Africa
Namibia & South Africa
A Journey Through Africa's Arid Eden
August-September 2020






































































































































Portrait of a Black-backed Jackal in the Cape Fur Seal colony at Cape Cross (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Burchell's Zebras in Etosha, Namibia (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Desert Elephants are forced to share their drinking holes with other creatures including Oryx (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A Black Rhino decides to lie down behind a piece of wood after his drink at Rietfontein waterhole in Etosha (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A solo tree embraces the last light in the dunes at Sossusvlei, Namibia (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Portrait of a Damara Dik Dik in Etosha (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A cheeky Wedge-snouted Lizard runs around at our feet on Elim Dune in Sossusvlei (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Aerial photography in Sossusvlei is one of the most sublime experiences in all of Africa (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A rare sighting of a Porcupine in Etosha close to sunset. He even drummed his quills to display near us! (Image by Inger Vandyke)

The iconic Devil's Fork in Sossusvlei (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A pair of Burchell's Zebras rest on the grasslands of Etosha (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Rhino Reflections (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Zebras gather in the dust to wait their turn for a drink at the waterhole (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Elephant mud bath in Etosha (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A simple shot of an Ostrich (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A lone Quiver Tree in the beautiful Giant's Playground (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Beauty in simplicity. Sossusvlei at sunrise (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Drone's eye view of Puzurira and her little brother taking their goats to water at a well in Kaokoland (Image by Inger Vandyke)

An Gemsbok oryx wanders the rocky plains at the edge of Sossusvlei in Namibia (Image by Inger Vandyke)

The beautiful Himba people of Kaokoland in Namibia (Image by Inger Vandyke)

An abandoned oil rig on the remote Skeleton Coast (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Uapenga's brother (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Burchell's Zebras in the grasslands near Salvadora in Etosha (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A cluster of Sociable Weaver nests in Namibia (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Dorrob National Park from the air (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Three Oryx on a dune taking from our aerial flight in a helicopter with no doors! (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Cape Glossy Starling are beautiful but they love raiding picnic sites! (Image by Inger Vandyke)

The Himba children of Namibia are often tasked with herding and tending to the family's goats. Image by Inger Vandyke.

A close up of our favourite old male elephant on the trip (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A Namaqua Chameleon catches its breakfast on our Living Desert trip, the ultimate Sandbox Safari (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Portrait of a Peringuey's Adder (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Stunning Sossusvlei - everywhere you turn there are beautiful images! (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Namibia's pale scorpions fluoresce at night, making them wonderful photographic subjects (Image by Inger Vandyke)

The flamingoes of Walvis Bay. There's nowhere else on earth you can get shots like this of them against the dunes (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Desert grasses at Elim dune in Sossusvlei late in the afternoon (Image by Inger Vandyke)

"Look at my big ears!" A baby Desert Elephant plays Dumbo (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A pack of Black-backed Jackals argue over a dead seal carcass at Cape Cross (Image by Inger Vandyke)

The stark beauty of a giraffe wandering near the gigantic Etosha pan (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A Chacma Baboon finds a shady tree to sit under in the Hoanib River bed (Image by Inger Vandyke)

The setting moon at the Quiver Tree Forest in Keetmanshoop (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A young giraffe in the Ekendeka basalts near Palmwag, Namibia (Image by Inger Vandyke)

The comical Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills of southern Africa are sometimes called 'Flying Bananas' (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Portrait of a Yellow Mongoose in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Reserve (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Burchell's Zebras battle it out in the dust of Etosha (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Sossusvlei is never an unattractive office. Our expedition cars lie waiting for us to finish our landscape photography there (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Ripples and dune details in Sossusvlei (Image by Inger Vandyke)

One of the many spectacular sunsets we witnessed on our trip (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Black-backed Jackals are a regular sight in Etosha, Namibia (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Sunrise at the Quiver Tree Forest, Namibia (Image by Inger Vandyke)

An aerial view of Sossus Dune Lodge (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A group of older Cheetah cubs wanders through the Kalahari in South Africa (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Aerial shot of an Oryx running through the dunes at Sossusvlei (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Lioness drinking at Charitsaub Waterhole in Etosha, Namibia, after devouring her hunted zebra. Image by Inger Vandyke.

