Self Supported Camping in Namibia, Feb. 2018

Courtship with my current husband was a series of backpacking trips throughout Colorado during our first summer together. Peter took care of all of the details, even preparing freshly brewed coffee for me at first morning light.  I was hooked. The novelty of sleeping out in a tent, waking up to the sounds of nature is something I look forward to every summer since.

Several years ago Peter upped the ante by signing us up for a two-week overland/camping trip in Botswana. I came back home talking of little else convincing my brother to consider travel to Africa. Self-driving tours of Southern Africa are amazingly easy to plan. There are many rental companies that provide fully equipped 4X4s so you simply show up and drive away. Ah, but then there is the question of a route!

My brother, Ethan, and I began planning a Namibian road trip in early 2017, obsessively reading blogs, watching YouTube, and making lists. He would be the driver and this directionally challenged cyclist would plan the route.

Gemsbok, Etosha NP

waterhole in Western Etosha NP

We planned to camp along the way and do our own cooking, mostly because we enjoy cooking outside but also not knowing if there would be restaurants along our rural explorations. Ethan’s girlfriend Chris gamely decided to join us a month before we left and she proved to be the best animal spotter in this group.   

brief encounter, somewhere in Namibia

Other than Epupa Falls, located on the Northern border of Namibia, Ethan didn’t express much opinion of what he wanted to see. I decided to cover a lot of the country. We were undaunted by the distances being from the American Southwest the three of us are accustomed to long road trips.

Camping out in Namibia was an absolute blast. All of the campsites had flushing toilets, showers, drinkable tap water, and a braai area in which to cook. The Etosha NP campgrounds were the most trodden, much like the big campgrounds in Yellowstone USA, but the Namibian camp sites were exceptionally clean. We chose to camp at Etosha 2 nights and stay at a lodge 2 nights, our only lodge accommodation for the entire trip. The lodge options in Namibia cover a wide spectrum of experiences but we kept to the theme of a camping trip instead.

There was one day that I misnavigated our route. That was the day we punctured 2 tires and the campground was below our now elevated standard. But my travel companions were good sports, all of our other experiences made up for the one dud of a day. Seriously a not-so-perfect day in Namibia is a day offering a bit of adventure from home.

I feel confident that we will all return to Africa again. Next time I will be careful not to arrive with expectations but to just be ready to learn and perhaps strive to be more thoughtful. There is something to be said for the unknown to keep life interesting. When I have the opportunity to travel abroad I look forward to being outside of my comfort zone, which this trip did achieve. My lust for travel was re-ignited in Namibia, I don’t think I will wait 3 years for my next 2-week vacation.

Lodging and Campsites

Omatozu Lodge

Halali Camp, Eastern Etosha

Dolomite Camp, Western Etosha

Epupa Falls Camp

Hoada Campsite

Hauchabfontein Camping in Naukluft Mt.

Epupa Falls and Himba Village along the Kunene

Epupa Falls

It’s been 11 months since I slept along the Kunene River. We drank the water, because our camp host said it would make us strong. He might have been right but I also think it steeped into my cells impressing the beauty of the surroundings directly onto my being. I am sad that I won’t be there again for a while but then wasn’t I lucky to pitch my tent on it’s banks, listening to the owls at night.

One clear, bright morning a local man, Kamburu, introduced us to a few Himba villagers. He is based in Epupa Falls, but frequently travels throughout southwestern Africa. It would be difficult for us, as tourists, to cross the Kunene River into Angola but residents of region do not recognize the Kunene River as a boundary. They cross freely to visit family and friends for this has always been their region.

Kamburu is a delightful, informative guide and this is what I learned;

  • the Himba traditions have survived colonialism, rinderpest, and war but it is uncertain if they will survive global climate change.

  • Himba women are certainly beautiful but their morning rituals take at least 4 hours a day. Clothes, jewelry, hair, ochre paste rubbed onto their entire bodies- this takes time!

  • Himba men take pride in their appearance too, their ensembles are striking.

  • We can all take lessons on how to do with less water and still smell fantastic.

That morning I was in awe with this vibrant community that happily adheres to their ancient traditions. These traditions and religious beliefs provide a stable societal structure. Individuals lean on their community for virtually everything. The cooking, child raising, and livestock grazing, are all taken care of as a group. There is a bit of materialism, even competition, present within the Himba village, but their materialism is so insignificant compared to what I see in my own U.S. American society. That morning I listened to jokes and saw love directed to the children, there was a calmness I don’t experience often.

Certainly there are some very complicated issues facing the Himba communities of northern Namibia ranging from long-lasting drought, the state of rangelands & perennial grasses, to the everlasting threat from the government to dam the Kunene River even further. I wish Kamburu and his community the strength and wisdom in addressing these problems.

Namibian Road Trip September

Opuwo, Namibia

Kamburu and me saying goodbye.