My five most memorable moments in Namibia

by Dalene Ingham-Brown

MAIN PHOTO: Divundu ©Dalene Ingham-Brown

Namibia is a magical country that surprises you with its sheer beauty around every corner. It only took a few short days for Namibia to capture my heart. Here are a few of my favourite moments from my travels…

Spitzkoppe

View from the Spitzkoppe. Photo ©Dalene Ingham-Brown

On an overland trip through Namibia, I arrived at our campsite at the foot of the Spitzkoppe mountain peaks. I found myself a spot on a nearby rock overlooking the landscape. I looked out over stretches of land garnished with surprisingly green trees and the occasional mountain. The ground glistened with quartz and gentle sounds of nature are what made up the Spitzkoppe soundtrack. 

READ MORE

Stroking a cheetah

Before heading out on a game drive within Otjitotongwe Cheetah Farm, I headed in with the rest of our tour group to the farm owner’s house to mingle with ‘tame’ cheetahs. With my big-girl panties on, I headed over to one cheetah to stroke it. Then, suddenly I notice the cheetah walking towards me. I froze with fear. Why? It’s a hand-reared, ‘tame’ cheetah that plays with the farmer’s Jack Russell. Why was I so scared? Then I remembered why… because it’s a flipping cheetah! After a stress-relieving giggle I faced my fear and stroked the cheetah.

CCF cheetahs. Photo ©Dalene Ingham-Brown

Etosha National Park

Etosha National Park. Photo ©Dalene Ingham-Brown

I was on my first proper wildlife spotting safari! Arriving at the Okaukuejo water hole I tip-toed to the edge of the viewing point – my pupils were most definitely dilated. Elephants and zebra crowded around the water hole quenching their thirst. It was the perfect picture of Africa. The dry Namibian landscape was broken by a bold Acacia tree.

Quad biking

Swakopmund quadbiking Photo ©Dalene Ingham-Brown

When in desert country, you’ve simply got to go quad biking, so as soon as my feet hit Swakopmund sand it was off to the quad biking depot for me! If you’ve never done it before, imagine yourself riding a humming four-wheeler through towering dunes with no sign of man-made structures in sight. All I could see was endless stretches of undisturbed bright orange sand dunes topped with a cloudless blue sky. It was mind-blowing.

Divundu

I arrived in Divundu just as the sun was setting. Our overland truck headed to our night’s accommodation and that’s when I saw it – a sliver of the Okavango Delta’s waterways. I was surely looking at the most beautiful scene… until a hippo appeared out of nowhere and opened its giant jaws towards the sky. It was official – THIS was the most beautiful scene…

I left a piece of my heart in Namibia (that’s for sure) and I fully intend on making regular trips back to the country to visit the place that a little piece of me now calls home. 

More about guest blogger Dalene Ingham-Brown

After kissing her 9 - 5 job in the urban jungle goodbye, Dalene decided to combine her flair for writing and her undeniable adventurous streak to become a freelance travel writer. Country by country, Dalene hopes to uncover Africa's most beautiful places - one sunset at a time.