Namibia Roadtrip (Etosha, Walfischbucht)

Day 1: Travel Day

Our unforgettable trip started exactly one day before Christmas when a bird pooped on my t-shirt just before we left.

We picked up our rental car (a Renault Duster) at the airport, received a brief instruction about automatic transmission and left-hand traffic, and off we went - first to the store where we rented a tent, cooking box, and camping equipment, and then we headed out into the vast expanses.

It is February 23, 2019. These are the adventures of the Renault Duster, with its two-man crew, traveling for 10 days to explore foreign cultures, new life, and new civilizations. The Renault Duster ventures into areas many humans have (almost) never seen before, thousands of light seconds away from Esslingen.

We then made our first stop after a small detour just before the Waterberg (visible on the right horizon in the upper picture). There, I finally had the chance to take a comparison photo of one of the termite mounds on the roadside - it was bigger than the tree next to it and (surprise!) even bigger than me.

In the afternoon, we arrived at our first accommodation, the Sophienhof Lodge, and were pleasantly surprised. Firstly, just a few meters behind the gate, we were able to watch a herd of springboks crossing the road, and secondly, the campsite was spacious, the facilities were nice, and the evening walk was breathtaking.

(Although I was already convinced when I saw the three cats. But the rest was okay too.)

Day 2: Christmas at Sophienhof Lodge

In the morning, amidst the Christmas chaos, we dared to drive to the nearest town to stock up on groceries for the trip. On the way back, it started to pour rain, so we spent some time in the trunk of our car when we returned to the lodge. Luckily, the rain miraculously stopped just in time for our planned game drive.

The game drive was very exciting, informative, and filled with wildlife. However, we saw even more animals in Etosha, except for the tortoise in the middle of the road. But I'll elaborate on that later.

There was also a nice buffet for Christmas Eve, and then we went to bed a little later without much gift-giving. Unfortunately, the local WiFi blocked calls home, but regardless, it was definitely a nice 'Christmas with a twist'.

Day 3: Etosha Part 1

After packing up the tent in the morning and taking a short walk towards the cheetah enclosure (!!!)...

...we headed into the Etosha National Park. Just a few minutes past the gate, we realized that we were now in a different world when we saw a wildebeest standing right next to the road.

For the next two days, we slept at the eastern edge of the park at the Onguma Tamboti Campsite, complete with a pool, a private washing area, and some zebra mongooses that liked to stop by for breakfast.

Day 4: Etosha Part 2

On the second day in Etosha, we took it easy, driving around the park for a few hours and spending the rest of the day at the Onguma pool trying to escape the scorching heat of over 40 degrees. Nonetheless, it was a highlight of our time in Etosha - I'll talk more about the animals later, but spoiler alert: we saw elephants!

Day 5: Etosha Part 3

On the last day, we took a detour back to the southern gate of the park, where we arrived at our 'bed' for the night, the Toshari Lodge, in the evening.

The campsite was huge, we were the only ones there, and we got to shower under trees and the open sky.

We also enjoyed the sunset in two of the three pools at the lodge, with unlimited tea, coffee, and hot chocolate - it was simply amazing.

(Even the entrance looked amazing... It hurt a little that we had to leave the next morning.)

That concluded our three days in Etosha - but you may be wondering, what animals did we see there?

E.T.A.: Etosha's Wildlife Awards

The most frequently seen animal in Etosha, by far, are the springboks - small antelopes that often travel in large herds and get along well with other animals.

Here, for example, with the second most common animal and my personal favorite, the zebras.

No other animal has come as close to us, they are so playful, and it's so much fun to watch them. We mostly saw plains zebras, recognized by their alternating light and dark stripes.

Giraffes are also always impressive, and we spotted them in masses on the second day at a small lake. They also like to leisurely cross the road and offer great photo opportunities (especially when eating or drinking) - without a doubt, the most photogenic animal in Etosha.

Although, the award for the rarest animal goes to the one dik-dik (the smallest antelope in the world) that we spotted in the bushes.

And last but not least, the two secretary birds were definitely the strangest creatures we encountered during our travels - a weird bird, quite literally.

Day 6: Travel Day

After spending the morning in the pool with coffee and tea, we sadly had to say goodbye and head to our next destination. We had over 6 hours of driving ahead of us and wanted to arrive in Walvis Bay before evening, which we nearly achieved. But as fate would have it, the paved road became increasingly unstable shortly after Usakos, the fuel consumption skyrocketed, and suddenly, due to Robin's good judgement, the car veered off the road - our tire was completely flat.

Fortunately, I had a man with technical knowledge and experience with Daimler by my side, and he changed the tire without any complaints or problems. We were a little delayed but relieved, and then we continued along the coast to our hostel in Walvis Bay, which was a unique experience thanks to its eccentric owner and grandma-patterned duvets.

Day 7: ?

Actually, apart from a short trip to Swakopmund, where we had waffles on the beach, we mostly slept in - not the most exciting story, but still really enjoyable. Among other things, because the next day would start early again.

Day 8: Pelican Point Kayaking

Although we couldn't take our phones with us, the trip was truly unforgettable and worth 50€ more than I ever expected. After a longer drive past salt pans, sand, and many flamingos, our tour reached Pelican Point, where there were no pelicans in sight, but countless seal colonies instead.

The seals were very friendly and playful, they jumped, bit our paddles, and swam alongside us. The seal pups melted my heart; we later walked past some of them on the beach, and one even swam towards us in shallow water - much more likable than the bulls, where sometimes we preferred to keep a safe distance.

After that, we had breakfast on the beach, and then we headed back to Walvis Bay, where we finally got to change out of our completely soaked clothes.

Despite wet jeans and a strong odor, it was simply a unique experience.

Day 9: New Year's Eve

For the last breakfast of the decade, we drove past the many flamingos from the previous day ourselves and stopped a bit further down the beach to have breakfast among the anglers.

Below is a picture of the last sunset of 2019 from Swakopmund beach, after which we indulged in a hearty meal at our all-time favorite restaurant, the Farmhouse, to celebrate the day.

Just before midnight, we enjoyed the moment near Langstrand, where there was even a short fireworks display between the dunes and the Atlantic Ocean - the perfect start to the new year.

Day 10: Journey Home

Despite having a spare tire, we safely made it back to Windhoek, where Ivo picked us up at the airport and brought us back to the lodge. I'll write more about that later, but it has become very green here.