Discovering the joys of camping in Namibia
Oh, Namibia! We loved it when we visited the country in 2015! One of our best travel memories. Stunning, diverse, the freedom... I’ll be following you now 🤓
Discovering the joys of camping in Namibia
Monday, July 29: Windhoek / Kalahari Anib Campsite
After a restful night, we enjoy an excellent breakfast. We leave Gardens GuestHouse at 9:30 AM to head to Superspar Maerua, just 10 minutes away.
As we’ve been doing for a few years now, we use Maps Me to guide us on our trips—no need to rent a GPS with the car. You just need to download the country’s map before leaving, and it works offline with great accuracy. I’d already saved our different stops on My Maps and transferred them as a KMZ file to Maps Me.
With our shopping list in hand, we navigate the aisles to fill our two carts—a big thanks to Ticapi for the help. Before leaving the Spar, we buy a phone top-up at an automated kiosk: a $40 card valid for a week with some data and 90 minutes of talk time. Just enter the code via SMS to recharge. We buy three top-ups for the next three weeks. It’s almost noon, the fridge and the Hilux’s trunk are packed. It took us over two hours, but now we’re finally ready to hit the Namibian roads.
Our stop for the day is Kalahari Anib Lodge, not far from Mariental. The fastest route is the B1 Highway to Mariental (280 km, about 3 hours). Yesterday, we asked Michael for his opinion on taking back roads via Dordabis for prettier scenery. He recommended sticking to the B1 until the C21, then taking the dirt tracks to Amib Lodge. The B1 is smooth, which helps my husband get used to the 4x4.
Around 2 PM, we turn onto the C21 near Kalkrand—our first gravel road. The weather is perfect, 28°C, up from 24°C when we left Windhoek.
Next, it’s the D1268 for over 60 km to reach the main C20 road. The landscapes are already stunning—flat, gray expanses with red dunes in the distance. We barely see any animals—it’s siesta time—but we spot a few impalas and ostriches. We’re already thrilled to be here, almost alone on the roads.
Then we join the paved C20 from Mariental. After a few kilometers, we arrive at the lodge by 4:30 PM.
We take campsite spot number 3 out of 3. The lodge is just a few hundred meters away. For our first night, we’re happy—there’s a decent private space with a table, benches, separate shower and toilet, and a light under the kitchen area.
We’d planned to hike—there are marked trails—but we don’t have time. There’s also a sunset drive option, but we want to settle in, organize the 4x4’s back, set up the tent, and prepare our beds. First try: we set everything up in under an hour. Quick tour of the tent, which will be our bedroom for the next three weeks 😉.
We take a short walk until sunset—elands and wildebeests are at the watering hole in front of the lodge.
Now, time to prepare dinner: grilled springbok fillet with veggies and caramelized apples cooked in the embers. We take advantage of the mild weather to enjoy a nice hot shower. Oh yeah—the motto of this trip: shower whenever you can 😏.
When night falls, we stargaze before heading to bed around 10:30 PM.
PS: Don’t you dare tell my husband I posted these photos—he’s way too embarrassed after seeing Nathalie’s in Tanzania and Olivier’s in Namibia recently. Otherwise, he’s up for photography lessons…
Not the most exciting first day, but necessary to get our bearings. We knew we wouldn’t have time to fully enjoy the Kalahari—it was just a stopover. Next time, maybe 😛.
A shortcut here
After a restful night, we enjoy an excellent breakfast. We leave Gardens GuestHouse at 9:30 AM to head to Superspar Maerua, just 10 minutes away.
As we’ve been doing for a few years now, we use Maps Me to guide us on our trips—no need to rent a GPS with the car. You just need to download the country’s map before leaving, and it works offline with great accuracy. I’d already saved our different stops on My Maps and transferred them as a KMZ file to Maps Me.
With our shopping list in hand, we navigate the aisles to fill our two carts—a big thanks to Ticapi for the help. Before leaving the Spar, we buy a phone top-up at an automated kiosk: a $40 card valid for a week with some data and 90 minutes of talk time. Just enter the code via SMS to recharge. We buy three top-ups for the next three weeks. It’s almost noon, the fridge and the Hilux’s trunk are packed. It took us over two hours, but now we’re finally ready to hit the Namibian roads.
Our stop for the day is Kalahari Anib Lodge, not far from Mariental. The fastest route is the B1 Highway to Mariental (280 km, about 3 hours). Yesterday, we asked Michael for his opinion on taking back roads via Dordabis for prettier scenery. He recommended sticking to the B1 until the C21, then taking the dirt tracks to Amib Lodge. The B1 is smooth, which helps my husband get used to the 4x4.
Around 2 PM, we turn onto the C21 near Kalkrand—our first gravel road. The weather is perfect, 28°C, up from 24°C when we left Windhoek.
Next, it’s the D1268 for over 60 km to reach the main C20 road. The landscapes are already stunning—flat, gray expanses with red dunes in the distance. We barely see any animals—it’s siesta time—but we spot a few impalas and ostriches. We’re already thrilled to be here, almost alone on the roads.
Then we join the paved C20 from Mariental. After a few kilometers, we arrive at the lodge by 4:30 PM.
We take campsite spot number 3 out of 3. The lodge is just a few hundred meters away. For our first night, we’re happy—there’s a decent private space with a table, benches, separate shower and toilet, and a light under the kitchen area.
We’d planned to hike—there are marked trails—but we don’t have time. There’s also a sunset drive option, but we want to settle in, organize the 4x4’s back, set up the tent, and prepare our beds. First try: we set everything up in under an hour. Quick tour of the tent, which will be our bedroom for the next three weeks 😉.
We take a short walk until sunset—elands and wildebeests are at the watering hole in front of the lodge.
Now, time to prepare dinner: grilled springbok fillet with veggies and caramelized apples cooked in the embers. We take advantage of the mild weather to enjoy a nice hot shower. Oh yeah—the motto of this trip: shower whenever you can 😏.
When night falls, we stargaze before heading to bed around 10:30 PM.
PS: Don’t you dare tell my husband I posted these photos—he’s way too embarrassed after seeing Nathalie’s in Tanzania and Olivier’s in Namibia recently. Otherwise, he’s up for photography lessons…
Not the most exciting first day, but necessary to get our bearings. We knew we wouldn’t have time to fully enjoy the Kalahari—it was just a stopover. Next time, maybe 😛.
A shortcut here
