Namibia - 5 chicks, a 4x4 car, dunes for days and all the sand that your eyes can see (and feel)

September 2024

Living in Africa, it has been my personal goal to deeply embrace our time on this continent and experience as much as we can. With that goal in mind, I somehow convinced 4 of my wonderful friends to fly across the world and join me on a big adventure to….. NAMIBIA (now that is true friendship!).

Namibia is a country that I always dreamed of visiting, and it was finally going to happen!

 A bit about Namibia: Namibia is located in the south-west region of Africa. It is on the coast and is 7 times the size of Malawi but with a population of only 2.5 million people, compared to Malawi’s 21 million. Living in an overpopulated country like Malawi, there is so much hustle and bustle. Namibia was pretty much the complete opposite, no street hustle, no congestion, no gatherings of groups, very few children and dare I say… very few humans in general . The country felt EMPTY, expansive and peaceful and as we drove for hours upon hours across the different landscapes, we often saw no one for miles. Looking back on it, it was probably for the best, as no one wants to hear the sound of 5 girls singing Celine Deion at the top of their lungs for hours (yes, a true indication of a proper girls trip).

As the public transportation in Namibia is not great, it is popular for tourists to hire off roading 4x4 vehicles that come with all of your camping essentials. Needless to say, the ladies didn’t just ride… they rode in style. If you can imagine a “pimp my ride” Namibia edition, our car was decked head to toe with gadgets galore; tents that popped up onto the roof of the car so you could sleep under the stars, a refrigerator in the trunk, generator and tire compressors, pots, pans, stove, tables and chairs, lanterns, you name it. We were ready for the 12 day road trip; 5 ladies, 1 car, and a million adventures to follow!

After giddily circling our new car and all of its swagger, it was time to take it for our first spin, down to the Namibian desert, first stop: SOUSSVELIE. When we entered the Namib-Naukluft National Park, we could not believe our eyes, it was truly otherworldly. The incredible colors of the desert with bright blue skies cutting across bright orange soft sand dunes as far as your eyes can see. We passed dune after dune until we reached one of the most popular sites called Deadvlie which means “dead valley”.

Within the dead valley lies a petrified forest with dozens of ancient trees. Due to climate change and the shifting of dunes, water could no longer reach these 900 year old trees. Instead, the sun scorched them preventing them from decomposing and immortalizing them in time. An incredible natural sight to see, whispering trees. With bright white earth covered in petrified trees, it almost felt like a natural art exhibition frozen in time. I have always had a love of trees, admiring their solid strength and sense of wisdom. As I walked through the desert, past the 900 year old trees, they held an ominous feel, so old as if they were holding secrets, natural wisdom and all of the lifetimes they had seen.

Next to the trees lies one of the biggest dunes in the park, called “Big Daddy”. Imagine, millions upon billions of grains of orange sand have blown together to make up these massive looming dunes. Let me tell you, Big Daddy definitely lived up to his name…in the heat of the day, we looked up towards Big Daddy’s bright orange peak and knew we had to give it a try. Huffing and puffing we climbed the soft, hot sand, our feet sinking deeper and deeper with every step. My heart was pounding but I continued, determined to get to the 360 view of the daddy himself! After some time, we made it to the first plateau and threw ourselves in the sand, admiring the breathtaking view…. wow. Deadvlei below, orange dunes for miles and wind blowing all around us, I remember closing my eyes and feeling like I was soaring, completely free.

After we enjoyed the view, we started our climb down and let me tell you, climbing up a dune is dooms day but climbing down is heaven! We ran down Big Daddy like no one’s business, sinking into the sand and flying at full speed. Totally exhilarating.

The desert is expansive and one of the highlights of our road trip was enjoying it in the nighttime. The temperature drops dramatically and we popped open our rooftop tents, and got to work cooking delicious hot meals that we ate under the stars. With no light pollution, the bright stars were absolutely magnificent. We snuggled in our sleeping bags hearing the wind and sand blow fiercely around our tents as the stars shone down on us. Only downside was it was absolutely FREEZING at night, but 10 layers and one bathroom floor later, and we were out for the count.

Our next stop was to the costal city of SWAKOPMUND. The drive, like everything else in Namibia, was sand city, with endless sand blowing on either side of the winding roads. We later learnt that in particularly windy times of the year, sand can cover entire neighborhoods and instead of “snow plowing” your driveway, people have to “sand plow” to clear the path to their homes. It felt like no matter where you turned, you could not escape the sand. The classic scenario of coming home from the beach and thinking you had washed all of the sand off of you, only to find sand somehow in your shower, bedsheets, kitchen and behind your ears 3 days later…. in Namibia there is no escape from the sand grains, you must embrace the grain and be one with the grain.

