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Namibia

Etosha Pan National Park

Our first stop in Namibia was Etosha Pan National Park. By this point we had been on several safaris and seen many animals. This park was set up differently then the other parks, because the road went from water hole to water hole. There was very little water at this time of year so everytime we approached a water hole we were able to see lions, giraffes, elephants, zebras, or other game animals. We stopped for lunch in the park at a place where you could sit by the water hole and watch the animals. That night we also camped near a water hole that had flood lights. We were able to see a lot of animals and also the rhinos which are hard to spot during the day.

Cheetah Farm

We arrived at a cheetah farm where the owners keep cheetahs as domesticated pets. Immediately we were greeted by a friendly giraffe. We were able to pet the giraffe and he kept poking his head in all of the windows looking for food. Next, we were able to pet the three cheetahs that the owners keep as pets. They told us we could pet them between the ears. The cheetahs were a bit restless and kept getting up and pacing. It was pretty exhilirating to actually touch a cheetah. We were then taken on the back of a truck to watch feeding time for the semi-domesticated cheetahs. The way the cheetahs launched themselves to catch the food and fought for it was extremely enjoyable to watch.

Spitzkop

The following day we camped near a huge monolith in the desert called Spitzkop. We climbed up to the top of it for some gorgeous views and were able to see a beautiful desert sunset.

Swakopmund

Swakopmund was a small, German, beach side town on the edge of the Namib Desert. Despite its proximity to both the beach and desert, it was suprisingly cold there, never really getting above 60 degrees. We spent 4 days there relaxing, shopping at their local craft market, and eating good food, including oryx steaks and springbok burgers. This town was extremely modern and we definitely did not feel like we were in Africa, but in a small German town.

Sossusvlei

Early one morning we drove through the Namib Desert among some amazing sand dunes. The dunes are made of red sand, and in the early morning sunlight, the dunes look like they are both black (in the shade) and red (in the sun). After about an hour of driving through the dunes, we got to one we could climb up. It was massive, about 500 feet tall. We spent the better part of an hour climbing up the dune where we got incredible views of the surrounding desert and dunes from the top. We then ran & rolled our way down the dune to breakfast with a great view.

Fish River Canyon

The next day we drove to Fish River Canyon which is a massive canyon, only a little smaller than the Grand Canyon. We were able to walk along the edge of the canyon and see the river. The colors of the canyon were stunning as was the depth and breadth of it. After having breakfast at the edge of the canyon we spent the rest of the day and night at an orange orchard. The last night in Nambia we spent along the Orange River which divides Nambia and South Africa.

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