Two Weeks Around Namibia – Part 1 (The Desert)

Five years after our last African trip, an amazing seven days in Botswana, we’re off on another African adventure – this time with the kids. We’ve used Cedarberg Travel again, who have done a fantastic job in putting together a “self drive” itinerary, that will take us around the central parts of Namibia over two weeks.

• Namibia overview
• When to go (and for how long!)
• Getting there and around
• Highlights
• Our Itinerary
• More information

About Namibia

Located in southern Africa, Namibia borders Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. To the west is the Atlantic Ocean, with a largely desolate coastline of 1,570km. Namibia’s name is derived from the Namib (one of the oldest deserts in the world), with the name “Namib” meaning  “vast place”. Due to this large & arid desert, Namibia is one of the least densely populated countries in the world, with a population of 2.1 million people.

Like Botswana, Namibia has a stable multi-party parliamentary democracy. Its economy is based on agriculture, cattle, tourism and mining. It’s a land of extremes, surprising us with a hot & very arid interior (as we expected) but a cool, almost cold, climate along the coast. There’s modern and efficient tourism infrastructure equal to almost anywhere else in the world, but leave the larger towns or tourist lodges and you feel like you’ve left civilisation behind.

When to go (and for how long)

As always, our travel is dictated by school holidays. We chose the September school holidays as being the best option, although most areas of Namibia are dry all year round. September and October is regarded as the best time for game-viewing, as the landscape is at its driest and animals are more likely to congregate around waterholes.

Conversely, for hiking April/May after the summer rains would be preferable – the one walk I did in Naukluft was very hot and dry, with no chance of swimming or cooling in the dry river beds!

There’s a good summary of the different seasons on the Expert Africa and Responsible Travel web sites.

How long? You could easily spend a month and not get bored. Two weeks felt a bit too short – we could have spent a few more days at Etosha National Park, and I would have loved to have a couple of days walking in the Naukluft mountains. We also didn’t have time to get to Fish River Canyon, further to the south, as this would have required another 2-3 days to do it justice. In most cases two nights at each lodge was ideal, enough time for one or two morning and evening activities at each location.

Getting there and around

In contrast to our last trip, where we flew between camps, on this trip we clock up almost 3,000km by car over two weeks. On arrival at Windhoek we pick up our “all wheel drive” vehicle, a Renault Duster. As part of our booking, we’re met by a local tour company that provides us with an esky (chiller) & icepack, local maps and a mobile phone, in case we have any problems.

Namibia has approximately 44,138km of roads, of which just 6,387km are paved [CIA World Fact Book]. As we soon discover, the paved roads are generally very good, and the locals often drive well over the 120km/hr speed limit – we’re told that outside of Windhoek, due to bureaucratic issues, speeding fines can’t be issued. Conversely, the condition of the unpaved “C” and “D” roads are highly variable, and we average about 60km/h on these. Navigation is fairly straightforward and roads well-marked, so while it takes a while to cover the distances between camps, we rarely have any concerns about travelling on our own.

The Itinerary

In summary, we did a broad circuit of central Namibia. While none of the days had more than about 400km of distance to cover, due to the condition of the “C” roads, there were some days where we drove for most of the day – I wouldn’t suggest covering any more distance each (at least, not with two kids in the car!). Having said that, the longer “drive days” were never boring, with lots to see, both scenery and wildlife. In hindsight, the only major change we’d make is to allow more time at Etosha, and to do the circuit in the opposite direction. We had two nights at each of the lodges/guesthouses:

1. N/a’an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary – very close to Windhoek airport, and lots of wildlife to see (but they are mostly rehabilitated animals)
2. Okonjima Plains Camp – while it would be possible to skip this one and go straight to Etosha, we enjoyed this camp and the leopard and cheetah tracking
3. Andersson’s Camp (Ongava) – one of the hightlights of our trip, both the drives  within the Ongava Reserve and of course the amazing Etosha National Park
4. Camp Kipwe (Damaraland) – completely different scenery and a fantastic camp; we see the desert adapted elephants and Twyfelfontein rock engravings
5. Swakopmund – a completely different coastal climate, and the combination of boat cruise and sand dune 4WD tour made for a great day
6. Kulala Desert Lodge (Sossusvlei) – one of the best lodges to experience and climb the sand dunes at Sossusvlei
7. Kalahari Red Dunes Lodge – this was a slight anti-climax after the rest of the trip. While we did a game drive and saw the Kalahari sand dunes, it was not as “wild” or dramatic as the previous lodges, but a nice way to end the trip before returning to Windhoek (had we started here, we probably would have found it amazing)!

