Nascent Namibia

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There is so much to see in this world. How does one choose? For me there’s something that has to in a sense call out to me. Without fail, I’m called to explore lands off the beaten path. Places where human activity is in sync with nature. Where tourists are more travelers than conquerors. Where life is totally different than my own. Where I can once again be blown away by the vastness of diversity and adaptability of life on earth. And yes, I want to marvel at the playfulness and joy our creator must have had when filling the earth with life. This is why I chose Namibia and I wasn’t disappointed.


For 2 weeks, I and 4 family members drove, flew, hiked, and safari’d around Namibia. We experienced warm hospitality without exception every stop along the way. There were roads that knocked our teeth around and roads that rivaled our best US freeway. And when we slowed to a stop, we learned. We learned how the Tok Tokkie beetle comically scurries over sand dunes with its little black legs barely keeping up when on a downhill slope. We became acutely aware of our water usage and acutely aware of the value of shade in the middle of a desert hike. We marveled at how a Stone Grasshopper looked EXACTLY like a rock and the Jar Jar Binks cadence a Namaqua Desert Chameleon uses to blend in when passing by wind blown desert grass. We sunk to our knees running down the oldest and tallest dunes on earth and then soared over them silently with the winds in a hot air balloon. We shared a picnic and laughs under the shade of an acacia tree while watching the ever present Namibian Oryx enjoy some acacia shade just up the dune. There were warm evening dinners with delicious South African wines followed by star gazing walks back to our huts under the starlight of Scorpio and the magnanimous Southern Hemisphere Milky Way. And at the end, there was the Big Bang stuff. Rhinos, elephants and lions. Elephant encounters so close we could reach out and touch their saggy baggy skin and a black rhino approach requiring us to clamber silently single file over rocky terrain all the while ready to quickly retreat if needed. Oh the delight of elephants blowing bubbles in our lodge pool and the humming swarms of little Red Billed Quilious birds darting in seemingly random patterns across the sky.

Namibia knocked our socks off - literally and figuratively. This is Africa, soft at the edges. Check out a sampling of photos and then come for yourself. You too won’t be disappointed.

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Photos

Dunes of Sossusvlei
15 million years old. 200m deep.

Tok Tokkie trail
Namib Naukluft National park. We hiked this epic desert for 3 days, encountering life unimagined prior.

Setting for a feast in the desert
Oryx goulash and avo/cucumber soup were just a few of the unexpected delights awaiting us at the meal.

Our suite in the desert
The moon was so bright that it woke me in the night and drowned out the light of the stars. We fall asleep listening to barking geckos laughing from their burrows.

Desert oasis
After hiking 4 hours in the rising heat, this tent under the sociable weavers nest, along with some ice cold coke, was welcome relief.

Namaqua chameleon
The size of a loaf of bread, this made all of us chuckle as he swayed back and forth to blend in with wind blown grasses.

Tranquility
Civilization is nowhere to be found

Hoodia Desert Lodge
Staff, management, accommodations, food - all EXCELLENT! Warm memories of this home away from home while exploring Sossusvlei.

Dining at Chez Lukas
From a few boxes in the back of the 4x4, Lukas creates a fine dining experience in the desert

Oryx in the shade
As viewed from Chez Lukas

Sport landing
Due to high winds, we bounced several times on the ground at a 45 degree angle and came to a stop tilted sideways. Our pilot handled the landing perfectly and there was a spirit of joy in the air. Hip hip hooray for pilot Rowan!

Comments

[Ake Och Emma]

Visiting Namibia would be an adventure
I have this dream about one day visiting Namibia and go an a really long adventure trip. I have seen so many wonderful photos from odd, fascinating but often very remote places in Namibia and I want to see them all. I expect that I would need to go on 4WD tours to be able to see may of them, but it would be totally worth it. /Ake

[LauraLilleySmith]

WOW!
You all are sooo adventurous!