A giraffe drinking from a watering hole at sunset in Etosha National Park. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM + 2x TC
A spotted hyena pup sleeping by resting its head on its paws. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM + Sony 2x TC
Otjiwarongo
Day 4: 29c/15c, 14km/h winds
AM - On The Road
- 3hr Drive to Okonjima Nature Reserve
Vamos, mother of the kitty below. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM + Sony 2x TC
Vamos’ son, whose name I have unfortunately forgotten. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM + Sony 2x TC
PM - Okonjima Nature Reserve
- Lots of leopards!
- Saw Vamos (collared) and her son (un-collared)
- Bat Eared foxes!
- Stargazing!
Usually skittish, this bat eared fox felt comfortable with our presence and went right back to sleep. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM + Sony 2x TC
Day 5: 30c/12c, 11km/h winds
Coming face to face with a fully grown white rhino on foot is something extremely special. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM + 2x TC
AM - Okonjima Nature Reserve
- Rhino tracking on foot!
- Two white rhinos!
A pangolin, the world’s most trafficked animal, walking as the sun sets. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM + 2x TC
PM - Okonjima Nature Reserve
- Pangolin tracking on foot!
- Three separate pangolin encounters!!
- More stargazing
A pangolin illuminated by a red light. Red is used to prevent harming the night vision of the pangolins. A tracker can be seen on the base of its tail - these are used to monitor and keep the rhinos, leopards, and pangolins all safe from poachers and to obtain research data from the animals.
Damaraland
The sun rising above the mountains. Uncharacteristically high rainfall in the previous month has caused this light yellow, whiteish grass to grow all over the entire country - a once in every few decade occurrence. Sony A1, Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM ii
Day 6: 30c/10c, 14km/h winds
AM - On The Road
- Towards Etendeka base camp
- Unbelievable Landscapes!
With the unbelievably clear skies in Namibia, I had to bring out my modified camera for a panorama. Sony A7RIII (H-Alpha mod), Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 GM
PM - Etendeka Mountain Camp
- Scenic guided drive from base camp to mountain camp!
- Incredible golden hour sunset hike
- Stargazing!
Me standing on a rock with my headlamp as the Milky Way rises overhead. Sony A7RIII (H-Alpha modded), Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 GM
Day 7: 28c/5c, 15km/h winds
AM - Etendeka Mountain Camp
- 4 mile hike through the mountains!
- Desert adapted zebras and giraffes, and bats!
- Met and shared a vehicle with the co-author of Trees & Shrubs of Namibia!
A pannorama of the incredible landscapes of northern Damaraland. Sony A1, Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM ii
PM - Etendeka Mountain Camp
- Scenic guided drives
- More stargazing!
An Oryx grazing in the plains at the base of the mountains. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM
Day 8: 30c/11c, 16km/h winds
AM - On The Road
- 6hr drive to Ai Aiba Lodge
- More crazy landscapes!
An aerial panorama of the mountains surrounding Ai Aiba, flown with explicit permission from the owners of Ai Aiba. DJI Mavic Air 2s
PM - Ai Aiba Lodge
- Sunset hike up a nearby mountain, incredible views!
The sun setting from atop a mountain nearby Ai Aiba. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM
Day 9: 28c/12c, 17km/h winds
AM - Ai Aiba Lodge
- Mountain biking through the landscape!
- Had a hard fall after slipping on some rocks, had to quit early
Desert-adapted giraffes grazing on a tree as the sun sets. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM
Ow.
PM - Ai Aiba Lodge
- Rest
- More stargazing!
Still, I came all the way out here. I wasn’t going to let falling off a bike and sliding down the side of a mountain stop me from enjoying the night sky. Sony A7RIII (H-Alpha Modded), Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 GM
Day 10: 35c/13c, 20km/h winds
AM - On The Road
- 2hr drive to Spitzkoppe!
The trusty Toyota Hilux that brought us through the country’s famed dirt roads. Sony A1, Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 GM
PM - Spitzkoppe
- Summited Sugarloaf Mountain
- Stargazing!
