Namibia
This section is basically complete, apart from an animal gallery and a bird gallery which I`m working on at present.
Introduction
From the world`s largest sand dunes in the Namib-Naukluft Desert, the wave-battered ships` graveyard of the Skeleton Coast, to big game viewing in Etosha National Park, Damaraland, or the Caprivi Strip, Namibia is a vast, beautiful land full of contrasts. Distances are long and driving for hours, often through desolate terrain, can be challenging but the extensive network of mainly gravel roads, with little traffic, enables visitors to experience the stunning landscapes and exciting destinations at a comfortable pace - this is the place to come for a superb self-drive adventure. |
I have been fortunate to visit the country on a such a holiday three times, the most recent occasion being in September / October 2018. I had technically been to the easternmost end of Namibia’s Caprivi Strip many years before, on a couple of day trips from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe in August 1998. Chobe National Park in Botswana lies just across the border and boat cruises taken on the Chobe River cross back and forth to the Namibian side of the waterway looking for wildlife, although everyone stays on board.
The Caprivi Strip, the eastern half of which has recently been renamed the Zambezi Region in an attempt to blot out reminders of Germany’s colonial control, is a 280 mile-long (450km) corridor that runs east from the northeast corner of the main block of Namibian territory, to link the country with Zimbabwe and Zambia. Botswana lies to the south with Angola to the north along the westernmost section. The strategically important region had been named after Count Leo von Caprivi, Chancellor of Germany from 1890 to 1894 and unsurprisingly, it`s had a turbulent history with various nations and factions vying for control over many years.
In December 1999, following a long-running territorial dispute, the International Court of Justice ruled that the main channel of the Chobe River at the eastern end of Caprivi, and hence the international boundary, lay to the north of the large island of Kasikili, referred to as Seddudu by Botswana, thus making the island part of the latter country.
The rivers and adjacent wetlands running along the length of the Strip are more in keeping with many people’s vision of Africa and various animals and bird species, not found anywhere else in Namibia occur here, including Cape Buffalo, Hippos and Crocodiles. African Fish Eagles often monitor proceedings from riverside trees. The Cape Buffalos pictured below are grazing on Kasikili Island.
Second in weight only to the Elephant, the Hippopotamus is reckoned by many to be the most dangerous animal on the river. They have well developed incisor teeth which are used when fighting and serve no purpose with regard to feeding, which they accomplish by the application of large lips in a ripping motion. During the daytime Hippos usually remain partially submerged to avoid overheating and leave the water to graze during the night. The Chobe River`s population are the exception to the rule and come out to graze whenever they feel like it!
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Monitor Lizards are common too. Avian attractions include breeding African Fish Eagles, Little Bittern, several types of Kingfisher, including the Pied, Giant and Malachite, Jacanas plus colourful Bee-Eaters and Rollers. Wire-tailed Swallows build their nests between the twin-booms of the catamaran-style flat-bottomed tourist boats and constantly dart in and out during cruises, disappearing under the hull with mud for building or food for chicks. In the following shot, a Bee-Eater keeps a respectful distance from a Monitor Lizard basking on the same branch.
There are several ways to get to Namibia from the UK but residing in Scotland, the cheapest and most convenient option for my wife and I on the first two occasions was with British Airways: Shuttle from Glasgow to Heathrow, Boeing 747 night flight to Johannesburg, then a Com Air Boeing 737 to Windhoek’s Hosea Kutako Airport (WDH).
Com Air operate African flights for BA and our luggage was checked straight through, a real bonus as even without having to collect and recheck our cases in at Jo`burg, transfers there can be slow going. |
The only other option available at that time was with Air Namibia, the country`s national carrier, They fly direct to Windhoek from Frankfurt, but this would have been far more expensive due to limited connections from Glasgow and unsuitable flight times which would have entailed an overnight stay in Germany on both the outbound and return leg.
In November 2017, purely by chance, I met a Namibian couple on the Isle of Mull who were in Scotland on holiday, and they happened to mention that KLM had recently launched a service to Windhoek from Amsterdam Schiphol. This was ideal for us, especially as it avoided the chaos and stress of transiting both Heathrow and Johannesburg airports. Like the previous BA option, the main part was a night flight and although the aircraft, in our case an Airbus A330-300, made an hour-long stop in Luanda, Angola, Namibia-bound passengers remain on board.
In November 2017, purely by chance, I met a Namibian couple on the Isle of Mull who were in Scotland on holiday, and they happened to mention that KLM had recently launched a service to Windhoek from Amsterdam Schiphol. This was ideal for us, especially as it avoided the chaos and stress of transiting both Heathrow and Johannesburg airports. Like the previous BA option, the main part was a night flight and although the aircraft, in our case an Airbus A330-300, made an hour-long stop in Luanda, Angola, Namibia-bound passengers remain on board.