We did an amazing day trip to Walvis Bay where we had the opportunity to kayak with a Capefur seal colony. As we drove to the kayak point, we passed hundreds of seals lying large and in charge on the sand, moaning and soaking up the sun. I thought to myself, “these seals look like drunkards after a rough night. Lazy as anything, it looks like it will be a big effort for them to even roll over in the sand”.

Little did I know, don’t be fooled by the looks of a seal out of water. We entered the ocean in our kayaks and slowly were surrounded by dozens of seals, gliding, diving, shimmying and dipping up and around our kayaks. From waddling oafs out of water to the most agile, playful ballerinas within water, the seals stole our hearts and we soaked up our special time with these amazing creatures. We were totally immersed in the experience when we heard our guide yell, “watch out…seal….STAMPEDE!!!”. Instantly, we heard the ground shake as hundreds of seals stopped their sunbathing and threw themselves into the water, swimming towards us. Seals coming from left and right, everywhere you turned there was another seal popping out of the water. We picked up the speed and tried to kayak to calmer waters, but despite the iconic stampede scare, seals are my new favorite animal. They are truly the playful loving puppies of the sea.

After saying adieu to our furry friends, we came across another amazing wonder, a beach full of red ruby sand. We learnt that strong winds blow small particle of ruby red granite from mountains across South Africa, and these sediments settle on the coast of Namibia, tinting the sand red. When looking at each grain closely you can see the rubies within your palm, talk about holding riches in your hand! It is amazing to connect the dots of nature and understand how each natural phenomenon is connected to another. I really felt this in Namibia, the deep sense of wild nature and the understanding that we leave a footprint and effect on its natural flow.

Aside from my seal besties, we were gifted with two other amazing wildlife sightings. One morning, I woke up to Shira (my veterinarian friend who is also a wild-life conservationist) banging on our door. It was 7am and she looked serious.

Me: “Shira, what’s up?”

Shira: “there was a wild elephant spotting in the river bed, if we take the car now we might be able to spot them!!”

This was not a drill. The riverbed was 45 minutes away and there was no way of knowing if the Damaraland desert elephants would still be there, but we had to give it a try. Getting 5 girls ready to hit the road at 7am was never as quick as when we thought we might see the elephants! We passed a few deserted towns that looked like they could have come from “the flinstones” until we finally made it into the dry river bed. We drove for 14 kilometers in the river bed (which is a feat within itself!) unsure if or when we would spot the elephants. Finally, we turned a corner and bammm, a family of elephants were on either side of the river bed, slowly making their way across the sand. Seeing elephants in a safari vs tracking and seeing wild elephants in the desert was a very unique and special experience. Really massive, familial creatures, and it was beautiful to see them always protecting their young.

Last but not least, we had the privilege to visit Shira’s work at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) where Cheetahs across Africa are saved, rehabilitated and protected from capture, poaching and illegal trade. Through their conservation work, CCF’s aim is to create a world in which cheetahs live and flourish in coexistence with people within a sustainable system that protects their natural ecosystem. Because of Shira’s badass catgirl status, we got to experience the “behind the scenes” of the conservation center, including the daily activities of the cheetah, how they are fed, what they eat, how they ensure they are healthy and exercise enough, and for the lucky few, how they prepare the rare cheetah to return to the wild. I was handed a hunk of fresh meat to throw towards my furry friends and it was amazing to see them pounce into action.

At the end of the trip as we were all saying goodbye, I looked around and thought, how did I get here? From a small town in New Jersey growing up in a bubble, to be living in Africa, experiencing a soul fulfilling trip with likeminded women, and slowly becoming a world citizen, I realized that so many small decisions in life have taken me to this point in time. With each small decision, these life changes felt more and more possible and with each step forward I was beginning to walk towards a life that I always hoped I would lead.

As I parted with the girls and made my way to the airport, I was sad to be saying goodbye to Namibia and the magic that we experienced. I checked-in at the airport, went through security and started walking towards the gate, when I put my hands in my pocket….something heavy and soft was in there….not one grain, not two grains, but a handful of sand had found its way into my pocket to continue the journey with me. I smiled widely, and for the first time in 10 days, I was happy to have a pocket full of sand.