This year, I’m spending most of my holidays in The Netherlands, but we set aside one special week for a trip to Namibia. My husband and I visited Namibia 20 years ago, and the experience left such a lasting impression that we wanted to return and share its beauty with our son. Joining us were my brother and cousin.
We started our adventure in Etosha Park, a haven where many of Africa’s magnificent animals roam freely. We spent three days there, and believe it or not, these photos are all from just our first day. I’ve been on quite a few safaris while living in South Africa, but I’ve never seen so many animals in one day.
One reason for this might be the season; we were traveling during the African winter when Namibia is very dry. During this time, many animals gather around the park’s waterholes. We saw these elephants at one of the water sources and expected to see many more. Surprisingly, that day turned out to be unique as we rarely saw more than a few elephants together after that.
Given the park’s vast size, you’d think spotting more elephants would be easy, but even these large animals can hide well in such a huge area. The park is also home to many beautiful birds and the stunningly graceful giraffes and ostriches.
Twenty years ago, I had walked freely among the animals (although just thinking about it now still scares me!). This time, we thought we could get out and take a few pictures in an open area, assuming we’d spot any approaching lions first. Instead, a park guard noticed us. He wasn’t too happy and admonished us for not following the park’s guidelines. We were only allowed to exit our car at designated, fenced picnic areas. Feeling a bit embarrassed, we quickly got back in the car!
However, I did manage to snap a picture of my outfit, which included old safari-style pants from many years ago. Later that day, I changed into shorts since Namibian winter weather can change by the hour, but that’s a story for another time.
I took so many beautiful photos during our stay in Etosha Park that I can’t fit them all into one article. I’ll share more of them another day.
Have you ever been on a safari? Did you enjoy it? What did you wear?