9 Days in Namibia
It is said that the indigenous people of Namibia refer to parts along the Skeleton Coast as the ‘land God made in anger’. You need not go there to understand why.
Most people might ask, “Why Namibia?”, up until the moment they go and see for themselves.
This remarkably harsh and remote terrain makes for an incredibly picturesque and altogether ‘otherworldly’ experience. It unveils an inhospitable beauty that no camera, podcast or @natgeo documentary can fully do justice. It is a beauty that can only be truly appreciated in person.
Having had the privilege of experiencing this adventure, I am grateful for the rarity of places like Namibia. Mother Nature seldom disappoints and in #namibia it truly shines!
There are increasingly fewer and fewer places in the world to see and experience that are not already researched, seen, and well trampled. Namibia stands as a testament to the untouched and undiscovered, and is the epitome of ‘seeing is believing’.
Namibia epitomises the essence of experiential travel. It’s about an appreciatiation for the rawness of nature. There is simplicity and beauty everywhere you turn in this expansive and arid land. As inhospitable as the terrain maybe, the travel experience is profoundly rewarding and welcoming.
You witness this through its people too, and its nascent but growing tourist industry. There are no highways here to make your journey any more straightforward but multiple small Cessna planes to get you around, so you really must come with a sense for adventure and a keenness for discovery.
Look no further than Wilderness Tours for the best all-round resorts strategically dotted across this beautiful country. Everything is well and truly catered for, with a seamless blend of super high-end deluxe accommodation and expert tour operators. We spent 9 glorious nights in Namibia, or 10 days with a night transit through Johannesburg.
If you’re short on time, 9 nights is really the minimum required time to gain a glimpse into the vastness of this land, where travel times and distances are not always straightforward. Four hours on a dirt road here because of flight delays and missed connections is unlike any dirt road you’ve ever come across. Remember that this is, after all, the oldest and largest desert in the world, and weather delays greatly impact small Cessna flights (mornings are best for these!)
The surreal landscape, equivalent in size to Britain and France combined, is traversed mainly by riverbanks and sporadic narrow airstrips. Even the mighty king of the animal kingdom is finding it hard to survive and adapt in this environment. During our expedition, we rather curiously found ourselves herding a group of springboks from our jeep, to provide an opportunity for Charlie, one of the lionesses along the Skeleton Coast, to find prey.
We failed in our attempts to help her, which made us think she must have just not been hungry enough. But we were unable to find the elusive sole remaining male lion in this area. He needs to mate with these lionesses to keep the animal kingdom alive and thriving. Learning this was a poignant reminder of the delicate balance of nature. The story of the 5 musketeers is well documented in the book and movie: The Vanishing Kings. But we got to learn it first-hand.
For those considering an adventure in Namibia, I recommend the following itinerary:
1 night in Windhoek
2 nights at the Wilderness Kulala Desert Camp
3 nights at Wilderness Hoanib Skeleton Coast
2 nights at the Onguma Camp Kala
Onguma, the newest and perhaps most luxurious of the lodges we visited, is nestled among 34,000 hectares of land adjacent to the Etosha National Park.
The park in itself is a luxury worth experiencing, but the Onguma accommodations, facing the centrepiece watering hole that attracts a plethora of wildlife seeking respite, offers a blessed sight that you won’t soon forget. This lodge offers an unforgettable experience that defines the pinnacle of opulent travel.
