Discovering the joys of camping in Namibia (page 14 of 30)

1 elephant in two weeks. And even then, personally, I didn’t see it—I was driving!

Looks like you shouldn’t go to Namibia for wildlife in March-April...

In the end, it wasn’t so bad going in winter despite the slightly chilly nights 😂😂😂

To not keep Attila waiting any longer, who’s dreaming of seeing the desert elephants, here’s the next part...

Wednesday, August 7: White Lady / Grootberg Lodge

Last night, we were a bit warm in our sleeping bags, and this morning, the temperature is still a little chilly but not cold. We’re enjoying a nice breakfast at a leisurely pace—today, our destination is Grootberg Lodge. We’re almost done when my husband gives me a pointed look with big eyes. He signals for me to get up because an elephant is approaching behind me.

Luckily, it stops at the trash can under the tree, giving us time to leave the table and calmly head to the car. It rummages through the trash, finds the orange peels, and tosses the bag aside.

After eating the oranges, it heads toward the table but doesn’t go for the food in the bag. Then it comes toward the car and moves to the back, which we’d left open. Worried it might flip the trunk searching for the orange net, I open the door and slam it shut—startling it and making it leave.











Well! We wanted to see desert elephants, and we got our fill at Brandberg!! So! Watch out for elephants—we warned you 😛.



We hit the road again here

Maybe fewer animals... but also fewer humans... Muriel

Hell yeah! 😛

Still, I wouldn’t have minded a couple more 4x4s to spot a few elephants... (Especially for my partner, who’d never seen one in the wild before!)

Well, we sure got what we wanted—desert elephants at Brandberg!!

It’s magical moments like these that make Southern Africa so special! 🙂

Wow! We wanted to see the desert elephants, and we sure got our fill at Brandberg!!

It’s magical moments like these that make Southern Africa so unforgettable!🙂

Oh yeah! I totally get why you’d go back 10, 15, even 20 times and still want to return 😍

but I say "in principle," because two seals climbed onto my husband’s kayak at the same time, which still led to a significant amount of water getting into the boat...

And he didn’t capsize with two seals on the kayak!

Otherwise, for my daughter (8 years old), it’s one of the biggest vacation memories... because four seals followed her for over 30 minutes, taking turns swimming under the kayak to get their bellies rubbed. Really an amazing interaction with the animals.

Wow, at 8 years old, all alone in a kayak? Did she know how to paddle?

Hi Guillaume, In theory, the day trip should definitely let you reach the end, whereas with the other option it depends on the tide. In reality, it was the opposite for us—when we did the full-day trip, our guide pretended to just realize the tide was high... so we had to turn back, which really annoyed us. Jacques

Hi Sybille,

I think it’s a question of tide times. If it’s low in the morning, maybe you won’t be able to get there or back

- That’s exactly it—the tide times will determine whether you can reach the site via the beach or not. Back then, we checked them before booking our tour. 😉

Personally, what bothers me way more about the water issue is all those lodges with huge swimming pools. When you know how much water is lost daily through evaporation—never mind the draining—I think it’s outrageous they’re still allowed!!

Luckily, there are very few of those in Namibia.

Otherwise, let’s just do what we can at our own level... it’s the story of small streams making big rivers 😉

These are the magical moments like these that make Southern Africa so magical!🙂

Oh yeah! I understand why you can go there 10, 15, 20 times and still want to go back 😄

... that's exactly it, in fact I'm going back in 5.5 weeks

I'll have to remember to bring some oranges 😉

These are the magical moments like these that make Southern Africa so magical!🙂

Oh yeah! I get why you can go there 10, 15, 20 times and still want to go back 😊

- that’s exactly it, and I’m going back in 5.5 weeks

I’ll have to remember to bring some oranges [;]

Oh! You’re so cool! Can you take me with you? I promise I’ll be good 😊😉

I’m not planning on a daily shower 😉

Actually, we’ll go from Maun to Windhoek via Moremi, Nkasa Lupala (Caprivi Strip), and Etosha. Pretty classic route, really 😛

I'm heading back there in 5.5 weeks, by the way

What’s the plan this time? Muriel

I’m not planning on showering every day 😉

Actually, we’ll go from Maun to Windhoek via Moremi, Nkasa Lupala (Caprivi Strip), and Etosha. Pretty classic route, really 😛

That makes it even more interesting for me since it’s kind of what we’d like to do next, with a detour to Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park 😊 So I’ll be eagerly waiting for your feedback, and by then I’ll have done some camping in Oman, so no more shower issues 😄

Ah! I was missing a post in my thread—now I’ve got the answer! 😉

Hello Muriel 🙂

Nope, I must’ve been typing my reply at the same time you posted your question 😉

Chobe and Victoria Falls will be on the way back in April 😊.

Otherwise, we’ve already been to the Caprivi Strip, Chobe, and Victoria Falls in 2012, and Moremi in 2014. You can always check out my blog to get inspired 😉

Chobe and Victoria Falls will be on the return trip in April .

Otherwise, we’ve already been to the Caprivi Strip, Chobe, and Victoria Falls in 2012, and Moremi in 2014. You can always check out my blog to get inspired 😉

Yes, I’ll definitely take a look, but not now—otherwise, it’ll make me want to go too much, and it’s not planned until summer 2021 😵 so... too tough! 😄

And Epupa wasn’t our best memory from this trip.

Hi Isabelle, For us, it was truly a region we really enjoyed. Shows how opinions can differ! 🙂 We stayed 4 nights (Epupa Falls and Cunene River Lodge), and that explosion of green and water really charmed us—it made for a great transition from the aridity and dust we’d encountered earlier. But we didn’t go to FRC, and it’s also a place we’d love to visit on a future trip. 😎