Trip Highlights

It’s hard to pinpoint the “best bits” of our trip, as we had so many great experiences – and part of the attraction was the variety of activities and landscapes. But, if we had to single out the highlights of our trip it would be:

• Etosha National Park – the number and variety of animals was well beyond our expectations. We stayed just outside the park at Anderrson’s Camp in the Ongava reserve, and did both an Ongava drive (where we saw a pride of lions) and a half-day drive within Etosha. I’d recommend driving through Etosha if time permits, and spending 1-2 nights inside the national park.
• Skeleton Coast –  While we had a few moments of doubt (such as when we shredded a tyre about an hour into our journey), the isolation and desolation of the Skeleton Coast was a unique experience
• Damaraland – Camp Kipwe was (arguably) our most memorable camp, being nestled within granite rocks overlooking the Aba Huab valley. As well as spectacular desert landscapes, the guided tours from Kipwe let us get close to the desert-adapted elephants and see the UNESCO-listed Twyfelfontein site.
• Swakopmund – the Walvis Bay boat trip to visits seals and watch whales followed by 4WD trip to the sand dunes was one of our best days, combining close-up encounters with sea creatures, exhilarating descents of steep sand dunes (by car and on foot) and great photography opportunities.
• Sossuvlei – this one depends a bit on your appetite for hiking. If you’re happy to look at the dunes from a 4WD, I think Sossevlei might be disappointing compared to doing a 4WD tour from Walvis Bay. The attraction of Sossuvlei is the opportunity to walk up some of the dunes, see the never-ending sea of dunes from the top, descend from the top of “Big Daddy” to the Dead Vlei, and walk across the barren clay pan through a forest of dead thorn trees.

N/a’an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary

Overall rating: 5/5.
Food: 5/5. African-themed set menu. Best feed we had on the whole trip.
Family friendly:  5/5. Three bedroom cottage with lots of living space
Scenery: 3/5. Not a very interesting landscape.
Activities: 5/5. Cheetah experience, Carnivore feeding and “Behind the Scenes” tour are all quite different but well worth doing. 

Our first stop after we land in Windhoek and pick up our car is N/a’an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary, a relatively short drive from the airport. After about 10km on the paved B6 highway, we turn off down the unsealed D1510 road.

Despite being half an hour from the airport, there’s almost no other vehicles on the road, and we’re already seeing Chacma baboons, warthogs and what my wife later thinks is a leopard when looking at our photos.

We soon arrive at the lodge, which is set in the African savannah amongst camel thorn trees, riverbeds, and a stone canyon.  Overlooking the stone canyon – which contains a small amount of bright green, stagnant water from the last rains – is a far more inviting swimming pool, which the kids use straight away!

In and around the canyon, no doubt attracted by the water, are lots of Chacma baboons, which live in troops of 20-100 animals. Also hiding in the crevices are rock dassie (rock hyrax), which become the kids’ favourite animal! A “small, plump and tail-less guinea-pig-like animal that’s about as large as a big rabbit”, the rock dassie is the closest living relative to the elephant – despite the size difference!

It’s a short day for us, having arrived at the lodge around 4pm: we finish the day with a very nice dinner and watch the sun set, before an early night!

N/a’an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary – Cheetah Experience (Day 2)

Today’s a busy day, with a cheetah experience,  carnivore feeding tour and a “behind the scenes” look at N/a’an ku sê. Established in 2006 to support the conservation of Namibia’s vulnerable wildlife and the lives of the local San Bushman people, the sanctuary is situated on a 3,200-hectare reserve. Nankuse hosts an abundance of African wildlife and free-roaming game, including giraffe, zebra, kudu, hartebeest, springbok, eland, jackal, as well as wild cheetahs and leopards. This includes injured or orphaned wildlife that are cared for by volunteers. Many animals will never be released back into the wild, due to being “human imprinted”, which would significantly reduce their survival chances in the wild.

After watching the sun rise, we drive the short distance from our cottage to the main lodge.

It’s only about 2km to the lodge (it could be covered on foot), and we’re already seeing lots of wildlife – an eland, hundred of scaly feathered finches that dart around in huge swarms, a family of guinea fowl and some fish eagles, high up in the trees.

The first tour is the “Cheetah Experience”, where we walk with cheetahs and observe their behaviour. We thought our kids (9 and 11yrs) might be too young, but we’re told it’s fine as long as they stay close to an adult. The three leopards are released from their cage, and immediately set off, as we follow-them on foot.

Their destination is a tall thorn tree, that they take turns climbing. Out guide explains that they do this as it’s provides vantage point, to observe what’s around.

Although cheetahs are not as proficient as leopards in climbing trees, and don’t go very high, they have semi-retractable claws that help them climb. They seemed very adept at climbing – but not so confident coming back down!

We watch them for a while as they each check their surroundings, before deciding it’s time to move on. They play for a while on the way back to the car – they seem to know the routine and where to go. The tour lasts about an hour, and we really enjoy following and watching the cheetahs on foot, rather than seeing them from a 4WD vehicle.

N/a’an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary – Behind the Scenes (Day 2)

After our Cheetah Experience, we’re taken on a tour of Nankuse, which provides an insight into the workings of a wildlife reserve and sanctuary. It also allows us to get very close to some of the animals being rehabilitated.

