as the gates opened we drove to the parking closest to the Big Daddy dune, with 325 meters the tallest sand dune in the world. From the top you have fantastic views over the red dunes of the Namib desert, as well as the Sossusvlei and Deadvlei.

It’s not an easy climb, as the sand is incredibly soft. Particularly early morning and before the large majority of visitors make the climb the sand is so soft that with every 2 steps up you slide 1 step down into the sand. Once you’re at the top of the dune it becomes clear why this tough climb is so absolutely worth it; the views are something from another planet…!

After Deadvlei we drove first to Sossusvlei, for a relaxed late breakfast. We then drove back to our campsite, to relax. In the afternoon we drove again into the dunes, but this time we decided to hike towards Hidden Vlei, and then slowly drive back along the dunes, enjoying sunset which eventually seemed to set the dunes on fire. I’d been here before, but this never gets dull!

And that was Sossusvlei and Deadvlei, the last destination together with Willem-Jan and Willeke. The next day they drive back to Windhoek, to catch their flight back home in the evening. Mega and I continue our journey, for a full week to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in (mostly) South Africa!

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Spitzkoppe

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 12:48:17 +0000

Camping at Spitzkoppe

Day 20: Palmwag – Aba-Huab Riverbed – Spitzkoppe

We arrived in Spitzkoppe a bit late in the afternoon, meaning that all the favorite camping spots were already occupied. We managed to find a half-decent place and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon just relaxing at our campsite and enjoy the changing colors and shadows of the Spitzkoppe scenery, under the slowly setting sun.

Day 21: Spitzkoppe – Sossusvlei

A long driving day ahead, but mostly good roads. So we still had some time to explore Spitzkoppe, and visit the famous Arch.

That was Spitzkoppe, a relative short visit, but absolutely worth it! Now to Sossusvlei, via Swakopmund and Walvisbay.

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Hoanib & Aba-Huab riverbed

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 10:24:20 +0000

Driving through the Hoanib & Aba-Huab riverbeds

Day 17: Puros – Hoanib Riverbed

We arrived early afternoon at our destination, the Hoanib river basin: a wide riverbed which is pretty much dry throughout the year, with the exception after some heavy rain during the short rainy season. The river basin is home to desert adapted elephants and lions, as well as a good diversity of other game. Here we would again camp in the wild, hoping to be able to find the desert lions either at night or early morning, as Mega and I did a couple of years ago.

In the early evening we went for a drive to find desert lions; and although we had seen quite a few tracks in the area, we were not as lucky as a couple of years ago… Maybe tomorrow morning more luck.

Day 18: Hoanib Riverbed – Warmquelle

Early morning we continued our search for the desert lions; we found and followed plenty of fresh tracks, but I guess luck was not on our side, this time. We then slowly drove eastwards and out of the Hoanib riverbed, back to a large gravel road and on to Sesfontein. Some other seasoned travelers had recommended a little community camp a bit further south, Warmquelle, German, meaning “hot springs”! An excellent plan for a little break from the dusty riverbeds! So the afternoon we spend relaxing at a pretty luxury campsite, with an almost private hot spring right next to our camp.

Day 19: Warmquelle – Aba-Huab Riverbed

We woke up early again, planning to drive to the Aba-Huab riverbed, a great place to see desert adapted elephants up close. The riverbed also has lots of other wildlife, including herds of giraffe, ostrich, springbok, oryx, etc. But most anticipated was our planned wild camping site, at an old San bushmen cave where Mega and I had camped a couple of years ago. This was one of our most favorite camp sites, and we wanted to share that experience with Willem-Jan and Willeke.

But…. We were just back on the gravel road, when Willem-Jan’s car started to have engine problems… Long story short, we had no idea what the problem was and neither did our rental company when we called them. Upon their advice we towed the car back to Sesfontein, to a little repair shop. But they also had no clue what the problem was. Eventually we decided together with the car rental company to tow the car all the way to Palmwag, where they would deliver a replacement car the next morning… Big bummer, as that meant that we were no longer able to camp at our most anticipated camp site in the Aba-Huab riverbed…!

After a long and slow drive me towing Willem-Jan’s car for over 100 kilometers, we made it finally to the Palmwag Lodge. We thought to camp here, but to make matters worse the lodge had no more camping spots. There were no real alternatives, so eventually we ended up at a long-closed community campground, a little further south. No facilities and no water, so it simply became wild camping… A nice view over the unique Palmwag scenery and a spectacular sunset lifted our mood though!

Day 20: Palmwag – Aba-Huab Riverbed – Spitzkoppe

Fortunately our car rental company managed to arrive early morning with our replacement car. Excellent service! We moved all the luggage and decided to still visit the Aba-Huab riverbed on our way to the final destination today, Spitzkoppe.

We wanted to make sure to not arrive too late in Spitzkoppe, as camping spots are on a first-come-first-serve basis. And a good camping spot is important to fully enjoy this popular destination. So we said goodbye to the dry riverbeds and drove south via Twyfelfontein and the tin mining town of Uis to Spitzkoppe.

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Kaokoland & Puros

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 06:58:43 +0000

Driving to Kaokoland & Puros

Day 15: Opuwo – Kaokoland

After our Himba experience it was time again to leave the human world behind, and drive deep into one of Namibia’s most remote and desolate areas, Kaokoland.

There is not so much wildlife in Kaokoland, as it is very dry and inhospitable. But it offers one of Namibia’s most breathtaking desert scenery and is an absolute thrill to explore. Most roads here are only narrow sandy tracks and sometimes bone- and nerve-breaking rocky trails. This is the ancestral land of the Himba, and Namibia at its best!

Our destination was Marienfluss, close to the border with Angola. This vast place had been on my “to visit” places ever since my first trip to Namibia in 2015, for its spectacular scenery and sheer remoteness…

From Opuwo we first drove northwards, soon leaving behind the last few Himba settlements. After a few hours driving, following our GPS, I started to have the feeling we were not going where I wanted to go… Our destination was clear on the map, but the GPS indicated said “Van Zyl’s Pass ahead”. Ouch…! The Van Zyl’s Pass is the most dangerous mountain pass in Namibia, and only drivable for the absolute most experienced off-road drivers. It is therefore strictly forbidden with a rental car, as it is simply too dangerous. Lucky I found out on time, before it would have been almost impossible to turn around the car…!

So we turned around and soon got back on the actually planned route. The sand trail soon changed into basically a long pile of sharp rocks, laid out in a long narrow trail over the mountains ahead of us… Not an easy drive, but quite exhilarating! Unfortunately our little detour meant that we didn’t have enough time left to make it to Marienfluss. So after we had cleared the mountain pass we decided to set up camp, as the sun was starting to set. We found a beautiful spot to camp, overlooking the vast Namib desert plains right down in front of us.

The sun was soon gone, and temperatures started to drop fast. The sky was filling up with stars, and the Milky Way became increasingly clear, as every night in Namibia! Time for campfire, some wine and a braai.

Day 16: Kaokoland – Puros (Ngatutanga Campsite)

We enjoyed warming up under a slowly rising sun, before we were heading further down the mountain pass and to the desert plains ahead of us. Along the route we kept looking out for leopards, as somehow I had the impression they must be around. We came across a few Himba girls herding their goats here up in the mountains, but no leopards… The few Himba herders here clearly don’t see many tourists, as they refused to come to our car for some lollipops; so we just tossed the sweets as far as we could, for them to pick up. Big smiles!

We slowly closed in on Puros, and in the far distance we could see the green valley of the Hoarusib river; one of very few places in this part of Namibia where water flows underneath the riverbed and occasionally reaches the surface, providing water for the sparse wildlife.

“PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE FOOD WHERE IT CAN BE SEEN OR SMELT BY ELEPHANTS”

Day 16: Kaokoland – Puros (Ngatutanga Campsite)

We woke up in a thick blanket of mist, covering the entire riverbed. This fog is fairly common here this time of year, and actually blows in all the way from the Atlantic Ocean. So we waited patiently for the fog to clear, as today’s drive to the Hoanib river basin was something to really enjoy under clear skies! I knew this from my first trip to this part of Namibia.

Southwest of Puros the Hoarusib river valley is narrowing, eventually flowing through a narrow gorge. The only way to pass through this gorge by car: following the river!

After the gorge the road splits; continuing through the riverbed all the way to the west coast, and south towards the Hoanib river basin. We turned south, and soon drove through wide open plains and some spectacular desert scenery!

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Himba tribe in Kaokoland near Opuwo

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 03:18:33 +0000

Visiting the Himba tribe near Opuwo in Kaokoland

The Himba live in the Kunene region of northwestern Namibia, where they continue to thrive in harsh conditions, depending on livestock such as cattle, goats, and sheep for their livelihood. The Himba people are semi-nomadic, and known for their striking appearance, rich cultural traditions, and deep connection to the land. Living in one of the harshest environments on earth, they have managed to maintain a way of life that dates back centuries, holding onto customs passed down through generations.

Day 13: Etosha – Opuwo, Kaokoland

From the Olifantsrus Campsite we drove first to Opuwo, for a little break and to prepare for the next leg of our journey; refueling, and buying food supplies. We spend the night camping at the luxury Opuwo Country Hotel campsites, and enjoyed a relaxed afternoon and some sundowners on their poolside; what a change from our “normal” days in the bush..!

The Himba’s daily life revolves around their herds of cattle and goats. These animals are central to their economy, providing not only food and clothing but also serving as a form of currency and a symbol of social status. The Himba maintain a semi-nomadic lifestyle, moving with the seasons to find fresh pastures for their livestock. Their homes, called ovanda, are dome-shaped structures made of mud and thatch, which can be quickly assembled and disassembled as they move.

In Himba society, the family unit is key. Women are responsible for domestic tasks such as gathering firewood, milking animals, and preparing food, while men tend to the livestock and make important decisions for the community. The Himba practice a patriarchal system, but women hold considerable power in areas related to family and household.

Day 14: Opuwo – Himba village in Kaokoland

I had visited the Himba before, but only for a relative short time and never spent a whole day and night with the Himba. This time I had arranged an overnight stay, through a fantastic guide, Tjingi Tjinginda, a Himba from a small community north of Opuwo. We wanted to really immerse ourselves in an authentic, non-touristic Himba community; and that’s exactly what Tjingi arranged for us!

One of the most distinctive features of Himba culture is their appearance. Women and children often wear little clothing, except for skirts made from goat skin or cloth. The women’s skin is covered in a mixture of red ochre and fat, giving them a reddish hue. This paste is not only decorative but also acts as a sunscreen in the harsh desert climate. Their hair is styled in intricate braids, and they wear jewelry made from metal, shells, and beads, signifying social status and personal milestones.

We brought some basic food supplies as gifts: bags of corn flower, cooking oil, some sugar, etc. We then had a little tour through the family homestead, which consisted of a few small mud huts, a fenced area for the cows, a small communal hut and some storage huts. In the afternoon we spend a lot of time with the kids, playing, and treating them to some “western” treats.

Day 15: Himba tribal village – Deep into Kaokoland…

The Himba dedicate the mornings to their cattle; after milking the cows the kids bring the herds of cows and goat to suitable grazing grounds, to only return in the afternoon. This is still wild territory, and in the evening the Himba had plenty of stories to tell about encounters with lions, and particularly the more feared leopards who often stalked the Himba’s livestock for a free meal. This is why at night they keep the cattle inside their fenced homestead.