The journey (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A wandering, foraging Secretarybird in the Kalahari (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Deadvlei aerial detail shows ancient paths of water through the clay pan (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Dorrob National Park from a scenic plane flight. Look at that fantastic geological formation! (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Peringueys Adders are the masters of camouflage in Dorrob National Park (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A beautiful solo Acacia Tree at Salvadora waterhole in Etosha (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Who knew? A Namaqua Chameleon actually 'grabs' its meals using the end of its tongue! (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A herd of oryx runs across the grasslands of Sossusvlei, Namibia at sunset (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Palmato or Web-footed Geckos are a fascinating highlight of The Living Desert tour in Dorrob National Park, Namibia. Image by Inger Vandyke.

An Eland braces itself for the dust of a sudden whirlwind in Etosha (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Looking into the eye of an elephant in Etosha (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Dune Lark portrait (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Himba woman are as beautiful from behind as they are from the front (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Aerial view of elephants and oryx in remote north-western Namibia (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Aerial detail of Deadvlei (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Etosha at sunrise (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Springbok in Etosha, Namibia (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Portrait of a Cheetah (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A memorable sunset at Palmwag Lodge (Image by Inger Vandyke)

An elderly Black Rhino male in the western end of Etosha (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A laughing Himba girl draws water from her well to sustain her goats and sheep (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Who are you looking at? An early morning Meerkat in the Kalahari (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A Fitzsimmons Burrowing Skink in Dorrob National Park (Image by Inger Vandyke)

One of two beautiful Desert Lions we found in the Hoanib Riverbed (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A herd of Desert Elephants gather at a waterhole in the Hoanib to drink (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A Kori Bustard takes a drink from a waterhole in Etosha (Image by Inger Vandyke)

The quiet, dreamlike landscapes of Sossusvlei at sunset (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Dune grasses at sunset on Elim Dune in Sossusvlei (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A beautiful Peringuey's Adder on the top of the dunes in Dorrob National Park near Swakopmund (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Ancient (dating back to 9th century) rock petroglyphs in Damaraland (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Beautiful sunlit Oryx in the Kalahari (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A group of Oryx on the dunes in Sossusvlei taken from our scenic helicopter flight at sunrise (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Sociable Weavers build such large nest communities that the weight of them can sometimes topple the tree that supports them! (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A solitary tree survives at the bottom of one of Sossusvlei's massive red dunes in Namibia (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Skeleton Coast roadworks from the air (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Desert Elephants and Oryx (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Himba children grow surrounded by so much beauty (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Thousands of flamingoes congregate in Dorrob National Park. Their swathes of pink are easily seen from a scenic plane flight (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Breathtaking sunset from Etaambura Lodge (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Sociable Weaver nest in a Quiver Tree (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Can you ever have too many beautiful sunsets? (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Buses and climbers gather to walk up Sossusvlei's famous Dune 45 (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Portrait of Head Man Uapenga's daughter in Onjuva (Image by Inger Vandyke)

The stunning simplicity of the red dunes at Sossusvlei, Namibia (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A pair of young male Springbok practice rutting at sunrise in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Reserve (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Flamingos take flight off the coast of Walvis Bay in southern Namibia (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Sunrise in the spectacular Quiver Tree Forest (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Quiver Tree sun burst (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Dust and powder anyone? African Elephants take a dust bath after a swim in Etosha (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A young Etosha elephant dustbathing at the waterhole in Okaukuejo (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Portrait of a beautiful Zemba girl in Kamanjab (Image by Inger Vandyke)

When you find an unexpected macro shot in Porcupine quills (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Namibia's mysterious Fairy Circles dot the landscape at Sossusvlei. Image by Inger Vandyke.

