NAMIBIA, the Ultimate – AFRICA FOR THE CONNOISSEUR Destination

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Image Credit Charl Dreyer | The spectacular Spitzkoppen after some rain in the desert

Graphics Credit Brian Paul | Map of Towns of Namibia

Image Credit Cécile Paul | A map of the vast expanse of Namibia comes in handy for an epic road trip

Image Credit Cécile Paul | The long dry grass in Namibia’s central regions

The best kept secret in all of Africa? Clue: Huge landmass (it’s approximately one and a half times larger than France), tiny population (2.5 million). It’s arguably also the last outpost on our planet where man hasn’t yet tampered with vast swathes of land. It’s a place unlike anything you will have experienced anywhere else. t’s a place that moves you immensely.

Image Credit Silke Behrens | Doing the rain dance – on the road between Windhoek and Swakopmund

Image Credit Cécile Paul | A pitstop in the desert – time for a Savannah refreshment

Image Credit Cecile Paul | At the otherworldly Buschhotel near Okahandja

To the untrained eye Namibia may seem like a vast expanse of nothingness, but it’s guaranteed your perception will change the minute you set foot on African soil at Hosea Kutako International Airport, when you’re greeted by a heady cocktail of the African sun, the desert and the infectious smiles of the locals. By the time you’re in your hired 4×4 it’s a matter of time before you’re flanked by groups of cheetahs running wild. Time slows down, Africa time kicks in. You start to move to the beat of the African drum.

Image Credit Charl Dreyer | The quaint seaside town of Swakopmund with its extensive German root

Image Credit Cécile Paul | A thorn tree with an unusual catch in the desert near Swakopmund

Image Credit Cécile Paul | At Naankuse Wildlife Sanctuary

Image Credit Cécile Paul | Clouds over the Namib Desert offer the promise of much needed rain

Image Credit Cécile Paul | The Brandberg Rest Camp at Uis – a watering hole of repute

Image Credit Cécile Paul | The Dead Vlei at Sossusvlei, Southern Namibia

Namibia is a region of contrasts so considerable you’ll find it hard to comprehend you’re still within the same country as you navigate the sparsely populated landmass – from the temperate West Coast through the searing Kalahari and Namib Deserts, along the numerous shipwrecks off the Skeleton Coast to the tropical Okavango Delta teeming with wildlife.

Tiny towns big on atmosphere are dotted along dusty roads, the distances between them often so vast that the average vehicle needs to carry extra fuel on board to cover the distance between two filling stations (not to mention at least two spare tyres – preferably three, as most roads are quite literally a ‘Road Less Travelled’).

Image Credit Cécile Paul | Camping near Sossusvlei with desert views all around

You’re bound to encounter the odd dog sitting on the steps of a crumbling hotel, a fair few deserted petrol stations, many a rusty car wreck haphazardly deposited on the landscape, freshly made apple pie in the middle of the desert (served by the ghost of a red-bearded Scotsman in a kilt, I jest not), the haunting balmy desert wind on your skin, whalebone shelters made by the San Bushmen, sand-invaded ghost towns that boomed during the early diamond days …. and more often than not, not another soul for miles to interfere with this otherworldliness. You’ll find yourself in a place where endless red rolling sand dunes meet the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline often under an atmospheric swirling blanket of mist as the cool sea air collides with the hot desert air. You’ll find yourself in awe.

You’ll find yourself, fullstop.

Image Credit Hougaard Malan (https://www.hougaardmalan.com/namibia)  |  The ghost town of Kolmanskop outside Luderitz, where the desert has spread into the old houses belonging to the bygone diamond era

Image Credit Cécile Paul | Meeting some locals at a desert watering hole, Uis

Image Credit Cécile Paul | Beware – elephants crossing the road! Underway to Erindi Private Lodge

Now, I can go on and on about my beloved place of birth, but that’ll take up volumes. Besides, I could never do it justice by attempting to describe the indescribable, even with the aid of the flounciest of words. For magic is a thing that needs felt in one’s bones. Which reminds me of the time I stood in an airport queue at Heathrow Airport waiting for my flight to Namibia and overheard a conversation, as one does – one Brit to another – about Africa and the inescapable spell it casts over one,

‘The only people who don’t love Africa are the ones who haven’t yet been to meet her.’

Image Credit Cécile Paul | Sundowners overlooking the Atlantic Ocean at Tiger Reef Beach Bar, Swakopmund

Image Credit Cécile Paul | Chalets at desert Breeze overlook the red sand dunes of the Namib Desert

Image Credit Cécile Paul | The photogenic salt pans outside Swakopmund

Image Credit Cécile Paul | A shipwreck – one of many – on the Skeleton Coast

So, for those of you who’ve never been to the magical continent where we all originate from, Namibia is the perfect place to start your journey of discovery. I’d like to invite you to my ‘Africa For Beginners and Connoisseurs alike’ and I hope my scrapbook of memories will entice you to book that flight from the frozen North, pronto, and get yourself on an overnight flight southwards.

Namibia awaits.

Image Credit Cécile Paul | An informal installation in Damaraland

PS, No need for coats and jackets. Some shorts, a couple of T-shirts, sturdy shoes and a hat will do you just fine. Oh, and don’t bother bringing your watch – time’s not a big deal in these parts, but be sure to bring your camera.

The light is out of this world.

Image Credit Charl Dreyer | Time to relax! A view to the Atlantic Ocean

Image Credit Cécile Paul | A deserted lighthouse outside Walvis Bay

Image Credit Cécile Paul | The Moon Landscape outside Swakopmund