It was getting late in the morning and time for the Himba women to go into the fields, and for us to pack our stuff and say goodbye to this beautiful and so authentic Himba family. I promised to come back, for an even longer stay! And I do like to keep my promises…

We drove back to Opuwo, where we dropped our guide Tjingi at his home. We then did some last minute shopping and off we went, northbound, into some of Namibia’s most remote corners and genuine wilderness area: Kaokoland.

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Etosha National Park

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 01:53:54 +0000

Visiting Etosha National Park

Day 7: San tribal village – Etosha National Park (Halali Campsite)

Etosha is one of Africa’s largest national parks, over 22,000 square kilometers, and was established as a game reserve more than 100 years ago. “Etosha” means “Great White Place” in a local dialect, referring to the large salt pan, covering an area of 4,760 km2. Around the pan most of the park is savanna woodlands, with Mopane as the most common tree. The areas close to the pan are only covered with different grasses and small shrubs.

The park has a large network of gravel roads. There aren’t many natural water sources providing water year-round, but there are more than 40 man-made waterholes, spread across the park.

We drove via Grootfontein, where we refueled and did some major shopping for our next destination, Etosha. We were going to spend a whole week there, in 3 different campsites. This was my third trip to Etosha, which helped a lot to decide where to stay, which areas to look for wildlife and which waterholes are best to visit early morning and late afternoon.

We arrived at the park in the late afternoon and entered at the Namutoni Gate. We then drove slowly towards our camp, Halali, visiting a couple of different waterholes along the way.

We checked in at the Halali Restcamp and set up camp, before our afternoon safari drive. Halali is my absolute favorite camp in Etosha, for its waterhole as well as some great diverse habitat nearby. One of it home to cheetahs, one of our top targets to see up close.

A good start in Etosha, with our first lions! We then rushed to our camp, before the gates would close. We had dinner and then went to the Halali waterhole, always an exciting place and great opportunity to see some Rhinos up close!

Day 8 & 9: Etosha National Park

The next 2 days we did more or less the same loop along the Etosha Pan and some waterholes, mainly targeting the area where I had found cheetahs during my two previous trips to the park. All you need is good eyes, and a lot of patience…!

In the evening we spent time at the waterhole, just to relax and see what would show up. Never a boring moment, as there’s always something interesting showing up.

Our time at Halali came to an end; it certainly delivered what I had hoped for, so everybody was super excited with this first leg of our visit to Etosha.

Day 10 & 11: Etosha National Park

Today we moved to Okaukuejo Campsite, the largest and most popular camp in Etosha. Its central location provides many routes to drive, all in different directions and diverse habitat.

We had an excellent start here, when during our first late afternoon drive we found 2 different mating lion couples, in 2 different locations! I took some spectacular close-up photos, but… Accidentally didn’t properly save these photos when transferring to a hard drive. I still can’t get over it…!

Here a couple of iPhone photos of the lions:

Not only my lion photos are gone, but also photos of a group of a dozen spotted hyenas on the young elephant carcass we had spotted a day earlier… Lesson learnt, will not happen ever again!

Day 12: Etosha National Park

Today we moved to our third campsite in Etosha, Olifantsrus, in the far west of the park. It’s the smallest camp in the park, and far less popular. We liked the intimacy of the camp a lot, and it also has a great waterhole with watchtower as well as water-level view point from behind glass. Our short stay eventually didn’t deliver the anticipated lion sightings, nor the rare Brown Hyena that I was quietly hoping to see again…

Unfortunately photos were on the same memory card that I failed to download, so no photos of the elephants and night-time visitor to our campsite, a curious Cape Fox…

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Caprivi Strip (Zambezi Region)

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 06:48:21 +0000

Mahango Game Reserve & Kavango River

Day 2: Windhoek – Grootfontein (Roy’s Rest Camp)

Willem-Jan and Willeke’s arrival flight was delayed to this morning, due to bad weather in Europe… As Mega and I had already picked up our car and done all shopping yesterday we arranged to meet at the airport, pick-up our second car there and start our journey direct from the airport in Windhoek, heading to Grootfontein for a stop-over on our way to the Caprivi strip. It’s a good tar road all the way, so you can really drive a decent distance in just half a day.

We arrived in Grootfontein in the afternoon, and spend our first night in the bush at the very nice and comfortable Roy’s Rest Camp. I had stayed in this camp during my first rip to Namibia, back in 2018, also on our way to Caprivi. The location is just a bit off the main tar road, surrounded by bush and with a decent amount of small wildlife roaming around the camp, including Dik Dik and Guineafowl, which both are not always easy to photograph elsewhere!

Day 3: Grootfontein – Divundu, Mahango Game Reserve (Ngepi Camp)

The next day we drove via Rundu to Divundu, in the Caprivi Strip. Caprivi is a narrow protrusion of land in Northeast Namibia, bordered by Botswana, Angola and Zambia. It is Namibia’s most water-rich area, with the Kavango and Kwando rivers flowing through it from Angola; the Kavango river, or Okavango, then flows into Botswana and ends in the Okavango Delta, and the Kwando river becomes the Chobe river, before merging with the mighty Zambezi river from Zambia, just before the famous Victoria Falls on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Our main destination here is the Mahango Game Reserve, which I first visited in 2018.

Although this park is relative small and little known, it’s an absolute fantastic park with lots of diverse wildlife and a great start for a Namibia safari!

From Grootfontein we drove north and soon passed the veterinary fence. What is most striking once you pass the vet fence is the enormous difference in scenery as well as people living here. South of the fence the landscape is dominated by enormous cattle and wild farms and plantations, with very few traditional villages. It doesn’t really feel particularly “Africa”. But once you pass the fence you suddenly arrive on a complete different planet: THIS is Africa, this is how we learnt about it at school, 40 years ago or so. And most striking is that it seems that really nothing has changed, at least not for the majority of people living here. They are very, very poor and hardly have anything…

Click to read more:

Beef exports play an important role in the Namibian agricultural economy, and stringent disease-control measures are therefore in place. The veterinary cordon fence (VCF), also known as the redline, is a stock disease control mechanism that protects Namibia’s beef industry from stock diseases, such as foot-and-mouth and lung sickness.

However, the history of the redline is a controversy that dates back to the early years of Germany’s colonial rule over Namibia. To protect German herds from epidemics, a veterinary cordon fence was introduced in 1897, which resulted in Namibia being divided into a northern and southern part. The fence became known as the redline, because it was printed on maps in red ink. The fence spans the central north of Namibia from the Atlantic Ocean to Botswana.

The redline soon also became a political boundary in German South West Africa. The area south of the redline became known as the area inside the Police Zone, while the area north of the redline became known as the area outside the Police Zone. The implication of this was that the area within the Police Zone was directly under the governing control of the German colonial state, while the area outside the Police Zone was ruled indirectly through a system of appointed traditional authorities. In effect, this boundary separated Namibians living in the north from white settlement areas to the south, although not all indigenous groups of South West Africa lived north of the Police Zone.

Under South Africa’s apartheid rule in Namibia, the redline served not only as a veterinary control, but also acted as a physical barrier restricting the movement of black Namibians north of the line to the south of the line. Through the years, the fence has become an unwelcome reminder of Namibia’s colonial and apartheid past. With Namibia’s independence in 1990 and the growth in exporting beef to international markets since, many of Namibia’s livestock herders have raised their discontent with the continuing existence of the redline, arguing that it denies them the same economic opportunities as those livestock herders living south of the fence.

We decided to visit one of the traditional houses which are dotted along the almost perfectly straight road. We didn’t want to just stop and walk into someone’s privacy though, so we decided to stop near a few traditional houses and have lunch first, hoping for some local kids to come to us and then ask if they can show us around at their homes. We didn’t have to wait very long to have some kids come closer to check us out…

An hour later we were back in the car, driving over this perfectly straight tar road, lined with little fields and traditional villages and mud houses.We arrived around lunch time at Ngepi Camp, a fantastic camp on the shore of the Okavango river, also called the Kavango.

We checked in and booked a sunrise river cruise for the next day. In 2018 I had been here before as well, so I pretty much knew what to do and where to go to get the most of our stay here! A river cruise is an absolute must; I prefer sunrise as wildlife is just much more active, although most people tend to do a sunset cruise.

The entrance of the Mahango Game Reserve is less than half an hour south from Ngepi Camp. The reserve is split by a gravel road that connects Namibia with Botswana; each side of this road offers a distinctly different habitat and a sand track leads through each of them. One side consists of the floodplains of the Kavango river, which further downstream in Botswana feeds the Okavango delta. The other side is further away from the river basin, more dry and with patches of savanna surrounded by thicker bush. There’s also a man-made waterhole at the farthest point of the sand road, to provide a lifeline for wildlife here. Always a good place to visit!

In the afternoon we did a game drive through the floodplains first, as this is where a lot of the wildlife is congregating in the afternoon.

With already so much wildlife we ended up not making it all the way to the viewpoint at the farthest point of the sand road. overlooking the floodplains. We had to make sure to be out of the park’s gate before sunset, as that is when the gate simply will be locked… Until next morning.

Day 4: Mahango Game Reserve

In the morning we did a private sunrise river cruise, which was really good fun and the guide of Ngepi Camp was excellent. Of course the hippos were our main target, but also crocodiles, buffaloes and of course plenty of birds. For bird watchers this is really a must visit destination!

It was an awesome trip on the river, so much to see! What is surprising is that how few boats you see; this part of Namibia is still relative unknown amongst the fast increasing number of visitors, while these wetlands add so much to a Namibia experience. Most of Namibia is generally very dry and mostly dominated by desert landscapes and dry riverbeds.

Back in camp we had breakfast and then relaxed a couple of hours, which we hadn’t done yet since arriving in Namibia! After lunch we went on our next safari drive, again to the floodplains we visited the day before. Today we wanted to make it to the viewpoint, for some sundowners.

Day 5: Divundu – Mobola Island Lodge

After breakfast we packed up our camp, and decided to drive through the other side of the park with both cars.

This side of the park is not as rich in wildlife, but we were hoping to see some new animals. And we did: near the waterhole we found a small herd of Roan antelope, a fairly rare antelope that likes to dwell the savanna.

That was the Mahango Game Reserve, an excellent start of our trip. As we wanted to explore a bit more of the Caprivi strip and at the same time shorten a bit the drive to our next destination we had decided to travel a little west along the Kavango river, to a place recommended to us by our car rental company: the Mobola Island Lodge. A fairly luxury safari lodge, but also with some excellent camp sites, right on the shore of the river.

It was only an hour drive, and upon arrival we booked another private sunset river cruise. We then had lunch in our camp and relaxed a couple of hours; Willem-Jan and Willeke even had a swim in the resort’s pool. It then was time for our sunset river cruise, to explore not only the Namibian side of the Kavango river, but also the other side, which is Angola.

An excellent last afternoon along the Kavango river, making ourselves ready for our next destination and experience: the San bushmen, one of the indigenous tribes of Namibia!

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Namibia & South Africa – 2024

Sun, 18 Aug 2024 02:50:50 +0000

A Namibia & South Africa Self-drive Camping Safari Expedition

NAMIBIA & SOUTH AFRICA

July – August 2024

A month long self-drive safari camping trip through Namibia and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa, together with my wife Mega and the first 3 weeks also together with my brother Willem-Jan and his wife Willeke. This was my third trip to Namibia; we initially planned this trip in 2020, but the pandemic made us cancel the trip 2 years in a row… The wait was finally over!