Distances are long from Europe to Southern Africa but as you aren't travelling east or west across globe there’s no noticeable time-difference so jet-lag isn’t an issue! We arrived at Windhoek around noon each time and although it can take a while to clear immigration and collect your luggage, there should be plenty of daylight left to reach your first night’s accommodation even if it's a couple of hundred kilometres away.
The shot on the right was taken from our Comair airliner shortly before touchdown at the beginning of our second visit to Namibia in September 2015. The captain obligingly flew past Windhoek's Hosea Kutako Airport before positioning the aircraft for landing, providing this excellent bird`s-eye view. Wildlife sightings began just after touch-down with a Secretary Bird strutting across one of the taxiways, no doubt having first received clearance from Air Traffic Control!
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Any suggested 2-3 week-long introductory self-drive tour of the country will likely take in the desert, including the dunes and dried-up lake beds at Sossusvlei, Swakopmund and Walvis Bay on the Skeleton Coast (below), with one or two nights in either Damaraland, the Waterburg Plateau, or the Erongo Mountains, all of which make a convenient stopover when travelling to or from wildlife-rich Etosha National Park, rated by most visitors as the essential highlight.
For anyone with a free month or more, a drive along the Caprivi Strip stopping at some of the game parks and riverside lodges would be a great addition.
Unsure what to expect on our first visit, we engaged the services of Audley Travel, who advised on the best sites to see in the limited time available and arranged accommodation and car hire, the latter through ATI, one of the many local holiday agents in Namibia. All flights were on schedule and a driver was waiting at Windhoek Airport to take us to the Elegant Guesthouse in the capital for our first night. The journey from the airport to city centre takes around 45 minutes.
For our second and third visits though my wife and I arranged everything ourselves and made considerable savings on both accommodation and vehicle rental. Much of Namibia is relatively accessible to ordinary motorists and I would recommend this approach rather than going through an operator, although the latter has its advantages and could still be the best option for some, particularly if you plan to visit remoter parts of the country that aren't on the main ‘tourist trail’. A Toyota Hilux 4x4, was delivered to us at our guesthouse on the afternoon of our arrival and the local agent checked over the vehicle with us, provided essential documentation and supposedly up-to-date advice for the trip. A couple of the driving times he quoted were woefully inaccurate - luckily we always set-off early so avoided being caught out.
Driving at night is not recommended in Namibia and many rental companies invalidate insurance policies if their vehicles are involved in an accident, or strike an animal during the hours of darkness.
It pays to reserve your vehicle on-line well in advance of travelling to Namibia with a reputable company, whether it be one of the well-known brands such as Avis, Hertz, Europcar etc, or one of the locally-based specialist outfits. The latter option is essential if you plan to travel into remoter areas as their vehicles will be equipped with various amounts of gear depending on what you plan, such as camping equipment or jerrycans for extra fuel. < If the online rental deal seems too good to be true you may end up with a car like this one! |
The Toyota Hilux proved ideal for general touring, as did the Ford Ranger on our second holiday and the Toyota Fortuner last time. Many tourists settle for a normal saloon car and manage to negotiate the country’s roads without too much difficulty. Even most of the waterholes within Etosha National Park are accessible to non 4-wheel drives outwith the rainy season but I definitely preferred the extra security offered by the larger vehicles. Also, the extra height can be advantageous when photographing at waterholes.
As we were heading into the desert on our first Namibian holiday where punctures are more likely, our 4x4 was equipped with two spare wheels, which we fortunately didn`t need to use. Also, as a backup, we were given a basic cellphone pre-programmed with our accommodation and emergency contact numbers, although I doubted that there would be much network coverage outside the cities and towns.
The cost of fuel is far cheaper than in the UK with petrol and diesel available in all the major towns, as well as in many rural locations. Some filling stations in the larger communities are 24 hrs but, as distances between them can be long, it`s advisable to top-up when you have the opportunity.
The rough roads take their toll on vehicles so the country`s garages are well stocked with spares and have mechanics that are usually able to assist in the event of a problem. When filling up, many attendants will clean the windscreen and offer to check the oil, water and tyre pressures. Standards vary and after seeing one guy messing about, I just checked the oil and water myself and took a chance with the tyres. It`s always good to get the glass cleaned though and giving some small change for this service is the norm. |
The Namibian railway system was primarily put in place to transport freight rather than cater for passengers. Nowadays, although there`s an extensive network of track connecting most of Namibia's main towns, many of these are 'freight only' lines. Passenger trains cover only a relatively small area of the country and the service is slow and infrequent making it impractical for visitors to tour by rail.