Zebra Portrait in black and white (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Detail of an old male Etosha Elephant (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Salt. Walvis Bay (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A handsome Mountain Wheatear in the rushes beside a stretch of water in the Hoanib ephemeral river (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Portrait of a stunningly beautiful Himba girl (Image by Inger Vandyke)

The simple beauty of landscape photography in Sossusvlei (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Deadvlei from the air (Image by Inger Vandyke)

When activity at a waterhole gets tough, the tough Oryx get going. Even the birds get scared! (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Himba children playing in remote Kaokoland, Namibia (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Namibia features many different colours of sand dunes including the spectacular garnet sand dunes of Dorrob National Park near Swakopmund (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A pair of Rosy-faced Lovebirds enjoy the early morning sun at the Quiver Tree Forest (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Namibia's iconic Quiver Trees are always photogenic. Image by Inger Vandyke.

Quiver Tree in the Giant's Playground at Keetmanshoop, Namibia (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A Cheetah ambles towards us (Image by Inger Vandyke)

A shy Rosy-faced Lovebird peers out of its nest built by Sociable Weavers in the Quiver Tree Forest (Image by Inger Vandyke)

The wave. Viewing the red dunes of Sossusvlei from the air is a feast of light, shape and colour. Image by Inger Vandyke.

Burchell's Zebras posing (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Himba woman nursing her baby (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Portrait of a male Black-maned Lion in the Kalahari (Image by Inger Vandyke)

An aerial view of the coastline at Walvis Bay (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Sun shines through the encroaching fog over the Skeleton Coast in Namibia (Image by Inger Vandyke)

The unbearable lightness of trees (Image by Inger Vandyke)

An African Scops Owl peeps out from its hiding place (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Portrait of a giraffe in Etosha, Namibia. Image by Inger Vandyke.

Detail of a Zemba girl's dress in Opuwo (Image by Inger Vandyke)

