Jerry Coupe Loc: Kent, WA

I am starting to plan a trip to Namibia. Would appreciate input from the group on areas to consider. I would also like input of guides/workshops UHHer's have used for travel to Namibia.
Thanks,

Hip Coyote

I will be doing a much longer response to this, in that I visited there a few years ago so have some idea about the country. Before I get into that can I ask how long you are going to be there? And are you going anywhere else in Africa such as South Africa or Botswana.

And what kind of camera system are you taking? That will help me give you my two cents worth.

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Are you planning to join a tour or do a self-drive? We did a self-drive in September 2001, right after the 9/11 attack, covering a bit of South Africa, Botswana and much of Namibia.

We flew into Jo'burg in South Africa, then drove through Botswana and the Kalahari into Windhoek, which we considered an interesting town. Then drove up to the Etosha National Park, which in our opinion is an absolute must - plan to spend at least 3-4 days in there, staying at the lodges inside the park, basically moving from lodge to lodge. Then we drove down to Swapkopmund/Walvis Bay. We did miss the Skeleton Coast National Park, which I think was a mistake, but I was still working then and we didn't have unlimited time available. I would include the Skeleton Coast if I would return there. From Walvis Bay we drove over to Solitaire/Sesriem and Sossusvlei. We stayed both at the Wolwedans Dunes Lodge, which was absolutely spectacular, and also at the Namib Naukluft Lodge, which was also very nice, but we preferred Wolwedans. Visiting Sossusvlei and the dunes is an absolute must.

From there we drove further on to Luderitz, which we didn't much care for and it was also quite a detour (and we got stuck in the sand, but that's another story). Next we headed to Fish River Canyon, which was very impressive. Next we headed down into Namaqualand in north-western South Africa. The reason we chose this particular timing was to see the famous wildflowers in Namaqualand. We saw plenty and it was very impressive, but we were actually a bit late, the flowering season was apparently unusually early that year. From Namaqualand we drove into the Cederberg Wilderness Area, and stayed at the stunning Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Wellness Retreat - another real highlight. Included in the full arrangement there are spectacular meals right at the resort (this is out in the middle of the sticks, so no other facilities available), but the food and wines were outstanding, and included are also drives out into the countryside with guides leading you to the prehistoric cave paintings. Spectacular.

From Cederberg, we drove on down to the Winelands, Paarl, Franschhoek, Stellenbosch, etc, etc. which was as usual a fantastic area for sight seeing, wine tasting and excellent meals.

Hope this gives you a first idea of the possibilities, you might want to do just Namibia, and time is always a factor to consider. We consider this one of our most exciting drives we have ever done, one of our top 3 I would say, and we have done plenty. Keep in mind that we did this drive over 20 years ago, so unfortunately no digital photos to show and also the references to the places are possibly a bit dated.

Have fun organizing the trip, pm me if you have further questions, I'd be very glad to provide more input if desired and if possible. Enjoy the planning - Joe Weber

Opsafari Loc: Roodepoort South Africa

Jerry first don't visit Namibia during December and January, big school holiday period! Etosha must be on the list for wildlife especially during the Southern Africa's winter months. Spectacular huge dunes at Sossusvlei but spend the whole day there it's also a photographers haven! Also Fish River Canyon on your way to Luderitz and visit the ghost town of Kolmanskop. There are so many great places to visit like Messum Crater, Cape Cross, Brandberg and Twyfelfontein with it's hundreds of rock engravings. Then don't forget Kaokoland and the Ovahimbas!

The best time in general is the winter months and you need lots of time as many great destinations are far apart. Dust is in general a problem for photographers so be prepare, big plastic zip bags work great. Polaroid filter is a must for the harsh sunlight!

This June/July I am take 6 guests on a three week camping trip to the southern part of Namibia with a few 2 night stops for photo opportunities but driving is going to be hectic! The good thing is that most of the Namib received plenty of rain and the landscape is just going to be fantastic!

Planning for a photographers trip to Kaokoland and Damaraland later this year as well as for 2023, its a rough camping trip into the real remote parts of Namibia.

If you want more advise for your trip, don't hesitate contacting me. Email: sdelange(at)mweb(dot)co(dot)za

Photolady2014 Loc: Southwest Colorado

I have not been to Namibia, but flew into Johannesburg last year and you do NOT want any photo gear on your checked luggage, or anything valuable. We had 3 people who had stuff taken from their checked luggage. I did not, but on the way home paid the $5 to have the plastic wrapped around my checked bag. This is a huge deterrent from prying fingers!
I did not have any cameras in checked, but don’t want adaptors, clothing etc taken. One person had cloths and shoes taken!

mitrecon

Good suggestions from others - Namib desert, Sossusvlei/dedvlei, Etosha(desert elephants) Damaraland and Twyfelfontein. Don’t miss Kolmanskop, a ghost town, early 20th century German diamond mining town. Endless photo ops of decaying structures (eerie!).