This is No.41, a Class 2` Gauge HD (South African Railways Class NG 2-8-2) locomotive which has been on display outside Otjiwarongo Railway Station, for many years. One of it`s two sister locos is displayed in a similar manner at Usakos to the south. The trio were built by Henschel in 1912 to operate on the the Swakopmund-Karabib section of the Otavi line. In 1960, after the Usakos-Karabib-Tsumeb-Grootfontein railway`s narrow gauge line was widened from 2 feet to 3`6", diesel engines replaced steam traction in Namibia.
Invaluable for our self-drive road trips was the Bradt Travel Guide: Namibia by Chris McIntyre. It was without doubt the best of several I'd looked at, packed with practical information along with detailed chapters on the country's people, history, it's stunning landscape and wildlife.
You can order Sat Nav with many vehicles as an optional extra but as long as you`re not straying from the main tourist areas all you need is a decent map. I found the Touring Map of Namibia by Sunbird is also a worthwhile addition as it is more detailed and of a larger scale than any of the others I`d looked at. Like most maps, all filling stations are marked and it includes Etosha National Park and its main waterholes. The Sunbird map tears easily though so Sellotape the creases or cover the whole map in film. Unfortunately it`s now out of print but good condition copies may still be found online. |
Up until a couple of years ago the nearest filling station and shop to the airport was in Windhoek itself, located 45 km (28 mi) to the west. This meant that to save an excess fuel charge before returning your rental vehicle you had to drive into the city and find somewhere to top up. Now, with the new Puma garage there`s no problem, plus you can buy water and snacks before setting off on your journey. The airport filling station also has a shaded picnic area and public toilets.
Although the country is vast and you can drive for miles without encountering another vehicle, individual locations can become very busy, especially around Easter and from late July until the end of October. Many of the accommodation options in and around Etosha and the Namibia-Naukluft area during these peak tourist times are fully booked as early as a year in advance.
For general photography, Namibia is a superb country whatever the season and April to June is recommended by many as recent rains will have cleared the dust from the air, there are very few clouds, any vegetation will be green and lush, plus resident bird species will have been joined by thousands of migrants.
The latter part of the dry season, between July and late October, is undoubtedly best if you’re seeking large volumes of game and predators. Having visited the country in September and early October, I think that the latter month offers a bit more variety. |
Much of Etosha`s wildlife, including lion, leopard, spotted hyena and steenbok, is strongly territorial, which means that a particular individual, or group will usually be found within its specific home range, and this will be defended vigorously against any intruder of the same species. By contrast, mammals such as Elephant, Eland and Red Hartebeest, are highly nomadic, ranging across the entire park, and sometimes breaking out into adjacent farmland, in search of the best grazing. Many of these nomadic creatures, including Springbok, plains zebra, Blue Wildebeest and Elephant, follow reasonably predictable migration patterns based on seasonal availability of grazing and natural water sources following the rains, in preference to the man-made fountains or boreholes.
Left: Our Toyota Hilux at the roadside in Damaraland on our first Namibian holiday. When we returned to the country for the third time in September 2018, we picked up the Toyota Fortuner (below) at the Hertz rental desk in the airport terminal to save spending a night in Windhoek.
These 4x4s, along with the Ford Ranger in 2015, were up for the task with solid tyres, air conditioning and a USB port for connecting iPods or charging camera batteries etc. Radio reception is poor outwith the towns and cities and your favourite music helps the long distances fly in. The Fortuner also had the facility to connect your device with Bluetooth. |
Joe`s Beerhouse, one of Windhoek’s most popular restaurants, is only a 5 minute taxi ride from the Elegant Guesthouse and I can thoroughly recommend the Gemsbok Steak done in a Monkey Gland Sauce, (assurance is given that no actual monkeys are used!) just the job after almost 24 hours worth of airline food.
To start our first Namibian holiday, following a comfortable night and breakfast, we headed south for the Desert Homestead in the Namib-Naukluft National Park. Although well south of the capital, this region is a must-see and I wished we’d had more time to explore it properly. After all too briefly experiencing the unique atmosphere of the Namib Desert, our attention on the remainder of this and subsequent holidays in Namibia, was focused north of the capital, in particular trying to maximise wildlife sightings within Etosha National Park. |
Of course there are many outstanding draws for the wildlife enthusiast in between, including the Okonjima Nature Reserve with its Leopard and Cheetahs, the Skeleton Coast for its huge Cape Fur Seal colonies, and Damaraland with its herds of Desert-adapted Elephants to name but a few. In Etosha Okaukuejo`s floodlit waterhole (below) is considered one of the best places in the whole of Africa to see wild Rhino at close quarters.
