Namibia is considered one of the most beautiful and safest countries in Africa. And tourism is an important source of income so everything is well organized. You can find campsites in the smallest places, or you can wild camp in beautiful nature. The wildlife is rich with all the big ones represented.
We went in June outside the high season. The first leg is from the capital Windhoek to the Etosha National Park 500 kilometers to the north.
Read about planning the trip and practicalities here: Namibia Overlanding Planning
Read more about our trip in Namibia: overlanding namibia
It is a long flight to Windhoek, Namibia. Start at 13:00 in Oslo, arrival 08:00 the next day in Windhoek. With a 7-hour waiting time in Frankfurt. A time we partly spent trotting through endless corridors between terminals A and D.
Drama in Frankfurt
The waiting time was somewhat shortened by an incident where a well-turned babe with a face full of fillers attacked one of the airport employees. Armed with a high-heeled shoe, she gave him a hissing blow to the head, while she shouted and screamed and kicked and beat wildly around her. Police and first aid personnel cleaned up, and we got ready to throw ourselves on the floor if shots were to be fired. We do not know the cause of the riots, but she did not board the plane to Madagascar.
Cash and Sim cards
After buying Namibian SIM cards and local cash, we took a taxi into the city center. Namibian SIM card is a good idea. It costs 2 Euro per minute to call with a Norwegian SIM card, and 10 Euro for 10 Mb data. MTC is the Namibian telecommunications company that provides the best coverage.
The taxi driver finally finds his way to Steiner Pension Hotel, where we are warmly received and given large, clean rooms with good beds. Exactly what one needs, without paying a fortune. The season has not started in early June so we are the only guests, except for a shy German tourist. The hotel is very centrally located, but has an intimate atmosphere and a large enclosed garden with pool and flowers where you can enjoy a refreshment.
Windhoek is a modern city with 330,000 inhabitants located on a plateau 1700 meters above sea level. Not really very interesting, but we take a walk and have a dinner consisting of some over cooked game meat. But the potatoes and wine were good. It was relatively expensive also. Unfortunately we missed Joe’s Beerhouse which all connoisseurs recommend. We’ll take it on the return.
Car pickup at Bushlore
At 9 o’clock the next day we are picked up by a car from Bushlore, the car rental company. Bushlore and several other landlords are conveniently located a short drive from the hotel. At Bushlore, the car is ready, with tents set up and all equipment unpacked, ready for a demonstration. But first there is the signing of a lot of papers.
When you rent such a “self drive” safari car, you get absolutely all the equipment you need. Chairs, tables, kitchen utensils and bed linen. The car is a Toyota Hilux with four-wheel drive and also has equipment to get you out of difficult situations. The roads in Namibia are not always the best, and with a few exceptions it is allowed to drive where you want, so it is quite possible to get stuck. Particularly loose sand can be a problem.
We get a thorough review of how to use tents and equipment. The car is relatively new and well maintained. On the whole, Bushlore appears to be very professional. At 12 o’clock we are ready to leave.
Gabus Game Ranch
The original plan was to drive straight to the Etosha National Park, 500 km north towards the border with Angola. The problem with that is that the gates into the park close at sunset, a little over 6 in the evening. So in a moment of clarity we understood that it could be difficult to reach. Instead, we made a stop at Gabus Game Ranch, 350 km north of Windhoek. It also gave us time to shop for food. The road north is paved and very good, with a speed limit of 120 km/h. Still, we only barely made it before sunset. Driving at night in Namibia is not recommended, especially due to the danger of hitting animals. The insurance also does not cover collisions with animals when it is dark.
Boring road
The landscape to the north is completely flat, covered with brown grass and small shrubs and trees. The road is really boring. Only when we approach Gabus it gets a little more varied. So the only excitement was to look for wild animals which we saw a few of.
The choice of Gabus turned out to be very lucky. The ranch, like most ranches in Namibia, is large, as much as 27,000 acres. It has been in the same ownership since 1900 and it is now the fourth and fifth generation that runs it. The owners are of German descent and speak German in between, but also fluent English. Previously there was cattle farming here, but now they live only on tourism in the form of accommodation, safaris and hunting.
Lovely local food
The ranch consists of low-rise buildings with accommodation and an intimate restaurant with access to a large garden filled with shady trees, pool and many small seating areas. A perfect place to sit down, for example with a cold Windhoek beer, and admire the grazing antelopes and the occasional ostrich that comes to the water hole in front of the garden.
Accommodation is primarily in small cabins, but there is also parking space for 3 campers, so book a place well in advance. Although we had plenty of food, the restaurant was so tempting that we ate there both evenings. And the expectation was met. The second evening a bus with Americans arrived and there was a big buffet with various dishes made from local game, Orynx stew and Waterbuck sausages.
To round off, the choice fell on a large sofa in front of a generous fireplace with a Five in hand. KWV Five is a very good South African brandy that is second to none for its more expensive French cousins.
Pleasant climate
Day temperature is fine for shorts and a t-shirt with around 25 degrees, but as soon as the sun goes down a little past 6 it gets quite cool, so then fleece and down jackets come in handy. We have brought warm sleeping bags, but put on wool underwear when we go to bed.
The ranch has a program for hiking and horseback riding, either with a guide or alone. We choose to take a hike inside the fence alone in the hope of seeing some animals. We saw some antelopes, but not others. Apart from a lot of termite tufts. These are large constructions, several meters high.
Well satisfied with the stay, we drive on to the next destination, the Etosha National Park.
Read more about our trip in Namibia: overlanding namibia
