My travel story: Namibia Day 1, 2 (Sossusvlei) - Part 1 (36 photos)

Hi my Hivean friends!

Hope you are all doing well and that you are already able to enjoy your life in less strict quarantine time. It was crazy week here on Hive wasn’t it? What do you say about Hive price? Awesome right? Only bad thing is the new ration between Hive and Steem due to our power downs still running, but still happy to see that our Hive is so popular through the world. What do you think where the Hive price will stabilize?

And now let me continue to the main topic of my post. I think you can guess what it will be.
I will try to share a photo story from my travels every Monday, if I won’t manage to prepare one every week I might pause for a week and post it next Monday. But for now, continuing to Levi’s photo story and Victoria Falls, I prepared my beginning of Namibian travel from 2015. I will do it day by day or some of the stories will cover couple of days at the destination.

As you probably already know, travel is my passion together with photography which kind a go along in my opinion. It is really hard to say which was my best travel, which destination I like the most. I always tried to choose special destinations, where positive experience is almost guaranteed. With Namibia it was no different. This was my second bigger independent travel and first one to Africa. When I was a kid, I could only dream about visiting such exotic places like Africa, but nowadays everything is different (not at the Covid moment, but in general), it is much more affordable and also easier to travel, even to exotic destinations.

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Namibia was chosen and travel date was in September, which is probably the best month for spotting wildlife in its National parks which was the main criterium. Also, climate there in September is very good for us from Europe, not to hot and not to humid but also no rain to be expected.
I have to give credit for an amazing travel to our travel agent as well. Our relationship built through organisation and travel by itself is a long story and can be a separate post, as so much was going on already before the travel and some of it, I will share with you during my photo stories.
At organising the trip, we planned everything more or less on our own and agency was there only to book hotels, car, for support and to doublecheck everything. Our trip was self-drive, which means that you do a plan, rent a car and go hit the road alone, without guide or driver. I like that kind of travel and would repeat it, as you have the most freedom.
If you will travel to Namibia, I would maximally recommend using agency Blue Crane Safaris for support. Our agent was Derek Jacobs, who is also an owner. Before the travel we thought he is a fraudster, but after we think he is a king! As said, more about our relationship I will share through stories.

We flew over from Italy and had long layover in Doha, which is an amazing airport by the way, and proceed to Windhoek which is the capital city of Namibia. City has similar population like my hometown Ljubljana, so a little more than 300.000, which is not much for international standards. After arriving to the airport, we were a bit shocked, as of course country is not as modern as the world we know in Europe. First experience with locals there was also very different from what we knew home, as people were working so slow, but they are used to this and living life differently, so you have to expect that and adapt to that once you are there.

At the time of our arrival it was already an evening and we were agreed with agency that somebody will pick us up at the airport and drives us to our first hotel which was in Windhoek for sleepover and on the next day our real journey begins. Gentlemen really meets us there and drives us through night to our accommodation. Namibia is very safe country, but still it is not the most welcomed to be out in dark in the main city. You can also see houses with high and barbed wire. I must add that they are driving very fast and crazy at least from what I remember from that evening.
On the other day when we woke up, we finally met our agent Derek, who brought us everything necessary and we picked up the car. Everything necessary on safari travel usually means GPS and detailed map, satellite phone and cooler box :)
After seeing the car, we were impressed. It was Toyota Hilux, just couple of months old. He said that car is his personal and that we have to take care. For travel like ours we definitely need similar car and 4x4 is a must. Most of the cars there are Toyota Hilux, but ours was the newest on the road. A first we didn’t notice that, but at every place we came all went crazy for that car. They were watching it like it was from gold. The car really served us well through the whole travel. We had two spare tyres, but didn’t have to used them, which is kind of a rare thing for 10 days travel in Namibia.

So, after breakfast with Derek and our route discussed we hit the road towards our adventure.
In Namibia there is not a lot of shops and petrol stations, so you have to be very careful with your supplies and planning. We found shop every three day usually. For us it was not a big problem as we had breakfast and dinner included in our travel, se we were not hungry. Cooler box served us well for drinks and that is mainly it. With gas we also had a map where stations are and we check all the distances and everything was in line with our travel plan.
That morning we did all the shopping and we also needed to withdraw some cash as credit card is not the most wanted way of payment there. There come first problems…
We stopped at one ATM and couldn’t withdraw, second noting again, third same problems… We already drove through half of the city and we were without cash. Called our bank if everything is OK with our cards, if they are open for withdrawal in abroad, etc. We had some USD cash reserve with us as well, but better not spend it at the beginning, right? We went at the bank as well and we could not get the money there as well. Only local residents can get money from the bank. We ask personnel to help us at the ATM and they couldn’t help us. It was bad first few hours spent just wanting to get cash, but at the end we somehow managed to get cash out of one ATM by clicking all possible buttons :) It was risky but at the end all ended well. With money in our pocket we can finally depart to first destination which was Namib desert.

