Road Trip Through Namibia

Namibia

Our very own Thelma and Louise, aka Barbara and Amanda, returned from a thrilling road trip in Namibia. They were both thoroughly captivated by what they described as ‘a very seductive country’, and can’t wait to return.

“Wild seascapes, sculpted deserts, rugged mountains, unspoilt and unpopulated landscapes and magnificent wildlife – Namibia is truly one of Africa’s hidden treasures.”

We arrived in the country’s capital of Windhoek for an overnight stay at the Olive Grove Guest House, where we met the rest of our group who were to be our travelling companions for the next twelve nights. The 4×4 vehicle was delivered to the hotel, and so the adventure begins!

The first journey we experienced was a drive to Okonjima, the home of the Africat Foundation, where cheetahs and leopards are rescued with the aim of rehabilitating them to return to the wild whenever possible. We spent the afternoon tracking a leopard, which we finally came across hiding in the bushes. This was such a fantastic sight and was well worth the wait.

Cheetahs

The next day was one of the big highlights of the trip for us, as we had the chance to go on a cheetah tracking walk through the bushes, and once we had located the group of three cheetahs we were able to observe their behaviour. It’s such an exhilarating feeling to watch these creatures out in the open, and one that I’d recommend to anyone.

No trip to Namibia would be complete without a visit to Etosha National Park, home to some truly captivating wildlife including elephants, zebras, giraffes, rhinos and much more. This park is teaming with life and we were glad to spend two nights here, allowing us time to explore the area and its wildlife.

Elephants at sunset

Our journey continued into the mountainous areas of central Namibia, where the scenery was staggeringly beautiful, in fact, around every corner there was another picture-perfect view! We spent four nights in the area and I can honestly say we witnessed some of the most stunning sunsets here! Our accommodation varied from Etendekka Mountain Camp with its traditional African bucket shower, to the Erongo Wilderness Lodge where the rooms were set in the side of the mountain with fantastic rocky views.

Bucket shower

The last part of the adventure was driving from the mountains along the coastal route down to Swakopmund, and onward along the dramatic coast to Walvis Bay. Here we enjoyed a two hour catamaran excursion across the bay to Pelican Point, where we saw seals galore, in fact one even jumped up on the boat and allowed us to feed it!

Seal on a boat

The last night of the trip was spent next to a lighthouse, where we sat and listened to the sound of the waves and saw our last incredible African sunset – a perfect way to end our Namibian adventure.