Discovering the joys of camping in Namibia (page 25 of 30)

What always surprises me in the travel journals I read—whether it's camping or lodges—is that they're 3/4 empty, yet we're always asked to book almost a year in advance. Except for Palmwag, where there were people in both the lodge and campsite, but it still wasn’t full.

Hi Dominique,

I think it’s mainly for lodges and campsites in Etosha and Sesriem that you need to plan so far ahead. The same goes for some highly sought-after lodges and campsites, like Grootberg, Okonjima, and Namibrand...

The fact that Namibia is experiencing a tourism boom is a real problem. Many travel agencies block a certain number of rooms and only release them at the last minute if they don’t have enough bookings. It’s really frustrating for all of us—and certainly for Namibian tour operators too.

Carmen

Friday, August 16: Cheetah CCF / Windhoek

After an excellent night without any noise, we watch the sunrise and head straight to the Cheetah Run at 8 AM.

After listening to the safety instructions and leaving all our personal belongings outside—except, of course, our cameras—we enter the enclosure where the activity takes place. We have to walk one behind the other calmly, without making any sudden movements, and it’s still a bit reassuring as we enter a small fenced channel where we can observe the cheetahs.



There are four females in the park. A lure is attached to a wire fixed to the ground and pulled quickly so the cheetahs run after and catch it.









We find them a bit lazy, but when they get into action, their speed is still impressive.

















When they catch the lure, they get a reward.











We then return to the lodge for breakfast and leave CCF before 10:30 AM for Windhoek, which is 350 km away.

We still can’t get enough of animals, and it’s not even noon when we turn off for Africat, located on the D2515.





We cross the Okonjima reserve and spot animals by the roadside and at waterholes: oryx, zebra, warthog, impala—it feels just like Etosha! 😮













We arrive a little early for the 1 p.m. drive—nice! The tour lasts 1.5 hours, and we first head to an enclosure with five cheetahs: a sibling group of two brothers and two sisters, plus another male.

The siblings were found near a farm adjacent to the reserve. They were just babies, and their mother had likely been killed. As usual, we find them lounging in the shade.











The other male had been kept as a pet in an apartment but ended up becoming the dominant one in the group.

A beautiful encounter in the sky or perched on a tree, we followed the martial eagle for a while because our guide is a fan.







In another enclosure, two 12-year-old brothers—they have 15 hectares to themselves. At one point, one of them stands up, takes two steps, and lies back down—too tiring!













We then visit the museum, where different animals are displayed. It’s nice to see them side by side because it’s impossible in the wild. You really get a sense of the size differences. Our guide gives lots of explanations about the animals—he’s really interesting. He also shows us the adjacent clinic.





This association offers fewer activities, but this tour is much more interesting than at the CCF—maybe it’s just because of the guide. The environment is also really nice, and you can go hiking nearby.





It’s almost 3 PM when we hit the road again. We still have over 200 km to Windhoek, so we can’t dawdle now.

Lots of warthogs by the side of the road—it’s impressive.

About 60 km before Windhoek, a four-lane road makes it feel almost like home.

Traffic jam due to a road check—every car is being inspected.





It’s 6 PM when we pass through the gates of Londinigi Guesthouse. The parking is really tight—even after getting used to the size of the vehicle over three weeks, it’s still a bit tricky.

The rooms are comfortable, and Nathalie, the French owner, is really friendly. Most of the guests are French-speaking, which makes it easy to chat with those who are leaving and those who are arriving—right, Alain Pierre?



For dinner tonight, we stayed at the Guesthouse. It was a great evening with Isap29, who had just arrived. The meal was excellent—springbok carpaccio and oryx steak, and I even got lion for dessert 😉.







that’s the end here

It goes by fast in the end 😉!

If you had to pick just one, would you recommend Africat over CCF, then? Muriel

It goes by fast in the end 😉!

Oh, don’t even get me started—way too fast! 😢

If you had to pick just one, would you recommend Africat over CCF? Muriel

They’re different but complementary: CCF has more activities, meals, and the race, but the drive-thru is less convenient and it’s much farther—you need a full day. Africat is much closer, and stopping by like we did was awesome! 👍 We did both and honestly don’t regret it. Well, that didn’t help you much, did it? 😜

For the eagle, I’d say **booted eagle**

For the eagle, I’d say it’s a martial eagle

Thanks Régis—our guide must’ve told us, he was so excited to see it! 😛

If you had to choose just one, would you recommend Africat over CCF then? Muriel

Hi Muriel,

For Okonjima, I’d recommend staying at least one night so you can do one or two game drives in the reserve. Plus, the rooms—with views of the savanna—are gorgeous. You can do a game drive to see cheetahs or/and another to try spotting leopards. Sure, it’s not as thrilling as seeing these big cats in the wild, but Okonjima’s reserve is so vast you barely notice the fences. You can also visit the center Isabelle checked out, but you’ll need to arrive early to fit everything in. Between the part Isabelle visited and the lodge, you’ll have to drive a few kilometers. We wanted to stay two nights, but it was fully booked (13 months in advance).😕 You’ll find some photos in my 2017 travel journal.