Now there will be more photography speaking instead of me writing.

Hit the road really means something else in Namibia :)
Roads there are mostly gravel, you have four categories and they are actually very good marked. Very easy orientation, probably as they don’t have many routes. Driving at these routes was a bit time consuming as you can not drive fast, but on the other side that is a positive thing as you get to see a lot during driving. This part of Africa is still “wild”, so you can spot elephant or some other animal anywhere, not just in National Parks. Landscape is Also so different that it is really interesting and worth not sleeping :)

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Endless road

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Just go straight and you will be at your destination

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That kind of obstacle is very common in Namibia, so good car is a must

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First animals encountered

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First animal on 4 legs encountered

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There have to be some animals as well, that is for sure

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Run Forest, run

I have to point out two things. A good one and a bad one, with positive end.
Good one is the accomodation we stayed at, which was amazing! Quiver Camp opened just few months before our arrival. It is an independent unit similar to tent. It had great confortable bed and seperate toilet and bathroom. Nothing else you would need in the desert. There was a pool as well. It was a bit cold for a swim as night gets really cold there. What also impressed me was green real grass, almost like golf grass. Insane if you think where it was located.
We had our meals at Sossusvlei Lodge which was just couple of minutes drive away. From that moment on, Namibia has best cusine on the World for me. I am a meat person and was thrilled to see game on the menu. Ohhh when you have self service dinner with choice of Springbook, Impala, Warthog, Kudu, Oryx and other animals I barely knew they exist I couldn't eat chicken or pork. They had open BBQ and you pointed a finger which piece of meat would you like to have and they grilled it for you. Insane! Best food experience. There was a lot of other choices as well. European food, salads, good desserts etc.

And now the bad part with happy end. I get sick on the first night. That sick, that I thought I will die. Really, no exaggeration. I vomit at least 20 times and had diarrhea so bad that I was sitting on the toilet on 5 minutes, I was there 30 times. Just throwing out from one hole and then from another. Sorry for the details and expression,but I have to share the day I almost went to the other side.
We had medications with us for all my symptoms, but nothing helped. It went out at the moment it went in. Also water. I couldn't drink. Not a single drop.
I didn't see a way out. My father called our agent Derek and he gave us a number of doctor in Sesriem (small town nearby). We called him and he told us he is on the road going back to his ordination. He went on some car crash site. My situation was really an emergency and we explained it to the doctor and he said he will be there as soon as possible, but not before two or three hours. Yes, that was the closest medical help. If we would drive back to Windhoek, we would need aboit 4 hours and it was already dark, so it is not recommended to drive at night.
We waited and he really came with light on in about two hours. My savior, Mauro (maybe I misspelled) was his name. What je did? He gave me some hydration drink amd I was OK in about an hour time. Who would say that? I drank hydration medications before thst day, but no effect. His was miraculous. He gave us few of them to carry with us. We took them home and use them in similar situation on Seychelles at other time and it also worked. I don't know the name of the medication anymore but it saved my life, this is how I feel.
I am so grateful to him and hopefully will visit him again one day to say thank you one more time.
He didn't want any money that day, nothing. We still leave him some small amount that day as appreciation for his willingness to help.
I am still not sure what caused that sickness. Maybe it was the thing that I didn't drink enough, maybe sun, maybe food, maybe travel or just some other unknown factor.

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Forget about wrapping you luggage, it doesn't help

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Our accommodation that night was more than good and it was opened just months before our arrival

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Cozy room, just the perfect fit for the desert

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Place where food porn started

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She was looking at me at the morning, for the dinner she was already on my plate :)

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Wouldn't mind jumping in, but I was sick that day

Sossusvlei is one of the main tourist attractions in Namibia. Gate of the park opens at sunrise and it is good to be there at that time, simply to have as much time as possible. You have to know that this is desert, the real one and in the deserts it is hot :) So you won't have much time after sun goes up.
Name Sossusvlei acctualy means dead-end marsh. That is the name of the area and it covers many dunes and area Deadvlei which is the clay pan surrounded by dunes and with live trees in the middle. These trees are a great photography motive.
I am sharing my photos from this National Park below.

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When there is a queue before sunrise opening there has to be somehing good happening

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First real touch with the desert and its size

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Have you ever tried walking or running at the sand? Have you tried climbing?

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Shorty after that was the time to release some tyre pressure as we were drifting in the live sand

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That was 15 minutes walk

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First touch with famous Deadvlei

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They are all attacking Big Daddy - the tallest dune in the area

Hope you enjoyed reading and watching my travel story!

Ohh I would almost forget to touch another novelty – tipping. Have you already sent any tip? Maybe received it? I sent my first one today. I was impressed by photos taken by @jarvie.
Thank you all for support and feel free to ask questions and comment.

Enjoy and stay safe!