Desert Roses at Sesriem (Image by Inger Vandyke)
Tour | Dates | Days | Group Size Limit |
---|---|---|---|
Namibia & South Africa | Sunday 16th August - Sunday 6th September 2020 | 22 | 10 |
Photographic Highlights
- Close encounters with the Kalahari’s famous Meerkats
- Cats in the Kalahari including: African Wild Cat, Cheetah and Lions
- The otherworldly Quiver Tree Forest and dolerite stacks of the Giant’s Playground for sunrise and sunset photography. Celestial night photography inside the Quiver Tree Forest (weather permitting)
- The stunning red dune landscapes of the Namib Naukluft National Park including sunrise photography in Namibia’s most iconic destination, Dead Vlei. Sunsets and sunrises over the dunes of the Namib
- The world’s oldest plants, Welwitschia mirabilis
- A search for Africa’s “Little Five” in the dunes of Swakopmund
- The largest African Fur Seal colony in the world at Cape Cross
- A north-south traverse of Damaraland by 4WD where we may see prides of desert adapted lions and other creatures of this red granite desert system including Black Rhinoceros, giraffes, zebra and the rare desert elephants of Namibia
- A chance to meet with the Himba, Namibia’s most beautiful tribe of Bantu people
- Four nights in Etosha National Park photographing the largest elephants in Africa and other wildlife
NAMIBIA PHOTOGRAPHY TOURS WITH WILD IMAGES
Namibia offers such a rich feast of landscapes, peoples and wildlife that it is not surprising that Namibia photography tours are now considered some of the finest in Africa.
Namibia is the second most sparsely populated country on earth after Mongolia. It is also home to some of Africa’s most visually spectacular landscapes. Comprising mostly of desert, the vast dune systems of the Namib Naukluft National Park sweep their way into the shifting sands of Namibia’s Skeleton Coast, a stretch of coastline that is cooled by the Benguela current, which, when it clashes with the desert heat, creates coastal fog that supports entire ecosystems. Namibian landscape photography is in a class of its own!
Our photography journey through Namibia will really commence after we recross the frontier from South Africa into Namibia after visiting the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.
Spanning a vast corner of south eastern Namibia, north western South Africa and Botswana, the Kalahari is not a true desert as it receives too much rain. It is actually a fossil desert. Rather than the stunning red dune landscapes of the Namib Desert, the Namibian and South African parts of the Kalahari Desert are covered with trees, ephemeral rivers and fossil watercourses. The reasonably regular rainfall patterns that occur every year allow for a very wide variety of wildlife, including large numbers of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects, and also a rich plant life to thrive.
This is a place where the red dunes and scrub fade into infinity and herds of gemsbok, springbok, eland and blue wildebeest follow the seasons, where imposing camel thorn trees provide shade for huge black-maned lions and vantage points for leopard and many raptors. This is the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. An amalgamation of the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in South Africa (proclaimed in 1931) and the Gemsbok National Park in Botswana, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park comprises an area of over 3.6 million hectares – one of very few wildlife conservation areas of this magnitude left in the world.
Red sand dunes, sparse vegetation and the dry riverbeds of the Nossob and Auob show antelope and predator species off to spectacular advantage and provide excellent photographic opportunities. Kgalagadi is also a haven for birdwatchers, especially those interested in bird of prey photography.
Accommodation and Road Transport
Accommodation during our Namibia (and adjacent South Africa) photography tour will be a mix of mid-range standard lodges and hotels and fully supported camping. There is a limited number of single rooms at Etaambura and, depending on rooming needs, some participants may need to share rooms there. Transport will be by two custom built Landcruisers with pop-top roofs that can be opened for optimal safari viewing and wildlife photography.
Walking
There is very little walking on this Namibia photography tour as most of it is conducted by driving. A short walk over undulating dunes is required to reach Dead Vlei. A board walk is available to view the seals at Cape Cross and the visits to the Ovahimba communities will also involve short walks across sand.
Climate
Namibia and South Africa are both extremely dry, arid landscapes with very few mosquitoes. During the day we suggest you wear neutral coloured clothing while on photosafari, a broad brimmed hat and light, long sleeved clothes to protect you from the sun. At night time a warm fleece is recommended as the night time desert temperatures can drop to below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit).
Photographic Equipment
For wildlife photography of the larger mammals and the crocodiles, a 200-300mm lens will often be the most useful lens, but we also recommend a focal length of 400-600mm for many bird shots, mammal close-ups etc. (If your budget does not run to prime lenses, a high quality 100-400mm or similar zoom can be a great alternative.) For landscape and night photography we suggest you bring a wide angle lens from 10mm upwards.