JFCoupe Loc: Kent, Washington

I am flexible on trip length but a minimum of two weeks, but a third week is not out of the question.

I am shooting with the Olympus m43 system and have the 7-14 f2.8 pro lens, 12-100 f4 pro, 60 macro, 45 f1.8, 300 f4 pro and a Panasonic/leica 100-400. so in full frame equivalent 14 mm to 800mm is covered.

I would consider adding additional countries to my trip. I suspect going through Johannesburg is the most likely air route from Seattle.

JFCoupe Loc: Kent, Washington

Thanks everyone for the detailed information. This information will be very helpful in my trip planning. I will most likely look for a tour to use as I will be traveling on my own otherwise.

norman weinberg Loc: new york city

I strongly recommend going with a well organized workshop that has a thorough background and experience leading tours in Namibia . Though I found the Nambians charming and gracious, I would never tour a third world country that so expansive with little knowledge of your immediate surroiunds. I took my first extensive photo workshop with Christoph Fischer of " beauty surrounds you photgraphy" ( cg fischer @hot mail) , who was raised in South Africa and is a professional photgrapher and was accompanied by his assistant who has been top tour guide in Namibia for many years and seemed to know just about everyone no matter where we traveled. The group consisted of 6 clients in one large truck with our luggage in tow, and we cover a lot of ground . Amazing tour with some of the oldest sand dunes in the world and tremendous variety. Deadvlei was a petrified forrest in the middle of a dessert panhandle , Sossusvlei had some of the tallest sand dunes in the the world,don't miss the helicopter ride over the coast. And there is Etosha wildlife reserve, a self contain territory that showcase a tremendous variety of sub dessert animals . Was able to view a host of animals day and night from our hotel migrating to the designated watering holes. to mention a few designations
Of course no one can expect to take in a whole country,but I was satisfied with the experience of touring Nambia and cherish some of the photo I took. My friend Christoph is a very enthusiatic guide who catered to our every need and shared his expertise in the field and in his seminars, he ran us ragged . Did I mention it was a trip of a lifetime ?

mitrecon

If you can extend for s third week I’d highly recommend looking around Jo’burg for the history of the “revolution” and check out the townships; a couple of days in Capetown - tour Robben Island (Mandela’s prison), Table Mountain. And if you can, get to Botswana for wildlife you won’t see in Namibia like leopards. You will fall in love with Africa.

Jerry Coupe Loc: Kent, WA

Good suggestion. My wife has cousins in So Africa so it would make a good stop.

Stan Wieg Loc: Fair Oaks, CA

I suggest trying to include Chobe national park if you can - I think it's second only to Amboseli for up close elephants, and lots of big game. It is in the far north of the country in the so-called Caprivi Strip between Botswana on the south and Angola and Zambia on the north. Since you are "in the neighborhood," maybe also think about some time in the Okavango - waaay more fun than Jo-berg! It's in Botswana, and famous for birdlife. There is a fun book by a former guide from there entitled "Whatever you do don't run." You might check out Pangolin Photo Safaris; they have a liveaboard houseboat in the Chobe and special built photo boats. Big presence on youtube.
Beware that if you drive, things are far apart in Africa and the roads are often terrible. Might find it worthwhile to fly point to point in country. It will be great - wish I was going too!

EPDatabert

We had a great trip in 2004 around South Africa thanks to Christiaan Jooste of Chameleon Tours of Pretoria, South Africa. His company specializes in South Africa and Namibia. We liked it so much that we booked a Namibia tour with him in 2006. His email is: christiaanjooste@vodamail.co.za.


Take in all Namibia's bucket-list destinations, from Okonjima to Etosha, to the Himba, Skeleton Coast, Namib Desert & deep south. Etosha is home to 114 species of mammals, inncluding lion, leopard, rhino & elephants. The park also hosts over 340 species of birds. Chameleon Safaris offers numerous safaris that visit this majestic park.

