sdb2

After thinking about it for several years, I finally made it to Namibia during the last two weeks of August. Here is the itinerary; details follow.

Day 1 IAD to JFK, JFK to JNB (on SAA)
Day 2 JNB to Windhoek (on SAA)
Day 2 Overnight at Hotel Safari, Windhoek
Days 3 and 4 Sossusvlei Shuttle Tour, Stay at Namib Naukluft Lodge
Days 5 and 6 Transfer from Namib to Hotel Europa Hof, Swakopmund
Days 7 and 8 Self-drive to Etosha, 2 nights Mushara Outpost
Days 9 and 10 Mushara Lodge
Day 11 Hotel Safari, Windhoek
Day 12 Windhoek to JNB to IAD (on SAA)
Day 13 Arrive IAD

Days 1, 2 - I flew JFK to JNB on South African Airways and really liked that the trip was non-stop. We arrived in a bit under 14.5 hrs at JNB (at 8:30 am, which I think helps with jet-lag, especially if JNB is your final stop or a layover for continuing flight(s) on the next day), but there was a 5-hr layover before the final leg to Windhoek. I booked a ‘business-class’ room at the Hotel Safari, a decent 3-star hotel. The hotel offers complimentary rides to Windhoek city centre and a local mall every hour; wireless internet is available in the reception area for a fee.

Days 3,4,5 – I wasn’t keen on driving myself over the gravel roads so I booked, through The Cardboard Box, the Sossusvlei Shuttle Tour, operated by African Extravaganza, with a pick-up at Windhoek and drop-off at Swakopmund (tour is available in any combination of Windhoek/Swakopmund). The tour begins with a pick-up at your hotel at 1-2 pm and includes the transfers, 2 nights at the Namib Naukluft Lodge, an excursion to Sossusvlei and Sesriem Canyon, a sundowner-drive on the 2nd night, all meals beginning with dinner on the first day and ending with breakfast on the 3rd day.

Pros: Overall, I think this is a good value. The lodge is a very good mid-range place to stay, with good rooms, food and service. With all the driving being done by someone else, you can kick back and enjoy the scenery.

Cons: Sossusvlei is about 130 km from the lodge. You are awakened at ~4:30 am for a 5:30 am departure to the dunes, a trip that takes about 2 hrs. If your main interest is photographing the dunes, which are stunning at and shortly after sunrise, I would recommend staying at or much closer to Sesriem so you can get into the park when the gates open. In my opinion the tour left only a very short time to enjoy the ‘good’ light necessary for some dramatic shots of the dunes.

Day 5 – The shuttle left after breakfast (8-9 am) and arrived in Swakopmund about 4 hrs later. The rest of the day was spent wandering around the town, which seemed to me, with its very quiet, almost deserted streets, oddly sleepy. The Hotel Europa Hof was an OK 3-star hotel, which seems to enjoy tour-bus business. The hotel’s restaurant specializes in fish dishes and the meals were satisfying. The only real problem I had was with some visitors deciding to smoke one night in the hallways and having their smoke make its way under my room door and stinking up the room.

Day 6 – I booked a full-day tour to see Sandwich Harbour; the tour included a pick-up around 9 am and drop-off some 8 hrs later, with a picnic lunch included. I was especially interested in seeing birdlife. On the advice of several sources, I went with Turnstone Tours. Turnstone provided an excellent tour for three people (me and one couple). Our guide Wayne seemed to know his stuff well and it was clear he was keen on conservation and took great care to minimize any disturbance to the environment and the wildlife we saw. Although we did not see that much wildlife (a couple of jackals roaming the dunes looking for food, a few springbok running over the sand, a pup seal and a lone adult seal) or birdlife (lots of cormorants, but only a small flock of white pelicans, a few ducks, one grey heron), visiting and riding up and down the dunes (almost at a 90 degree drop in one instance!) was exciting and well worthwhile.

Days 7-10 - Picked up a car at Swakopmund and drove to the Mushara Outpost, some 12 km from Etosha’s Von Lindequist Gate. The drive was just about 400 miles over tarred roads (1 lane in each direction) and took 6.75 hrs. Man, was I pooped when I got there! Getting gas along the way was no problem and it is remarkable that you can drive for 30 or 40 miles without having a car pass you from behind (and I stayed mostly at the posted speed limit of 120 km/h or 72 m/h). Both Mushara properties, the Outpost (custom made tent-like structures of wood and canvas which are nestled on the banks of an ancient dry river bed) and the Lodge (8 km from Etosha, spacious chalets), offer excellent mid-range accommodations (with air conditioning!), food and service. Rates include breakfast and dinner. Game drives to Etosha can be booked and paid for separately, although I did not do so. BTW, contrary to some posts at this Forum, I did see and hear lots of mosquitos, but strangely enough I do not recall being bitten much or at all. In any case, I did take malarone.