Of course I wanted to show my brother and his wife the popular highlights of Namibia, but also combine that with some of my favorite more off-the-beaten-track destinations and of course include a few places where I hadn’t been yet myself. As a hopefully worthy finale I decided to visit a park that I had wanted to visit for a long time, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. This park is shared by Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. The majority of our time in the park was in the South-African part, while the Botswana part remains high on my list for future trips to Africa!

Caprivi, Etosha, Kaokoland, Spitzkoppe, Sossusvlei - Ju'/Hoansi San and Himba

Or select any of the destinations below for our story and photos about that part of the trip. Enjoy!

Namibia & South Africa Destinations

Caprivi Strip (Zambezi Region)

Ju'/Hoansi San Tribe - Naye Naye Concession

Etosha National Park

Himba tribe in Kaokoland near Opuwo

Kaokoland & Puros

Hoanib & Aba-Huab riverbed

Spitzkoppe

Sossusvlei & Deadvlei

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Introduction

I had been to Namibia twice before, so I know fairly well what there is to see and do. During my previous two trips the focus was heavily on observing and photographing wildlife, as that’s my main passion. I can easily spend half a day with a single animal! My second passion is spending time with indigenous tribes.

Of course it is not everybody’s cup of tea to spend hours with a single elephant, or even lion, so I planned an itinerary that included a large variety of wildlife in different habitat, and driving routes through some of Namibia’s most spectacular natural scenery. To top it off and add even more variety I planned visits and overnight stays with two of Namibia’s most unique indigenous tribes, the San people and the Himba tribe.

We rented two 4×4 double-cab cars: one car fitted with two roof top tents and extensive camping equipment, the other car with only a fridge. This gave us total freedom, and particularly in places where we stayed more than 1 night we simply left the car with roof top tents behind and did game drives with the other car. This turned out to be absolutely perfect!

For most of the nights I booked campsites in advance, including quite a few of my favorite ones that I had visited before. But one of the most immersive experiences in Namibia is to camp in the wild, completely self-sufficient, so that was also in our program.

Namibia & South Africa Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Windhoek (Hartmann Suites)
Day 2: Windhoek – Grootfontein (Roy’s Rest Camp)
Day 3: Grootfontein – Divundu, Mahango Game Reserve (Ngepi Camp)
Day 4: Divundu, Mahango Game Reserve (Ngepi Camp)
Day 5: Divundu – Kavango River (Mobola Island Lodge, campsite)
Day 6: Divundu – Ju/’Hoansi San (campsite)
Day 7: Ju/’Hoansi San – Etosha National Park  (Halali Campsite)
Day 8: Etosha National Park  (Halali Campsite)
Day 9: Etosha National Park  (Halali Campsite)
Day 10: Etosha National Park (Okaukuejo Campsite)
Day 11: Etosha National Park (Okaukuejo Campsite)
Day 12: Etosha National Park (Olifantsrus Campsite)
Day 13: Etosha – Opuwo (Opuwo Country Hotel, campsite)
Day 14: Opuwo – Himba village (wild camping)
Day 15: Himba village – Opuwo – Kaokoland (wild camping)
Day 16: To Puros (Ngatutanga Campsite)
Day 17: Puros – Hoanib river bed (wild camping)
Day 18: Hoanib river bed – Warmquelle (Ongongo Waterfall Campsite)
Day 19: Warmquelle – Palmwag (wild camping)
Day 20: Palmwag – Huab riverbed – Twyfelfontein – Spitzkoppe (Spitzkoppe Rest Camp)
Day 21: Spitzkoppe – Sesriem, Sossusvlei (Sossus Oasis Campsite)
Day 22: Sesriem, Sossusvlei (Sossus Oasis Campsite)
Day 23: Sesriem, Sossusvlei – Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Mata Mata Rest Camp)
Day 24: Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Mata Mata Rest Camp)
Day 25: Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Twee Rivieren Rest Camp)
Day 26: Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Twee Rivieren Rest Camp)
Day 27: Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Nossob Rest Camp)
Day 28: Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Bitterpan Wilderness Camp)
Day 29: Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Mata Mata Rest Camp)
Day 30: Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – Windhoek (65 Jan Jonker)
Day 31: Departure from Windhoek

Namibia & South Africa Route

Click below map to visit the Google Map of this trip, with the detailed day-to-day route and waypoints.

Thinking about travelling through Namibia?

The journeys and stories on Duniart come from many years of travelling through Namibia — independently, with friends and family, and in places far beyond the usual routes.

If you would like to experience Namibia in a similar way, I now offer private guided expeditions through Namibia, shaped around the places, landscapes and experiences that interest you most.

Other Trip Reports including Namibia

Namibia - 2019

Namibia & Botswana - 2018

Tanzania - 2015

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Spitzkoppe & Doros Crater

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 07:50:42 +0000

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Swakopmund & Walvisbay

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 07:40:26 +0000

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Zambezi Region: Mahango & Kavango River

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 07:30:47 +0000

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Puros & Kaokoland

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 07:28:42 +0000

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Palmwag Conservancy

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 07:26:37 +0000

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Hoanib Riverbed

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 07:23:18 +0000

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Aba-Huab Riverbed

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 07:18:47 +0000

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Sossusvlei & the Namib Desert

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 07:09:39 +0000

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Etosha National Park

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 06:57:38 +0000

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Caprivi Strip (Zambezi Region)

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 01:44:57 +0000

Namibia’s Water-Rich Frontier

Day 13 until 16 of 27 – Namibia & Botswana Safari Trip

Stretching eastward between Angola, Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, the Caprivi Strip — officially the Zambezi Region — differs markedly from the rest of Namibia. Here, perennial rivers such as the Okavango, Kwando and Zambezi shape a greener landscape of floodplains, woodlands and wetlands. The presence of water supports diverse wildlife and birdlife, while villages and fishing communities line the riverbanks. It is a transitional region, geographically and culturally linking southern and central Africa.

Day 13: Grootfontein – Divundu

This day we drove via Rundu to Divundu, in the Caprivi Strip. Caprivi is a narrow protrusion of land in Northeast Namibia, bordered by Botswana, Angola and Zambia. It is Namibia’s most water-rich area, with the Okavango and Kwando rivers flowing through it from Angola, with the Okavango flowing into Botswana and the Kwando becoming the Chobe river, before merging with the mighty Zambezi river from Zambia, just before the famous Victoria Falls on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

From Grootfontein we drove north and passed the vet fence. What was most striking was the enormous difference once we passed the fence. South of the fence the landscape was dominated by enormous cattle and wild farms and plantations, with very few traditional villages. It didn’t really feel particularly “Africa” to us. But once you pass the fence you suddenly arrive on a complete different planet, THIS is Africa, this is how we learnt about it at school, 40 years ago. And most striking was that it seemed that really nothing had changed, at least not for the majority of people living here. They are very, very poor and hardly have anything…

It was Sunday, and some of the locals in larger villages wore their best cloths and just came out of church. Outside the villages the locals hardly seem to have cloths though, let alone something fancy for Sunday… Kids were playing along the road or outside the wooden walls surrounding their traditional mud houses. We all felt that we had to get out of our car and visit one of those traditional houses dotted along the almost perfectly straight road. We didn’t want to just stop and walk into someone’s privacy though, so we decided to find a rest stop near a few traditional houses and have lunch there. And then wait for the local kids to come to us first, have some good time together, share some cookies and snacks and then ask if they can show us around at their homes, which of course we knew they would be delighted to do. It’s impossible to describe this experience…

An hour later we were back in the car, driving over this perfectly straight road, lined with little fields and traditional villages and mud houses. Most people here are incredibly poor and really have nothing more than the basics to survive. It was heartbreaking… We didn’t speak a word, still absorbing the experience and trying to manage increasingly emerging deep emotions… After half an hour of silence our entire car was overloaded with emotions. I told my son “and this is why you should never, ever complain about life”. We all burst out in tears…

We arrived around lunch time at Ngepi Camp, a fantastic camp on the shore of the Okavango river, also called the Kavango. We checked in and booked a sunrise river cruise for the next day.

In the afternoon we did a game drive through the Mahango Game Reserve. The entrance of the reserve is less than half an hour from Ngepi Camp. What a beautiful little park, an absolute jewel and must-visit if you’re in the area. Mahango Game Reserve is split by a road that connects Namibia with Botswana. Both sides of this road offer 2 distinctly different areas and a sand track leads through each of them. One area consists of the floodplains of the Mahango river, which later becomes the Kavango river and feeds the Okavango delta.

Red Lechwe

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

Bateleur Eagle

Zebras at sunset

We enjoyed our evening and a braai on the shore of the Kavango River, a very different feel that our previous camps. Flowing water, the sounds of hippos, and a beautiful evening sky.

Day 14: Divundu

In the morning we did a private sunrise river cruise, which was really good fun and the guide of Ngepi Camp was excellent.

Hippos

After the cruise we did another game drive into the Mahango Game Reserve, this time the entire loop. The afternoon we spend leisurely at our campsite and watched some world cup football…

Day 15: Divundu – Kongola

Early morning we drove straight to Kongola, where we arrived at the Namushasha Camp before lunch.

We spend some time on the terrace of the lodge, with beautiful views over the floodplains of the Kavango. In the afternoon Stan decided to do a river cruise, while Dio and I went for a game drive through the beautiful Kwando Core Area. I really liked the diverse scenery, from savanna to semi-forest and river banks and flood plains, with some large herds of elephants and buffalo. We only briefly saw one safari lodge vehicle during the 3 or 4 hours we spend in the park.

I promised myself to come back to this outer-corner of Namibia. It has a lot of real wilderness and wildlife to offer, yet it seems to be the most unknown destination in the country.

We our last braai in Namibia, tomorrow crossing the border with Botswana!

Day 16: Kongola – Kasane

That was the Caprivi Strip and our last destination in Namibia. Early morning we drove direct to the border and crossed into Botswana, to our next destination in Botswana and a day-trip to Zimbabwe.

The post Caprivi Strip (Zambezi Region) appeared first on Duniart Photography.

Etosha National Park

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 13:18:14 +0000

Wildlife Around the Etosha Pan

Day 8 until 12 – Namibia & Botswana Safari Trip

Etosha National Park is centred around the immense Etosha Pan, a shimmering salt depression visible from space. Waterholes scattered along its edges attract a wide variety of wildlife, particularly during the dry season when animals gather in large numbers. Elephants, lions, giraffes, springbok and numerous bird species move across open grasslands and mopane woodland. The stark contrast between the pale pan and the surrounding savanna defines the park’s unique atmosphere.

Day 8: Palmwag – Etosha National Park

We entered the park through the Galton Gate, in the far west of the park. Our first camp will be Olifantsrus, the smallest camp in Etosha, and only providing a few camping space. No bungalows, so this part of the park is much quieter than the area around the large camps at Okaukuejo and Halali.

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First major waterhole is Renostervlei.

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And all of a sudden this herd came out of the bush..! We were at the right time at the right place… What an exciting first few hours in the park already… Little did we know that we would be more often at the right placer at the right time…

The closer the herd gets to the water the more inpatient particularly the younger elephants become and steadily increase their pace until they’re almost running…

The sun was setting, we had to rush back to the camp. Gates close direct after sunset, no excuses… But a fine and stern warning, if you’re late.