Our first stop is a porcupine. These spiny creatures are nocturnal, but this one was fairly active in its cage. Next, and more photogenic, is a cheetah cub, which peers at us from its small cage. Our guide explains how mother was killed in a road accident and the cub rescued.

The next encounter is with the leopard tortoise, which weighs up to 20kg and is the fourth largest species of tortoise in the world. Namibia has seven distinct tortoise species, giving it the second-most diverse population in the world (after South Africa), and all of them are classed as threatened. We’re shown how to tell the difference between sexes: the male has a convex plastron (the underside part of a its shell) while the female’s underside is flat.

We then see the small-spotted genet, a small, cat-like animal which is mainly nocturnal. They are great climbers (although they hunt on the ground) and

In the same enclosure as the genet is our favourite animal: the rock dassie (although its correct name is the rock hyrax). A little shy at first, it is gradually coaxed out of it’s hiding spot with some food.

A bit later on the tour, another rock dassie (in a different enclosure) is happy to be given a cuddle while it munches on some greenery! We all agree we want one of these as a pet!

Around the sanctuary are many birds – the fairly common Greater Blue-eared Starling and Red-headed finch being a few of the ones we see.

The most engaging animals are the baby baboons; after taking off glasses, everything out of our pockets and anything that the mischievous baboons might steal, we enter their enclosure. The baboons leap and swing between humans, check our hair for nits and chase either other around the enclosure. It’s great fun to watch and interactive with them.

N/a’an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary – Carnivore Feeding Tour (Day 2)

After lunch, we head off on our afternoon “carnivore feeding tour”. Over the course of this drive we see older (adult) baboons, caracals, lions, cheetahs, African wild dogs and leopards which are fed by one of the guides. The first animals we stop and feed are the adult male baboons; they are in a large, fenced enclosure.

Next is a pair of cheetahs, who take a while before they appear. One eventually shows up, followed by the second one a few minutes later.

A leopard is fed next: even with a solid fence between us, you can feel the power of this animal.

Smaller and slightly less intimidating is the caracal. It’s quickly transformed from a placid creature to a snarling cat when provoked. Famous for their impressive leaps into the air, where they’re capable of catching birds in flight, they also have amazing ears. The caracal uses 20 muscles to independently control each of it’s large ears, which act as super-sensitive parabolic sound antennas.

Speaking of ears, the African wild dog also has large rounded ears that allows them to pick up the minutest of sounds. The wild dog is one of Africa’s most effective predators, having an 80% success rate with hunts (higher than the 30% kill rate of lions), although they are critically endangered with about 5,000 left in the wild.

Last but not least is the king of the jungle (or desert, in our case)…  like the leopard earlier, both the female and male lions exude power and instill fear. It’s a little unsettling to hear the male lion roar, even from the safety of being behind a high fence.

It’s been a long and hot afternoon, but with a couple of hours of daylight left there’s time for the kids to enjoy a last swim, and to observe some of the animals around the gorge.

N/a’an ku sê to Okonjima (Day 3)

We’re leaving N/a’an ku sê today, after breakfast. There’s a few more animal sightings on the short distance between our cabin and the main lodge.

Our trip today takes us back through Windhoek, and then up the B1 (or Trans Kalahari highway). It’s about 330km, but mostly on sealed roads where we make good time, until the last section where our instructions ensure we don’t get lost: “…keep following the road to the Lodge, through three gates. At the Thorn Tree and Ant Mound turn left and over the river bed and final gate up the hill to the Lodge”!

Okonjima Game Reserve

Overall rating: 5/5.
Food: 4/5. Set menu for dinner. Amazing omelettes cooked on the BBQ for breakfast.
Family friendly:  4/5. Large “View room” in Plains Camp, with two double beds
Scenery: 4/5.
Activities 5/5: Leopard and cheetah game drives, self-guided bushwalks

Situated halfway between Windhoek and Etosha National Park, the 55,000 acre Okonjima Game Reserve is known for its cheetah and leopard safaris. Home of the AfriCat Foundation, Okonjima rehabilitates cheetahs, hyenas and leopards. On entering the reserve, there are signs warning visitors not to leave their vehicle.

Even before we reach the lodge, in time for a late lunch, we’ve seen a couple of jackals by the road, and outside the main lodge area there’s a pair of warthogs in the water.

Okonjima Leopard Drive (Day 3)

Our first activity is a leopard drive: we’re trying to locate one (or more) of the rehabilitated “big cats” that are somewhere on the 55,000 acres. The good news is that they all have radio collars. The bad news is that the accuracy is somewhat limited, and the leopards are very good at hiding. Gideon, our guide, drives to a point that overlooks a large section of the reserve, and brings out an antenna. After pointing the antenna in various directions, he confidently points to a spot in the distance, and we head off down the steep track from the top of the escarpment to the valley below.

En-route to our leopard, we stop to look at a Damara dik dik, Namibia’s smallest antelope, and spot a solitary giraffe grazing on an acacia tree.

