Back to Namibia years later. Not much new ... just beauty !

[michael-ibk]

Kung Fu Zebra is the standout this time for me.

[Bush dog]

Beautiful night pictures!!!

[xelas]

The B&W photo from Halal ... it gave me something to think about!

[Marks]

That night sky is to die for. Also the lone hyena is a great sighting.

[jeremie]

Pablo,

 

Your pics are just amazing, they really make me want to discover Namibia. Fantastic Namib landscapes. What are scenery in etosha!!!!

[Atravelynn]

I've finished the desert with you. Along with the tremendous scenery shots, I like the added people and dog for perspective.

 

"Overall , a magic place with unbeatable desert landscape !!" That really sums it up! And your dune photos sum it up too.

Edited November 7, 2014 by Atravelynn

[africawild]

The final part of our trip was in eastern Etosha , great waterholes and lots of wildlife!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was great to see many white and black rhinos !

 

 

 

 

 

Elephants where the stars at the waterholes , we had great shows with them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I always thought that if I saw this scene would be in Chobe or Zambezi river , not in a waterhole in Namibia!!!

 

 

 

But the zebra´s shows were also very entertaining !!

 

 

 

 

 

These two must have had a scary encounter with lions

 

 

 

This little one had fun minutes after he felt down inside a man made waterhole what upset the herd for a few minutes until his mother was able to got him out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This male did not want to let drink anyone, even the kori bustards!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also giraffes were a show themselves drinking or fighting !

 

 

 

 

 

Hyenas where all over and there where dens close to 2 waterholes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had two sightings of flat lions behind some bushes and a leopard during a night safari in Onguma but the best sighting of cats we had was a family of 3 cheetahs in hunting mood , we spent half an hour with them but they where a bit too far!

 

 

 

 

 

And some typical Etosha scenes !

 

 

 

 

Paco

Edited November 9, 2014 by africawild

[twaffle]

Just beautiful.

[Soukous]

So clear, such wonderful light

[Marks]

Love the playful ele calf, and both the giraffe and hyena with their tongues sticking out.

[TonyQ]

@@africawild

Sorry to come late to this - but Wow!

Beautiful landscapes - the aerial shots are superb.

I love the way you place animals in their environment. (such as the oryx)

So many wonderful photos - I love the elephants playing in the water, the hyena are beautiful

A very enjoyable read, superbly illustrated.

[Atravelynn]

All your Etosha shots are beautiful. The water spewing giraffes are a favorite along with the leaping baby ele. Tell us how you got such good night photos.

[africawild]

Thank you all again.

To take night shots of course it helps to have a camera with full frame that manages well high ISOs and a fast lens. Besides the tripod is a must and a cable release makes things easear .

 

This time for most of the night shots I used a D610 with 70-200 lens f \ 2.8 and of course tripod !!

 

Paco

[africawild]

Some thoughts after our trip to Namibia;

 

As a frequent visitor and regular Africa traveler I would describe Namibia as a destination unique and different from the usual safari circuits.

The first thing to highlight is its incredible desert landscapes that are unmatched anywhere else in the continent, immense and endless open spaces with panoramic views that leave you breathless, there are no pictures to make them justice ! Then you have to add that in this harsh and dry environment you can find plenty of desert adapted wildlife and plants.

From many small invertebrates to herds of antelope like oryx and zebras .Nor you will find elsewhere in the world lions roaming along the beach or elephants and rhinos crossing plains of stone and dust. This is Namibia only !

 

You can also find the wildest and most remote corners of the planet. I remember our first trip to Namibia when we spent three full days at Palmwag Rhino Camp without seeing a single soul and no sign of civilization except the camp itself,still remains one of my best experiences after a dozen safaris!

 

Of course it is also a good destination for family trips, excellent to drive yourself and to find places with reasonable prices.

 

 

From the standpoint of wildlife watching Etosha is the ultimate destination in the country. Although not the ideal place for me due to its large camps, the crowds at the best waterholes and the monotonous landscape I have to admit that we have spent great moments there, as one night in Okaukuejo just around midnight when my son and I where the only ones left at the waterhole and a family of 9 hyenas arrived while we where watching 5 black rhinos drinking , a moment not to forget !!

 

Ultimately I think Namibia is a destination to visit at least once by all safari lovers because all these features that make it unique, completely different from the rest of safari destinations in Africa.

 

To conclude my report , in my next post I'll upload some favorite photos from the trip that can faithfully transmit those wonderful moments we have spent!

 

 

Paco

[MR1980]

I loved reading your report @@africawild Paco!! Gorgeous photography, it brought back great memories of my trip to Namibia last May/June. My girlfriend and I loved Namibia and I really think it's a country with unique qualities and your images help proving that. I remember sitting at Okaukuejo and at one point there were 11 Black Rhino's around the waterhole, unbelievable...

 

I'm looking forward to your next post!

 

Cheers,

 

Michel

[Peter Connan]

Thanks for a wonderful trip report Paco!

[Atravelynn]

Thank you all again.

To take night shots of course it helps to have a camera with full frame that manages well high ISOs and a fast lens. Besides the tripod is a must and a cable release makes things easear .

 

This time for most of the night shots I used a D610 with 70-200 lens f \ 2.8 and of course tripod !!

 

Paco

Thanks!

[pault]

@@africawild.... You didn't post your favorite photos yet? Well, I can't wait for the next post then. Actually I have nothing to add to what I said many pages back, but I thought I should post again and say I enjoyed the wildlife even more than the landscapes - but I would not want one without the other. You have some spectacular shots from Etosha. Zebras are always my favorite and no exception here. And all this with your family in tow? Goodness knows what you would come back with if you went on one of these trips solely to get photographs.

 

Anyway, that was very, very enjoyable and I await the finale!

[Kitsafari]

Everyone has said what I want to say. Just stunning. Beautiful. You made Namibia magical.

Edited November 26, 2014 by Kitsafari

[AfricIan]

Hola Paco,

 

I'm finally catching up with “old trip reports” and notice that back in September I said:

 

@@africawild - What a stunning image to start your report Paco. I always expect outstanding photography from you and it's clear that I'm not going to be disappointed!

 

All I can add now is thank you so much for sharing this trip with us, stunning scenery and photography that us "mere mortals" can only aspire to!

 

When you say it was a 2 week self-driving trip, how much of it was you (or your sons) doing the driving as I notice you said that you had a guide in the NamibRand – Did you self-drive in Sossusvlei & Etosha and just self-drive between them?

[africawild]

Thank you again all!!

 

Ian , we did the driving between locations and some in Etosha . Namib Rand activities are always with their guides , for the Sossusvlei visit i also used a guide from Little Sossus and in Etosha we took a couple of drives with the Onguma guide and vehicle.

 

I did most of the driving myself but my soon drove in Etosha a couple of days!!

 

Paco

 

 

This next weekend i will try to make a final post with a few more pictures and thus terminate the report !

Edited December 18, 2014 by africawild

[graceland]

Also catching up with your report...wow, the stunning photography of the wildlife and scenery have helped change my mind on Namibia ( I was worried about monotonous landscape as well); and I am a landscape fanatic.

 

It is as shown through your photos, as kitsafari says, Magical. I can't choose a fav; they are all so beautiful.

 

Thank you for the report.

[africawild]

Here is the final post in order to wrap up this report , i have included a few favorite shots from our 2 trips to Namibia !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paco

[AfricIan]

Outstanding images Paco, what else can I say!

[michael-ibk]

+ 1. Just extraordinary. Especially love the one with the human ants on the dune. Thank you for sharing, this trip report was a feast for the eyes.