Alternatively, you can get wonderful photography results with a high quality digital bridge camera with an 18-20x or higher optical zoom and a good wide-angle capacity (equivalent to 24-28mm).
For photography with the Himba people you may wish to have either a wide angle lens, point and shoot camera, a standard zoom i.e. 24-105mm or even iphones and ipads!
If you have questions about what equipment you ought to bring, please contact us.
Other Wild Images photosafaris in Africa:
Tanzania’s Serengeti & Ngorongoro
Ethiopia: Danakil Depression Expedition
Ethiopia: Highlands & Holy Sites
Kenya: The Masai Mara & The Laikipia Plateau
NAMIBIA PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR PRICE INFORMATION
Prices are provisional
£6190, €7050, $8600 Windhoek/Windhoek. Deposit: 10%.
Includes surface transportation, accommodations, meals, entrance fees and tips/gratuities.
Single Room/Tent Supplement: £336, €383, $467.
This tour is priced in US Dollars. Amounts shown in Pounds Sterling and Euros are based on £1 = $1.390 and €1 = $1.220.
Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency will be pleased to arrange your air travel on request, or you may arrange this yourself if you prefer.
NAMIBIA & SOUTH AFRICA: PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR ITINERARY
Day 1
Our Namibia & South Africa photography tour begins around midday at Windhoek, where we will stay overnight. Home to a population of around 300,000 people, Windhoek feels more like a large town than a capital city. It is a modern city whose architecture is sprinkled with colonial buildings that hark back to the time when Namibia was a German colony.
On the first night of our expedition we will enjoy a welcome dinner at the iconic restaurant ‘Joe’s’, the traditional start and end point for many a memorable photography expedition in the Kalahari and the Namib.
Day 2
Today we will drive south east from Windhoek along bitumen roads to the tiny town of Stampriet where we will refuel our vehicles before we drive to the frontier between Namibia and South Africa. From Stampriet the change in landscape as we drive towards the Kalahari is immediate. We will drive along unsealed roads that follow the paths of ancient river beds, past many outpost cattle stations and properties towards the border of South Africa at Mata Mata, our first camp in the spectacular Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park., where we will overnight.
That afternoon we will make the first of our drives in Kgalagadi to search for the park’s lions, African wild cats and other predators like hyena. Although wildlife sightings and photography can never be guaranteed, Mata Mata is generally considered a good place to see Giraffe, Gemsbok, Springbok and a variety of birds of prey including Pale Chanting Goshawk, Pygmy Falcon and Tawny Eagle.
Day 3
We will start a slow drive this morning to spend a full day on safari as we traverse the park from Mata Mata to Nossob, where we spend two nights camping. En route we will be searching for many of the Kgalagadi’s ungulate species, predators, birds and also the Park’s famous ground squirrels and Meerkats.
Day 4
Today we will drive both a morning and afternoon safari in the area around the Nossob ephemeral river beds searching for Meerkats and other wildlife. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier is home to some spectacular nesting structures for Sociable Weavers so if safety permits we will stop to look at one of these avian mega structures for photographs.
The region of Nossob is home to the famous black-maned Lions of the Kalahari, which are reputed to be some of the largest Lions in the world. Although they are the same species as other African Lions, the male black-maned Lions of the Kalahari can weigh up to 190kg as opposed to Lions elsewhere in Africa whose males have an average weight of around 130kg. Nossob is where we will base our search for prides of these spectacular Lions but we are likely to encounter many other animals on the way.
Nossob is also famous for being a great place to find Suricates or Meerkats.
Day 5
Today we will have another full day on safari as we head south from Nossob towards our camp at Twee Rivieren where we overnight. Here we will also be searching for predator species such as lions, Cheetah, African Wild Cat, Spotted Hyena, Brown Hyena and Black-backed Jackal. We will also encounter many prey species including Blue Wildebeest, Springbok and Gemsbok oryx. The Kalahari is a fantastic place to see wandering wild Common Ostriches and Giraffes.
Day 6
After a final safari in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park we will clear customs in South Africa and drive north west towards the border of Namibia. Crossing the frontier we will drive to the town of Keetmanshoop for an overnight camping. The Keetmanshoop area is home to the otherworldly Quiver Tree Forest, a stand of Aloe dichotoma trees that are scattered amongst dolerite rocks.
The quiver tree gets its name from the habit of the indigenous San Bushmen who made quivers from the branches of the plant as containers for their (poisonous) arrows.
Botanists have been unable to determine the age of the trees in this forest, and carbon dating in South Africa shows that the quiver tree does not live exceptionally long. Claims that they can attain an age of thousands of years are pure speculation and unfounded, but it is believed that large trees up to 5m in height could be some 200 years old.
We will spend the sunset wandering through this forest doing photography of both the Quiver Trees and the native African Rock Hyraxes or ‘Dassies’ that call the forest home.