And we’re in luck… our eagle-eyed guide spots the leopard, almost hidden behind long grass. Even after we manoeuvre closer, it’s still very hard to spot the leopard – although it’s keeping a wary eye on us.

We spend a good half an hour watching the leopards – after spotting the initial male leopard, we see there’s also a second (female) leopard. Although the fact that it’s “radio tracked” feels a bit like we’re cheating, it’s still been hard to find the elusive cats! Not far from our leopard and oblivious to its presence is a lone mountain zebra (which is distinguished from the Plains zebra as its stripes end on their flanks, leaving their stomachs white).

Nearby is a confusion of blue wildebeest, one of the most unique species of antelope that has been described as being “created from the spare parts of different animals”!

A sundowner ends our first Namibian safari, before we head back for dinner.

Okonjima Cheetah Drive (Day 4)

A new day and a different cat… it’s an early morning start as we leave the lodge, this time in search of a cheetah.

Not far from the lodge, we spot two black-backed jackals and a baby kudu.

There’s lots of birdlife around, too. A purple roller and double-banded sandgrouse are among our early morning sightings.

There are hundreds of red-billed quelea, also known as the red-billed weaver, which fly around in large flocks. Referred to as “Africa’s most hated bird”, the average quelea bird can eat about 10 grams of grain per day, and a flock of two million can eat as much as 20 tons of grain in a single day. This makes them the most abundant bird in the world and also the most destructive, with the ability to decimate fields across Africa.

We see my favourite bird, the flying chili-pepper, or red-billed hornbill, in a tree, as well as African Barred Owl.

A dik dik urinates on the side of the track: they drink very little water and to make the most of every drop, they excrete the driest excrement and most concentrated urine of any hooved animal.

Another bird, the red-necked spurfowl is seen, which is generally shy and wary.

We still haven’t see a cheetah, but after a brief sweep with the antenna, a few minutes later we’re a few metres away from a pair of cheetahs.

They seem surprisingly easy to find after the more elusive leopard yesterday: our guide explains that they seek exposed, high ground where they have a good view of their surroundings.

After observing the cheetahs for a while – they don’t seem to mind us getting fairly close – we drive a short distance back to the camp. On the way back we see a dik dik,  a small antelope, a korrie bustard in full flight and a Grey Chanting Goshawk, perched high up in a tree.

After our morning drive, while the rest of the family has lunch, I head off to do the Giraffe Walk. It’s very hot and I don’t see a lot of wildlife. The well-marked walk does go the edge of the escarpment, providing views over the reserve and surrounding mountains.

Okonjima Leopard Drive #2 (Day 4)

We re-group in the afternoon for our second leopard drive, as we search for more of the leopards that are on the reserve.

We see less animals today – a few giraffes. And a number of termite mounds, some well over two metres high.

This time, however, we’re not successful…  We know we are very close to the leopard, from the radio signal. We can see a recently-killed warthog, and our guide assures us the leopard will be keeping a very close eye on his dinner – and on us. But despite our best efforts we don’t even see a glimpse of the leopard, who is hidden in thick scrub. While it’s a little disappointing, it makes yesterday’s sighting more meaningful. It reminds us while we are on a reserve, there’s still no guarantees about spotting the wild animals!

We see a few more zebras as the sun starts to set, and we find a spot for our sun downers.

Okonjima to Ongava (Day 5)

After breakfast and a last look at the animals visiting the waterhole behind the lodge, we’re on the road again.

We are heading further north on the paved B1 highway, covering a distance of about 230km – a fairly easy driving day.

Andersson’s Camp, Ongava

Overall rating: 5/5.
Food: 4/5. Set menu for dinner. 
Family friendly:  4/5. Two separate cabins separated by a short path. Ideal for families with older children.
Scenery: 4/5. Some variety of scenery, but the animals are the main attraction
Activities 6/5: Game drives within Ongava reserve and Etosha National Park. Game viewing at the lodge waterhole (which also has a hide)

Andersson’s Camp is located on the famous Ongava concession, a private nature reserve that borders Etosha National Park. Surrounded by plains teeming with wildlife, and situated close to the largest saltpan in Africa, the family-friendly Andersson’s Camp takes its name from Charles Andersson, a Swedish explorer who first ‘discovered’ the Etosha Pan.

A resurrected farmstead forms the main lodge, fronting onto a thriving waterhole with an underground hide for wildlife viewing and photography. We have two separate, raised tents; there are 20 tents in total, so it’s a relatively small camp – smaller than the last two we’ve stayed at. While we sit in the lodge and are given an introduction to the camp, we watch an incredible procession of animals visiting the waterhole. A herd of impala take turns to drink.

Next is a gemsbok or oryx, which approaches warily, before drinking.

Half an hour later, a pair of zebras turn up.

