SOUTHERN AFRICA: DAY 2 NAMIBIA

Camping Between Hippos, Elephants and other Wild Animals

And no, there was no fence between them and us

Hippos are splashing in the water. Elephants came to drink on the beach less than one hundred meters from our camp. And I shouldn’t forget those monkeys in the trees. Yes, this is serious wild camping. As wild as it gets.

But let’s start this day by waking up on the Okavango River. What a night it had been. Mostly quiet. Until that hippo shook us awake. With the loudest sound, it could make. We thought it was standing right next to the car. That was how loud it was. But the creature was floating in the water.

We had some cloud cover in the morning and still enjoyed the camp. Only after breakfast did we pack up and head out again.

We started this trip with an epic wild camping spot and I didn't know if we could beat that. But I didn't know what was awaiting us the following night.

Our plan was to drive deeper into the Caprivi, that tiny stretch of land on Namibian soil nestled between Angola and Botswana.

We drove through smaller and bigger rain showers while massive thunderclouds were building all around us.

Mudumu National Park was the destination for the day and it couldn’t have been further from my expectations. In a positive way. We saw more animals than expected, closer than I ever thought I’d be able to see them in the wild. Some of them may have been a bit too close for our comfort.

We were only 2 minutes into the drive in the park when I spotted a large elephant herd on the left. We stopped and watched them cross the road. Several young ones were part of the group.

The fascinating thing was that these large animals made no sound. If I hadn't seen them in between the trees, we certainly wouldn't have heard them.

We continued the drive and eventually turned off the tar road. We stopped to deflate the tires and then drove through thick sand.

Impala antelopes were on our left. 3 female Kudus we could see as well as one zebra. And birds. Lots of them.

The road that wasn't a road but rather a trail got more challenging the deeper we drove into the park and all of a sudden there was this elephant that came out of nowhere.

He was so close, David could feel his breath.

Ok, I might be exaggerating but that elephant came out of nowhere. And he wasn’t alone. There was another herd with him and they must have gotten just as surprised as us and were certainly not amused about our arrival.

David didn't even stop but drove as quick as possible past the herd before they got a chance to charge at us.

Puh, that was close. And what an encounter while we still didn't make it to camp yet.

There, we first marveled at the breathtaking view across the flood plains before spotting the hippos on the island across the water.

While we were setting up camp these animals would move into the water and their sounds kept us on our toes. They swam past our camp and we shared some intimate moments keeping eye contact.

An elephant was drinking water downriver from us and while we were having dinner I spotted two other elephants at the same spot.

More impalas were grazing in the meadows behind our camp and birds were flying above our head.

Just before sunset, we heard some screaming. That was when a family of baboons moved into the tree just next to our camp.

Now it was certain. We'd have to pack up everything before going to sleep. With monkeys in the area, nothing will be safe.

And while David was constantly on alert checking for wild animals, I was flying the drone, taking pictures with my camera and enjoying the view.

Yes, we are wild camping inside a National Park. These campsites are written out but have no amenities. You also don't pay for staying overnight, you only pay a very small entrance fee to the park.

And yes, this is as wild as it gets out here. No fences. No barriers. These wild animals can walk around where they want. And just as David was taking a shower (we set up our camp shower underneath a tree), he got spied on.

A hippo, not even 5 meters from him was saying hello.

As soon as the sun disappeared I was hushed into our rooftop tent. I could feel the stress David was having. He said he can't guarantee our safety down here. So pack up and go to bed.

It's pitch black outside and I tried to take a picture of the stars from up here. Since I am not allowed to go down, I had to try to improvise. Without a tripod and solid ground, the picture got a bit blurry but still pretty.

The African sky at night.

I can hear more animal sounds than I can distinguish. Let's close my eyes and try to get some sleep.

Here you can watch the video of our first three days in the wild:

More about the preparations and the start of our trip:

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