The waterhole at Olifantsrus is dimly lit with some red light, but only early in the evening. Later at night they switched it off, until early morning. I visited the waterhole at night, after the lights went out. It was almost full moon so visibility was quite good and I didn’t want to disturb any wildlife with my flashlight. I guess I was rewarded and was fortunate to see a leopard come to the waterhole for a drink. It turned out to be the first and last leopard we saw in Namibia.

Day 9: Etosha National Park

Before sunrise we were on our way and first drove back to Jakkalswater, which was so good the day before, and then to Renostervlei.

Good morning lions! The first ones of this trip.

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From Renostervlei we drove to Grunewald, with a lunch break at a picnic place along the road, somewhere half way the road from Olifantsrus to Okaukuejo.We drove through the so-called Fairy Tale Forest, looking for leopard, but no luck. Somehow this didn’t surprise me, as we also didn’t see any potential leopard prey…

Then to the Okondeka’s natural waterhole, hoping to find the residential lion pride.

The Etosha salt pan, visible from space!

We found the lions hunting, but eventually too far away.

Time was ticking, so we had to drive to Okaukuejo where we wanted to enjoy sunset at the waterhole. the sun was setting slowly and as the direction of the herd was predictable I was able to put myself close to where they would cross the road and be right behind them to take some photos into the sun, hoping for some nice silhouettes…

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I knew when the giraffes would cross the road in front of us that I’d have some fantastic golden back-light, which would make for some great silhouettes. I was just hoping that the giraffes would for a nice formation to make the photo even better… And they did just that; one of my favourite photos of our trip:

The sun was now almost gone, so we kinda ran straight to the waterhole. And not a minute too early did we arrive at Okaukuejo, they must have closed the gate right behind us. I was just on time for a few sunset photos.

The rest of the evening we spend at the floodlit waterhole, a magical setting, the animal action and sounds of nature seem to naturally silence anyone watching this spectacle…

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Day 10: Etosha National Park

Early morning we did the Wolfsnes – Okondeka – Adamax – Natco – Leeubron loop, with a spectacular sunrise and most of the early morning the sun in our back.

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After this loop we drove back to camp for coffee and toilet, in that natural order, before driving to Nabrownii, Gembokvlakte and then to the beautiful scenic natural waterhole of Olifantsbad (with picnic place and toilets) and then Aus, before returning back to our camp for lunch and mid-day break.

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Refreshed and with high hope to find lions we took off again towards Gemsbokvlakte. A kilometer before the waterhole we saw a group of 4 or 5 bat-eared foxes foraging over the savanna, but way too far for any decent photos, we could hardly see them without binoculars! I’m still not even sure how we spotted them in the first place… From their direction we knew they were probably slowly on their way to the waterhole, so we decided to wait for them there. We had a great time watching particularly the giraffes.

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All of a sudden the giraffes all stood up straight, backed-off from the waterhole and looked to somewhere behind our car: a lioness with 3 cubs walked right from behind our car straight to the waterhole in front of us, front row seats!

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Half an hour later the lioness and cubs decided to have a nab in the grass just next to the waterhole. There were only about 5 or 6 cars, who then decided to leave. We waited patiently for the bat-eared foxes.

They arrived 10 minutes later. We thought that the lioness maybe might be interested, but I guess she was too lazy..? It was obvious that the foxes were not really concerned when they passed the lioness within less than 20 meters.

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The sun was setting fast now, time to go back to camp for sunset and our second and last night at Okaukuejo.

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Day 11: Etosha National Park

Today we move to Halali, with stops at Homob, Sueda, Salvadora, Charitsaub and Rietfontein. One of the animals we really wanted to look for today was cheetah.

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We had lunch at Halali and then decided to do the loop of this morning again, now the other way around: Rietfontein, Charitsaub, Salvadora, Sueda, still hoping to find cheetah. Unfortunately no cheetah, and no other cats. We slowly had to make our way back to Halali, as the sun was setting fast.

The next half hour was a bit crazy and I guess mother nature’s way to thank us for our perseverance and make up for some disappointment… Bat-eared foxes again..! But wait, that’s not a fox, that’s a honey badger….

Bad photo, but just for the record. An animal with balls, also literally !

That was a pretty cool end of our afternoon, or so we thought… One more surprise awaited us and 5 minutes after the honey badger we thought so see another bat-eared fox, but wait, that’s not a fox… “Binoculars please..!” I couldn’t believe my eyes; this was something I had NOT expected in Etosha, in fact I cannot recall reading about any other sighting in the many reports I’ve read…

Aardwolf. Too far for a good photo, but just for proof!

What a great end of the afternoon! Because of the Aardwolf we arrived exactly at the time the sun was almost gone, but hey, who cares…!

Our last night in Etosha we spend at Halali, where you are much closer to the nearest water edge and therefore potentially much closer to the animals. I wasn’t very satisfied with my Rhino photos at Okaukuejo, so I was hoping to have another chance.

An hour after sunset and no animals. Nothing… It was getting cold and most people had left. Another hour passed. Still nothing… Unbelievable. Dio and Stan left and it was only me and 1 more photographer. Then he also left.

I had now been waiting at the waterhole for more than 3 hours, now all alone; it was almost midnight. I sat on a rock, tucked away under my fleece blanket. It was getting very, very cold now… But I knew that with more patience and some luck I might still see a rhino a bit more up close…

My patience got rewarded – out of the darkness came a Black Rhino: he walked straight to me and then stopped, just a few meters in front of me, as if giving a silent salute for my patience! He could not see me. He could not hear me… He turned to the water and started to drink. I spend another half hour watching him, before he walked back into the dark of night.

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Day 12: Etosha National Park – Grootfontein

Our last couple of hours in Etosha, so today we HAD TO find cheetah, as chances in Botswana would be extremely slim. Research send us early morning via Helio and Goas direct to where it had to happen: the savanna between Springbokfontein and Okerfontein.

I’ll never forget the moment… I was driving. Stan sat next to me and kept his eyes on the extensive savanna left of the road. Dio was covering my side of the road, which had a lot of small bushes and much more likely to overlook something. I generally looked further ahead of us, as it won’t be the first time everybody is looking only left and right, to almost miss any action right in front of you… An hour had passed, no cheetah. In fact, completely nothing, meaning no potential prey either. Time was ticking… Suddenly I noticed that for a very brief moment Dio did not look outside and I immediately told him “keep looking!”…Less than 30 seconds later Dio suddenly sat straight up and tried to yell something but all that came out of his mouth was some weird stuttering; for a few seconds he was literally lost for words and then yelled “there..!”, pointing into the bushes. That same second I saw it; “cheetah…!”. We couldn’t believe it… About 10 meters away a cheetah walked through the bushes towards the road. “Another one..!”. It was getting even better…. “Another one..!” And out of the bushes came 3 cheetahs, stepped on the road now 10 meters behind us and stopped. We didn’t want to scare them whatsoever, so we drove a bit further and then turned the car, to slowly drive back towards the cheetahs. We spend the next one and a half hours in their company. They were obviously on a hunting mission, but there just wasn’t anything to hunt… Unfortunately. But that would have been too much to expect!

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The entire time we did not see a single other car, which made the entire experience even more exclusive.

We only had time to visit 1 more waterhole before we had to leave the park; I’m not sure whether it was Kalkheuvel or Chudop. And that was Etosha. What so say… I’d love to come back, longer, and during the green season. Better, I WILL come back!

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IJsseldijk","camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark III","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1530360239","copyright":"Yusuf IJsseldijk","focal_length":"140","iso":"200","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":["Africa","Etosha","Namibia"]}},"id":"3875","img_html":"\n\n","link_href":"https:\/\/www.duniart.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/0E3A3929-scaled-scaled-scaled-scaled-scaled-scaled.jpg","link_target":"_self","link_rel":null,"attributes":{"data-mgl-id":"3875","data-mgl-width":"2500","data-mgl-height":"1667"},"orientation":"o"}]" data-atts="{"ids":"3851,3868,3872,3875","size":"full","columns":"1","link":"file","layout":"tiles"}">

We left the park via the Namutoni Gate, and drove to Grootfontein for our last night before crossing the so-called Veterinary Fence, into really rural Africa…

The post Etosha National Park appeared first on Duniart Photography.

Palmwag Concession, Kunene

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 12:14:24 +0000

A Transitional Landscape of Damaraland

Day 7 & 8 of 27 – Namibia & Botswana Safari Trip

Palmwag lies within one of Namibia’s more remote regions, where open plains give way to undulating hills and wide valleys. The area forms part of a vast concession known for its rugged scenery and desert-adapted wildlife. Sparse vegetation, dry riverbeds and distant mountain ridges define the setting, while the absence of dense development reinforces a sense of isolation. Palmwag represents the scale and quiet resilience of north-western Namibia’s semi-arid environment.

Day 8: Palmwag – Etosha National Park

Today’s choice was rhinos or the Himba tribe. Yes, you can meet (see?) Himba on your way to Etosha, at the Otjikandero Himba Orphanage Village or a Himba village walking distance from Toko Lodge, both near Kamanjab. Online reviews clearly indicated this was not for me though, so the only real option for us was to drive up north towards Khowarib and beyond and try to meet some Himba there.

Not enough time it seemed, so we decided for a game drive through the Palmwag Concession and perhaps see our first rhino… Besides, yesterday we had seen a few Himba selling souvenirs at the nearby Vet Fence, so we planned to stop there on our way to Etosha and briefly meet some Himba there.

We entered the park right during a spectacular sunrise.

Time for breakfast! All clear, only rocks: all safe to get out of the car. That’s what we thought…

I got out of the car to prepare for breakfast. No animals in sight and only a single bush in a landscape of rocks. I opened the back of the car and all of suddenly from the corner of my eyes I saw movement behind this one single bush and all of a sudden this spotted hyena couple was standing there, about 8 meters away and clearly as startled as I was. They must have had a nap in the shade and didn’t expect any visitors… We looked at each other for 10 seconds and they then decided to find another bush a bit further away; what a moment!

I’m not sure who scared who the most, but wow, this was a memorable experience..!

So that was the Palmwag Concession. We spend 4 hours in the park, and didn’t see any other car, which was pretty cool… It’s a bumpy ride here and there, but that’s all part of the experience. No rhinos, although I could completely visualise some standing there, in the middle of the rock-filled plains.

At the Vet Fence we made a stop to meet some of the Himba tribe, who were selling some handcrafted souvenirs.

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The red paste in the hair is Himba cosmetics called ojitze, a mixture of butterfat and ochre pigment, sometimes perfumed with an aromatic shrub. It’s like a clay. They also cover their bodies and it protects them from the hot and dry climate as well as against mosquitos. For the Himba red symbolises earth and blood, both the essence of life. What is less known is the fact that most this hair is not their natural hair, but actually hair extensions woven into the usually relative thin hair of the Himba women. The entire hairdo takes a few hours.

To read and see more about the Himba check out my Himba Photo Story.

Just after noon we left the vet fence, through again spectacular scenery, particularly from Palmwag over the mountain pass towards Kamanjab. We made a quick stop in Kamanjab for some shopping and to fill up fuel. We were finally on our way to Etosha, the park that inspired me to forget about my plans to visit South Africa and Kruger and visit Namibia instead. Yeah…!!

The post Palmwag Concession, Kunene appeared first on Duniart Photography.

