EP48: Namibia - Land of the Brave

In this episode I start my last whirlwind trip of the last countries I had not visited before leaving Africa. This episode describes my epic journey through Namibia. It is a land of incredible beauty, extreme weather and environment, and colourful landscapes.

In this trip I join an overland tour to visit Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. We travel through the Kalahari Desert, admiring the desert wildlife and unique vegetation, including the quiver tree and the 2000-year-old welwitschia plants. We visit an old diamond mining ghost town and trek to the bottom of Fish River Canyon a 165-km long and 550 m deep canyon to swim in the cool dark pools at the bottom. I relate my experience at the incredible Sossusvlei area, the tallest sand dunes in the world at 350 m, and describe my arduous climb up the tallest dune 'Big Daddy', where you take one step up and slide two steps back in the loose sand. My heart was thudding so hard in my chest by the time I was 3/4 the way up, making me question again the wisdom of my actions at 6.5 months pregnant. However, I made it to the top and the views were well worth it. We finished the exploration of Namibia through a stay at Windhoek, the capital of the country. I explored the city admiring the German influence in many of its buildings and the nostalgia of ordering the German beer and food in its many restaurants.

Land of the Brave is the national anthem of Namibia.

Photos: View from the top of Big Daddy sand dune at Sossusvlei, Fish River Canyon and a family of cheetahs in the Kalahari Desert. Source: JMurray Pentax Z10, Rudi Bosbouer (FRC).