I grew up in Belgium in a very large family of 9 siblings. Naturally, I followed in my parents’ footsteps and began to travel. I’ve been living in Mauritius for several years now and absolutely love it! Mauritius is a multicultural destination and I have discovered so many cultures from living here. It has certainly inspired me to travel more and explore the world.
One of my latest travel adventures was a short journey to Namibia. I remember seeing awesome photos of this African country when I was a kid and I promised myself that I would go there. I’m a huge fan of wide and unspoiled landscapes and I was blown away by the immensity and emptiness of this country.
There is so much to explore in Namibia. Driving for hours without seeing a single car or house is an incredibly powerful feeling. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to really immerse myself in the culture of Namibia. I normally like to travel in a destination for a few months to get a real feel for the place and the people.
The few people I did meet were very welcoming and I had a great time with them. I also had the opportunity to meet a couple of the San People. They are also known as the “Bushmen” and are part of Khoesān-speaking indigenous hunter-gatherer groups whose territories span Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and South Africa.
The San People are one of the oldest civilisations on earth. It was beautiful to see how they still live the same way they did centuries ago. Next time I would like to stay in Namibia for longer than 10 days so I can meet more local Namibians and learn more about the San People. I’ll definitely go back!
Capturing the Beauty of Erindi Private Game Reserve
I travelled to Namibia specifically for a filming project and to photograph the wildlife at Erindi Game Reserve. We stayed at Erindi for five days and then rented a 4×4 with a roof tent and headed to the Sossusvlei Desert for four days. Driving around Namibia is an experience in and of itself, and the camping scene is very well organised.
Erindi is such an incredible place. We saw so many different species of animals and the tour guides were excellent! Having the opportunity to see all the felines (lions, leopards and cheetah) and all the big animals of the savanna was amazing. Giraffes, zebras, antelopes, wildebeest, hippos, crocodiles and so much more!
The most beautiful scenery we experienced on our trip to Namibia was probably on our last drive. We arrived just before the sunset at a waterhole. There were a few young male elephants drinking. But suddenly a big bull elephant arrived and pushed away the young elephants. Another herd of females and babies joined a few minutes later and then another herd arrived!
We were soon surrounded by dozens of elephants drinking, dusting and gently fighting. There was so much interaction between these giants that I could have watched them forever. You never forget moments like that when you travel.
Another special moment at Erindi was on our last night. We asked our guide if he could takes us somewhere remote to take photos of the Milky Way. We wanted to be close to the water to see the reflection of the stars.
He drove us to a small lake and after checking if no elephant, lion or any other potentially dangerous animal was around, we set up our tripods and started taking photos.
The Milky Way was beautiful and we experienced the stars as we’ve never seen them before. No light pollution for miles and miles. Soon enough, we discovered that a huge crocodile was staring at us from the water, three meters away from where we were standing. Our guide politely asked us to finish our shooting and we drove back.
Definitely a memory that I will cherish for my entire life!
Helicopter Rides over the Stunning Sossusvlei Desert
The second part of our 10 days in Namibia was exploring the Sossusvlei Desert for four days in our 4×4 with a roof tent. Located in the largest conservation in Africa (in the Namib-Naukluft National Park), Sossusvlei is probably the best-known attraction and most photographed destination in Namibia.
We were lucky to experience this incredible desert from the skies in a helicopter. It was amazing! We took off at sunrise in a small helicopter with the doors off. Seeing these giant sand dunes and mountains of rocks from above gives a completely different perspective. I highly recommend it!
All in all, in our 10 days in Namibia, we never felt unsafe and had no issues driving around. I would highly recommend renting a 4×4 roof tent, as we did, and cruising through the Namibian landscapes. There really is so much to discover in this beautiful African country.