A view of Spitzkoppe with a hint of its reflection in a rock pool. The dark spots in the pool are a massive group of tadpoles. Sony A1, Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 GM
The Namib Desert
Day 11: 29c/10c, 21km/h winds
AM - Spitzkoppe
- Sunrise hike through Spitzkoppe
- 3hr Drive to Walvis Bay
PM - Walvis Bay
- Incredible seafood lunch!
- Explored nearby dunes
Day 12: 25c/8c, 11km/h winds
An extremely curious cape fur seal jumped onto our boat to inspect us before we set sail. It’s a small boat, so there’s nowhere for us to hide. Sony A1, Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 GM
AM - Walvis Bay
- Sailed out to Pelican Point
- 100,000 cape fur seals!
- Jackals
- Braai on the beach!
It’s just after breeding season, so the coast is filled with almost a 100,000 cape fur seals and their newly born pups. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM
A jackal that shares its territory with the fur seals. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM
PM - Walvis Bay/Namib-Naukluft National Park
- Trashing a Land Rover Defender around in the dunes
Just one of the many spectacular dunes along the Skeleton Coast. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM
The trusty vehicle that took us through the dunes. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM
Day 13: 19c/7c, 11km/h winds
Flamingoes and their reflection in a lagoon. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM + Sony 2x TC
AM - Walvis Bay
- Looking for flamingoes!
- 5hr Drive to Sossusvlei
The sheer magnitude of the dunes is simply unreal. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM
PM - Sossusvlei
- Climbed all the dunes!
Just one of many ridiculously large dunes. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM + 2x TC
Day 14: 24c/4c, 10km/h winds
AM - Sossusvlei
- Explored Deadvlei
Dead acacia trees, perfectly preserved for nearly a thousand years due to the hyper extreme dryness of this specific region of the Namib Desert. Sony A1, Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 GM
PM - Sossusvlei
- Climbed more dunes!
Deadvlei, Namibia
Karas
Day 15: 20c/3c, 15km/h winds
Pilots and groundstaff inflating the hot air balloon before the sun rises. Sony A1, Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM ii
AM - On The Road
- 30min drive to Namib Sky
- Hot air balloon rides!
- Oryx, Jackals from the sky!
An unbelievable experience, getting to witness the landscape evolve as the sun rises from the skies. Sony A1, Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM ii
PM - On The Road
- 3hr drive to Nooishof Guest Farm
- Scenic game drive.
The expansive landscape of Namibia. Sony A1, Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM ii
Day 16: 20c/12c, 8km/h winds
The 40-year-old pet tortoise, owned by the owners of the Nooishof guset farm. She’s just finished eating her meal of fresh tomatoes, grown from the garden. Sony A1, Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 GM
AM - Nooishof
- Guided game drive
- Bat eared foxes!!
- Explored property
- Dogs, chickens, and a tortoise!
An Oryx standing in front of endless mountains. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM
PM - Nooishof
- Mountain biking
Endless mountains in southern Namibia. Sony A1 ii, Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM + Sony 2x TC
Hardap
Day 17: 15c/0c, 10km/h
The view from our campsite in Mariental.
AM - On The Road
- 4hr Drive to Mariental
- Camp site we found along the way
Having a braai, Afrikaans for a barbeque.
PM - Mariental
- Had our own braai
- Steak, game sausage, corn, toast
- Ridiculously cold, sleeping in rooftop tents
The finished product.
Windhoek
Day 18: 16c/3c, 19km/h
AM - On The Road
- 3hr drive to Windhoek
PM - Windhoek
- Nice dinner at Butcher Block, Windhoek
An unbelievable steak dinner at the Butcher’s Block
Day 19: 15c/0c, 10km/h
AM - Windhoek
- Souvenir shopping
- We almost got our shoes stolen haha
PM - WDH
- Departure
- Only a slight 10-minute delay, thankfully.
Overall, it was an incredible, unbelievable trip. I can’t wait to get more in depth and share even more about this stunning place! In the meantime, thank you all for reading and for the support!