Aba Huab riverbed, Damaraland

Sun, 29 Mar 2020 23:31:21 +0000

Desert-Adapted Wildlife in a Seasonal River System

Day 7 of 27 – Namibia & Botswana Safari Trip

The Aba Huab is one of the ephemeral rivers that traverse Namibia’s north-western regions. For much of the year its riverbed lies dry, a broad channel of sand and stone winding between low hills. Yet beneath the surface, groundwater and scattered vegetation create a lifeline in an otherwise arid environment. These seasonal systems support desert-adapted wildlife, including elephants and giraffes, and form quiet corridors of movement across Damaraland. The landscape is defined by space, geology and subtle signs of life shaped by scarce water.

Day 7: Spitzkoppe – Palmwag

I learnt about the desert elephants too late in my planning and could not change the itinerary anymore, otherwise I would probably have spent a night somewhere around Twyfelfontein, halfway to Palmwag. So in our quest for desert elephants and because I thought we wouldn’t miss much we decided to skip Twyfelfontein’s famous rock art, Burnt Mountain, Organ Pipes and the Petrified Forest. We planned to make a quick stop at the Damara Living Museum, but it looked closed.

We turned back towards the main road, when I suddenly recalled I read about desert elephants in the the Aba-Huab and Huab river valley. So we turned around again and drove to a little campsite and decided to ask there. To our excitement one of the guys working there said that they had seen a herd of elephants a day earlier and that they were moving north. He suggested to follow the road and look for tracks. Now we were really getting excited..! He pointed us in the right direction and off we were…

Only a few minutes later we were driving over a little sand road through a spectacular deserted river valley with not a single other car or human in sight for as far as you could see; this is Namibia!

Just us…. Nobody else…

A Welwitschia plant, sometimes called a “living fossil”. Most of these plants are more than 1,000 years old!

We finally got to the main dry river bed and eventually found elephant tracks. We followed the track and a trail of increasingly fresh elephant dung for about an hour, until we eventually found a breeding herd of desert elephants…!

Words cannot describe the experience, I still get goosebumps writing this…! For 2 hours we hadn’t seen anyone else and here we were, off the map in a dry river bed watching a herd of about 15 desert elephants quietly feeding along the river banks… We looked at each other and simply couldn’t believe we found them..!!

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After about an hour 2 safari cars from some nearby lodges arrived on the scene, clearly surprised some self-drivers found the elephants first…! We all followed the herd to a large water tank from a nearby farm, where they drank and dusted themselves for an hour, an unbelievable scene. Time for us to leave and find our way back to the main road.

We arrived right before sunset at Palmwag Lodge, a rather luxurious campsite, where we had a dip in the ice cold swimming pool and a couple of beers under the setting sun. What a day, again…!

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Spitzkoppe

Sun, 29 Mar 2020 23:24:01 +0000

Namibia’s Inselberg Landscape

Day 6 & 7 of 27 – Namibia & Botswana Safari Trip

Spitzkoppe is a dramatic cluster of granite inselbergs that rise abruptly from the surrounding plains. Formed over 100 million years ago, the rock formations are known for their smooth curves, natural arches and changing colors at sunrise and sunset. San rock art can be found in sheltered overhangs, linking the landscape to Namibia’s deep human history. The openness of the terrain and the clarity of the night sky make Spitzkoppe one of the country’s most visually striking desert locations.

Day 6: Swakopmund – Spitzkoppe

After our “Living Desert” tour near Swakopmund we drove to Spitzkoppe, our first stop in Damaraland. Damaraland is a semi-desert spectacular wilderness with breathtaking mountainous scenery in Northwestern Namibia, and is home to the country’s famous desert-adapted elephants and black rhino, and also to small settlements of the ethnic Herero in the south and Himba tribe in the far north.

We checked-in at Spitzkoppe Rest Camp and were free to drive around and find a camping spot. Spitzkoppe was one of my favourite camping sites and offers some of the most spectacular night skies in the world.

Day 7: Spitzkoppe – Twyfelfontein – Aba Huab – Palmwag

We had an early start, as today we wanted to have as much time as possible to look for desert elephants somewhere along the way. But not after enjoying one more time the incredible scenery of Spitzkoppe, in the golden light of sunrise!

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Swakopmund & Walvisbay

Sun, 29 Mar 2020 22:45:19 +0000

Coastal Landscapes of the Namib

Day 4 until 6 of 27 – Namibia & Botswana Safari Trip

Between the dunes of the Namib Desert and the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean lies Namibia’s central coastline. Swakopmund reflects its colonial past in architecture and street layout, while Walvis Bay is defined by its lagoon, salt pans and birdlife. The meeting of ocean mist and desert sand creates a unique environment where flamingos gather in shallow waters and dunes descend almost to the sea. It is a region shaped by wind, light and open horizons.

Day 4: Sossusvlei – Solitaire – Walvisbay – Swakopmund

Just before Walvis Bay is a bird sanctuary lagoon, with hundreds of flamingoes. We also saw our first jackals here.

We arrived late afternoon at our camping place Alte Bruecke, where we checked-in and then walked straight to the Tiger Reef Bar, next to the Swakop river estuary, for sundowner beers. It was very misty and this sunset turned out to be the only forgettable one of our trip.

Day 5: Swakopmund – Pelican Point – Sandwich Harbour – Walvisbay – Swakopmund

Today’s program: in the morning kayaking with seals at Pelican Point, a sandy peninsula protecting Walvis Bay from the Atlantic Ocean, followed by a an afternoon off-road jeep ride towards Sandwich Harbour, through the sand dunes of the Namib Naukluft National Park, where the desert dunes meet the Atlantic Ocean.

At Pelican Point the wind was blowing hard and the seas was unusually rough according to our guide. He gave us a good brief about the conditions, as he knew not everybody would be comfortable under these conditions, so the first question was actually whether or not we wanted to canoe. It was freezing cold, choppy water and the wind was almost blowing my ears off… We saw another group half a kilometre down the beach, and they decided to not go into the water. And so we went in; it was hard work to canoe into the currents, so we warmed up fast. We ended up getting pretty wet but had a great time with the seals.

After an excellent lunch we drove back towards Walvis Bay, where halfway we met our guide who would drive us towards Sandwich Harbour with his jeep, for some spectacular desert dune sand driving. The scenery is spectacular, but the large number of jeeps driving around takes away a lot of the feeling to be really out in the outdoors.

Desert meets Ocean.

A lot of jackals scavenge the coast line, mostly for dead seals.

These jeeps can do a lot more than I ever thought possible.

In the evening we stocked supplies for the entire next week, to last us until Grootfontein.

Day 6: Swakopmund – Spitzkoppe

Yesterday we decided to give up today’s planned detour via Cape Cross, saving about 3 hours driving, as we felt we had seen enough seals at Pelican Point and this gave us the opportunity to do a half day Living Desert tour instead. I believe this was an excellent decision, as we wanted to arrive early afternoon in Spitzkoppe to make sure to have a nice camp site and then fully enjoy the surroundings.

So, early morning we were picked up again for a desert tour, in search for desert-adapted wildlife in the dunes around Swakopmund: Sidewinder or Peringuey’s adder, Fitzsimmon’s Burrowing Skink, Namib Web-footed Gecko, Namaqua Chameleon, Shovel-snouted or Sand Diving Lizard, Namib Sand Snake, Namib thick-tailed Scorpion, the fog basking Tenebrionid Beetle, etc.

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Sossusvlei & Deadvlei

Sun, 29 Mar 2020 09:32:17 +0000

The Heart of the Namib Naukluft National Park

Day 2 until 4 of 27 – Namibia & Botswana Safari Trip

Sossusvlei and Deadvlei lie within the vast Namib Naukluft National Park, home to some of the tallest sand dunes on Earth. Sculpted by wind over millions of years, the dunes rise in deep shades of orange and red, contrasting sharply with the white clay pans below. In Deadvlei, skeletal camelthorn trees stand preserved in the dry air, creating one of Namibia’s most distinctive desert landscapes. The area is defined by silence, scale and light — constantly changing from sunrise to sunset.

Day 2: Windhoek – Sossusvlei, Namib Naukluft National Park

Our destination was the Sossusvlei, a salt and clay pan surrounded by the world’s tallest sand dunes, located in the southern part of the Namib Desert, in the Namib-Naukluft National Park. The Namib is the world’s oldest desert and famous for its red sand dunes and unique wildlife.

We left very early morning, as we wanted to see sunrise outside of town and had decided to have a picnic breakfast along the way.

Our first picnic, an hour after leaving Windhoek for Sossusvlei.

We drove via Spreetshoogte Pass and Solitaire to Sesriem. According to the experts this route is about 1.5 hours longer than the direct route, but much more scenic.

We bought fire wood just before Sesriem and arrived at the campsite early afternoon. We checked-in at Sesriem Campsite and then checked out our allocated camping spot. We found a better vacant spot and claimed that by putting up our table and chairs there and informed the reception. No problem.

Less than half an hour after arrival we were back in the car, on our way to explore Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei, yeah…!

Nothing can really prepare you for this unbelievably spectacular landscape.

At the end of the tar road we deflated our tires, switched into 4 wheel-drive and had a first go at some real off-road driving through deep sand, to the parking area at Dead Vlei. To our surprise there was only 1 other car. Cool, as we don’t really like large crowds…! We walked into the vlei and only saw 3 other people leave the vlei, which we then had entirely for ourselves the rest of the afternoon.

You have to be out of the park when it gets dark, so we decided to drive to world famous Dune 45 for a spectacular sunset.

Day 3: Sossusvlei, Namib Naukluft National Park

As advised, we lined up at the entrance gate just before the official opening time, for a head-start to Dead Vlei. It wasn’t too busy yet, about 10 cars were waiting for the gate to open. We then drove straight to Dead Vlei. We were the first car to arrive and therefore the first ones to start the climb of famous Big Daddy, the tallest dune in the area.

Spectacular views in every direction.

From the summit of Big Daddy we ran down barefoot to the bottom of the actual Dead Vlei. We really enjoyed this and as little kids we jumped and tumbled down the dunes. What an amazing feeling, this fine and cold sand…!

Dead Vlei is a white clay pan, surrounded by the world’s largest sand dunes.

Trees that have been dead for hundreds of years.

After Dead Vlei we explored Sossusvlei and settled down under the trees for a relaxing mid-day break, lunch and a little nap, surrounded by the dunes, some bushes, birds, squirrels and mice. The first relaxed moment of the trip.

We spend the afternoon driving and walking around Sossusvlei and then enjoyed sunset at a dune just east of Dune 45, without anyone else around. What a serene and surreal experience!

Our first “braai”, the South African version of barbeque.

Day 4: Sossusvlei, Namib Naukluft National Park – Swakopmund

Before driving to Swakopmund we drove one more time into the dunes, enjoying sunrise and the ever changing colours.

We had a relaxed picnic breakfast at Sossusvlei and walked and drove around a bit hoping to perhaps find brown hyena or some oryx, but without luck.

While we drove back to the tarmac visibility deteriorated very fast. Initially we thought it was the famous fog blowing into the valley all the way from the coast, but soon it turned out that we got caught into a full-blown sandstorm. Within a matter of minutes we could hardly see more than 20 meters… That was quite an experience! I had never read about sandstorms in the area. Imagine if you arrive at Sossusvlei and you have only a few hours to enjoy, right when a sand storm hits…!? That would be extremely unfortunate.

By far the best road of our entire trip, inside the national park.

We drove to Swakopmund, with the compulsory stop at Solitaire to see the car wrecks and have apple pie.

