On a unique journey through the vastness of Namibia

Arrived at Hosea Kutako Airport I still could not believe that 48 hours ago I was still sitting at home and was thinking about booking a flight, which left not 24 hours later. This had been settled when I picked up my suitcase at the baggage carousel in Namibia and started looking for the right transfer.

Naankuse Sanctuary 

The first days I spent at Naankuse Wildlife Sanctuary, a sanctuary for injured and orphaned animals that can be found in the Namibian wilderness. Here, one not only gains many insights into the various projects of the sanctuary, but also actively contributes to creating a new home for the animals.

At the beginning, you are divided into groups, which do not change much during the time on site. In the end, however, this always depends on how long or short you stay in the sanctuary. As a group you take part in different activities. The days in the sanctuary are divided into two activities per day, which rotate daily, so that each person has the chance to participate in a particular activity and each day holds new adventures.

The activities are extremely varied. Besides cleaning enclosures, going on game counts and feeding the game, you also have the opportunity to track rhinos or elephants, experience a Cheetah Run or prepare food for the animals. Mind you, not only fruits and vegetables are prepared here, but also the meat for the larger animals in the sanctuary, including wild dogs, lions, cheetahs, leopards and hyenas. There then also the one or other chicken must be cut and while it is not everyone's cup of tea, one is brought back quite quickly to the reality that not everywhere that food from the supermarket comes ready prepared.

Overnight stays are in tent huts and I like to point out that a Namibian winter can be extremely cold. While you are equipped with blankets and sleeping bags, you should consider bringing warm clothes for the mornings and evenings from May to September and not be fooled by the daytime temperature of 25 °C degrees. 

The sanctuary is divided into two camps for the volunteers and while the bush camp is about 15 minutes walk from the sanctuary, you not only have the advantage of an excellent wifi connection, but also a waterhole right by the pool. This has not only led to the fact that you have now and then kudus before the eyes, but also met giraffes on the way to breakfast from time to time.

Etosha

While in the sanctuary you only get to see a certain selection of animals, in Etosha National Park you have another chance to see a larger selection of animals. So after the first seven days we went to the north of Namibia. Who has fear that one will not see zebras, can be calmed down. Beside springbok and steenbok you will not be able to miss zebras.

The national park is 22,270 km² large, so you can stay there all day without any problems. You can start with the first ray of sunlight and at sunset you have to be back at the exit of the gate. While it sounds a bit like a fairy tale, the regulation is that you are not allowed to stay overnight in the national park, unless you stay in one of the few lodges on site.

Besides lions and hyenas, we could also observe many giraffes and while you might not notice it at first glance, unlike many other animals, giraffes do not walk diagonally with their legs, but in a passing gait. In this gait, animals move along by lifting the legs of one side and then the other. While giraffes can run as fast as lions, they give the impression of doing so in slow motion.

If you are lucky, you may even see a rhino or two. Here, however, one is inculcated by the guide not to share pictures directly if you have taken them with the camera. This is because cameras directly store the location of pictures and if you post the pictures publicly for download, you can see this location afterwards. Poachers use this possibility to find out, where the animals stay and hunt for them. Who would have thought that an invisible danger lies hidden in our photos?

With so many animal impressions, it is of course hard to say what you liked best in the National Park, but my absolute highlight was a herd of elephants consisting of 23 elephants and four elephant kids that crossed the road not two meters away from us.

Namib Desert

The last stop of the Namibia trip was the Namibian Desert in the south of Namibia. It is really remarkable to see how the landscape differs on the ground depending on which section you are in. While in the north one finds more dry savannah, the briar savannah, on the other hand, is very present in the central, eastern and northern regions. The south, on the other hand, is characterized by deserts and semi-deserts.

While you won't find too many thorns in the Namibian desert anymore, you can be sure that you will take quite a bit of sand with you, unlike here. One of the last stops of the trip was to climb dunes. There were a total of three dunes to choose from here: Big Daddy, Big Mama and Dune 45. Big Daddy in Deadvlei is considered the highest dune in Namibia and can reach heights of 325 meters to 380 meters. If you are not deterred by this and the 45 minutes it takes to climb this dune, you will be rewarded with a phenomenal view. The descent of the dune is mastered in a very short time and makes you forget all the effort of the ascent.

Deadvlei is not only known for its dune, but also for the dried up, dead camel thorn trees surrounded by the red dune sea of the desert. As a photo motif, these are ideal. 

Those who still have energy and strength can climb Big Mama in Soussousvlei or already prepare for Dune 45. There is one advantage to climbing the dunes - surprisingly, you won't have sore muscles the next day.

An adventure comes to an end

On the way back to Windhoek, we made a quick stop in Solitaire, which is known to have the most delicious apple pie in all of Namibia (the world?). While I personally, that of my grandma tastes better, I can still recommend everyone to try the apple pie. 

Back in Windhoek I still took the chance to visit the local Arts and Crafts market and used the time until my flight to review the last days. After all, I had not seen me 16 days ago in Namibia and as quickly as I had decided, this adventure the event was already over. One thing is for sure, however, I will not forget this so quickly.