Namibia Summary

On Thursday morning we visit the Namibia Craft Centre in Windhoek for some last-minute shopping and breakfast. Then we drive to the airport, return the rental car, and each fly back to our respective home countries.

While flying back to Estonia with three flights via Addis Ababa and Stockholm, it’s good to reflect on the trip. Twelve days was clearly too short for a country like this. For example, we didn’t make it to Lüderitz in southern Namibia, where it would have been possible to see penguins and visit the abandoned mining town partially buried in sand. We also didn’t have time in Swakopmund to take a 4x4 tour to Sandwich Harbour near Walvis Bay, where the ocean meets the sand dunes. In addition, I would have liked to visit authentic Himba villages north of Etosha.

My best experiences in Namibia:

• Visiting the Omapaha Himba village, talking and bargaining with the village women

• The nature walk at the San Living Museum with bushmen to learn about their traditional lifestyle

• Staying at Camp Gecko on the edge of the savannah, powerful sunset views and grilling oryx meat under the stars

• Breakfasts and dinners at Okutala Private Nature Reserve while watching rhinos, an elephant, and other animals at the waterhole

• Driving around near Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert, seeing freely roaming oryx and ostriches, the burnt forest, and climbing a red sand dune

• Safari in Etosha National Park and seeing wild lions for the first time

• Watching seals diving into the ocean at Walvis Bay

• Visiting the Herero Ombu village, taking a tour and sitting in a discussion circle with the villagers

• Visiting the Otjiwarongo crocodile farm with a very cool guide

Namibians are very open, friendly, hospitable, and kind. Even in bars where we were the only tourists, we were warmly welcomed. People started conversations out of genuine interest and even bought us drinks. Very quickly they shared quite personal details about their lives — for example, about a father with a carefree lifestyle who has children with different women in several countries around the world. English is not spoken only in San, Himba, and Herero villages.

Although we were advised not to walk after dark in cities — even to drive a couple of kilometers instead — and our parked car always needed a guard who expected a tip, we never directly felt in danger. However, people tried in various ways to get money from us — for example, at a Shell station near Etosha National Park by asking our names and quickly making personalized keychains, or by claiming to collect money for a school graduation party. Parking guards demanded tips even when one of us was sitting in the car and no guarding was necessary.

This is one of the most fascinating (and most sparsely populated) countries in Africa that I have visited. I definitely recommend everyone to go and, in addition to nature, focus on meeting local people and especially visiting the few remaining traditional Himba, Herero, and San villages while they still exist. I fear that the spread of smartphones, internet, and addictive apps into every corner of the world is rapidly reducing cultural diversity. Therefore, I certainly plan to continue traveling to more remote countries in the coming years. Okuhepa!