Namibia - Apr '22

Landscape has always been my driving force to travel and photograph and how can one miss Namibia. Of course closer to my heart is New Zealand which I am planning in 2023.

Namibia officially known as the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. Although it does not border Zimbabwe, less than 200 metres (660 feet) of the Botswanan right bank of the Zambezi River separates the two countries. Namibia gained independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990, following the Namibian War of Independence. Its capital and largest city is Windhoek. The Namibian Constitution was adopted in February 1990. The country officially became independent on 21 March 1990.

Travel Date : 24th Apr ’22 to 10th May ‘22

Company : Led by Rafael Pons & Antoni Cladera from PhotoPills and Jandre Germishuizen from Go Gravel Photo Safaris

With flight restrictions still in place due to Covid, I did not have many options to travel to Windhoek from where the tour started. I took Ethiopian Airlines, Mumbai – Addis Ababa – Windhoek. I quite liked Ethiopian Airlines, great service. Unfortunately the flight from Mumbai got delayed due to technical reasons and I missed the connection in Addis. I was able to take the flight to Windhoek only the next day. Since I always leave one day earlier (left Mumbai on 23rd) to meet such contingencies, I was able to start the tour without missing the schedule. Moral of the story - Please to leave a day earlier especially for international group trips.

The group consisted of 14 photography enthusiasts from US, UK, Canada, Belgium and India. It was absolutely a brilliant group with each one of them sharing their expertise. The trip was for 16 days and was a self-driving trip combined with photography. We drove a total distance of 3080 KMS. The trip was for 16 days and I am told that we haven't even covered one fourth of Namibia. So one can imagine the vastness of the country. Most of the driving was on gravel roads making it tough due to the nature of the road and dust making visibility a challenge.

Driving on gravel roads ..

Combining photography with self-driving is certainly not an easy task. The stay throughout was a combination of lodges and camping sites. The camper vans that we drove had the sleeping tents on the roof. The tent will have to be opened every time to sleep and since it is the same car used for driving, the tent will have to closed every time we take the van out. When the tent is closed it has to be closed with perfection, otherwise there are chances of the tent opening during driving. Honestly I hated this concept of tent and not sure if I will do this again. The convoy consisted of 5 vans in addition to Jandre’s super jeep.

Tents on top of the vans

Camping site ..

There are no restaurants in most of the camping sites. Every meal has to be cooked. Simon who was heading this part of the trip ensured that we neither starve nor complain about food. His van was loaded with food stuff and every day, especially for dinner, the meal that was freshly cooked and served was different on each day. Everyone in the group enjoyed his cooking.

Simon with his fully loaded van

The trip was designed with opportunities for landscape, Astro and Wildlife. The landscape throughout was stunning giving enough opportunities for photography. Astro photography was outstanding. The sky was absolutely clear every night and I did not see even a spec of cloud. I have never witnessed such spectacular sky and that too consistent on all days. My understanding is that the Etosha National park will provide enough opportunities to capture wildlife but it was bit of a disappointment. Based on my experience I feel Masai Mara, Kenya and Kruger National Park, South Africa provide enough opportunities. (Masai --> https://www.masai-mara--aug-13.gopsview.com/, Kruger --> https://www.kruger--aug-16.gopsview.com/)

Glimpse of the landscape ..

Our Schedule :

The highlight in Sossusvlei was the the visit to Deadvlei or the Dead forest. Deadvlei is a white clay pan located near the more famous salt pan of Sossusvlei, inside the Namib-Naukluft Park in Namibia. We had to walk about 2 KMS to get inside and we were there for a sun rise. It was an amazing experience to be in the middle of the pan, surrounded by dunes & age old trees and experience the sun rise.

Swakopmund, is a beautiful town with plenty of options for shopping and eating. Our stay was for 2 days and one of the day I had dinner at Garnish an Indian restaurant and I must say the food was authentic and good. The day we spent in Sandwich harbour followed by dune drive is unforgettable.

Driving in the dunes

And some fun ......

The team, Rafael, Antoni and Jandre, were brilliant. It’s the passion that made a big difference in this trip. Jandre, the local expert knew exactly what is to be done. Rafael, constantly scouts for location that can give us the right spot/foreground. And Antoni our Astro Guru had all the patience on earth to take care of the requirements of all the participants.

To view the album --> https://namibia-apr-22.gopsview.com/