Singing along with Bon Jovi “It’s my life, It’s now or never, I ain’t gonna live forever, I just want to live while I’m alive” !

What I liked most in Solitaire were the ground squirrels.

It’s a relative long ride from Sossusvlei to Swakopmund, but the ever changing scenery is absolutely fantastic.

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Namibia & Botswana – 2018

Sat, 07 Mar 2020 13:54:28 +0000

A Namibia & Botswana Self-drive Camping Safari Expedition

A 26-Day Self-drive Safari Camping Trip

June – July 2018

A 4 week adventurous self-drive safari camping trip through Namibia and Botswana and a day-trip to the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, together with my son Dio and Stan, one of my best mates at university, a long, long time ago, in June & July 2018.

Namibia’s beauty is simply unbelievable; you can drive hundreds of kilometres and not get bored for a single second. Botswana’s wilderness is beyond spectacular and you drive straight into the best of National Geographic and Animal Planet… Both countries have touched me deep in my heart and I’ll certainly be back!

Enjoy the journey!

Sossusvlei, Spitzkoppe, Palmwag, Etosha, Caprivi, Chobe, Victoria, Savuti, Moremi and Okavango

Or select any of the destinations below for our story and photos about that part of the trip. Enjoy!

Namibia & Botswana Destinations

Sossusvlei & Deadvlei

Swakopmund & Walvisbay

Spitzkoppe

Aba Huab riverbed, Damaraland

Palmwag Concession, Kunene

Etosha National Park

Caprivi Strip (Zambezi Region)

Chobe National Park

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Savuti - Chobe National Park

Khwai Community Concession

Moremi Game Reserve

Introduction

I started planning almost a year in advance, which is really necessary if you want to get a camping spot in some of the popular national parks and game reserves that I was planning to visit, as we would be travelling during high season. The final itinerary was the result of months and months of late night online research through websites such as www.SafariTalk.net, www.TripAdvisor.com and www.4x4community.co.za; I don’t know how many hours and sleepless nights I’ve spend on these sites, but it was a lot…!

By the time I had finalised the detailed route and all camping spots I could literally visualise almost the entire trip… The result was what I believe pretty good and in hindsight there is very little I would have liked to do differently.

Al together we drove about 6,500 kilometres, mostly on gravel and sand. We spend our first and last night in Windhoek in an Airbnb and the other 24 nights we camped, at 16 different places. If you are interested in more details please let me know, I’m happy to share!

Namibia & Botswana Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival Windhoek
Day 2: Windhoek – Sossusvlei, Namib Naukluft National Park (Sesriem Campsite)
Day 3: Sossusvlei, Namib Naukluft National Park (Sesriem Campsite)
Day 4: Sossusvlei, Namib Naukluft National Park – Swakopmund (Alte Bruecke Resort)
Day 5: Swakopmund (Alte Bruecke Resort)
Day 6: Swakopmund – Cape Cross – Spitzkoppe (Spitzkoppe Rest Camp)
Day 7: Spitzkoppe – Palmwag (Palmwag Lodge)
Day 8: Palmwag – Etosha National Park (Olifantsrus Campsite)
Day 9: Etosha National Park (Okaukuejo Campsite)
Day 10: Etosha National Park (Okaukuejo Campsite)
Day 11: Etosha National Park (Halali Campsite)
Day 12: Etosha National Park – Grootfontein (Roy’s Rest Camp)
Day 13: Grootfontein – Caprivi, Divundu (Ngepi Camp)
Day 14: Caprivi, Divundu (Ngepi Camp)
Day 15: Caprivi, Divundu – Kongola (Namushasha Camp Ground)
Day 16: Caprivi, Kongola – Chobe National Park, Kasane (The Big 5 Chobe Lodge)
Day 17: Kasane – Victoria Falls – Kasane (The Big 5 Chobe Lodge)
Day 18: Kasane – Savuti, Chobe National Park (Savuti Campsite)
Day 19: Savuti, Chobe National Park (Savuti Campsite)
Day 20: Savuti, Chobe National Park – Khwai (Magotho Camp)
Day 21: Khwai (Magotho Camp)
Day 22: Khwai – Moremi Game Reserve (North Gate Campsite)
Day 23: Moremi Game Reserve (South Gate Campsite)
Day 24: Moremi Game Reserve (South Gate Campsite)
Day 25: Moremi Game Reserve – Ghanzi (Thakadu Bush Camp)
Day 26: Ghanzi – Windhoek
Day 27: Windhoek – Singapore – Bali

Thinking about travelling through Namibia?

The journeys and stories on Duniart come from many years of travelling through Namibia — independently, with friends and family, and in places far beyond the usual routes.

If you would like to experience Namibia in a similar way, I now offer private guided expeditions through Namibia, shaped around the places, landscapes and experiences that interest you most.

Other Trip Reports including Namibia

Namibia - 2019

Namibia & South Africa - 2024

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Etosha National Park

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 13:57:06 +0000

Day 11 until 17 of 18 – Namibia Safari Trip – 2019

A visit to Namibia is not complete without spending a few days in Etosha. A year earlier I had spent a week in the park, and this time we would do the same, staying in all 3 major camps, starting with Olifantsrus, then Okaukuejo and finally my favorite camp, Halali.

Day 11: Palmwag Concession – Olifantsrus Camp, Etosha National Park

On our way to Etosha, via the Grootberg pass and Kamanjab. We didn’t have any reservations, as the park was long fully booked. The plan was to either camp in the wild somewhere near the Galton Gate, the park’s western entrance, or try to get an overflow place at Olifantsrus Camp, about 2 hours passed the Galton Gate.

At one of my favourite waterholes, Jakkalswater, where elephants never disappoint.

We arrived early afternoon at Olifantsrus Campsite, without reservation. Fortunately there was still place on the overflow places.

Day 12: Olifantsrus Camp – Okaukuejo Camp

The day before the lady at Olifantsrus was so kind to check if she could book us a place at Okaukuejo, which was supposedly fully booked. She couldn’t get through via phone and eventually forced a booking through the online system. We were really thankful, as we really wanted to spend the nights at the waterholes.

Our first lions in the park, just next to the road on our way to Okaukuejo.

At Okaukuejo we made sure all was ok for our 2 nights there, and off we went to check out the nearby waterholes.

Always a favourite, the honeybadger!

At Olifantsbad there was a dead rhino and a male lion deep in the bush. We had been waiting for the lion to make a move, but that didn’t seem to happen any time soon. So we decided to make a move back to Gemsbokvlakte, one of my favourite waterholes. Last year we saw a lion with 3 cubs and 5 bat-eared foxes, all at the same time.

A black rhino and the best daytime sighting I’ve had. It turned out that many more were to come…

And then this white rhino showed up… Black and white, both at the same waterhole! This one had its horns cut short, and was wearing a tracking collar on its leg.

A nice sunset at the Okaukuejo waterhole, but no animals… A bit disappointing. At night a few black rhino visited the waterhole, but all together it was a very quiet night… Hopefully our second night would be more rewarding.

Day 13: Okaukuejo

Today we decided to first check out the waterholes to the west and then slowly move to the waterholes east of Okaukuejo.

The first rain had arrived and the park was full with puddles of water. The animals clearly enjoyed this.

We had more luck this night, and plenty of black rhino came for a drink, even a few mothers with babies. At some stage there were 9 rhinos in and around the waterhole, truly spectacular!

Day 14: Okaukuejo Camp – Halali Camp

Today we were moving to the Halali Campsite, my clear favourite in Etosha. Not only because of its waterhole, located a bit away from the actual camp, but also because of the area itself, which is quite diverse in scenery as well as wildlife, compared with the area around Okaukuejo. It was also nearest to the area where last year we found cheetah, which was now again on top of our wish list…

A good start of the day!

This spotted hyena was following the male lion, at a safe distance…

And half an hour after we left the male lion we were surprised by this female, followed by 2 large cubs, and coming direct at us, crossing in front of the car just a meter away, just awesome!

We ended up spending probably almost an hour with this beautiful rhino, quietly following him from behind, down-wind. Eventually we had to rush back, to not miss the closing time of the gate at Halali.

The evening passed by quietly and we decided to relax a bit at our campsite, only spending a little time at the waterhole.

Day 15: Halali

Today we had one target on top of our wish list: cheetah. And I thought to know exactly where to go look for them…

This ostrich complete ignored us and walked along with us for at least a hundred meters, less than a meter away from our car.

Lions at Okerfontein, another favourite waterhole of mine.

I didn’t mention anything about the heat… After all, it was mid October.. Well, we managed a lot better than some of the animals. Most trees had lost their leaves, so even finding shadow wasn’t always easy…

Back at Halali Campsite, as usual just in time at the gate, at sunset. No cheetahs today… Tomorrow was our last full day in Etosha. It reminded me about last year, when we finally found 3 cheetahs on our last day in Etosha. Would we again be that lucky…?

An awesome first night at the Halali waterhole.

And this is how our second day at Halali ended, we couldn’t have wished better. The sheer diversity in scenery and wildlife makes Etosha really a must-visit destination.

Day 16: Halali

Today was our last full day in Etosha and we had only 1 target on our mind: cheetah. I was convinced that the day before we simply didn’t find cheetah because of the lions hanging out in their area. As the lions had moved on a bit I was hopeful we had more luck today.

Not a bad start, 3 white rhinos..!

Yes, we thought this huge bull elephant had died… But it fortunately turned out he was just having a nap.

We had been driving back and forth along the same road for a couple of times now… And then, all of a sudden… Yes, Cheetah! And best of all, a mother with 3 adorable kittens.

Mother cheetah was continuously scanning the horizon, as the lions of the day before couldn’t be far away.

It was getting increasingly hot and mother cheetah did her best to provide a little more shadow for her kittens. I knew one thing for sure, that she was not going to stay here and had to make a move soon. So we moved our car towards the nearest area with some shadow, knowing that she’d head that direction.

Not all cheetah kittens are equal… And not all survive. This one was clearly ahead of the other two.

We had spend about an hour with these cheetahs, when they finally disappeared into the bush… Again, what an awesome experience and how satisfied I was that we found them, on our last full day in Etosha. Cheetahs: check!

Look at those legs… Why is it that elephants sometimes copy each others position..?

We had just enough time to check out Naumses waterhole. When we arrived the sun was almost gone, and not an animal in sight. Then all of a sudden this lone female came over the ridge and made for an awesome end of the day.

Our last night in Etosha, at the Halali waterhole. And what a night it turned out to be! These 2 mothers were introducing their calfs to each other, look at how little the one on the left is! Rhinos have to entirely follow their senses of smell and hearing and it was very obvious a tense moment, whit a lot of grunts, back and forward moving and even some wild charges at each other. It all ended up peacefully.

Day 17: Halali – Windhoek

Today was our last day and we had to go back to Windhoek. We had a couple of hours in the early morning and decided to go look for lions, one more time… We had seen a few lions earlier around Salvadora waterhole, so that’s where we were heading for.

Bingo..!

And with a little back and forth over the plains we finally managed to position ourselves right in front of where these 2 male lions crossed the road. One of the Halali camp rangers told us that these 2 male lions were trying to take over a nearby pride, and it was indeed obvious these guys meant business!

And just when more cars arrived the guide from Halali Campsite was so kind to tell us where the females were hanging out: Sueda… Wooshhh…. I may have speeded a little bit!

And sure enough…! They were at Sueda.

