Africa, Namibia

Namibia | Cruising Through the Endless Savannas

by TUVA’S WORLD

Namibia, the land of open spaces, beautiful views, starry nights and endless of life.

Arriving In Windhoek, Namibia

We landed in Windhoek, Namibia’s capital, a vibrant and diverse city with a unique blend of traditional and modern architecture. The first night we stayed at a small but nice bed & breakfast in Windhoek called the Monte Bello Guesthouse. After a day, we started our journey and drove up north on our way to Etosha National Park.

Namibia is a country with an immense area of Savannah, covering around 64% of the lands surface. Along the coast, you’ll find the Namib Desert and in the east the Kalahari desert. The Namib Desert is supposed to be the oldest desert in the world, having endured an estimated 80 million years. Very interesting how the vegetation has not changed in millions of millions of years. Even the name of the country speaks for the landscape since “Namib” is translated to “the land of open spaces”.

Accommodations & Safari Camps

Along the roads through Namibia, you will not see a lot of cities or even villages. Most of the country is wildlife and I witnessed many animals running beside the road. The view from our car consisted of sand, bushes, and the occasional truck driving by.

Arriving in Etosha National Park, we stayed at Etosha Safari Lodge. A perfectly located lodge with a stunning view. At night we sat on the big deck, had Namibian food for dinner while watching the thunder and lightning roam over the savanna. During the day I spent most of my time by the sweet water pool, accessible to both humans and thirsty elephants or giraffes.

Next accommodation was Onugma Tamboti Campsite, a campsite made for people to park and fold up their tents. We parked in the (completely) orange sand and folded up our tents on the roof of the car. This was our accommodation for the night.

It was an experience like none other to fall asleep to the sounds of animals lurking in the bushes on their way to the watering hole. As well as the never-ending sound of crickets on a hot night. In the morning I woke up to the heating sun rays coming their way through the tent. Our night at this camp was an amazing experience, especially when my mom had to kill a huge scorpion, because you know that’s wildlife.

Safari in Etosha National Park

At the National Park you decide whether you want a guided safari or drive by yourself and take your own time to observe the landscapes, the animals, and the stunning nature. The area is no doubt enormous, so I highly recommend driving by yourself. And you will see animals! Plenty! We were fortunate to see giraffes, elephants, zebras, lions, dik-diks, buffalos, and a hell of a lot of springboks.

Even though you might have seen the same sorts of animals thousands of times at a zoo, it’s such a different feeling when you see them in their actual natural habitat. It’s where they belong. And you are the guest in their home.

Largest Salt Pan in Africa

Namibia has the most remarkable nature I’ve ever seen. Inside of Etosha, you will find the Etosha pan, an old lake turned into a massive area of minerals and salt. The lake was first formed over 100 million years ago but over time the earth’s climate forced the rivers to change course and flow directly out to the Atlantic Ocean instead of into the lake.

Today, the salt pan is as large as 130 km long and up to 50 km wide. Which makes it the largest pan in Africa and is even visible from space!! This salt pan is also the reason for the name “Etosha” which means “great white place” in the language of the Ovambo tribe. Imagine, as far as your eye can reach there is only white ground and a blue sky. The white salt was together with the sun so blinding, that we had no choice not to wear sunglasses. Like being on a different planet.

It’s safe to say that Namibia is one of the most unique countries I’ve ever visited and I can’t wait to go back and explore more.

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24 thoughts on “Namibia | Cruising Through the Endless Savannas”

  1. Oh wow wow, I mean just looking at the pictures I can’t be but in awe of Namibia! I will have to add it to my travel list and visit as soon as it’s safe again! Really loved all the pictures and the chance you had to see so much wild life! Thank you for sharing x

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    1. Right?! Such special and stunning scenery in Namibia. I think you’re doing right by adding Namibia to your travel list and I hope you get to experience it as well. Thank you so much for reading Christina! x

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  4. Goodness me this gave me goosebumps! This sounds like my absolute perfect trip. I adore animals and I bet seeing them like that was such an incredible experience. The place you stayed sounds perfect too. I bet this was an incredible trip to get away from it all as well.

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    1. It really was! I’m so happy to have made this trip and miss it tons! The whole safari trip and sleeping in tents etc. might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the great thing about it is that you can choose how much wilderness you want to experience. If you prefer staying in a hotel or if you want to do the whole tents and savanna camping experience. In my opinion, a mixture of both was perfect for me. Thank you for reading Jenny!

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  8. These pictures look amazing and I would love to be able to visit animals. I want to visit the cat sanctuary here, and have the vip experience. I cannot wait to do that experience when it is safe from covid to do it.

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