Most Inspirational Moment
Many moments:- seeing a lion drinking from a large puddle in Etosha - we were so close we could hear him lapping up the water, absolute breathtaking.- watching the thousands of seals at the Skeleton Coast - everywhere you looked there were seals in different poses, barking to one another and baby seals feeding. The smell is indescribable - and worth it. - the scenery across Namiba - from the sand dunes and desert in the south, the incredible hills in the Namib-Nauklaft park, the huge boulders in Damaraland and the Waterberg plateau. - sleeping under canvas for the first time - the night sky in Namibia is second to none, seeing the Milky Way, Mars, Venus and Jupiter. All the night-time noises, the lions roaring, the jackals scratching at my tent, the crickets chirping.....
Thoughts on Group Leader
Sam was brilliant - a great guide and a great driver. He was so knowledgeable about his country, the people and the animals. Jonas was a superb cook - I've never eaten so well! Tuafeni was a lovely camp assistant, and the three of them got on really well.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take a waterproof!! It rained more than 85mm of water on the day we walked up Dune 45 - it was at the end of the rainy season but this was apparently more than they'd had the entire rainy season, and roads got washed away. You can buy a proper pillow at the supermarket/shop stop before the first night camping, well worth doing, and the guys collect any unwanted items for distribution to locals afterwards. You also get a fair amount of free time; many of the campsites have pools so take a swimsuit and plenty to read. You need to get a special adaptor for Namibian plug sockets - if you don't get one before you go, you can buy one in the same shop as the pillows (sorry, cant remember the name of it). The campsites all have sockets for recharging electrical items. You can buy a guide pamphlet (A4) on the animals/birds of Etosha in many places, so you dont need to worry about getting a book beforehand.