Etosha itself is a remarkable place. The landscape is stark and as I drove from waterhole to waterhole I would sometimes think that this must have been what it was like for Luke Skywalker on Tatoine. I spent most of my time among the following water holes: Kalkheuwel, Chudob, Klein Numatoni, Klein Okevi, Tsumcor, and Groot Okevi. Kalkheuwel and Klein Numatoni, which was excellent for late afternoon viewing and photography, were my favorites. It seemed to me that over the time I was there the game-viewing was relatively quiet. I saw no cats, with the exception of one lion (but only his mane moving as he rested under a tree some 200 ft away). But if you’re a giraffe lover, Etosha certainly doesn’t disappoint, and it is a never-ending joy to watch them approach the waterholes and get ready to splay their legs before drinking.

Day 11 - The drive to Windhoek is a tad over 300 miles and 5 hrs.

Days 12-13 – Ugh, the trip home (18 hrs from JNB to IAD). Still have a hard time with that stop in Senegal! It’s advertised as 1 hr, but I don’t think I’ve ever had it shorter than 1.5 hrs. But after reading other people’s ideas at this Forum I went out and bought a netbook to back-up my shots. So the trip afforded lots of time to play with photos and to plan my next trip to Africa.

As I've mentioned in another topic, some shots are posted beginning at: http://thesafariadvisor.com/thesafariadvisor_006.htm

Steve

thit_cho

Very nice report. I did a self-drive visit to Namibia in August 2002 and was a bit luckier with cats in Etosha -- several groups of lion and one lone cheetah, but cats were tough. I also stayed inside the park so was on the road very early and out as late as possible and saw most of the cats later in the day (maybe b/c that had given lots of others a chance to find them and to point them out to successive visitors). I never found the cats, but always found a stopped car or two.

Michael

sdb2

Michael, thanks for your comments. I agree that staying in the park offers the advantages you mention. Having to get to the gates before closing time probably cut down on some good game chances. In the mornings I was at the gate before official opening time and sometimes they'd let me in early.

Steve

atravelynn

sdb2,
The quality of your desert shots would never give away that your shuttle trip did not provide the maximum photo ops. So many great waterhole shots too. The hornbill & roller pair with shifting focus were clever.

Did Cardboard Box make all of your arrangements or just book the shuttle?

sdb2

atravelynn, thank you very much for your comments on the photos!

I used the Cardboard Box (CB) only for booking the 3-day Shuttle Tour. BTW, the van that picked me up carried only 3 other people (so there was plenty of space for all of us), was air-conditioned which ensures that you don't suck down the gravel dust along the way, and had a cooler with plenty of bottled water (you will get dry on the 4+ hr drive). In addition, when the driver greets you he gives you a small booklet that contains your itinerary and information on your destination as well as on your starting/finishing cities.

Although I booked only the Shuttle with CB, I am fairly sure they can take care of booking every aspect of a trip in Namibia. I had them check on accommodations at rest camps in Etosha. Unfortunately, CB told me the camps did not have vacancies for my 4 nights. I would have booked with CB had those camps been available. I also had CB check on a rental car for me and they gave me a competitive price. However, CB's policy is to take a deposit up front then the balance at a specified time. Booking directly with Budget, I did not have to lay out any funds ahead of time. CB could have done the reservations at the Mushara properties as well but sometimes I just prefer dealing with a place directly.

I don't hesitate to recommend CB. They were very responsive to my questions and they provided my shuttle confirmation and voucher promptly.

Best, Steve

thit_cho

I worked with Cardboard Box for my trip to Namibia, and also wouldn't hesitate to recommend them -- they did get me into the three camps inside Etosha, but I booked far in advance.

rsnyder

Enjoyed the report! And, the photos were great. Great color in the lbr and what luck to catch the lbr and hornbill in same shot. Once I get East Africa out of my system Namibia is near top of my "wish" list. Thanks.

Dick

twaffle

Lovely photos. Especially liked the jackal foraging in the dunes, has a wonderful feel about it and the grasses in the foreground really add depth.
You have shown some nice action around the waterholes, especially the oryx and wildebeest discussing their differences!

Thanks, nice way to start the morning.

atravelynn

sdb2
How long would you say you spent at the waterholes each day? Were you there in the heat of the day too?

sdb2

atravelynn-

I spent about 6-7 hrs in Etosha in the morning (from opening at ~6:30 a.m. until 1-ish), took a break for lunch, then returned to the park from ~2:30-3 p.m. until closing. So, yes, I was there during the heat of the day and, surprisingly to me, I had some of the best viewing around noon (generally speaking between 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.).

Steve

Rundu

Hi Steve, Thanks for posting a detailed list on Etosha's waterholes and your game viewing times. I am also looking for forward to visit a few or most of them soon!
I would like to know what sort of camera/s you used. Cheers.

Kavey

I enjoyed your report and looking through your photos. I particularly like some of your dune ones, especially the one of people walking along the ridge, and their long shadows. Lovely.

sdb2

Rundu-

I used 2 bodies, the original Canon Rebel digital and the Canon 40D, with the 40D being used predominantly. Most of the dunes shots were with a 28-135 IS lens; most other shots were with the 100-400 L lens, but a few were with a 70-200 F/4 L lens.

Everybody-

I very much appreciate your taking the time to read the report, look at the photos and provide comments. Thanks!!

Best, Steve