xtoothdr

Over 12 trips to Africa with 3 including Namibia. The last we went only for the sunrise/sunset Balloon ride at Sossusvlei...and wouldn't you know sandstorms prevented it. Last two with Wilderness Safaris with excellent infrastructure. HOWEVER, TO REALLY MAKE THIS THE EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME, our first trip was with https://www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com. The late Louw Schoeman was original conservator of Skeletal Coast Conservation Area. His family set up the Safari Company and the sons do the rest. They fly you from Windhoek on their planes, land on the beach where they have vehicles waiting to explore specific areas, before continuing on to their next camp. They have several camps and we went up to the Angola border overnighting at 3. Their drive on the sand dunes was beyond belief. Very private, they are pilots so fly you in, drive you around, cook and have some local village people clean up. This is a different experience from what is available in the rest of Southern Africa. More unique & rustic, shower under large bag of hot water, etc. We were with them 20 yrs ago so maybe things have changed...I hope not. Unfortunately, you will pay about 20% more than other companies.
Additionally, everything mentioned by the other UHH is true...especially Oknjima, and their Bushman Walk (the best in Southern Africa). I assume you will be in Botswana and Mashatu (with an unbeatable underground hide) has many features others don't. We cancelled this year and are scheduled to be there May 2023, so if you want to meet up...pm.

Hip Coyote

Thank you for the follow up information. That was very helpful. Here are my thoughts:
EQUIPMENT: Like you, I used m43 gear and, except for the 300, have the exact same gear. My first recommendation is to take two bodies. Namibia is very dusty. You simply cannot change lenses in the field. There were days, such as looking for desert elephants or at the dunes, that my cameras were more tan than black from the dust. TAKE TWO BODIES! And preplan your needs before. In nearly all instances, I had a body with the 12-100 and one with the Pany 100-400. This was the perfect set up about 95% of the time.

At the Sossusvlei Dunes, I figured that the 7-14 and the 12-100 would make more sense. I left the long Pany off…and that was a very good decision as well. The dunes cry out for wide angle. If you have that 7-14 then that is the place to use it.

I had a cloth grocery bag that I finally just put my cameras in as we traveled from spot to spot. I carried my gear in a backpack which I kept closed at all times and set on the seat between my wife and me.
I had a pocket rocket and hundreds of Zeiss alcohol wipes, a lens pen and some fluid. After each day of shooting, I brushed off my gear, blew off my gear and then wiped off my gear with the wipes. It worked very well. We Olympus users are lucky in that our gear is pretty darned water resistant. I did not put it under a hose, but the robust build did not allow for dust to get into the works.

I did not take my 60 or any primes. I knew that lens changes would be a challenge. I am satisfied with my choice of gear. I don’t know how the 300 would work given you never know where the animals are going to be. For instance, in Etosha National Park, the vehicles cannot go off road, so you will be shooting at longer distances. But if you end up on a private reserve, you could find that the 12-100 would be the perfect choice. There, cars can drive right up to the critters. Animals could, quite literally, be next to the car. At no time on safari, did I want the 7-14.

I leave the battery management up to you given that you know the system. I can say that I had no issues. I also took a car charger for my Oly and never used it…but could have done so without problems. Charge every nite.
I never wanted or needed a tripod or a beanbag thing.

Safari vehicles in Namibia don’t have windows so there is no place to use a beanbag. With IBIS, you should be in good shape. Auto ISO will be your friend.

I took a flash, although they are not allowed in most safari situations. But, there was one night, at a private reserve, that I had it with me and saw some bush babies playing hide and seek with me in a tree. IMO, one of the best shots of the trip…had to use a flash. I’d have one just in case. I had a wildlife snoot but never used it…
Do not underestimate the capabilities of a smart phone. That can be your third camera.

TECHNIQUE
I am not a pro, so these are just some things I did that helped. I set up a few custom settings, saved on my cameras, so that if a predatory chase took place, I could simply click into C1 and I was good to. Something like Auto ISO, 1500 ss and wide-open aperture. Chases are rare. I did use it at a cheetah reserve, but that was a set up deal to make the cats exercise . I would not repeat this cheetah reserve experience…not that much fun.

I was in Aperture mode more often than I would have guessed…animals are not all that active during the day.
I did shoot in RAW (for the love of all that is great, let’s not have a discussion of raw v. jpeg). I think I also shot very small jpegs for social media sharing. I don’t think Id do that again. If you have dual slots (OMD Em1s) Id do raw in both slots.

BITS AND PIECES ABOUT NAMIBIA AND AFRICA

Again, I am not an expert. I see from other posters that they have deeper experience than me. You have been given some excellent advice above. I can add that you go to Africa for the animals and come back for the people. Namibia was a very people interesting place.

Namibia is heavily influence by Germany…street names, etc. There were Germans all over the place. They fly in, rent campers and off they go. I would consider this next time. We enjoyed talking to them. My wife may disagree, but driving is doable. The roads in Namibia can be rough. You must have a 4X4. WE had one and it was great. We had a guide who drove us about 1500 miles total.