The other amazing spectacle around the waterhole are the scaly feathered finches; they are also known as  “Baardmannetjie”, the Afrikaans name that translates to “little man with a beard”. Common in the drier parts of Southern Africa, a huge flock of these small birds sits in a tree by the waterhole, before the entire flock flies down to the water. This happens every couple of minutes, and is quite a mesmerizing sight!

The other option for those that aren’t interested in watching the ebb and flow of the waterhole is a swim in the pool, which overlooks the plain behind the camp!

Andersson’s Camp – Ongava Drive (Day 5)

After watching the animals for a while, we set off at 5pm for our afternoon drive. We’re in search a pride of lions that’s been spotted for the last few days… but first we see if we can spot some cheetahs that have been moving across the reserve. We spot them fairly quickly, but there’s already a couple of vehicles watching them so we have to observe from a distance until we can move a bit closer.

As we try and get closer, disaster strikes as our 4WD sinks into a deep rut! We’re stuck until one of the other Ongava safari vehicles comes to the rescues us, towing us out. We finally get a bit closer to the cheetahs – a mother with three cubs – but they remain partly hidden in the scrub.

After this initial stop, we have a fairly long drive – we see a zebra and giraffe, and a few impala, as we drive west across the large reserve.

Rather unexpectedly, as we take a short-cut between two 4WD tracks, we stop right in front of a black rhinoceros. Normally most active during the night, the black rhino tends to be solitary in the wild and forages on leafy plants, branches, shoots, thorny wood bushes, and fruit. The species overall is classified as critically endangered, and from an estimated 65,000 black rhinos in 1970, there are now fewer than 2,500 left (in pockets in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, and Tanzania). Poaching has been the primary reason for their decline, with their horns worth up to $65,000 a kilogram!

Update: While poaching is still a major threat, in 2024 the number of black rhinos was at least 6,487 – an encouraging improvement due to the work of African conservationists: Poaching Statistics & Facts in 2024

We watch the rhino for a while. It’s not particularly bothered by us as it munches away, gradually moving along the track in the search for more food.

We continue on our drive west, with the landscape becoming more open.

Two hours after we’ve left, we reach an artificial waterhole – and a pride of fourteen lions.

Some lions are drinking, others are playing and a couple play-fighting on the top of a nearby hill.. we watch them for a while as they interact with each other.

Away from the rest of the pride and just visible in the long grass, is the adult male.

We need to get back before it’s dark: we’ve covered about 30km over two hours to get to the lions. After about 20 minutes of lion-viewing, we need to start heading back, with a quick sundowner stop en-route to camp.

Andersson’s Camp – Etosha Drive (Day 6)

Today is going to be a LONG drive… we’re heading into Etosha National Park, to the north of Ongava Reserve. Etosha is considered to be one of the best game parks in Southern Africa. It encloses a vast saltpan that becomes an immense, shallow lake in rainy periods, attracting great numbers of flamingos and other water birds. The open plains are home to tens of thousands of animals with large herds of springbok, gemsbok, zebra, wildebeest, elephant and, of course, the predators – particularly cheetah and lion.

The saltpan, shimmering white for most of the time, was once the inland delta of the Kunene River, whose course was changed millions of years ago. It left behind a salt encrusted barren, shallow depression, which only becomes a giant lake after very good rainfall. The legendary origin of the pan is that the Heikum San people who inhabited the area were raided and all but the women were brutally murdered. One woman was so upset at the savage death of her child, that her tears formed an enormous lake. As the lake evaporated, it left the salt from her tears as a saltpan.

We have breakfast as the sun rises, and watch some of the animals around the waterhole at the camp.

The guinea fowl keep a watchful eye on the jackal, who’s more interested in having a drink than eating.

There are birds everywhere – the finches have begun their never-ending swarming between the trees and the waterhole, and a series of larger birds cross the morning sky.

We’re off at 8:15am. The gates to the park open at sunrise, but there’s often a very long queue to get in, so we’ll get there a bit later and hopefully avoid a long wait. On the way to the main road and the gate to Etosha, we stop at a recent cheetah kill within the Ongava reserve. Although the cheetahs have moved on, and the jackals are now cleaning up what’s left of the impala.

They’ve done a pretty thorough job removing what the cheetahs have left behind.

We’re back on the road after this stop; it takes us about 15min to get through Anderson’s Gate – there’s about ten cars in front of us, and we need to provide passport details as well as paying the entry fee. This is part of an effort to prevent poaching – earlier in the year seven rhino carcasses were discovered in Etosha, having been killed by poachers.

Our first stop within Etosha is the Ombika waterhole, which is the southern-most source water of water in the park. We can’t get as close to the water as we do later in the day (so it’s not as good for photography), but the amount of animals in and around the waterhole is staggering.

It’s hard to do justice to the sight of so many animals… there are many zebras, both in the waterhole and around it.

Giraffes come and go (they are attracted to the Catophractes alexandri and Acacia nebrownii flowers in Spring), as do oryx and impala. We don’t see lions, although they do frequent this waterhole.

