Reflections on Namibia

When I arrive home following my trip to the northwest part of Namibia in May, I had a very different feeling to my experience in Ethiopia.  Where Ethiopia was raw, Namibia is much more refined and I have heard it called Africa lite since arriving home.  That is probably a good perspective and makes Namibia …

Etosha Pan

The last stop on our tour of northern Namibia was Etosha National Park.  I had heard a lot about Etosha before coming to Namibia, perhaps more than any other place we visited.  It was described to me as the place you will see an amazing variety of wildlife roaming free in their habitat and the …

Desert Elephants of Namibia

Having already spent about a full day tracking desert elephants without success, I wasn’t too excited when our guide Piers spotted signs of elephants in the incredibly beautiful dry river valley.  The scenery and rick formations in particular were spectacular, at least to me, bringing back memories of my Geology undergrad which I never used …

A Day In Their Life…

A question I would often ask our guide in Namibia is what do the Himba people do during the day?  Typically I was referring to those we found in the villages, the mothers, grandmothers, elders and young children.  The Men and boys would be out each day with the cattle, looking for grazing land and …

A Girl’s Education

As I reflect back on my trip to Namibia and my time with the Himba, one constant stands out for me.  Babies, lots and lots of babies.  Mothers carrying babies on their backs, some very young, some much older.  The life of a Himba woman is clearly defined around marriage and child raising.  After watching …