Refuelling in Tsumkwe on both beer and petrol, we set out northwest to the unsung Namibian national park of Khaudum. It’s a wide detour from most self-drive itineraries, leaving you and your convoy to be the only people on a jeep track to seemingly nowhere. Khaudum should never be ventured alone. The soft off-white sand is deeply trodden, so at the very least two cars are necessary to make the expedition from Sikereti in the south, through the park to Khaudum Camp in the northern part, or vice versa. Should you get stuck, disembark, assess, deflate your tires, grab a refreshment, and proceed with a towing manoeuvre.

If you’re ever concerned about the elephant population of Southern Africa, a visit to Khaudum will assure you of their bounty. If not through observing large herds at water holes, then the sight of disturbed vegetation lining a beautifully bumpy track with a near-metre-high middleman should convince you.

Our group spent the first night camping at Sikereti, where lanky trees and the auburn hue of leaves from winter passed clear to grey sand and concrete slabs for tents to be pitched on. Ideally, we would use this as a base, from which daily excursions to the nearby water holes can be made, before trekking all the way to the only other camp in the park at Khaudum. But we were a bit pressed for time. If you, dear adventurer, have made it this far,
try spending a few days in the park, and a few hours at each water hole. The rewards of driving a little slower are spotting roan antelope, giraffes and avians through the shrubbery, and not having to grip the handles inside your vehicle as you bounce along the jeep track bumps. Although the latter is pretty exhilarating, try it with caution.

Khaudum’s waterholes all feature a raised viewing deck. In its shade, seated on a bench, perhaps with a prepared sandwich or leftovers, one could easily spend endless time watching the commotion of elephants, kudu and birds. Being the only people at a water hole, with the absence of humming game viewer engines and nowhere else to be, is unlike other safari experiences in the country. It is untamed and all yours.

Journeying to Khaudum Camp, our last water hole stop before retreating to ice-cold beers and dinner was an
intimate elephant experience. As I had come to realise in this wild place, you are always in the company of these large mammals, whether you know it or not. From left and right, straight ahead and behind our cars, they approached the water with urgency. Three large bulls on an awkward speed walk – trunks flopping around like pool noodles – came to a grinding halt as they met the master of the elephants already at the water. A few brief displays of resentment, establishing the pecking order, and then passive aggressive approval of the new group to the water. I’m no elephant whisperer, yet quite certain in my conviction that the acceptance of bombastic newcomers is only on the condition of charity. In the dry season, water is rather scarce, and I like to think the
elephants condone more mayhem because they know their frenemies are thirsty. The stories we concoct to make sense of the animal world.

Perched on the side of a hill overlooking an expansive omuramba (ancient river), Khaudum Camp is the kind of place where I could easily spend a couple of days. The view from there is reminiscent of cheesy movies about Africa. A flat plain dotted with wildlife, a mountain on the one side and dense treeline on the other, not to mention the sunrise awaiting the next morning – fiery pink and canary yellow, painting the day in watercolour.

I left Khaudum and Bushmanland feeling completely rebooted. Four days took me right back to the basics of
shelter, sustenance and bare feet on soft sand. What more do we need? Perhaps a 4×4 vehicle, a decent camera to capture it all and the occasional shower to wash off the dust. This place surely has wildlife viewing deluxe, cultural connection and a peek into simplistic living, beautiful baobabs and deep jeep tracks. But what is more important in any adventure, is how it makes you feel. Venture to Bushmanland and Khaudum, and uncover these secrets for yourself. TNN