Namibia

This very special trip was with my best friends from school and we did a self drive safari through Etosha National Park before driving down to the red desert Sossuvlei. The endless views from the dunes there were definitely my highlight, providing a real feeling of Africa.
Namibia is a huge country with seemingly endless dirt roads to drive and with a diverse, truly breath-taking landscape.
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Show all / Etosha / Swakopmund Area / Sossusvlei
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Namibia -@ We arrived in Windhoek, got our rental jeep and drove north towards Etosha National Park. When we finally arrived after a long journey we were rewarded with our first breath-taking african sunset.
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Namibia -@ There is something about the african sun that's hard to describe, the feeling of endless vast land makes you feel very tiny and humble.
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Etosha National Park -@ We went on a guided safari at sunset that showed us the amazing animal world of Etosha National Park. This zebra was pretty close to the street and didn't mind us at all.
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Etosha National Park -@ Knowing that most animals will gather around little lakes, we were able to watch these elephants having their evening bath. Nothing is cuter than baby elephants.
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Etosha National Park -@ Even though giraffes are not a scarce sight at all, they are still my favourite. This is the way they drink and they don't care what it looks like.
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Etosha National Park -@ Only the organized tours are happening in these typical open safari jeeps - this picture couldn't be more 'Africa'.
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Etosha National Park -@ While the self driving offers a better sense of freedom and adventure, the organised tours know exactly where to go - like this stand-off between some lions and zebras. This zebra was the watchdog, never leaving the lions out of sight.
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Etosha National Park -@ The lions never seemed to care much and were rather in the mood for a nap than a hunt.
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Etosha National Park -@ The reality of a lion sighting is a gathering of tourists. It's quite an absurd situation given how little the lions care about our presence.
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Etosha National Park -@ The ultimate self drive experience. This park belongs to the animals and they grant you access, luckily without really feeling disturbed.
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Etosha National Park -@ Just a baby zebra crossing the road and the proof that all four feet are up when galloping.
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Etosha National Park -@ All I remember when I think of this gigantic animal right in front of our tiny car is that it was strolling along very slowly and I really really needed to make it to the end of that side road to pee at the gated facilities.
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Etosha National Park -@ Easily overlooked because of all the big animals are the tiny ones that look just as fascinating.
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Etosha National Park -@ Just an Elephant party!
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Etosha National Park -@ This is a Blackfaced Impala and stunned us with its beauty. They look so elegant and majestic with very vibrant colours. We must have looked interesting for this one too!
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Etosha National Park -@ Another beautiful Blackfaced Impala very close to the road not fussed about our jeep approaching.
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Etosha National Park -@ This massive Ostrich was also very close to the road but never bothered to pose for a photo.
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Etosha National Park -@ These entertaining squirrels are now my desktop background image. I think they deserve to feature in a Disney movie.
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Etosha National Park -@ As we left the park it almost seemed normal for animals to be on the road even though signes like this still felt bizarre.
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Etosha National Park -@ Typical for tourists in Namibia, we stayed in very comfortable and unique lodges throughout our trip, this one had a giraffe right by the restaurant.
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Windhoek -@ Staying in those amaying lodges you easily forget the reality of many locals, like this area just outside of Windhoek.
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Erongo Region -@ On our way south we made a stop in this mountain region to see some of the original bushman drawings.
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Swakopmund -@ This town on the coast is surrounded by desert so we booked a private guided jeep tour to be able to explore the dunes.
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Swakopmund -@ At sunset the colours of the sand offered more and more shades of red that were truly breath-taking.
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Swakopmund -@ The drive itself was pretty adventures and the views over the desert with the ocean in the distance were absolutely fascinating.
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Swakopmund -@ To give you some understanding of the actual scale, spot the tiny people!
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Swakopmund -@ I really loved this evening tour through the dunes and took a LOT of photos...
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Walvis Bay -@ Next we did another organised tour to Walvis Bay and more desert and dunes right by the sea.
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Walvis Bay -@ While having lunch in the desert our guide found this little fella.
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Sossusvlei -@ Somewhere on the road further south towards the famous Sossuvlei area with the red sand and dead trees. The endless sandy roads and vast landscape is just really hard to take in.
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Sossusvlei -@ Still on the road. We stopped every now and then for a break and hardly ever saw other cars no matter how far we could look.
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Solitaire -@ Solitaire is a small town in the middle of nowhere famous for it's broken down cars in a deserted landscape.
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Solitaire -@ It looked somehow like out of a Tarantino movie.
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Sossusvlei -@ I did not take this photo. It was on the wall in a loodge we stayed in and I just really loved it so here you go.
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Sossusvlei -@ Arriving in our lodge close to the Naukluft Park we again had a feeling of true Africa hard to describe. This was the view from our terrace.
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Naukluft Park -@ We got up early in the morning to queue to get into Naukluft Park which is said to have the highest sand dunes in the world, reaching 300–400 meters. Our first stop inside was Dune 1 - my highlight of the whole trip.
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Naukluft Park -@ Watching the sun come up while hiking up this dune in fine red sand offering what I believe could be the furthest views I've ever seen!
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Naukluft Park -@ It's hard to describe but it was a feeling of peace and freedom mixed with adventure and pure nature. I loved every minute of it, I couldn't get enough of the views.
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Naukluft Park -@ This is my favourite shot and the ultimate view of what Africa means to me. Namib Desert gave its name to form Namibia – "land of open spaces".
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Naukluft Park -@ In between just sitting down and trying to take it in, I also took heaps of photos. A lot of photos. A lot.
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Dead Vlei -@ Driving further into the park our next stop was the famous Dead Vlei. We had to park our car, jump on a little shuttle bus and then walk through the desert to reach it.
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Dead Vlei -@ Because of a drought, the trees here have died 600–700 years ago but their skeletons are still standing.
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Dead Vlei -@ It's a spectacular very surreal and unique sight and we were lucky to be spared by the fog and winds which often make it inpossible to visit.
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Dead Vlei -@ I came home with more than 1500 photos of this trip and it was quite tough to pick my favourites...
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