The following links cover the main areas visited during all three holidays with separate pages relating to some of the lodges we stayed at. The largest section by far, which I`m still working on, is Etosha which includes details on the Park, its accommodation options and wildlife, plus a comprehensive list of the individual waterholes with advice on photography at each which may prove useful for anyone planning a trip...
Visitors wishing to enter Etosha or any of the other Namibian national parks are issued with a permit at the main gate for the number of days required. The appropriate fees must be paid before leaving, usually at a separate reception building, often located in a rest camp.
The permits are valid for 24 hours after issue rather than per day. Visitors must ensure that they vacate the park, or are inside a restcamp if they have accommodation there, before the gates close at sundown. |
Each permit lists the National Park rules which are also displayed on large billboards at the entrance gates. Visitors who infringe these conditions risk a hefty fine, expulsion from the park or both. One day on our latest holiday, my wife and I returned to the Nebrownii waterhole mid-afternoon and found that the parking area wasn’t too busy so I got a good spot, cut the engine, and settled down for a long wait. The calm didn’t last long though and soon, numerous cars, 4-wheel drives, and large purpose-built safari trucks had gathered, the occupants all focused on a group of lionesses that had exited from the culvert below the main road. One of the cats was on her own, well back from the others as they approached the waterhole, scattering Springbok and Zebra in the process.
Unbelievably, this man and woman got out of their 4x4, lifted the tailgate and started rearranging the contents of their boot! The vehicles were so tightly packed that the pair would have been unable to see the last lioness which unknown to them wasn’t too far off. The couple appeared oblivious to the shouts from the occupants, including private guides, of other vehicles, and I’d be surprised if someone didn't report the blatant breach of National Park rules to the authorities. I’ll bet more than a few people had recorded their idiotic behaviour on camera.
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In Etosha National Park during the dry season, the white dust thrown up from the road coats the adjacent trees and shrubs, almost creating a winter scene.
Close encounters can happen anywhere!
Although early morning and the period immediately before sunset are universally recognised as being the optimum time for seeing predators in action, kills can occur at any time.
This big male lion just sauntered up amongst hundreds of animals at the Ozonjuitji m`Bari waterhole around mid-day and took down this Oryx which had been drinking contentedly at the water`s edge. This was the scene once the other animals had scattered and the dust had cleared. |
And remember... No matter where you go in Namibia Lion sightings are guaranteed if you take along a bag of Simba crisps...
Many of the country`s lodges are situated in spectacular locations and my wife and I have been fortunate to stay at several, but the stand-out overall experience has to be Dolomite Camp, situated in the remote, previously restricted western section of Etosha National Park. Its reception building, restaurants, bar and 20 chalets are dotted along a rocky ridge affording stunning views across the plains. Only two chalets, number 13 and 14 at the north end, offer a view of the waterhole and we had one of them - we could see for 20 miles from the veranda and watch herds of Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra and Ostrich come and go.
Within 10 minutes of arriving and starting to unpack, we were under siege from the resident baboons!!! The cheeky monkeys clambered onto the roof trying to tear through the thatch, repeatedly looked in the windows and even tried the door handles a few times! Later, when we mentioned to one of the staff that the baboons had been causing mayhem, and that much of our chalet's thatch was now lying on the path, she just laughed and said 'Yes, they like to play don't they!`
The camp itself and car park at the bottom of the hill are totally unfenced so animals can wander in and out at will, passing right next to the accommodation units. Staff advise guests to be down in the main dining area before darkness falls to reduce the chance of them ending up as a choice on a Lion or Leopard`s menu! If you have one of the chalets furthest from the reception area, like ours, it can take around 15 minutes to stroll back along the ridge for meals or drinks and an additional 10 minutes to walk down to the car, so there are a few `chauffeur driven` golf buggies on standby for transport, although they`re not always available - you`ve no chance of outrunning a big cat so just make sure you can outrun the person you`re with!
Sitting out on your veranda to watch the stars isn`t recommended either as predators often pass by during the night. They weren`t kidding - around 4 am on our second night here, a lion snatched a baboon on the rocks right outside our chalet. Brick walls, rather than canvas would have been preferable as the big cat stayed for a while, and we could hear its every breath!
This Baboon pulled a cardboard sheet out from under the concrete ridge weighing down the thatch and looked at it as if he was reading a Sunday newspaper! An example of the gang`s handiwork (our chalet the morning after the lion encounter) can be seen on the right. More information on Dolomite Camp and the surrounding area can be found on several pages including Etosha (West).
Further information on Namibia and additional images taken there can also be found on my blog Clydeside Images.com. Please bear in mind that my Stock Photography Archive has even more shots taken in Namibia. If you wish to purchase any image(s) please email using the Contact Form and I will respond at the earliest opportunity.