We could stay here and watch the animals for hours, but our guide explains there’s a lot more to see and we need to keep moving!

We haven’t yet reached Okaukuejo, the most popular rest camp inside the Etosha National Park and the administrative center for the park, as we continue to spot animals along the road.

At Okaukuejo, we stop to pay for permits at the office (it’s a two-step process – we collected our park entrance permit at the Anderson Gate and then pay for the park fees at the Okaukeujo Tourist Office). There’s a total of 102 chalets with five different types of accommodation within Okaukuejo, and a popular floodlit waterhole that attracts a wide variety of animals. If you book far ahead to stay here, I’d highly recommend a couple of  nights here, with a combination of guided tours and self-driving around the vast park.

We don’t stay here long, with our next stop the Nebrownii waterhole, named after the water-thorn acacia (Acacia nebrownii) which grows in thickets to the west. Created in 1992 to relieve the animal grazing pressure around Okaukuejo, the borehole attracts elephants, rhinos, lions and hyenas. The first animals we see are hundreds of springbok on the flat and open plans surrounding the waterhole.

As we get closer, we see a pair of lions; the female lion heads to one of the culverts on the main road, which are favoured as dens by lions and hyenas, while the male lion drinks from the waterhole.

This is one of the advantages of being with a guide, who correctly predicts the male lion will shortly follow his mate. We leave the waterhole viewing area, and get a prime position on the side of the road, as the male lion walks across the plain directly towards us, to the culvert.

While we don’t see any hyenas at the waterhole, shortly after leaving we spot one from the road, walking parallel to us in the distance. The spotted hyena is a rather ugly and menacing animal. While generally regarded as scavengers, the spotted hyena may kill as many as 95% of the animals they eat (the striped hyena being more of a scavenger). A study done by Duke University found that hyenas have a frontal cortex on par with primates, and a captive pair of hyenas performed better at problem-solving and social cooperation than chimpanzees (12 Wild Facts about Hyenas).

A bit further on and slightly smaller (and less menacing) is the double-banded courser, which is widely distributed across southern Africa and lives and breeds in flat, stony or gravelly, semi-desert terrains.

Our next destination is the small Kapupuhedi waterhole, which attracts animals during the dry season as it offers good grazing. There are not many animals here today, but the attraction is the view over white Etosha saltpan in the background, which seems to stretch forever.

Wandering through the grassland in front of the saltpan is a kori bustard, one of the world’s heaviest flying birds (although it is reluctant to fly unless in serious danger), and the largest of all bustards.

Watching us pass is a yellow mongoose, which lives in colonies of up to 20 individuals in a permanent underground burrow complex.

The next waterhole is Aus, its name is derived either from the Nama word meaning bitter-tasting bush, or the Hai||om word meaning ‘spring’ or ‘salt water’. There are not many animals near the waterhole when we arrive.

Just as we reach the next waterhole, Olifantsbad (Afrikaans for ‘elephant’s bath’), a herd of elephants arrive, crossing the road as they leave the waterhole.

We are fairly close to the elephants as they pass us, and the younger male expresses his displeasure with our presence.

Once the elephants have left, the waterhole is busy with kudu and impala drinking – but no “big game”. We have a quick look before continuing.

Our final stop is the Gemsbokvlakte, an Afrikaans name meaning “the plain of the gemsbok”. It’s a relatively small, artificial pond that’s obviously a popular spot, with many impala taking advantage of the permanent water.

Soon after, a dazzle of zebras take their turn drinking.

Then, our guide points out a herd of elephants in the distance, making a direct line for us (or rather, the waterhole).

It’s an amazing and majestic sight as they get gradually closer, in a formation that protects the younger calves who are in the middle.

They pass almost directly in front of us.

Finally they reach the water, where the other animals make some space (not that they have much choice!).

It’s now 1:30pm and getting pretty hot in our open safari vehicle… we reluctantly head back to the lodge for lunch.

We’ve seen far more than we expected, having covered 120km over six hours – and we would have been happy staying the rest of the day in the park. We had (briefly) contemplated a self-drive option, which would have meant we had air-conditioning and could have gone a bit further into the park. But going in the safari vehicle meant we saw a lot more and often were in a much better “position” as the guide knew where the animals would go – and photography is far easier from an open safari vehicle.

Andersson’s Camp – Around the Lodge (Day 6)

We’ve got most of the afternoon free before our late afternoon drive, so we take advantage of the camp waterhole  – and the salt lick – which have a constant procession of visitors!

The underground hide, as well as being much cooler, offers a different perspective of the visiting animals. A kudu wanders down for a drink, approaching very warily; despite  being very quiet in the hide, the animals can sense the presence of someone from a fair distance.

The “waves” of finches are also even more impressive from the hide, as they take off (and land) only a few metres away from the opening.

Next is a giraffe pair, also approaching warily,  followed by a couple more, looking very awkward as they drink.

