Namibia: strange, friendly, beautiful

09/19/2018 // Imme, Stefan, Cecilia and Mathis from Berlin, Germany

We have fulfilled a travel wish and travelled as a family of four (with adult children) for three weeks through central and northern Namibia in August/September 2018.

We are grateful to Elizabeth and Simon for one of the most beautiful trips we have made so far. The trip exceeded our expectations. We got to know various landscapes, met very friendly, cordial people and were impressed by the diversity of animals.

The planning with Elizabeth by mail was uncomplicated and reliable. A queasy moment arose when we transferred a large amount of money to Namibia several months before the trip. The very cordial contact with Elizabeth was reassuring for us, even after the planning had been completed.

When we arrived in Namibia, we were thrilled. Simon is warm and open, very reliable and a prudent driver. We enjoyed his company and learned a lot about the political situation in Namibia and the different tribes. This certainly gave us some insights that we would not have experienced on our own. Simon speaks German very well, for comprehensive topics we spoke English. We also learned a little Afrikaans and Oshiwambo. Simon has ‘eagle eyes’ and discovered animals that we would never have seen without him. Dankie, Simon!

Every day of our journey gave us new experiences and was beautiful. But of course there were special moments:

  • Sossusvlei in the morning fog and the race down from Dune 45 and Big Daddy
  • The trip with Elisabeth to Mondesa and the beautiful evenings in Swakop with Elisabeths and Simon's families. We have experienced so much hospitality!
  • The visit of the Living Museum of the San in Omandumba and the Bush Camp there
  • The Desert Elephants of Twyfelfontain and the Sun-Downer
  • The waterhole of Okaukuejo and the incredible wildlife in Etosha Park
  • The view of the hippos and crocodiles in the Okavango from our terrace and the Village Walk with the gardener of the Nunda River Lodge into his village
  • The Bush-Walk to Rhinos on the Waterberg-Plateau which is a completely different feeling than from the car
  • The relaxed conclusion of our trip in the friendly Okambara Elephant Lodge
  • The trip was well planned for us and also left us room for relaxing moments.

We were happy that we mostly spent 2 nights in each accommodation and limited ourselves to the discovery of central and northern Namibia. The contrast between the arid landscape in the central highlands and the green, populated Namibia in the north was exciting. Namibia is big and the driving distances are sometimes long. To travel in summer was perfect for us: The sky was always bright blue. The days were already quite warm, the nights cool to cold, but we didn't freeze in the comfortable beds. There were almost no mosquitoes in the north either.

We thank Elizabeth and Simon for this extraordinary, wonderful trip.

Dear Elizabeth, dear Simon, You have broadened our horizons and conquered our hearts. Thank you!