Self Drive Namibia and Botswana
This is a piece I wrote for a 500 word travel competition - I was trying to win a trip to Antarctica! I was hopeful when they contacted me for photos but no I did not win. I will get to Antarctica one day soon. Don’t be put off by the sleeping in cars and frosty nights- a high standard of accommodation, including luxury tented camps, can be provided for each night- and we can get you a much better car! But it was an adventure, and one you can experience too…
“You’re going where? Okay, let’s get you a better car!” ‘Super Chip’ was our brand new polo which, by the end of our 6000km trip around Namibia and Botswana, had been spun, acquired a chipped windscreen, and had a potentially worse for wear undercarriage. It was our wheels, our travelling wardrobe, and in some instances, our bed.
We headed east on the B6 from Windhoek towards Botswana. Passing cars were an infrequent occurrence and I began to feel grateful for our upgrade. We had bought a tent, but had not expected the extent of the cold nights, with temperatures that dropped to below freezing. We swiftly purchased two blankets, and for those chilly mornings- ‘Mcflask’, our tartan thermos that served to heat our innards. Any slight camping discomforts were elevated by the cacophony that the wildlife in this part of the world creates. They sound just centimetres from your head- the distinct rasping laughter of a hippo, a chorus of insects or birds- the distance is obscured by the sheer volume and the open spaces, so it’s just you, and them.
After some days in the Kalahari, we approached the Okavango Delta. This is the world’s largest inland delta and transforms the desert terrain, as swathes of flailing water glide past the roadsides. Though it was the dry season, the water was exceptionally high - a result of flooding in Angola in previous months. A scenic flight over the delta enabled us to begin to grasp the scale of the 16,000-sq-km waterways. Its beauty seemed almost prehistoric, as herds of animals patrolled an area accessible only to them, and anyone who braves the rivers that engrave the sun-baked landscape. It became instantly clear why conservationists are campaigning for it to be awarded World Heritage status. The trifling shadow of our plane hovering across this vast backdrop was a declaration of the areas magnitude. For me, this was akin to the solitude of our own vehicle, trundling across the roads that severed this largely unpopulated region of Southern Africa.
Later in the trip, we were able to explore the periphery of these immense waterways on a ‘mokoro boat trip’ from Ngepi Camp. As the sunset, we swigged on a Savanna and watched two herds of elephants emerge from different parts of the undergrowth to greet one another. Their fascinating social rituals prompted a stunned silence; punctuated only by the squeak of the deltas sand bar beneath our feet, and the elongated rumble of the elephants’ breathing. From Ngepi it is also possible to drive to nearby Tsodilo Hills and its ancient cave paintings; this region is believed to be where all humanity originated.
Back at Ngepi, there is time to let your mind ponder over where to head next, and the sheer geographical and historical scale of this area- feet dangling in the Okavango River in the ‘Croc safe cage’, hands cradling a refreshing mug of Rooibos tea.
