Blog Mar Namibia...go there

Blog 35 – Mar '16 – Namibia... Go there

Whenever anyone meets new people or reconnects with people they haven’t seen for years one of the obligatory questions seems to be asking what each other does for a living. I admit that my answer is a little bit out of the box. When I don’t answer accountant, shop keeper or lawyer etc, but rather that I am doing a PhD in Zoology, the question floodgates always open (which I love, so keep it coming!). Most confusion seems to occur when I say I am studying wildebeest and that I am doing so in Namibia. It seems most Australians only have a vague sense of what a wildebeest is and very few know Namibia. I’d like to think that by now most of my readers know what a wildebeest is, so perhaps I don’t need to write a blog about that but I have decided to dedicate this blog to all things Namibia. As I am by no means a Namibia expert, I thought I’d compile information along with lots of references to people who know more about it than I do. And of course there is the occasional spruik to past blogs in case you’re a new reader!

Just in case… this is a wildebeest …and this is Namibia

When I say Namibia, people often ask how I go about living in a country torn up by civil war. To that I respond that no, I live in Namibia, not Libya. Others get worried that I may have contracted Ebola, often taking a step back (or perhaps I am being paranoid). These people are somewhat happier when I say that no, I live in Namibia not Liberia and then explain just how far Namibia was from the outbreak (further than Europe). Whereas others just give me a blank stare. It’s not surprising. In Australia, we tend to think of the ex-British colonies when we think of Africa. We think of South Africa, Botswana, Kenya and Tanzania. Those are the countries we hear about frequently and when most Australian’s go on holiday to “Africa” they mean one of those countries. But really, as Australians we should be flocking to Namibia. It doesn’t matter if you are an adventure junkie, safari lover or even someone a bit scared of the deep, dark mysterious continent known as Africa. Namibia is the place for you. Most people call it Africa-light because it is so safe, bribery is relatively uncommon and getting around as solo travellers is quite easy. And for most Australians it feels a little bit like home. After all, it bears such a striking resemblance to Australia that when Broken Hill experienced extreme rainfall and Mad Max’s desert-landscape became a green wonderland, the production team had to find a new place that looked like Australia. So they filmed in Namibia. Honestly if it wasn’t for the animals, you could be dropped blindfolded in the middle of Namibia and you’d think you were still in Australia. They have enough red soil, purple jacarandas, acacia covered plains, fields of termite mounds and long straight roads to fool you into thinking you’re still at home. They also have roughly the same population density. With about 2.5 million people in just over 800,000km2, they have about one tenth of the population of Australia, in about one tenth of the land size. And what they don’t have in metropolises, they make up for with nature.

A good read for an introduction into field life in Namibia, by another Aussie and UQ alumnus, is Dry Water by Tammie Matson. The book focuses on her journey as a PhD student studying black-faced impala in Etosha. Her second book, Elephant Dance, also features Namibia. These books are great at setting the scene. I’ve given them to many family and friends as an easy introduction to the country and the type of work that I’m doing. If you’re more into trains than impala, Griff Rhys-Jones is your man. He did a documentary called Slow Train through Africa and one episode of this series is dedicated to his time in Namibia. You can find a link here to buy the episode for only $2.99. And then there’s the one and only, Sir David Attenborough. Sir David did by far the best wildlife documentary I have seen on Namibia. Not that there is any question that anyone could top his amazing documentaries. This particular documentary, Kalahari, was part of his ground-breaking series Africa. This episode has everything in it. There are lions in Etosha (filmed just 17 km from my tent), night footage of previously unknown rhino behaviour, a spectacular giraffe fight scene that feels like it’s out of a Hollywood blockbuster and even underground-cave diving scenes. The cave is a similar, but much larger, cave to the one I talked about in my two June 2014 blogs here and here. The final episode in this series is also a great episode - it goes behind the scenes as the camera crew recorded some of the best parts of the series. Do yourself a favour and watch EVERY SINGLE EPISODE of Africa. There are only six and every one of them is amazing. I lived and breathed Etosha for years and I have still seen the Kalahari episode (all filmed in Namibia) numerous times. I watched it once from my tent in Etosha. Watching it, and then going out in the afternoon to find the same lions in the same area, was an amazing experience. Especially because I’ve now high-fived (high-pawed?) that very lioness* while she was being collared.

*Please don’t try this at home. Actually, if you have a lion at home I suggest you leave slowly (don’t run!) and call animal control.

You’ll also see Namibia in our Aussie media a bit more lately, especially if you keep an eye out. Perhaps it’s a result of Mad Max but I’d like to think it is because people are realising how amazing this country really is. Either way between Mad Max, Griff Rhys-Jones travelling by freight train through the country and Delicious’ new write-up declaring it a culinary destination* there’s lots of info out there if you want it.

*Whilst I link to this article, I don’t necessarily agree with it. Namibia is so many amazing things. But, a foodie destination it is not. I did, however, find some nice restaurants and lodges with good food which I’d happily recommend to people travelling there.

If you want more of an idea of what you can do in Namibia, beyond documentary information, I’ve included some more links here. You can visit the world’s largest sand dune, go skydiving or flying over the shipwreck-scattered desert, surf amazing waves (although the water is too cold and shark-y for my liking), check out meerkats and black-maned lions in the Kalahari, cruise down the river while dodging hippos in the Zambezi (once known as Caprivi), snap photos of the ghost elephants in Etosha and eat all the game meat you can handle at Joe’s Beerhouse. If you’re looking for luxury lodgings then these are some of the best options out there (that I can vouch for): Wilderness operates throughout southern Africa, Susuwe Island Lodge and its sister lodges operate in the Zambezi region, Ongava is on Etosha’s southern border and Okonjima is in the heart of the world’s cheetah capital. Namibian Wildlife Resorts (NWR) often have the best location, thanks to government ties, however, they are not the go-to place for luxury except at Dolomite in Etosha’s west. If you want to self-drive, I absolutely recommend the guys at Asco Car Hire. This is where I bought my bakkie (southern African for ute) and the guys were amazing in every aspect. The vehicle drove like a dream, they were always contactable, they had great advice and their prices are competitive. Finally, if you want to do a photography safari you must go with Kathryn Haylett. She is lovely, she knows her stuff, and she even organises tours with Dr Richard Estes the wildebeest guru of the world.

I guess the moral of this story is “Namibia… go there”. In retrospect, perhaps the title of his blog somewhat ruined this surprise ending but really, it is vital advice for anyone considering a trip to Africa so I can’t say it enough.