NAMIBIA – AFRICA’S BEST KEPT SECRET

My wife and I ran a small photography company for several years. In addition to our online sale of photographic prints, we set up a display booth at local weekend art shows. We offered a selection of framed photographs in various sizes, and a large assortment of unframed prints.

I have always considered “people photography” to be my strong suit – “slice of life” shots that I had taken at various locations around the world. These candid photographs of people have always been my personal favorites. But, I’d have to say that 90% of the people who came into our photography booth were mainly interested in my wildlife shots. A large percentage of my best wildlife photographs were taken in Namibia, a country that very few of our customers had even heard of. I don’t think that I ever met a single customer who had actually been there, although many had been on safaris in East and Southern Africa.

The most frequent question I would have to field went something like this: “How come my safari photos don’t look like this? What kind of camera do you use”. I was fortunate to be able to answer this frequent inquiry with just one word – LIGHT! Photography is all about light. If a photographer knows about light, his equipment becomes much less important.

My interest in Namibia – formerly called Southwest Africa – goes back to two National Geographic Documentaries: “Living Sands of the Namib” (1978) and ”Etosha – Place of Dry Water” (1981). We didn’t actually get around to visiting Namibia until ten years later. Toward the end of 1990, I noticed that I had accumulated a huge number of frequent flyer miles on Pan Am, a company that was about to go out of business. I decided that it would make sense to cash these in before it was too late. I booked three First Class tickets on Pan Am. That got us as far as Nairobi. From that point, I booked a series of regional flights which would take us to Zimbabwe, Botswana, and finally to Namibia. All in all, my wife, my daughter, and I would spend six weeks traveling around these very interesting countries. In June of 1991, we took off for Frankfurt, spent the night, and then flew on to East Africa the next day.

Since 1991, I’ve been back to Namibia on three separate occasions. It’s a very long way to travel – about as far as one can get from San Francisco (especially considering that it’s necessary to change planes in Johannesburg) – so I must have had a good reason to make the trip. I’ll try to describe what this desert country has to offer the traveler. But, before I proceed, I’d like to point out why Namibia has several major advantages over most other African Safari Countries.

First of all, Etosha National Park – the country’s main wildlife venue is LOADED with animals – fully loaded. Secondly, because this is mainly a desert area (actually a huge, dry lake bed or pan), there is not a lot of tall grass or scrub to get in the way of your animal viewing (as in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, for instance) – the animals are right there in full view. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly of all, Namibia is a very safe country by African standards – much safer than neighboring South Africa. Perhaps this is because of the low population density but, be that as it may, I have never felt threatened in Namibia. Finally, Namibia is quite affordable – again, compared to other African Safari destinations. This is partly due to the fact that it is possible – in fact, preferable – to self drive around the country.

A couple can mount an incredible, two-week Namibian Safari on 20% of what a similar experience would cost in adjacent, budget-busting Botswana, where it’s necessary to fly from camp to camp by small plane. The National Park Lodges, while not particularly luxurious, are comfortable enough and realistically priced. The only caution I would mention is that they need to be booked many months in advance – this is a very popular venue for South Africans and Europeans. There are also more upscale private lodges available.

Getting to Etosha is straight forward enough. The park is about a six-hour drive from the country’s main airport. It isn’t necessary to do a lot of driving once you get to Etosha. The animals actually come to you. Waterholes are strategically located around the park and the wildlife invariably comes down to them to drink – usually at dawn and dusk, but also throughout the day. You just drive up, and wait.

Just watching the zebras interact can keep you occupied for hours.

And the reflections…what can I say?

The daily elephant show at the Okaukuejo Waterhole is not to be missed and the Black Rhinos always make an appearance at sunset. I once saw a single Black Rhino intimidate a small herd of elephants at this waterhole one evening. The Rhino would not let the elephants come down to drink. The elephants eventually backed off and waited their turn.

Elephants are a common sight throughout Etosha. Some of the big bulls are almost white from rolling in the chalky soil.

Namibia is also the last stronghold of the Black Rhinoceros. They are usually seen only at dusk, but occasionally make an appearance during the day.

In addition to the common plains animals, there are a number of species that are rare or nonexistent elsewhere – Black Faced Impala, Greater Kudu, Gemsbok, and Eland for example.

Large predators are not as common in Etosha as they are, for instance, in the Serengeti. But, I have seen Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, and Spotted Hyena on many occasions.

Birds are also very much in evidence.

But, Namibia is not just about wildlife. There are also cultural experiences to be had. The far north of the country is the home of the Himba People. There’s no question that visiting a group of African Tribal People always turns out to be somewhat contrived. But our visit to the Himbas seemed to be a bit more authentic than the counterpart experience in East Africa – the Maasai and the Samburu. Some Himba woman are really beautiful. Reportedly, they never bathe, but coat their skin every day with a mixture of butter, fat, and red ochre. This gives the skin a smooth reddish appearance.

In the south, the traveler will find the Namib Desert and Sossusvlei Dunes. These are the oldest and tallest sand dunes in the world, and one of the few natural phenomena I’ve ever seen for which the term “breathtaking” is actually justified. Some people consider the Namib to be the high point of their visit to Namibia.

I don’t have the time or space to cover every aspect of travel in Namibia. There are several other spectacular sights – the Cape Cross Fur Seal Reserve, the Okonjima Cheetah Reserve, the Fish River Canyon, and the Caprivi strip – maybe in a future post.

In summary, Namibia is a safe, beautiful, and easily negotiated country – a sort of “Africa for beginners”. My advice is to give this country a serious look before you shell out $40,000 for a week in Botswana.

 

Tags: black rhino, black rhinoceros, dune, dunes, elephant, etosha, etosha pan, gemsbok, giraffe, himba, impala, kalahari, kudu, namib, namib desert, namibia, rhino, rhinoceros, sand dune, sossusvlei, south africa, southern africa, sunset, waterhole, windhoek, zebra