It was time to go; we had to leave for Windhoek and catch our flight home, early next day. We couldn’t have wished for a better finale of our holiday. Etosha really is something… And I can’t wait to go back. Sooner than later: July 2020; at least that is the plan…

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Palmwag Concession, Kunene

Sun, 01 Mar 2020 13:10:12 +0000

Day 10 & 11 of 18 – Namibia Safari Trip – 2019

The Palmwag Concession was a convenient stop on our way to Etosha National Park, and we also wanted to explore the area further. It is possible to camp in the wild inside the concession, so that was the plan.

Day 10: Puros – Sesfontein – Palmwag Concession.

We drove from Puros to Sesfontein, completing our loop through the Hoanib riverbed, the Ganias plains and Puros Gorge. From Sesfontein we drove back south to Palmwag.

Again a spectacular scenery and at times quite a rough road, but a comfortable drive compared with the riverbeds.

I had visited the Palmwag Concession a year earlier. It’s not very rich in wildlife and the roads are mostly incredibly bumpy, as you mainly drive over loose rocks. Its red scenery is as spectacular as unique and I wanted to share this with Mega. I also wanted to camp in the wild inside the concession, hoping to perhaps see Black Rhino, which still roam freely in the concession.

It turned out that camping inside the Palmwag Concession is very straight forward: you just get a permit at the entrance, they give you a simple map and point out where to camp, and where not, and off you go.

Again nothing spectacular in terms of wildlife, except some zebra, springbok and oryx. We did see some elephants, but from great distance.

We were too late to reach one of the more remote assigned camping sites, so we decided to camp just somewhere in the middle of nowhere, away from any water source, as we didn’t want to disturb any wildlife coming out for a drink at night. The almost full moon made for a beautiful sky, a nice end to a long day.

Day 11 – 13: Palmwag Concession – Olifantsrus Camp, Etosha National Park

A big day ahead, as today we would drive to Etosha, the final destination of our journey. I had been to Etosha a year earlier and couldn’t wait to show Mega around! But we first wanted to search for Black Rhino, as seeing them here in this mars-like landscape would be something…

No, not a sunrise. A moon set..! Just when the sun was about to rise though, on the complete opposite side.

Bush toilet. It wasn’t easy to dig a hole in this rocky terrain…! And in case you want to know: you burn your toilet paper first, and then you carefully burry everything, not leaving any trace.

And that was Palmwag. Despite relative little wildlife and poor roads its red landscape is unique and the chance so see Black Rhino in such a unique scenery will probably make me come back again one day…

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Puros & Himba Tribe, Kaokoland

Sun, 01 Mar 2020 10:54:11 +0000

Day 8 until 10 of 18 – Namibia Safari Trip – 2019

We had chosen to drive to Puros mainly because we wanted to visit a traditional Himba tribe village. Also the campsite was a very nice place to relax a little and enjoy some of its comforts, while still being completely in the bush, and a lot of wildlife!

Day 8: Hoanib riverbed – Puros

Arriving at the Hoarusib riverbed, which would lead us to Puros.

The Puros Gorge. During the dry season the riverbeds in north western Namibia look completely dry, but water is actually flowing fairly close under the surface and here and there reaches the surface.

Our campsite for the next two nights, the Puros Ngatutanga Camp. What a spectacular location, on the edge of the riverbed. Hot showers, toilet and a kitchen setup, what a luxury! No electricity, but that was no problem.

Day 8: Puros

Through the campsite we arranged a local guide, who was willing to bring us to a nearby Himba village. So that was the first program of the day. We were super excited, as the Himba were on my wish list since my first brief encounter, a year earlier at Palmwag.

A traditional Himba village, near Puros. This is not a tourist destination and people live here as they’ve done for thousands of years. There were only a few women and children when we visited. It turned out that most of the men work weekdays in nearby Purros. Also most of the kids stay in Purros to go to school and usually stay with family. They all come back for the weekend.

A traditional Himba village consists of a few different small huts, each with their own purpose.

A Himba woman preparing a traditional perfumed red paste, Otjize. The Himba women use this on their skin and hair, against sunburn and simply to look more beautiful. The paste is a mix of red ochre, butter, fat and scented with myrrh.

The best souvenir of all…? The aromatic mixture of fragrant wood ash and herbs! The Himba burn this mixture and “bath” themselves in the perfumed smoke.

We left the village and decided to explore the Purros riverbed. Elephants roam around here as well, but the day before we had seen a lot of giraffes and we wanted to particularly see more of them.

This giraffe really has a completely different pattern than all others. I’m not sure whether or not this is a different species…

Mega loves giraffes, but it’s not easy to get anywhere near them. Particularly when outside the car…

We spent midday and lunch relaxed at the camp, fo a change. In the afternoon we decided to explore another part of the Hoarusib riverbed and to go watch sunset from a huge granite rock outcrop in the middle of the valley.

The Hoarusib riverbed near Puros. We’ll be back, to explore further upstream, northwards towards eventually the Epupa Falls, at the border with Angola.

Back at our camp we were surprised by this rather relaxed giraffe, who was casually wondering through the campgrounds. A perfect end of the day.

What else do we want… Well, we were hoping for some elephants to pass by, but they didn’t. You can’t have it all….

Last photo of the day, with an UV flashlight. It turned out there were dozens of scorpions hiding in the bark of the tree in the middle of our campsite.

Day 10: Puros – Palmwag Concession

Today we were heading for the Palmwag Concession, where we wanted to camp inside the concession, rather than outside. But first we wanted to see some more giraffes.

And that was Puros, land of giraffes and Himba. Beautiful scenery, hardly any other tourists. It’s a little bit a wild-west out there; not an easy life for the locals, as there are not many jobs. So the locals spend most of their time hanging out in few local bars and the only little shop in the village, often drunk…

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Hoanib riverbed, Damaraland

Sun, 01 Mar 2020 10:13:16 +0000

Day 7 & 8 of 18 – Namibia Safari Trip – 2019

We enjoyed the Aba Huab riverbed so much, that we wanted to explore other dry riverbeds. So after our quick emergency stop in Opuwo we drove straight back to Sesfontein and into the Hoanib riverbed, from where we then later planned to drive to Puros, further north.

Day 7: Opuwo – Sesfontein – Hoanib riverbed

We left Opuwo early morning for Sesfontein, taking a bit more time than the day before, to admire the gigantic Baobab trees along the road. It’s quite a spectacular sight!

Less than half an hour west of Sesfontein you see the Hoanib riverbed valley open up in front of you. It’s hard to miss. And as soon as you leave the gravel road you know you’re in for some serious off-road driving…! Here and there the riverbed consists of half a meter deep white sand powder and it almost feels like driving through water. You don’t want to get stuck here and you have to be very careful not to hit anything hidden under the powder or perhaps drive into a hidden trench… Not for newbies!

We passed the recently opened Elephant camp, I guess a good alternative starting point. The riverbed narrows to only a few dozen meter and for the first time we see water flowing in the river. The muddy riverbanks are covered in thick high reed grass and quite challenging to navigate. Dozens of dead cows laid around in this part of the valley, not a nice sight… But clear signs of how hard life can be here.

Lunch in the middle of the riverbed. We hadn’t seen much wildlife yet and I was getting a bit worried that we may have left the Huab riverbed too soon…

Less than half an hour after our lunch things started to change and look a lot better.

I was really worried too soon…! We caught up with this large herd of desert elephants, including a young baby of just a month old. Despite the baby they were very relaxed and it seemed they didn’t pay much attention to us.

Mom clearly keeping an eye on us…!

Time for an elephant nap, so we decided to drive ahead, knowing we’d see them again later that day.

As there was plenty of wildlife in the area we decided to stay and catch up with the elephants in the afternoon.

Not easy to get to, but a beautiful viewpoint with 360 degrees views of the Hoanib riverbed. We really enjoyed to look into the riverbed from above and see herds of elephant, giraffe, oryx, springbok and flocks of ostrich make their way through the valley.

We decided to spend the rest of the afternoon around this area and already looked out for a safe place to camp, a bit away from the riverbed itself.

The herd had caught up with us. Mom tried to encourage her baby to forage for some roots, but I think that was a bit too soon…

Suddenly we ran into a herd of panicking springbok, clearly spooked by something… We drove onto the sandy riverbanks and sure enough, we soon found fairly fresh lion tracks! Would a dream come true…? I had spend a lot of time reading about them, and their distribution, and I had chosen our route of these couple of days with deep in my mind the hope to see these elusive cats…

Even this giraffe was clearly weary of danger.

We followed the lion tracks, which clearly led in and out of several patches of bush, but eventually into some bush where no tracks led away from…! Would the lions be sleeping in those bushes..? We couldn’t see anything from the car, but I was almost sure they were… I marked the place on my GPS and the plan was to come back later, around sunset, hoping they would come out…

The sun started to set; we were hoping the elephants would come this way.

We didn’t have to wait long! I guess the elephants also knew there were lions in the area and with a baby elephant it was much safer to spend the night away from the riverbed on the more open plains just north.

An increasingly spectacular scenery evolved… By now this herd was completely ignoring us and allowed us to slowly follow them, further away from the riverbed.

Too perfect… And time to leave the herd alone, hoping to find them again the next day.

We drove back to the lion tracks. It was getting dark fast we decided to just wait in the car for it to get completely dark. So there we were, in the small sand dunes on the Hoanib riverbank, patches of bush all around. Engine off, flashlights ready, adrenaline slowly increasing. An eery silence… I thought “no way”… What are the chances to actually see desert lions? But there are fresh tracks nearby…!

It was almost dark. All of a sudden I thought to see a dark vague shadow slowly move in front of our car… It was too dark to see what it was… I switched on the lights of the car… Oh my god….

We couldn’t believe it! Right in front of our car, a big female desert lion! She stood still, looked at us and continued her walk. Twenty meters further she decided to lay down, in the soft desert sand.

A second female lion appeared, a bit more skittish. She didn’t like the flashlight, so we tried not to bother her.

We spend about half an hour with the two lions. They initially moved slowly through the dunes, regularly laying down and at one stage chasing a springhare. They got clearly more and more into hunting mode, and it was time for us to leave them alone… What an unforgettable experience!

We drove to what we thought was the safest spot to spend the night camping, away from the riverbed and surrounded by a sea of sand. We had dinner around a campfire, while every 5 minutes I scanned the area with my flashlight, just in case…. Another perfect day and night in the Namibian bush!

Day 8: Hoanib riverbed – Puros

First things first! Back to where we saw the lions last night! Well, it didn’t take long to find their tracks. We followed them, to only find out that he had followed our car tracks, to literally the edge of the riverbed itself, a few hundred meters away from where we had camped… I guess they were curious, but not curious enough to cross the open plains, completely exposed.

Tracks on tracks.

We followed the lion tracks for an hour, but eventually lost them… Time for breakfast, keeping a close eye on the surrounding bushes…!

And sure enough, the herd of elephants made it back into the riverbed. We spend some time with them and then decided to make a move, towards our next destination.

We said goodbye to this friendly herd of elephants, which we had now followed for about 24 hours. What an absolutely incredible experience. I could probably do this for weeks! And we’ll certainly be back for more.

Today we wanted to continue through the Hoanib riverbed and then drive north to Purros, through the so-called Purros Gorge.

The plains between the Hoanib riverbed and the Hoarusib riverbed towards Puros are a spectacular land of nothingness. I believe these are the Ganias plains, but am not sure.

