[Updated: April 2024] It was cold there in the desert before dawn, our lips blue, noses pinched. But we didn’t mind. Wrapped in warm jackets and beanies, we were about to soar in a hot air balloon over Sossusvlei in Namibia in time to see the sun rise over the dunes.
By Roxanne Reid
[Updated: April 2024] It was cold there in the desert before dawn, our lips blue, noses pinched. But we didn’t mind. Wrapped in warm jackets and beanies, we were about to soar in a hot air balloon over Sossusvlei in Namibia in time to see the sun rise over the dunes.
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By Roxanne Reid The first time we went to Namibia’s Ai-Ais resort in the Fish River Canyon in the 1990s, campers were packed in so tight you couldn’t have found space for a toothpick. I hadn’t been back for more than 20 years but I discovered that it still didn’t rock my socks. Here’s why. By Roxanne Reid We’re puttering past a patch of water lilies, water splashing on the sides of the boat, mist spray on our arms. From a small jetty in Kasane, Botswana, we’d sped downstream to Impalila Island for immigration formalities. Now we’re going back upstream to join the Pangolin Voyager for a taste of houseboat life on the Chobe River, photography on our minds. By Roxanne Reid The Namushasha Heritage Centre in Namibia’s Zambezi (formerly Caprivi) was opened in 2014 to showcase the history and traditions of some of the people of the region. To get there, we walked along a riverside trail from the Namushasha River Lodge but you could just as easily make a stop on your way to or from Kongola. By Roxanne Reid Swakopmund in Namibia is a favourite with holidaymakers who enjoy its laidback atmosphere, fresh air and beaches. It's carved out of the dunes between the Namib Desert and the ocean, and the breezes blowing off the Atlantic bring cooler temperatures here than inland. But for me Swakopmund is more about old buildings, desert and adventure than beaches. By Roxanne Reid When I visited the NamibRand Nature Reserve in southern Namibia it was love at first sight, if for nothing else than its dazzling landscapes and its peaceful isolation. But there’s even more to love, like its fairy circles and dark skies. By Roxanne Reid If you’re a rock hopper, star gazer or even a serious climber and you’re travelling the road between Usakos and Swakopmund you’ll never forgive yourself if you don’t stop for a few days at Spitzkoppe campsite in the Namib Desert. By Roxanne Reid The landscape around the little town of Aus in southern Namibia was hot, parched and dusty. Klein Aus Vista’s Desert Horse Campsite, on the fringe of the Namib Desert and the Gondwana Sperrgebiet Rand Park, was our stopover for a couple of nights. We were there to see Namibia’s wild horses, but what we found at sunset were rocky koppies washed in ginger light. By Roxanne Reid He was a whirlwind of energy, sand flying as he dug in search of creatures that had left tiny hints of their presence, wiggling his bare feet into the sand where it was cooler than the hot surface. This was Tommy Collard leading us into the dunes of the Dorob National Park outside Swakopmund, Namibia, proving that the dunes are more alive than you think. By Roxanne Reid We were passing through Kamanjab in Namibia’s Kunene district when we saw a Himba woman in traditional dress pulling a wheelie suitcase to the bus stop as if she was in an international airport – a strange jumble of two very different cultures. Now we were on our way to meet a whole village of Himba women and children but my dilemma over the clash of cultures was still prickling at the back of my mind. |
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AboutI'm an independent travel writer and book editor with a passion for Africa - anything from African travel, people, safari and wildlife to adventure, heritage, road-tripping and slow travel. Categories
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