As the giraffes depart, a trio of zebras take their place at the waterhole.

Many birds flitter around the camp: the African red-eyed bulbul, a common bird distinguished by its orange eye rings and the crimson-breasted shrike.

Meanwhile, the kids enjoy a swim and Elbey, one of the staff, offers to do our daughter’s hair in a traditional African style!

Andersson’s Camp – Ongava Drive #2 (Day 6)

After our very long morning drive in Etosha, we’re ready for an afternoon drive… this time we’re in the Ongava reserve again, looking for cheetahs or leopards. Our first sightings are a sandgrouse and a lone Plains zebra.

I’ve asked if we can detour via the cheetah kill we’d seen the previous day, which is not far from camp. It’s incredible how, within 48 hours, the impala has been completely stripped – there’s nothing left but bone.

We pass by the old (now disused) cattle ramp used when Ongava was a working farm, before being converted to a wildlife reserve.

No “big cats” so far, but a few more birds – the Spotted Thick-knee, which can be difficult as it hunts on the ground, a purple roller and a red-billed hornbill.

Although we’ve visited a few waterholes, we haven’t see many big animals this afternoon. After the morning’s feast of animals in Etosha we’re not too disappointed, as we enjoy a sun downer at the end of a long day.

The day is not finished though… as we relax outside over dinner, my wife (somehow) manages to spot an almost-invisible cheetah that’s crept down to the waterhole. Shortly after this, a family of white rhinoceroses turn up (we also saw some on the previous evening, but didn’t get any photos).

Andersson’s Camp to Camp Kipwe (Day 7)

Today we have fairly long drive, as we head west toward the coast. It’s just over 300km in distance, but the majority of the route is on unsealed roads. We farewell the staff – and the camp birds – after breakfast and we’re on the road by 10am.

Just outside the entrance to Etosha, we stop to buy some local crafts made by the nomadic Himba people, who are descendants of a group of Herero herders who fled into the remote north-west of Namibia after being displaced by the Nama. Hairstyle and jewellery are very important for the Himba, indicating the age and the social status of each person within the community.

The first 130km is on sealed road and we make good time to Khorixas on the C38 and C39.

From Khorixas we’re on unsealed roads, and although we are heading towards the coast it gets increasingly dry and desolate. We’re now in Damaraland, one of the most scenic areas of Namibia that comprises plains and grassland, massive granite koppies and deep gorges.

Camp Kipwe, Damaraland

Overall rating: 5/5.
Food: 5/5. Great food with 4-5 courses. Service sometimes a bit slow.
Family friendly:  5/5. Kids get a safari tent that adjoins the main bungalow
Scenery: 6/5. Spectacular and varied scenery, and an awesome sundowner location
Activities 5/5: Guided and self-guided nature walks, elephant nature drives, Twyfelfontein excursion (Burnt Mountain, Organ Pipes, Bushman petrogylphs)

We reach Camp Kipwe at about 3:30pm – it’s taken us a bit over five hours – and we’re happy to get out of the car! Nestled in granite rocks, with sweeping views across the Aba Huab valley, Camp Kipwe feels a bit like a hidden base in a James Bond movie!

Accommodation is in igloo-shaped double bungalows, each with an outdoor en-suite bathroom with a shower and a private veranda that overlooks the surrounding plains. The kids are excited as they get their own adjoining tent!

Although we might have been able to (just) make the afternoon drive, everyone’s tired – and the kids want to have a swim – so we have a relaxed afternoon. Well, most of us do. Although there’s no guided nature walk offered, the open landscape dotted with granite outcrops  is easy to navigate, so I take off on my own, camera and drone in the backpack, for a circular walk around the camp.

Every camp offers a sun downer, the quintessential end to the African day… Camp Kipwe goes one step further with a sunset viewing platform right on top of the granite hill.

Although there’s some low cloud in the sky, it promises to be a spectacular sunset as the sun sets behind the distant mountains range.

And it doesn’t disappoint – the best sun downer location and sunset so far on our trip!

Camp Kipwe – Nature Drive (Day 8)

The following morning it’s an early, pre-sunrise start on our nature drive, where we head to the dry Huab River in search of the region’s rare and beautiful desert adapted elephant.

We drive at a fairly fast pace on the rough dirt road, admiring the dramatic Damaraland landscape – and wondering how anything can survive out here.

We abruptly stop, about 38km and an hour from camp, and our guide points out elephant footprints and dung. By examining these, he can determine which direction (along the riverbed) the elephants have travelled and approximately how far away they are. The dung is fresh, and the elephants are close!

We veer off the road onto the soft sand of the riverbed – and exactly three minutes later we’re right in front of a small herd of elephants.

Found only in Namibia and Mali, desert adapted elephants are not a separate species or subspecies, but are uniquely adapted to their arid environments. The animals have some morphological differences from savanna elephants, notably thinner bodies and wider feet. They also possess a number of unique behaviors shared by no other African elephants, such as digging wells to purify their drinking water and lying down to sleep. They survive by eating moisture-laden vegetation growing in ephemeral riverbeds and can go several days without drinking water.