The Quiver Trees of Keetmanshoop are also an ideal subject for night time photography as they rarely shiver, even in a stronger breeze, making them ideal subjects for long exposure photographs. It is also blessed with low levels of light pollution and is an incredible place to watch the Namibian night sky. If the weather and time permits we will return to the forest after dinner to enjoy a night time photography session where our targets will be the Milky Way and doing star trail photography.
Day 7
This morning we will get up early to photograph another stunning location near Keetmanshoop, the odd dolerite rock park of the Giant’s Playground. At a first glance the Giant’s Playground doesn’t look like much more than a pile of ancient rocks but as we will navigate our way through a labyrinth of paths, we will be searching for Quiver Trees, desert aloes, grasses and desert wildlife to photograph in this stunning place.
When the sun has become too high to enjoy photography we will drive from Keetmanshoop, over the incredible Namib Rand into the red dune deserts of the Namib Naukluft National Park, home to the famous Namibian monument of Dead Vlei and some of the largest sand dunes in the world, to small town of Sesriem for two nights at a comfortable safari-style tented lodge.
If time allows we will venture out into the red dunes of Sossusvlei in the late afternoon of our arrival to search for oryx and other wildlife to photograph in the dunes.
The best time to view Sossusvlei is close to sunrise and sunset; the colours are strong and constantly changing, allowing for wonderful photographic opportunities. The midday heat is intense and best spent in the shade.
We will also see our first of the unexplained “Fairy Circles” in Namibia at Sossusvlei.
Day 8
Starting before the sun has risen we will enter the Sossusvlei park as soon as the gates open and we will drive out to Dead Vlei, possibly the most beautiful geographical features in all of Namibia. We will make the short walk from our vehicles into Dead Vlei at sunrise.
The most famous feature of the Sossusvlei area is the stunning clay pan of Dead Vlei, a white flat pan that features cracks and fissures from erosion and a group of dead camel thorn trees, some over 800 years old, that stand helplessly as photographers from all over the world, including our group, attempt to capture that unique, ageless desert shot.
After a break in the middle of the day we will venture out into Sossusvlei in the afternoon for another landscape photography workshop in the red dunes.
Day 9
We will enjoy a final sunrise landscape photography shoot in Sossusvlei before departing for the spectacular drive out of the Namib Naukluft to Swakopmund for an overnight stay at a comfortable hotel. During this drive the landscapes of Namibia change dramatically almost at every turn as we will descend into rocky canyons before climbing out to rocky promontories to take in the view. We will make many stops on this trip to ponder the landscape but the highlight will come as we make a detour to see some of the oldest plants in the world, the Welwitschia mirabilis.
Although they look like a cactus or succulent, Welwitschia are actually a conifer, with distinct differences between male and female plants. Although many of the plants we will see on the Welwitschia plain are between 500 and 600 years old, Welwitschia can live up to 2000 years!
Large Welwitschia create their own micro-habitat, harbouring many occupants in the shade beneath their leaves, including a variety of bugs and bees. The leaves themselves are eaten by rhinos, zebras and even horses if they cannot find an alternative fodder. The Welwitschia is endemic to Namibia and is one of the rarest plants in the world.
Day 10
After breakfast, we will embark on a brilliant journey through the coastal dune systems of the Dorob National Park just south of Swakopmund. Namibia is one of two places in the world where the cold waters of the Benguela current running along the coast cool down the heat of the desert to create a coastal fog that supports an entire ecosystem of its own. The other place this occurs is the Atacama Desert of northern Chile and southern Peru in South America.
The coastal fogs of the Skeleton Coast support such a tremendous amount of life that Namibia’s dune systems are, quite literally, some of the most alive deserts on earth. We will be searching for some incredible reptiles during this excursion like Shovel-nosed Lizards, Namibian Web-footed Gecko, Namaqua Chameleons, legless lizards, and Horned Vipers. Photography opportunities should be excellent. Dorob is also a fantastic place to explore the dunes for uniquely desert adapted plants like Dollarbush and birds such as the Tractrac Chat.
We will also learn more about the origin of Namibia’s shifting sands in the reserve and the mineral make up of the different coloured sands of the dunes.
Stopping in Swakopmund for lunch, we will then drive north via a coastal marshland to view Greater Flamingoes, towards the largest colony of Cape Fur Seals in the world at Cape Cross, where we will overnight at a comfortable lodge.
Nearly a quarter of a million Cape Fur Seals call Cape Cross home during their peak breeding months of October and November. In the lead up to the season, well over 100,000 are present in this gargantuan coastal colony. To see Cape Cross is a visual spectacular of seals, seabirds and if we are lucky, predatory animals like Brown Hyena which take advantage of young, elderly or unwell seals as prey. It is a seething mass of wildlife that is unrivalled anywhere in southern Africa. We will visit the colony late in the afternoon for a photo shoot before dark.