Carmen

Thanks Isabelle for this wonderful travel journal. And most of all, a big THANK YOU for the explanations about the CCF, which I didn’t know about. I think the CCF deserves support, even if the visit made me think more of a zoo. But it’s important for cheetah conservation to have this kind of institution.

Loved hearing about your meet-up with Alain-Pierre at Londiningi.

Carmen

Yes, indeed, the CCF is worth knowing about. In addition to being a cheetah rescue center, I think the fact that they're trying to find a solution for coexistence with farmers is really positive. This livestock guard dog breeding program is a fantastic idea—farmers are actually asking for it. It’s true that it feels a bit like a large zoo, but they still have plenty of space in their park.

In addition to being a cheetah rehabilitation center, I think the fact that they’re trying to find a solution for an agreement with farmers is really positive. This livestock guardian dog breeding program is a great idea—farmers are eager for it.

I totally agree with you.

Thanks Isabelle for this lovely travel journal 🙂 Now that it’s finished, some people have no more excuses to start their own

You're really eager to wrap up this travel journal 😅 There's still one day left, even if it's not very exciting, and I'll do a little recap this weekend ☺️

Oops 😊 But once you arrive in Windhoek, it feels like the trip is over 😇😏

Oops But once you arrive in Windhoek, it feels like the trip is over

For me too, the trip felt over. But I’d love to read the wrap-up.🙂

Yes, you're absolutely right. In fact, I think I'll stay in Windhoek to head straight off with Jean Luc🤠

Saturday, August 17: Windhoek

This morning, we take our time and chat for a while longer with a young French couple who had just arrived. After packing our bags, we leave the guesthouse at 10 AM.

Our flight isn’t until 5:30 PM, so we have plenty of time to head to downtown Windhoek, which pretty much boils down to the Lutheran Christuskirche.



Right next door is the Independence Museum, with the statue of Sam Nujoma on its forecourt.

Sam Nujoma, known as the "father of the nation," was Namibia’s first president in 1990 and was re-elected twice until 2005. Namibia had been a colony of South Africa since 1920 after being occupied by the Germans.



Adjacent to the museum is an old German fort with the Independence Monument in front.





Next, we head to the pedestrian street with fragments of meteorites.







In an hour, we’re done—we’ve never visited a capital city so quickly!

It’s noon, and we arrive at Super Spar. Between vacationers stocking up before their road trips and locals doing their weekly shopping, it’s packed. Still, in half an hour, we leave with a few kilos of vacuum-sealed meat: ostrich, springbok, and oryx will make for some delicious meals back home.

After filling up the tank one last time, we return our vehicle to Asco. We’ve driven 4,800 km over these three weeks. They give the inside and outside a quick once-over but don’t check the equipment provided. However, they do top off the fuel to make sure everything’s in order. We also hand over a copy of the receipt for the tire we bought in Opuwo, and they return our deposit slip. In less than half an hour, all the formalities are settled. The shuttle takes us straight to the airport—it takes a little over half an hour to get there.



We’re still early since check-in doesn’t start until 2:30 PM, so we take our time for lunch. Security and especially immigration take forever—we spend over an hour, and by the time we arrive, boarding is already underway. Plus, every bag and person is searched. It’s the first time I’ve seen this procedure.

We still leave as scheduled at 5:30 PM, but I’m smiling with a heavy heart as I board the plane.





At 7:50 PM, we land in Luanda, Angola, to drop off and pick up passengers and crew, as well as refuel. The stop lasts a full 90 minutes.

After dinner, we settle in for a short night.

Sunday, August 18: Amsterdam / Lyon

We land in Amsterdam at 5:30 AM, half an hour ahead of schedule. Our flight to Lyon is at 7:50 AM, so we’ve got time—security and immigration are super quick. It’s a nice change from Namibia, something we’re more used to. Plus, it’s cold and rainy.

We wait at the gate for quite a while—it feels long, especially when you’re tired and just want to get home. The plane takes off 20 minutes late but arrives in Lyon almost on time. After picking up our luggage, we call the shuttle to retrieve our car. It’s 10:30 AM when we hit the highway back to Grenoble, where it’s sunny and warm.

Well, that’s it—time to get back to reality since work starts again tomorrow morning.

That’s the end of this travel journal. Thanks to everyone for following along!

The summary here

Despite everything, in half an hour, we left with a few kilos of vacuum-packed meat: ostrich, springbok, and oryx will make for some delicious future meals at home.

How did you manage not to break the cold chain? Or are you talking about dried meat?

Despite everything, in half an hour, we left with a few kilos of vacuum-packed meat: ostrich, springbok, and oryx will make for some future meals back home.

How did you manage not to break the cold chain? Or are you talking about dried meat?

We actually bought fresh meat. Following Nathalie from Londiningi’s advice, we asked the Spar butcher to vacuum-pack the meat. We then wrapped them in several insulated bags and put them in the suitcase. It came out perfect... 😉