Namibia is one of those geographical names that evoke exotic and remote places, and stirs your imagination, like Burma, South Georgia, or Papua New Guinea. When you actually go there, you know that something about these places will stay with you forever as they seem to touch you deep in your soul.
So, I went to Namibia in May 2004, without having the time to do any research or study the itinerary someone else put together for me. Nine days, four different safari camps, a list of places hard to pronounce, barely on the map, sharing a common desert environment, and a lot of small plane flying. The experience was exhilarating, varied, marked by the different people I met, and by the harsh landscape.
The trip started in the north at Skeleton Coast Camp, a magical place that is mostly inaccessible. The camp is about 10 km inland in a small dry river bed, but you can hear the ocean if you pay attention, and you can watch spectacular sunrises from the nearby hill. We drove along the deserted wild beaches to look for shipwrecks and fur seals, we crossed dunes, gravel plains, and hillsides covered with glistening agate emerging from the sands. Our 4x4 tracks crossed those of oryx and jackals, and once we set on flight a few thousand Damara terns who were resting on the shore. We saw dozens of surfing seals, a brown hyena eating a seal on the beach, and walked into stone circles abandoned by the ancient people of the dunes. We met the Himba people in an impoverished village, with their traditional leather ornaments, and ochre-covered bodies glistening in the sun. They are one of the most traditional cultures still existing in Namibia, living a pastoral nomadic life that is disappearing fast. We stared at each other, pondering the gap between our lives and cultures, and yet the smiling children reached out to hold our hands, the women sold us ostrich necklaces, and contact was made.
In Damaraland, a couple hundred miles to the south, we were treated to a total eclipse of the full moon while eating dinner around the campfire. It was a surreal feeling of being one with the earth, and yet part of this larger universe, witnesses to a significant astronomical event that was at once incredibly beautiful and awe inspiring. The bright silvery moon slowly turned orange and darker, almost reddish, and suddenly the stars were brighter and the Milky Way came out of hiding. You could no longer walk around the camp without a flashlight, and even the dinner conversation seemed definitely dimmer. It took several hours for our shadow to move across the face of the moon, and then slowly the brightness returned, sliver by sliver. It was comforting to wake up in the middle of the night and the moon was still there, very bright.
Damaraland is also the site of some amazing rock art � Tywfeltfontein � dating back to over 3,000 years ago. Next to the images of wildlife, the artists engraved the animal footprints, as in an early zoology textbook, and there are well-preserved paintings of tall elegant men in hunting scenes, the original Bushmen.
Because of its desert environment, Namibia is home to less wildlife than other countries in Africa, and even fewer people. The animals we looked for and occasionally observed were therefore more precious for us. One of my interests was to see the desert elephants, which are few and hard to see as they migrate across dunes and dry riverbeds in search of food and water. We saw them twice in two different parks, and it was a sighting I�ll never forget. At this time of year, they are more easily found along the rivers where there are still puddles of water and the trees are green. We drove up to a herd in Damaraland, where many individuals (possibly more than a dozen, including a very small calf) were enjoying a mud bath, rolling and spraying each other, clearly having a great time, and fairly unconcerned with our presence.
The closest experience to a typical wildlife safari happened in Ongava, on the edge of Etosha National Park, which seemed to be teeming with lions during our visit. From the lodge terrace we observed an entire pride coming to the waterholes at different times and exhibiting different behavior, including young males chasing rhinos, mating skirmishes, and mothers with very young cubs emerging from the grasses at dusk. On the path to my cabin after dinner, a guard and I came across half a dozen young male lions very close up and they would not give way, so we were forced to get back to the dining area to get help. Chasing them away took several staff members and some heavy rock throwing, and when the path was finally cleared, we could see them all lying around the cabins just yards away.
We ended our trip in the south of Namibia, hiking the high red dunes of Sossusvlei at sunrise, jumping off the steep faces with screams and laughter as kids would do, sand in our ears and nose, just happy to be alive and there.
Our camps were a luxurious haven to return to at the end of a long day on the road, smiling young faces welcoming you with cold towels and tasty juices, the comfort of a hot shower and soft down bedding, the chatter of like-minded people at dinner. And yet you are in Africa when you return to your tent at night, and hear the roar of a lion, or the stomping of wild donkeys just outside, and you awake to the sound of unfamiliar birds greeting the sunrise. The friendly staff at the camps and the guides are your interpreters and liaison with the place; besides telling you about the wildlife and the way of the land, they educate you on the fragility of each ecosystem and the need to tread lightly.
Throughout the journey, I found myself collecting rocks, marveling at the quartz crystals in unusual shapes and colors that lay around the sand as lost jewels. When you think there is nothing to see in the desert, tracks become obvious, different patterns and sizes, and you learn which way the jackal went, or the shovel-mouthed lizard hiding just below the sand. There are feathers on the ground, and small grasses, and the desert flowers in bloom, ranging in colors from yellow to purple and everything in between.
It had been a long time since my last trip to Africa, but it was clearly time to return and honor the land we all came from. We forget how nourishing and rewarding living outdoors in such spectacular open spaces for days on end can be, and how it renews your sense of wonder and joy. I will be back next year!
�Be what you are, of the earth, but a dreamer too� Teilhard de Chardin.
*`�*-.,_,.-*`�*-.,_,.-*�
Vacationtechnician personalized luxury adventure travel transports you to the most exquisite wilderness and peaceful retreats on Earth. Conserving rare biodiversity through low volume tourism; our aim is your indulgence -at no one's expense. Plan now to be assured a rejuvenating escape at a restful pace -to an unspoiled gem in the purest sense.
.::. vacationtechnician.com = conserving the most enchanting wilderness chill out retreats on Earth .::.
About The VacationTechnician Company
The VacationTechnician Company Conservation Campaign