Day 11
Leaving Cape Cross, we will drive north to Torra before we travel inland to escape the fog of the Skeleton Coast. When the dunes subside, they give way to the incredible red granite landscapes of Damaraland, one of Namibia’s most untouched and spectacular wilderness areas, and a wonderful place for landscape photography..
Our adventure inland begins here as we traverse a rugged 4WD, unmarked trail to reach our destination of the Palmwag Concession, where we overnight at a comfortable lodge. On our drive we will see massive outcrops of Euphorbia Damarana and red mesa type mountains as we search for this region’s uniquely adapted desert wildlife that includes Black Rhinos, Elephants, zebra, giraffe, Klippspringe, Steinbok and a myriad of birds. If we are lucky we may encounter a leopard in this red granite country, surely one of the most incredible animals to see in this stunning backdrop.
Damaraland is when we get our first taste of the real Africa. It is home to two wonderful tribes of people that are distantly related – the Herero and the Ovahimba and on our journey into Damaraland we will begin to see the beautiful Herero women in their Victorian dresses and unique cow-horn shaped head dress. We will also begin to see the red-ochre-coloured women of the Himba.
This northern region is also where we will see the first large stands of beautiful Makalani Palms and we will be seeking these out for sunset photography during our trip.
Palmwag Concession’s predator population is the largest outside of the Etosha National Park, with over 100 Lions, Cheetah, Leopard, and Brown and Spotted Hyenas. Bird life is prolific and diverse with most of Namibia’s endemics present. This concession supports a healthy population of desert adapted Black Rhinos and African Elephants, under the management of the Save the Rhino Trust. Wildlife photography here is very rewarding.
Day 12
This morning we will take a slow safari-style drive from Palmwag to Khowarib, where we will stay for two nights at a comfortable lodge. En route we will be searching for desert wildlife to photograph, including Kudu, zebra and giraffe.
Day 13
Today we will spend a full day searching for the extremely rare and wild ‘Desert Lions’ of Namibia. Under the advice of local guides we will spend a full day attempting to find prides of desert lions around the Hoanib. While lions roam all of Africa, Namibia’s desert adapted lions are unique in that they have learned to survive in one of the harshest landscapes on earth. There are several prides known to researchers working in this region and we will be attempting to locate one or more in their spectacular desert terrain to photograph them.
It is important to remember that the desert lions of Namibia are completely wild and not living within reserves as the lions we will see elsewhere on our trip will be. If we find a pride, to see them in this landscape will be one of the wildlife highlights of our photography expedition through Namibia.
Day 14
Driving north from the concession at Palmwag, we will journey into the ancestral heartlands of the Ovahimba in north western Namibia at Etaambura, where we will stay for two nights.
Located within its own concession, beautifully-located Etaambura is the first lodge in Namibia that is co-run by the local Himba People. High on a hill within the Orupembe Conservancy, Etambura looks out over the holy plains of Onjuva where livestock and springbok peacefully graze together.
The holy plains are steeped in mystery, with several different stories of why the area was consecrated by the semi-nomadic Himba herders who live here. But one thing is sure, hunting is strictly forbidden. Tradition has it that animals on the plains are protected by the ancestral spirits.
Etaambura is the ideal place to relax and there is even some local wildlife. You might see a Klippspringer at dusk or a Jameson’s Rock Rabbit. Tiny footprints are evidence of genets and African Wild Cats. The calls of a diversity of birds, the whispery rustle of paper-bark and other Commiphora trees, bottle trees in bloom, the rich hues of purple-pod Terminalia with unimpeded 360 degree views make this unique spot unforgettable. After a wildlife photography drive where you might be fortunate enough to see Black Rhinoceros, enjoy a stroll and explore the hill, a botanical treasure trove with its many endemic species of plants and shrubs.
Wild Images chose Etambura to base our experience with the Ovahimba because all of the profits made by the lodge are directed back to the communities it supports.
Day 15
Through a trained and experienced translator we will be spending a day visiting the incredible Ovahimba tribespeople of northern Namibia. In two visits during the morning and afternoon we will visit communities of Ovahimba to meet these wonderful people and learn more about their customs of colouring their skin with ochre, the scenting by Otjize and their traditions around herding cattle.
It is an ideal way to meet the Ovahimba who are not only a visually spectacular tribe of people, they are friendly and generous of their culture too. Organised by the owners of Etaambura, our visits will support the Ovahimba within five regional concessions including Puros, Orupembe, Sanitatas, Okonjombo and Marienfluss, covering more than 13,500 square kilometres in this vast, remote area of north western Namibia.
