Three things I learned on a Namibian trip

Posted on 28 November 2011

Our family might be easily be classified as ‘smug Capetonians’ – Mother City dwellers who just ‘lurve’ living in the Cape.  And being so annoyingly self-satisfied, what would induce us to visit Namibia? Because without a doubt the Cape and Namibia are totally different. It was that promise of difference that lured us forth, along with the news that the 2011 rainfall had been so incredible that southern Namibia was spectacular and not to be missed.

And lo and behold, despite the very apparent differences (Cape Town – a single city of 3.6 million people, surrounded by verdant vineyards and a diverse, flowery ecology vs
Namibia – an entire country of only 2 million people and much of it classed as hyper-arid, which basically means ‘a desert’) we discovered a couple of travel gems that we will not forget even when we holiday closer to home.

So what gems did we discover? Let’s take a look at just three of them that are often underrated.

1. Take your time

No matter what, aim to spend at least two nights in every place you visit. And the further you plan to go, the more important this principle is. Might I add that if, like us, you have kids along for the ride, it should be non-negotiable.

In practice, spending longer in each place is often the first idea to go out of the window. When a destination feels remote and Once-in-a-Lifetime-ish, you feel all the more tempted to pack in as much as possible. (Cape Town can certainly feel like a long way from anywhere, whether you are coming from Jo’burg or Janapur.)

In Namibia we had little choice about this as the driving distances are immense. So in the couple of places where we couldn’t spend two nights, either because the establishment could not accommodate us for longer or because we were short of time, we really felt it. It was as though our wheels had barely rolled to a halt on arrival before it was time to load up and hit the road again for the next destination.

Certainly in the Cape it’s tempting to move on every night. But think about this – you may still spend two to five hours driving to your destination which means you arrive at a new place by early afternoon. You scurry to get oriented and see the local sights, then grab a bite to eat and a night’s sleep. And bam! You’re off again soon after breakfast.

No time to unwind. No time to soak up the ambience. No time to strike up a conversation with some interesting local character. Bah! If you have pre-teens this ‘Bah!’ factor is even more evident. At 8 and 11 years old, our kids hated moving on too soon. They loved being able to get out their stuff and play elaborate games in all the places we stayed. If we had moved on relentlessly every day we would have had a mutiny before long.

So, avoid any potential mutiny on your watch and resolve instead to see fewer places in more depth. And now that I’ve convinced you to spend more time at each stop, how about taking a little extra time between stops as well?

2. Hit the back routes

Hitting the back routes to take the road less traveled continues in the same vein as taking your time. If you have a lot to cram in, you’ll be tempted to fall back on the logic of taking the shortest, fastest road between two places. But this tactic can work against you because interesting happenings don’t necessarily arrange themselves in straight lines

The first two thirds of our Namibian journey were on dirt roads, through out-of-the-way places. The final section followed a much busier, formal road. If I were to do it over I would take a few more days at the end and stick to the back roads all the way through because although we loved the places we stopped at in that last stretch, the journeys between them felt far more sterile.

How does that relate to travelling closer to home?

In the Western Cape, scenic mountain passes and dirt tracks follow meandering routes and dictate a slower pace. And heading off into the back of beyond brings you into contact with people delighted to see your fresh face and to hear stories from outside their daily routine.

Service can be less slick in sleepier places (although sometimes it’s slicker – because it’s so personal), but it will likely be heartfelt and leave you feeling rich with human connection. So moving on more slowly and having time to connect with your hosts is its own reward. And it also opens up the possibility of being introduced to little-known gems – which is what makes journeys memorable, right?

 

3. Reality beats imagination, every time

Well of course it does, right?! But sometimes I forget that – so maybe you do too!

I remember the first time I ventured far from home and ended up in England. Specifically, I remember thinking, “It’s just like the postcards, only… more so!” I felt silly that I was amazed by something so obvious, but the sensation of wonder and surprise was a very powerful one. At the time I thought that was just the naïve reaction of someone who hadn’t seen much of the world, but our visit to Namibia brought me to that very same sensation all over again.

I do the holiday research in our family, so I had seen all the web photos of our proposed destinations. I thought I had pretty accurate expectations of Namibia. And – don’t laugh, even though you know what’s coming – I was totally wrong! Of course there were scenes that were familiar – there had to be, given all my research – and there will be for you, too. But my imagined ideas of everything – from the colour palette I expected, to the experience of places we visited, were vastly different from reality. Actually standing in those places, driving those roads and feeling the countryside firsthand was indescribably awesome.

It was exhilarating. And it was totally worth all those miles of driving! It reminded me that although these days you can travel the world via Facebook and Flickr without ever leaving home, actually doing things and being in places is far better than just seeing them on your computer screen.

So let’s get you beyond your monitor and a step closer to your next road trip, shall we?
We found Namibia different from home in every physical way, but you can definitely put the lessons I learned from touring Namibia to good use as you plan any holiday from Cape Town to Cairo or beyond.

Here’s a summary of what we learned in Namibia:

  • See fewer places in more depth. Stuffing things way beyond capacity doesn’t work for suitcases – or itineraries.
  • Always opt for the road less travelled. You will have more opportunities to connect with your surroundings and come in contact with authentic local people, food and places.
  • Be expectant – no matter how many photos you’ve seen or travel blogs you’ve read. Expect to be enchanted – way beyond your expectations!

 

Planning your own trip to Namibia? For a range of affordable accommodation in Namibia click here.






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