We flew in to Johannesburg. We were told to get in and get out. My wife, a great planner, did some research and found very interesting things to do there. As someone mentioned, it is where the anti apartheid movement was really centered. The Apartheid Museum and Mandala’s house was important to see. We also went to Liliesleaf where many of the Antiapartheid people were arrested. It is hard to believe that Apartheid existed in to the 1990s…not the 1890s. Crazy.

Someone also mentioned Cape Town. A fantastic place. As mentioned, one must go to Robben Island to see Mandala’s prison cell. I had a long talk with a guide, who was imprisoned there for 15 years…for terrorism. He had been trained by the Cubans in Angola to make bombs…a very interesting day. There is a penguin colony nearby as well. (Meh…made me realize I don’t want to travel to the Antarctic to see more penguins.) But what Cape Town has are wineries that are unlike any other. Luxurious. If and when we go back, we will be staying a few days at a winery just to relax there. Better than Napa. (This from someone who lives in California).

We went from JoBurg to Cape Town to Madikwe private game reserve in SA at the boarder of Botswana, Vic Falls and then flew to Windhoek to start the Namibia side of things.

Tip: In Namibia, they often shut down the air-conditioning in the rooms until a guest arrives. Makes sense, except that it takes the rooms many hours to cool off. That happened once so we called ahead and asked them to fire up the AC…saved my marriage or perhaps my wife going to jail for killing me.

Tip: Cell coverage was pretty good everywhere. But I am never without my Garmin inReach GPS, Satellite texting device. I can communicate anywhere in the world...and it has helped me twice.

ACCOMMODATIONS

JoBurg. Against all advice we did not stay at the airport. We found a B and B called the Rivonia Johannesburg. It was lovely. Surrounded by barbwire, but lovely. It is in the same area where the Liliesleaf farm was where the anti apartheid people were captured. I’d stay there again. You have to have a private escort in JoBurg…the place is dangerous. We actually had lunch in Soweto…again, treated very well. But not a place to linger after dark.

Cape Town: Commodore Hotel. Near the wharf. Nice, big hotel. Can walk to the wharf and eat, etc. As said, I’d consider doing more than a day at the wineries. So a few days in Cape Town and a few days just outside?

Madikwe Dithaba Lodge (in SA) The epitome of luxury and service. One night we rounded a corner on safari and drove into an opening in the bush where there were torches, tables, bbqs. We ate in the bush. Amazing pool, private hot tub (not so private in that we had to share with some baby impalas) Last night, a cold night, we came back from dinner only to find a fire in the fireplace, a warm bath drawn with rose petals floating on the water. A very special place.

In Namibia. In Windhoek, we stayed at the Elegant Guest House: Nothing special. A short walk into major tourist areas. I defer to others on where to stay here.

The itineraries of others is about the same as ours. In Sossusvlei, we stayed at the Le Mirage Resort and Spa…it was ok, but too far out from the dunes…so getting to the dunes at sunup was impossible. I would recommend trying to stay somewhere closer to the entrance.

We stayed at the Swakapmond Guest house…a bit away from the beach. I recommend getting something near the ocean if going there. The place was nice, but about a 4 block walk to the beach front. (Think German beer when in Swakapmond!)

Twyfelfontein Lodge. This is Damaraland (as I recall). I think we met Damara people and Himba people there. Also went on safari to see desert elephants. I cannot say I would repeat that experience to drive to a watering hole 25 miles across dusty roads. I would always repeat seeing the people, however.

Etosha is a huge park. It is roughly the size of Switzerland. So having a place near by the park, rather than driving for 45 mins to get into the park would be helpful. As mentioned, having two cameras shooting from 24-800 (ff equiv) makes total sense. We stayed at one side of the park but then moved to the eastern side of the park and stayed at the Onguma Etosha Aoba Lodge. This place was just outside the park, but was on a reserve without elephants. It was quaint and one of our favorites. It was a bit different in that there was not fencing between the animals and the lodge. Lions are there, but obviously avoid the lights, etc. We stayed in a small private suite, so when we left to go to dinner, it was a bit unnerving. A small watering hole attracted animals. Safaris available to go on the property or into Etosha. Mongooses all over the place keeping snakes at bay.

FINAL RANDOM THOUGHTS

You can combine the info in this thread to make a great trip. People, such as xtoothdoc have deep experience. I can only add that remember that these folks have suffered quite a bit with the covid pandemic. They live on tourism. At the Onguma lodge I tipped 100 dollars for a two nite stay and the receptionist got teary eyed. Be generous to these generous people.

Put the camera down once in a while and just sit and watch. You will remember those moments.
Sorry for the randomness of this post…kind of a stream of consciousness.

A few shots attached to whet your appetite.

Zebras in Etosha


Bush Baby in Etosha


Dunes


On the way to wineries near Cape Town


Its all about the people...a child waiting for breakfast.