Namibia 2022

In June 2022 I journeyed to Africa, the one continent I had not previously visited. Despite some uncertainty leading up to the trip, it turned out to be a wonderful experience — itinerary, logistics, photography guide, tour guide, accommodations, fellow travelers and no covid issues.

Namibia

Namibia is located in southwest Africa sharing a southern border with South Africa, a northern border with Angola, and an eastern border with Botswana. The Atlantic Ocean is to the west The country is bookended by the Namib desert in the west and the Kalahari desert in the east. It is the driest country is sub-Saharan Africa.

Namibia is large — half the size of Alaska — with a relatively small population, 2.5 million. Windhoek , the capital has a population of about 370,000. Outside of the capital, the population is dispersed in areas proximate to the country’s 13 cities, 26 towns and a few tourist destinations.

Namibia was a German colony until the end of WWI after which it became a territory of South Africa. It secured its independence in 1990. It is a democracy and has a progressive constitution. English is the official language, but given the country’s history, most people speak Afrikaans and a substantial number speak German.

Namibia has a high literacy rate with 91% of the population over age 15 knowing how to read and write.

Over ninety percent of Namibians identify as Christian. Seventy five percent of the total population identify as Protestant and fifty percent identify as Lutheran. Christianity and particularly the Lutheran identity reflect the early work of missionaries from London, Finland, Sweden and Germany.

The economy is based on mining — uranium, other minerals and diamonds. Tourism is a fast growing segment of the economy. Unemployment is high, exacerbated by the shut down of tourism as a result of covid.

Our Photographic Journey Through Namibia

The trip was planned by Mirjam Evers one of the founders of PhotoQuest. We were privileged to have Clement Lawrence of Wilderness Safaris as our local guide. Clement got us to the right places at the right times — always with grace and humor. He was a constant source of information and insight. I was joined by three fellow photographers each of whom contributed to making the trip enjoyable. One of the very nice features of this trip was that three legs of the trip were completed via charter flight which avoided long days of traveling over the desert in a safari vehicle.

Four highlights of the trip were the sand dunes at Sossusvlei, the wildlife in Etosha National Park, the Quiver Tree forest in Keetmanshoop and time with a few women of the Himba Tribe. Follow the link at the end of this post to see the Namibia portfolios.

The sand dunes at Sussusvlei, some of which rise to a height of 1000 feet, are mesmerizing at sunset. In the light of the setting sun, the dunes natural orange color becomes almost luminous. The dark side of the dunes, become almost black, creating silhouette images that are often like an abstract painting.

Etosha National Park is Namibia’s largest game preserve encompassing 23,000 sq. kilometers. Waterholes provide the primary opportunities to view wildlife. Prominent wildlife include elephants, giraffe, lions and other cats, zebra, impala, springbok, antelope, jackal and black rhinoceros. There is also a wide variety of birds. The morning of our final day, we came upon lions hanging out at a watering hole. The rising sun provided wonderful photographic light.

Quivertrees were once pervasive in the arid regions of Africa. They are uniquely adapted to survive in very arid climates. They are present in many regions but there are only a few areas where clusters of trees exist. One of those areas is Keetmanshoop. We visited the “forest” at both sunrise and sunset. The profile of the trees against the sky provided great photo opportunities.

On our last day we visited a remote Himba tribe settlement. The Himba are one of the ancient tribes in Namibia. Many of them live in remote locations, perpetuating the traditions of their ancestors while selectively engaging with contemporary society. Tourism has become a critical source of cash income for some settlements as guides shepherd tourists, such as our group, to the remote locations. Many of the children go to school with upper level grades staying in villages with a school during the school year.

We were welcomed by a small group of Himba women to their settlement. During the day the men are off tending the goats. Communicating through our guides, we were able to engage with the women. They were very open and obviously used to being photographed. They were both gracious and in many respects playful. They derive cash income by selling a wide assortment of handicrafts. It was a delightful concluding day to our adventure in Namibia.

On the first leg of my flight back, Windhoek to Frankfurt, I sat next to a German woman who had immigrated to Namibia. She indicated that Namibia is sometimes referred to as “Africa for beginners.” I think there is more than a little truth in that observation. Except for the long distances between primary photographic sites, Namibia is a very easy place to visit. Language is not an issue and the people in our experience are engaging and gracious. And, there are some wonderful photographic opportunities.