Discovering Namibia for the First Time: How the Journey Changed Me

Last year I had the opportunity to immerse myself in the bush for the first time when I visited Botswana. This year, my colleague and travel buddy Mary-Anne, decided to discover Namibia, with all its vast, isolated and endless landscapes.

Before landing in Windhoek, Mary-Anne couldn’t stop uttering, “Ohhh you are going to love Namibia.” The road trip from the airport was the best possible welcome, providing a sense of what was to come.

We flew to Kulala Desert Lodge in a Wilderness Air Caravan, where my fear of flying in small planes returned. The pilots, however, are most professional and assured me I was in good hands. The sight of the desert’s iconic inselbergs and red dunes seen from the air made me giddy with excitement. Sossusvlei loomed large, and I was in awe, (I had never seen dunes that high before). I realised that I didn’t need Mary-Anne to tell me how I much I would love this amazing country – I was already entranced. Our stay in camp was simply astonishing, from the exceptional service to informative drives with our guide. I was particularly fascinated by the fairy circles that are found here. To this day, the fairy circles – and their formation – remain a mystery.

The next morning was focused on tackling a walk up one of the most famous sand dunes in Sossusvlei. I had to prepare myself mentally for “Big Daddy” – the tallest dune in the area at 325 metres, mind you!

We passed Dune 45 (claimed to be the most photographed dune in Africa) and spotted some oryx crossing the desolate landscape, a great way to start an amazing morning. As we reached the starting point I heard our guide asking, “Who is ready to start climbing?”