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Aba Huab riverbed, Damaraland

Sun, 01 Mar 2020 08:12:55 +0000

Day 4 until 6 of 18 – Namibia Safari Trip – 2019

We really wanted to see desert-adapted elephants, so we had decided to spend as long as necessary in the Aba Huab riverbed; it’s a large area, and further downstream there are some areas where water comes to the surface, even during extreme draught. A lifeline for wildlife here, so if there’s elephants in the area, that should be the place to be; for them, and therefore for us!

Day 5: Doros Crater – Aba Huab riverbed

We arrived in De Riet and went to the local visitor centre, hoping someone could help us find desert elephants; 5 minutes later we drive upriver with one of the locals, who assured us to find them for us.

We didn’t have to search very long… Our first desert elephants! They give me goosebumps, every single time…

What an awesome place this is; hard to believe that there are hardly any other people visiting this riverbed. The scenery is spectacular and wildlife is abundant; within an hour we did not only see desert elephants, but also oryx, springbok and giraffe. And you can drive pretty much anywhere you like, you’re not bound to any roads. Be careful near Camel Thorn trees though, the riverbed is often filled with branches with long and sharp thorns…

We liked it so much that we decided to spend more time in this area and asked our guide if he knew any good place for us to camp… Oh yes, he did…!

Fast-forward: this was a camping site straight from a movie..! I created a waypoint on my GPS, drove our guide back to De Riet and then returned to our camp site for the night, just as the sun started to set.

Our campsite at the foot of a massive granite ridge, next to an ancient cave used by the bushmen.

Diner in a cave used in the past by the traditional bushmen; the cave’s ceiling is covered with black soot from fires and at the back of the cave the bushmen left some rock paintings.

Another perfect Namibian night, camping in the wild under the stars somewhere in the Huab riverbed, far away from the nearest other people. The bushmen knew where to hangout!

Day 5: Aba Huab riverbed

Early morning we drove straight to a couple of nearby sand dunes. We had passed these the day before and thought it would be a perfect place to wait for sunrise.

From the dunes we drove back to the Huab riverbed, to try to find again the desert elephants and explore some of the smaller riverbeds and sand dunes in the area.

The dry riverbed was home to quite a lot of giraffes. They weren’t very skittish, I guess because the locals from De Riet regularly let their goats graze nearby.

Time to spend some time with desert elephants again! We knew the direction they had gone the other day, so it was fairly straight forward to find them again.

A day earlier we had promised some of the kids in De Riet we would come back to visit the village. A big bag of lollies was much appreciated and a great ice-breaker.

The village kitchen. The village is regularly raided by desert elephants in search for food, so the village food supplies are mostly kept centrally. Easier to defend…

All goats are now kept in a single large enclosure with a iron fence, covered with thick canvas. This is against desert lions, which regularly broke into the more vulnerable traditional individual family goat enclosures, sometimes killing dozens of goats in a single night.

Time for lunch. We had seen fresh lion tracks the day before and decided to stay away from the riverbed itself, with too many trees and bushes to perhaps overlook some lions… These few lone trees at the edge of the valley seemed perfect, but just when we wanted to get out of our car I realised that the ground under the tree was covered with bones and skulls…! And was probably the perfect place for lions to spend a couple of days with a kill…!

But, unfortunately, no lions!

After lunch, the moment I was waiting for!

The day before we were caught in a hefty sandstorm and our guide had told us that this time of the year in the afternoon the wind starts to pick up and eventually creates a sand storm blowing through the riverbed. So this afternoon I planned to try to find a herd of desert elephants, as I visualised them walk into the sandstorm, late afternoon, in beautiful afternoon light… That sounded too good to be true… Almost!

Waiting for the perfect moment… A nice line-up, sandstorm and afternoon light. Easier said than done.

And then it happened…!

I got so excited that I simply couldn’t hold my camera still and mostly forgot to check settings but, hey, these are not bad!

Again, what an incredible experience!

I left our car and tried to sneak up to this flock of ostriches on foot, and from behind some sand dunes. They somehow found out… Or was it the elephants..?

Time to find another place to set up camp. This time we wanted to be closer to the riverbed and perhaps see some wildlife pass through at night. We still somehow wanted to stay at a safe place as well, and this riverbank turned out perfect!

Completely exhausted from the excitement of the day we decided to call it a day and enjoy some sundowners at the edge of the Huab riverbed. With the setting sun and sand blowing through the riverbed the riverbed literally seemed to burn. A perfect end to another spectacular day in the bush and great place to spend the night. We did see a pair of jackals pass by just after sunset, but that was it.

Day 6: Aba Huab riverbed – Sesfontein – Opuwo

We woke up early, as the riverbed was covered in a thick mist! The sun started to rise and after the spectacular setting the day before I was hoping to perhaps find the elephants again, this time with some mist and sunrise…!

Sunrise, mist and the Huab riverbed – perfect start of the day! Almost… Unfortunately the elephants were nowhere to be seen, but that means I have to come back one day, for that picture which is now stuck in my head…

We found the elephants a bit later further upriver, when the mist had given way for sand.

OK, in elephant body language this means: “you’re in my way, you have to move”. And so we did… Slowly.

We said goodbye to the Aba Huab riverbed and made our way to Twyfelfontein for a quick fuel stop and onwards to Sesfontein and the next riverbed, the Hoanib.

We arrived in Sesfontein around lunch time and the plan was to continue to the Hoanib riverbed. Unfortunately we had made a mistake by assuming there was an ATM in Sesfontein. There was not… We didn’t have enough cash. Our next destination was Puros, so we had no other choice than to drive to the nearest ATM, which was in Opuwo, a more than 2 hours drive away… I was hoping to be able to drive to Opuwo and back to at least Sesfontein, and then have an early start the next day, into the Hoanib riverbed.

Once in Opuwo that was a bit too much asked for; we were tired, and decided to do some shopping and spend the night at the Opuwo Country Lodge. An excellent place and we did not regret the little luxury of a good shower and normal toilet, the first in 5 days…

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Spitzkoppe

Sat, 29 Feb 2020 14:06:24 +0000

Day 2 & 3 of 18 – Namibia Safari Trip – 2019

Our first destination was Spitzkoppe, as this really had become my wife’s dream, ever since she had seen my photos of my trip to Namibia and Botswana a year ago. And camping at Spitzkoppe is indeed absolutely spectacular, with the bald granite peaks as backdrop, a sky filled with billions of stars and your nearest invisible neighbour at least a hundred meters away.

Spitzkoppe was also the only place I had booked in advance, as the decision to go to Namibia was made just a week before departure from Bali, when we finally gave up on trying to get a visa for Zambia, our originally planned safari destination. From Spitzkoppe onwards we would just decide on a daily basis where to go; a true adventure!

Day 2: Windhoek – Spitzkoppe

We arrived in Spitzkoppe early afternoon, having done some major shopping in Windhoek earlier in the morning. The plan was to spend the next couple of days camping in the wild, so we made sure we had enough supplies to last for at least 10 days.

In the afternoon we explored Spitzkoppe, with of course a visit to the famous Rock Arch.

After “must-visit” Spitzkoppe our itinerary was completely blank and the only preparation I had done was design a rough route up north through Damaraland and onwards to Kaokoland, as much as possible off-road through mostly dry riverbeds and other wilderness, in search for particularly desert elephants and lions. The plan was to camp as much as possible in the wild, or at least in real bush campsites.

Day 3: Spitzkoppe – Rhino Trust Camp – Doros area

Our first full day in the bush and it couldn’t start better waking up in this spectacular setting! Today we planned to drive to the Rhino Trust Camp and either camp there or continue further north and camp somewhere in the wild, on our way to the Huab riverbed. We were not in a rush though…

Bye bye Spitzkoppe, we’ll be back!

From Spitzkoppe we drove to Uis, an old tin mine village. Here we turned southwest towards Henties Bay and then left the main road up northwest, more or less around the base of Brandberg, with 2500 meters Namibia’s tallest mountain. Little did we know that we would not see any other cars or people anymore until late next day…

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Namibia Safari Trip – 2019

Sat, 29 Feb 2020 08:03:33 +0000

A Namibia Self-drive Camping Safari Expedition

A 17-Day Self-drive Safari Camping Trip

October 2019

An almost 3 week self-drive safari camping trip through Namibia in October 2019, together with my fiancee Mega. Last year I visited Namibia and Botswana with my son Dio and best mate Stan and I promised Mega to bring her to Namibia “one day”. That “one day” came sooner than expected, as we were actually planning to go to Zambia. I had the entire trip to Zambia planned and booked more than 6 months ago, but unfortunately Zambian immigration repeatedly refused to issue a visa for Mega, so with only 5 days to go before our planned flight to Zambia I decided to cancel Zambia and change our trip to Namibia. I booked last minute flights and was lucky to find a rental 4×4 car with camping equipment, with such short notice. We didn’t make any camping reservations and decided to simply travel day by day and decide on-the-go where to sleep. This turned out to be the best decision and we had an absolute fantastic trip, with a couple of nights camping in the wild in absolutely stunning locations, in the middle of the Namibian bush.

Damaraland, Kaokoland and Etosha

Or select any of the destinations below for our story and photos about that part of the trip. Enjoy!

Namibia Destinations

Spitzkoppe

Brandberg Mountain & Doros Crater

Aba Huab riverbed, Damaraland

Hoanib riverbed, Damaraland

Puros & Himba Tribe, Kaokoland

Palmwag Concession, Kunene

Etosha National Park

Introduction

We hadn’t made any camping reservations and decided to simply start driving and see where to sleep. We wanted to camp in the wild, particularly in Damaraland and Kaokoland. We had stocked-up on food supplies enough for at least 10 days, so the only thing to watch was our fuel tank.

I’m so happy we did it this way: less planning means more adventure! We ended up a couple of nights camping in the wild in absolutely stunning locations, in the middle of the real Namibian bush.

Namibia Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival Windhoek
Day 2: Windhoek – Spitzkoppe (Spitzkoppe Rest Camp)
Day 3: Spitzkoppe – Rhino Trust Camp – Doros Crater area (wild camping)
Day 4: Doros area – Twyfelfontein – De Riet – Aba Huab riverbed (wild camping)
Day 5: Aba Huab riverbed (wild camping)
Day 6: Aba Huab riverbed – Sesfontein – Opuwo (Opuwo Country Hotel Campsite)
Day 7: Opuwo – Sesfontein – Hoanib riverbed (wild camping)
Day 8: Hoanib – Hoarusib riverbed – Puros (Ngatutanga Campsite)
Day 9: Puros (Ngatutanga Campsite)
Day 10: Puros – Palmwag Concession (wild camping)
Day 11: Palmwag – Etosha National Park (Olifantsrus Campsite)
Day 12: Etosha National Park (Okaukuejo Campsite)
Day 13: Etosha National Park (Okaukuejo Campsite)
Day 14: Etosha National Park (Halali Campsite)
Day 15: Etosha National Park (Halali Campsite)
Day 16: Etosha National Park (Halali Campsite)
Day 17: Etosha – Windhoek
Day 18: Windhoek – Johannesburg – Singapore – Bali

Thinking about travelling through Namibia?

The journeys and stories on Duniart come from many years of travelling through Namibia — independently, with friends and family, and in places far beyond the usual routes.

If you would like to experience Namibia in a similar way, I now offer private guided expeditions through Namibia, shaped around the places, landscapes and experiences that interest you most.

Other Trip Reports including Namibia

Namibia & Botswana - 2018

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