Overland Explorations in Namibia: A Photo Essay
- Kirsten Gardner
- Aug 27
- 6 min read
Photos and words from my November road trip through Namibia.
Part 2: Damaraland + Desert Adapted Wildlife
If Southern Namibia was the smooth lines of sensually undulating sand dunes, oryx and the interplay between shadow and light, then Damaraland was a world of jagged edges, spiky points and harshness. An environment that makes one wonder not only "how can any life exist here?" but also "why would anything choose to if given another option?"
But there was a beauty to the starkness and life indeed thrives here, armed with a unique array of adaptations and behaviors not found among related species dwelling in kinder climes. Over two quick nights in Damaraland (most travelers will give this area at least 3 to do the same), we were lucky to successfully spot desert-adapted elephants and giraffes, learn about unique flora found nowhere else, ponder the ancient etchings at Twyelfelfontein, and track a wild desert-adapted South-western Black rhino on foot with the Rhino Rangers of Save the Rhino Trust.
Despite the long drives, bumpy roads, heat and dust, it was a thrilling and dynamic 48 hours in Damaraland, split between Onduli Ridge and Camp Doros.
Onduli Ridge boasts a primate location for tracking desert adapted giraffes and elephants. During the heat of the day, the animals can often be found in dry riverbeds, lying down to rest in the shade provided by sparse trees, a behavior rarely seen elsewhere given how vulnerable it makes the animal for predators.
Desert-adapted giraffes are a subspecies of Angolan giraffe and are genetically identical to the giraffes found in Northern Namibia, where drinking water is available year round. In Damaraland, the giraffes don't drink - or at least they do not need to. Instead, they feed in the very early morning hours when the dew + moisture content of the leaves provide all the water that they need. Though as our guide Johann said, if presented with a tall glass of water, they certainly wouldn't turn it down!
Desert-adapted elephants sport anatomical differences from their relatives who roam the plains and bushveld elsewhere on the continent. The desert-adapted elephants of Namibia have smaller bodies and larger feet, presumably to help them stay afloat in sand, and they live in smaller social groups to help lighten their impact on limited resources. While the elephants do need to drink, they can go several days without water, obtaining moisture from plants like bitter melons that are not normally the first choice for an elephant's dinner.
The elephants of Damaraland will travel great distances to locate drinking water and they will dig holes around underground seeps to create small drinking puddles. Unfortunately their thirst for water often drives them to human settlements, where wells and water tanks make attractive targets. Human-wildlife conflict is one of the top conservation challenges in resource-constrained Namibia. Our local partners invest heavily in initiatives to reduce this conflict and keep both animals and people safer. During your time in Damaraland you'll see examples of this, like predator-proof livestock fencing (which blocks a lion's line of sight) and elevated elephant-proof water tanks, surrounded by a concrete barrier that is too high for them to scale.
Onduli Ridge is an exceptional camp, with first class food, wine, service and creative and comfortable suites built into and around the boulder mounds found throughout camp. The 6 suites are open air, with star beds that slide out onto the deck for guest who wish to sleep in the utmost comfort below Namibia's famously clear skies. But they also have accordion doors and an "evening breeze" personal cooling system above the bed for those who prefer to sleep closed-off from the outdoor elements. I especially appreciated that each suite came with a "gym & tonic" bag which contained a yoga mat and free weights if you wanted to log a quick workout in your room.
For larger groups and families looking for an exclusive experience, the nearby Onduli Enclave is a three bedroom, private use villa for up to 6 adults and 4 children at a time.
The Ondouli camps are also located close to Twyfelfontein, one of the largest concentrations of rock art in Africa and a must-visit UNESCO World Heritage Site for anyone interested in early-human history. More than 2,500 rock paintings and petrogrlyphs have been counted, featuring herds of antelope, giraffe, a curious lion with a human hand for a tail and more abstract forms that are open to speculation. Most of the carvings date back 2,000-2,500 years ago and have been credited to the Khoikhoi, an ancestor of the San Bushmen. We hiked the Lionman Route, a short but challenging hike/scramble through the boulder field that brought us close to many of the most impressive panels. As a former anthropology major and an enthusiastic visitor to rock art sites throughout the American Southwest, our morning at Twyfelfontein was a highlight of my time in Namibia.
Another highlight of my time in Namibia, and one of my top experiences of the entire year, was tracking wild desert adapted black rhino on foot with the Rhino Rangers and guide team from Camp Doros, an intentionally small and intimate camp located way out in the middle of core rhino habitat.
Hunted to the brink - and beyond the brink - of extinction for their horns, very few rhino now survive outside of protected parks and private preserves. Consequently, the need to constantly monitor these animals against the threat of poachers has lead to their habituated or semi-habituated state. Only in Namibia, through an extraordinarily successful partnership between camps, communities and conservation orgs, can you track and observe that last truly wild rhinos on the planet, a humbling privilege for those lucky enough to experience it.
Our day started around 5:30 AM - not an abnormal wake-up hour on safari. Though rhinos have poor eyesight, their other sense are keen. We were instructed not to wear any scented body products, to dress in earth tones, silence our cameras and phones and avoid wearing sunglasses or eyeglasses as the reflective glare may alert the animals to our presence. And don good hiking shoes with think soles and closed toes as the length and difficulty of our track was unknown.
We set off in our Land Cruiser with our guide from Camp Doros to intersect with the Rhino Rangers, trackers from three local communities who have been trained and are employed by Save the Rhino Trust to monitor and safeguard Damaraland's wild rhinos. The Rhino Rangers operate on foot to prevent the rhinos from becoming desensitized to vehicles, and consequently had a much earlier morning than we did, rising as early as 3:30 AM to locate the male we were tracking. Accompanied by two Rangers and one guard, we walked single file for about .5 a mile over mostly flat terrain to come within 100 m of a solitary bull - Hermansie - the dominant breeding male in the region. Nobody spoke or made a sound and the Rangers used hand signals to communicate their instructions, which our guides reviewed ahead of time.
After about 10 minutes of observing Hermansie, the wind shifted. Clearly detecting our scent, the bull became agitated, tossing his head, lifting his tail and trotting from side to side, a display highlighting his size and strength. While I had had previously watched in awe, this exact moment for me was accompanied by a tightening in my chest, feeling like my heart was in my throat. A stirring, primal feeling, triggering the inklings of that fight or flight instinct and awareness that we are just one small part of the massive and ancient ecosystem. I understood then why our guides spent so much time reviewing rhino behavior, displays, risk and safety protocols the previous night.
One we were spotted the Rangers signaled for us to drop back about 20 yards, where we continued to observe the bull from behind a bush for another ten minutes. Then we silently departed and retraced the path to our vehicle.
*While the rhino noticed us, this was an "ideal" viewing as we were able to approach up to 100 yds and the rhino neither fled nor charged. It should be noted that our experience was fairly short and easy, requiring only a 1-mile roundtrip walk from our vehicle. Given the unpredictable location of the animals, your tracking may require you to hike for multiple miles over hilly and rocky terrain and last several hours. Once you see one you are done for the day, to minimize pressure on the animals.
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