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 and excellent first time venue for anyone looking to visit Africa for the first time.
From the USA, Namibia is a long flight. I live in Portland Oregon, the shortest routing to Johannesburg is 23 hours and from there Windhoek, the capital of Namibia is a two hour flight. I had to stay over in Jo’burg because of the flight schedules. Windhoek surprised me, I was expecting a bustling African capital with people everywhere. Instead it was small and quiet. We found an excellent guest house to stay in and there are plenty of good options. If you are looking for a place to eat out, I recommend Joe’s Beer House which appears to be a local favorite with great food and good local beer.
Getting around in Namibia is relatively easy, the main roads are good and pretty extensive and most of the side roads are also easily driven, especially with a 4×4. Once you get of the major roads, the tracks can be very challenging which is why 4 wheeling is a big thing in the country. Places are a long way apart and so be prepared for a LOT of driving if you opt to self drive. If that isn’t appealing, there are many small in country charter options, especially with companies like Wilderness Safaris.
Accommodation was excellent, even out in the wilds with some fabulous small hotels. If you prefer to camp, we were very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the campsites. We found showers, flush toilets, and nice sites. I can see self driving and camping as a great option.
I loved visiting the North West of the country and highly recommend it if you like to get away from everything and experience to great wide open of Africa. I was lucky to be able to travel with Piper McKay and if you are interested in a photography based tour to I highly recommend a trip she is running next year, more details can be found here.
Andy Robbins Photography 
Andy,
I am still in awe of the views of Africa you were able to capture!!!
Amazing!
Carolyne
Thanks Carolyne, I am happy you have enjoyed them!
Your photographs are beautiful. You have captured the essence of Africa. I especially like the mother and calf rhino at the water-hole. And please tell me what that Himba girl has in her head dressing – are they ostrich feathers or something else?
Jude xx (got here by the way of your postcard on Emily Luxton’s site) http://emilyluxton.co.uk/2013/09/25/postcard-from-namibia/
Hi Jude,
Thanks for all your comments and compliments. 🙂 Africa is a special place and the subjects are amazing! The Himba women have leather head pieces. Bt scraping the leather, they are able to make it curve to create the oval piece you see on top of their heads. I found the women who had braided their hair and then coated it with mud to be the most striking. They remind me of characters from Star Wars, not a coincidence in my opinion.
Best,
Andy