What’s great about this drive is that it’s not at all rushed – we spend over an hour observing the elephants and their behaviour. Our guide, Bradley, is not only passionate but extremely knowledgeable, and as we watch the elephants he tells us about them and answers all of our questions in detail.

We finally leave the elephants, and follow the Huab river-bed to the south, crossing the wide sandy valley to the Abu Huab river to the east. We stop on a small dune for morning tea, with towering sand-covered koppies, or small hills, on both sides of us.

A bit further on we stop at the foot of one of the taller hills, where we race up to the top for views over the surrounding area and the Huab valley.

The Etendeka Mountains can be seen to the north, across the vast and dry plains of the Damaraland.

We pass through De Riet village, which has an interesting history. In 1974, 800 people and their belongings were relocated over 1000km from their home north of the Augrabies Falls National Park in South Africa, when the area was declared a military training zone. One of the sites that became home to this re-settled community was an old farm near the confluence of the dry Huab and Aba-Huab Rivers called De Riet. Faced with increasingly tough conditions for farming and a drought in the 1980s that reduced the wild game population, the village – along with many others in Damaraland – combined their communal land and agreed on a management plan that allowed the continuation of subsistence farming while supporting conservation. In 1998, a 352 200 hectare conservancy called the Torra Conservancy was registered by the Namibian Government. Recognised as a pioneer at the forefront of community conservation in Namibia, tourism-derived income has grown from zero in 1997 to more than N$1 million in 2003.

We make a small detour from here, further down the Abu Huab River, to where it merges with the (also dry) Huab River. Our guide explains he often fund large game here, and we see a male and female kudu just above the bank of the river.

From here we head back to De Riet, and then follow the Abu Huab river along a very sandy track back to the camp.

Bradley seems to have developed his own, circular route, that follows both the Huab and Abu Huab rivers and avoids any back-tracking. We cover 104km on the six hour drive, and as well as spending lots of time with the desert-adapted elephants we’ve seem some amazing Damaraland scenery.

Camp Kipwe – Twyfelfontein Drive (Day 8)

The afternoon drive is to the Twyfelfontein rock engravings site and a few other natural formations. Our first stop is an outcrop of volcanic rock called the Organ Pipes, a mass of perpendicular slabs of basalt between 130 and 150 million years old. They were formed as a result of the intrusion of liquid lava into a slate rock formation, which was exposed over time by erosion.

We climb down to the dry riverbed for a closer look; there’s a few other people here but it’s fairly quiet.

Not far from here is Burnt Mountain, a mountain of maroon, black and charcoal rock formed 120 million years ago when a large sheet of black magma forced its way into carbonaceous shale. Nothing grows in this desolate area. It’s not particularly photogenic, but worth a quick stop; a large sign states “do not climb the mountain” to avoid erosion. Most visitors seem to ignore this sign, and the nearby park officials seem to have no interest in enforcing this.

The real attraction of the area is Twyfelfontein, the most significant rock engraving site in Namibia with over 2,500 engravings found at 17 main sites. The site has been inhabited for 6,000 years, first by hunter-gatherers and later by Khoikhoi herders. Both ethnic groups used it as a place of worship and a site to conduct shamanist rituals.  UNESCO approved Twyfelfontein as Namibia’s first World Heritage Site in 2007.

Twyfelfontein is situated in a valley flanked by the slopes of a sandstone table mountain. It’s estimated that as many as 40,000 people a year visit the site, making it one of the more popular tourist destinations in Namibia – it was by far the busiest place we’ve seen in over a week!

Near the start of the circular trail (which you must do with a guide) is the remains of a farmhouse that was built in the 1940s by David Levin, who named the farm Twyfelfontein (meaning “doubtful fountain” in Afrikaans), as had doubts about the capacity of the spring that was discovered on the slopes of the mountain.

As we continue up the trail, our guide points out the various petroglyphs that can be seen near the path. Some are very obvious, and others are not so easily spotted. In most cases, the hieroglyphs represent local fauna, such as the easily-recognisable giraffe. But on one rock, there are engravings of animals that never occurred in this area, like a sea lion, penguins, and possibly flamingos, and our guide explains that the hunter-gatherers would have travelled to the coast, more than 100km away. However, a recent archaeological survey questions this theory, suggesting that the “foreign” animals are in fact rough sketches of animals that did occur at Twyfelfontein. [Source: Wikipedia]

We’re back by 6pm, just in time to meet Stanley (one of the staff at Camp Kipwe) for a walk up a nearby mountain. We watch the sunset from half-way up the mountain, before returning to camp in time for dinner.

We farewell Stanley, who’s looked after us at Camp Kipwe, and one day will become an excellent nature guide.

Part II – The Coast continues our adventure along the coast to Swakopmund to experience a completely different Namibia, and then inland to a couple more desert lodges…