Day 16
We will farewell our Ovahimba hosts at Etaambura today before we head south to Purros where we will overnight at a simple lodge.
Day 17
We continue our journey to the magnificent game reserve of Etosha National Park, one of the finest wildlife sanctuaries in the world, for a four nights stay.
Days 18–20
Etosha, meaning ‘Great White Place’, is dominated by a massive mineral pan. The pan is part of the Kalahari Basin, the floor of which was formed around 1000 million years ago. The Etosha Pan covers around 25% of the National Park. The pan was originally a lake fed by the Kunene River. However the course of the river changed thousands of years ago and the lake dried up. The pan now is a large dusty depression of salt and dusty clay which fills only if the rains are heavy and even then only holds water for a short time. This temporary water in the Etosha Pan attracts thousands of wading birds including impressive flocks of flamingos. The perennial springs along the edges of the Etosha Pan draw large concentrations of wildlife and birds.
A San legend about the formation of the Etosha Pan tells of how a village was raided and everyone but the women slaughtered. One woman was so upset about the death of her family she cried until her tears formed a massive lake. When the lake dried up nothing was left apart from a huge white pan.
The wildlife viewing and photography in Etosha National Park is excellent, the best time being from May to September – the cooler months in Namibia. Visitors to Etosha Game Reserve can expect to see many antelope species, African Elephant, Giraffe, White Rhinocereos and Lions. More fortunate visitors will see Leopard and Cheetah. There is a network of roads linking the five camps and subsidiary roads lead to various waterholes.
These three days will be spent on photosafari in Etosha National Park, where we will search for the largest elephants in Africa and a myriad of mammal and bird species. Stopping briefly (where allowed) to hop out for photographs, our vehicle-based exploration of Etosha will traverse many of the park’s side tracks and visit many water holes, the epicentres of Etosha’s wildlife activity. Wildlife photography opportunities simply abound here and you are sure to come away with a large number of satisfying images.
Day 21
Leaving Etosha behind, we will drive back to Windhoek for our farewell dinner at the stunning Riverview Lodge, located within its own wildlife reserve.
Day 22
Our Namibia & South Africa photography tour will end this morning at Windhoek Airport.
Julie-Anne Davies
Julie-Anne Davies is a photographer based in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada. At the age of ten she received her first camera and has had a never-ending passion for documenting the world around her ever since.
She is a passionate traveller and mountain climber who spent a decade following her graduation from university – camera always in hand – traveling, ski mountaineering, ice and rock climbing. Prior to becoming a full time professional photographer, Julie-Anne worked as a mountaineering instructor and guide in both Canada and New Zealand.
Julie-Anne’s love for the outdoors and nature lead to her role as a director for the environmental organization Wildsight and to the creation of her photographic project “Grasslands to Granite Towers”, documenting the precious landscapes of the Columbia River Basin of South East British Columbia. She was the recipient of the Canadian Backcountry Purist award for her documentation of ski culture in the mountains of British Columbia through both film and video.
A professional photographer since 2004, Julie-Anne’s passion lies in documenting the wildest parts of this planet and the people, wildlife and cultures that inhabit them.
Along with her husband and children, she has travelled throughout the mountains and deserts of Western North America, New Zealand, Central America and Asia.
She spent two months documenting the people and culture of the Khumbu Valley of Nepal and her most recent work has taken her to the Galapagos, the Amazon and kayaking in Mexico to document the connection between women and the natural world.
Julie-Anne has a natural ability to connect with people in the field. Her warm personality, especially with the people she has photographed during her travels, is reflected in her work. Her beautiful portfolio is on her website julieannedavies.com

Sean Braine
Sean Braine is from one of Namibia’s leading ‘natural history families’ (his father Steve is an eminent researcher and guide himself). Born and bred in the Namibian bush, Sean’s expertise in leading photographic trips in Namibia is unrivalled.

Namibia and South Africa Tour Report 2019
Our group for the 2019 Namibia and South Africa tour assembled in Windhoek at the lovely Villa Vista hotel which enjoys wonderful views over the city. A few guests had arrived early to overcome jetlag and had already bagged a few lovely photographs of the wildlife in suburban Windhoek including Grey Go-away-bird and Rosy-faced Lovebirds. […]
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Namibia and South Africa Tour Report 2017
The Kalahari On the first day of the tour we packed up our custom built vehicles and departed Windhoek early to drive south east towards the border of Namibia and South Africa. Leaving the city on bitumen roads we had a wonderful, bump-free ride until we stopped for fuel at Stampriet. From there we were […]
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