Colours of Namibia

We drove 5000 km (over 3000 miles), mostly on gravel roads, saw thousands of animals, met wonderful people and admired the most unusual landscapes.

Our journey started in Windhoek but the first important destination was Etosha – one of the largest national parks in Africa. Covering the area of more than 22000 km2 (8600 sq miles), it’s home to hundreds of species of mammals, birds and reptiles, including several threatened and endangered species such as the black rhinoceros. We stayed in 3 different camps within the Park and every day at sunrise we’d go exploring, mainly visiting waterholes since at this time of year (end of dry season) water is scarce and most animals gather around sources of water.

Colours of Etosha are white, silver and gold, light is blinding, dust is flowing and covering everything around (including you) with silvery residue. Whiteness of the Pan hurts your eyes, delicate golden grass waves on the wind. The magical “golden hour” lasts about 15 minutes. Despite all that, there is some kind of enchanting beauty in this harsh landscape.

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After leaving Etosha, we headed to Opuwo – a frontier town in Kaokaland.

We spent a day and night in Himba village. It was NOT a „tourist” village but a real one deep in Kaokaland. We hired a local Himba guide – and he took us to a village far from the beaten track.

We ensured that all they were completely OK with us taking pictures. We spent a day assisting them in all activities and asking a lot of questions. They asked us many questions too – they were curious about our families and where we lived. We showed them pictures of our relatives and our village – they wanted to know everything!

The men joined us at supper – just to sit with us and chat. We brought some gifts for the village – sugar, cooking oil etc – things they can’t produce themselves (our guide helped us with shopping).

When we were about to leave, they told us that they really liked having us in their village and that we should come again for longer.

It was an amazing experience to stay with those beautiful people.

Himbas are semi-nomadic: they build permanent villages (each village is practically an extended family), but they move seeking pastures for their cattle, following the rain and water supplies. During rainy season all village members stay together since there is grass and water near the village, but with dry season coming, men go with their herds to better pastures. Women and children stay in villages.

Everyday life in a village involves cooking, taking care of children, collecting water, taking care of animals (goats and chicken). In rainy season, women grow vegetables in the village garden. They share food and responsibilities. Himbas don’t send their children to schools, they see no point in education. There are some who managed to finish school, our guide was one of those. Being a Himba, raised in a small village, he had to go against his father’s will and fled home just to go to school and learn. Now he works as a freelance guide, closely connected to Kaokaland Cultural Centre in Opuwo.

From Opuwo, we drove South, through the Damaraland. Landscapes changed: mountains appeared, colours became golden and copper, but it was still very dry and hot until we reached the Skeleton Coast.

Skeleton Coast is home to the largest ship graveyard in the entire world. This stretch of coast is manipulated by the strong and unpredictable Benguela current and has been the terrible fate of several thousand shipwrecks. The current gives rise to dense ocean fogs for much of the year and the climate is highly inhospitable. There are not many shipwrecks left on the coast, they were burried in the sea or sand, but a few still can be seen.

From Swakop, we headed to Sossusvlei – home of the iconic red dunes of Namibia. Further from the coast, back to heat and dust. Sossusvlei is a photographers’ paradise, but until you get there, you don’t know what it takes. The golden hour lasts very short, and to be there in time (sunrise) one has to wake up early in the night and drive in the dark, which is basically illegal if you have a rented vehicle. Same with coming back to the camp after dark. The best way to be there early (or late) is to stay overnight at Sesriem Camp, the closest to the dunes – and the only one within the National Park.