TRAVEL. ADVENTURE. PHOTOGRAPHY.

Camping in the Wild is the Real Deal

A selection of my favorite wild camping spots

Camping is my favorite way of spending my free time. Out of the cities, into nature. And preferably in the wild. Yes, camping sites have their advantages but with the right equipment, you don’t need those extras.

I’ve always been a wild girl. I loved climbing trees and preferred playing soccer over holding dolls in my hand. I never learned to properly put make-up on and have more scars and scratches on my body than what can heal in a lifetime.

Most of those marks make up for a pretty epic story. Like when I got hit by a firework in Ghana or when I got stitches in paradise. I survived all of them. Proudly.

So there is no wonder I’m not happy staying in a room surrounded by four fixed walls. Hotels were never my thing and are surely not my favorite type of accommodation today.

The connection to nature

Camping is my type of living or traveling. In fact, I currently stay in a trailer park. What I love most about it is the connection to nature.

Camping. It’s always been outside in nature. Not always the most beautiful ones, but they were all great. As long as there is some water nearby, maybe mountains or trees for shade.

Whatever it is. Staying on campsites allows me to be outdoors the whole day. I’d only go into the tent or trailer to sleep. Everything else is done outside.

The freedom of being able to stay anywhere

With the right equipment and in the right country, you don’t even need a campsite for the night. You can stay wherever you want to.

That spot down by the river? So peaceful and serene? Perfect, that’s where I’ll spend the night.

I don’t need to preplan my itinerary and can just go with the flow. If I don’t like a place, I move on. If I fall in love with a place, a stay a second night. As easy as that.

Being away from the crowds

I know there are people who love crowds. There are people who search for connections and interactions when on holiday. I’m the opposite. I long for peace and quiet.

I work with people. Every single day. I can cope with people. Calm them, make them happy and convince them if I need to. I need to listen to their racism, their anti-feminine worldview, and their fears.

In my free time, I don’t want to interact, explain myself or talk at all. I just want to relax and listen to the sounds of nature.

Wild camping is exactly what allows me to do this. To travel far and see amazing landscapes without meeting any humans.

My dream.

My favorite wild camping spots

This is a selection of my favorite wild camping spots. While I have been camping in Germany, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Namibia, South Africa, and a few other places in the world, most of my wild camping has happened in Namibia.

Therefore, this list is mainly a selection of places in Namibia. It’s where I lived between 2015 and 2019 and where I did several road trips in 2020 and 2021.

“Camping is the answer. Who cares what the question is.”

Swakop River, Namibia

And my journey of camping in the wild might not have started in Namibia, but it has taken another dimension. At a time I’d say I was out camping almost once a week.

Together with the right crowd of people, my friends and I loved bringing a mattress and sleeping under the stars. The Swakop river was just minutes away from our home and an easy getaway.

I wouldn’t say there is one specific spot I loved the most. We’ve set camp in so many different places down in the river and in the surrounding mountains; they were all lovely.

But one specific wild camp down there stood out to me. I just remembered it and know it would have been a good story for the celebration around the world writing prompt.

It was New Year’s 2018 and my husband and I wasn’t keen on celebrating in town. We had asked friends if anyone wanted to join and decided, in the end, to not wait for them to make up their minds.

Right after work, we packed the car and drove into the wilderness.

We parked the car, placed our mattress on the ground, and turned up the music. We danced, we drank some beers, and fell asleep long before midnight.

Who cares?

We loved sleeping under the stars and far away from the crowds.

“Leave the road. Take the trails.” — Pythagoras

Kuiseb River, Namibia

Another special wild camping spot that stayed in my memory was the day it rained in the mountains and the Kuiseb River started to flow. Together with a bunch of friends, we loaded the car and headed down to the river.

We played in the mud on valentine’s day, climbed the sand dunes on the other side of the river, and slept in the open. It was very peaceful. And what I loved most was listening to the flowing water as I was falling asleep.

“If you can survive camping with someone, you should marry them on the way home. “ — Yvonne Prinz

Central Namibia

A good friend of mine visited me in Namibia and we did a road trip through the central part of the country. Most nights we stayed at were more basic or well-established campsites, but one night we had to find a place to sleep on the road.

We had just entered a little driven gravel road when I was in awe of the mountainous landscape. Before the sun was setting, we found the perfect spot. Right next to the road, but a bit elevated with some flat ground.

And the best of this location was the view overlooking the stunning landscape.

We watched the sunset, the moonrise, and the sunrise the next morning. All of it was breathtaking.

“We must take adventures in order to know where we truly belong.” — Anonymous

Huab River, Namibia

This was the beginning of our road trip in 2020. We didn’t have a specific place in mind, but as we were getting closer to the afternoon, we knew we didn’t want to drive much longer.

I pulled out the phone and looked for a wild camping spot on the iOverlander App that led us to the dry riverbed of the Huab.

We had so many camping spots to choose from and our only neighbors were two springboks resting in the shade.

“Sky above, earth below, and peace within.”

Ugab River, Namibia

Over the years, our camping equipment has gotten bigger and fancier. By now, we have a fridge, a freezer, an extra battery plus solar panels to charge all the electronics. We even have a shower. It makes our trips more flexible and our wild camps more comfortable.

This was another spot in the Ugab River. The only visitors we got were a herd of goats and some baboons we saw in the mountains.

“As soon as I saw you, I knew a grand adventure was about to happen.” — A. A. Milne

Khomas Highlands, Namibia

On another road trip with a befriended couple, we drove through central Namibia as a birthday celebration of our friend. We headed off into the wilderness of the Khomas highlands and, after a long day of driving, we were all exhausted and just ready to set up camp.

We drove half an hour longer than I wished, but it was all worth it. Leaving the gravel road behind we followed a twee spoor patjie (dirt track in Afrikaans) leading us to a dry riverbed surrounded by lush green vegetation.

That was it.

We stopped the cars and quickly set up the tents. The clouds surrounding us were rather daunting and it was just a question of time when the rain would come.

It was a lovely summer day and none of us feared getting wet, but we didn’t get to experience more than a few raindrops.

But all hell broke loose in the mountains around us. As the sun was setting several downpours were happening on the horizon. The setting sun painted the falling rain in the most spectacular colors.

And that is why this specific wild camping location is very high up in the ranking of my favorite spots.

It’s a night I won’t forget anytime soon.

“Step outside your comfort zone because that’s the only way you’re going to grow.” — Madeline Brewer

Skåne County, Sweden

Without our big camping vehicle and the rooftop tent, including all the accessories, we were set back to zero as we moved around Germany, but that didn’t hinder us from going camping.

We put the back seats down of our VW Golf and placed a mattress inside of it. And then we headed North.

Sweden was our destination and after realizing how expensive lodging was we quickly decided on finding a wild camping spot. The first night we had found already a lovely location by the lake but topped it the second night with an even more remote camping site.

Just next to a national park off the beaten path and without seeing another human for the next 24 hours, we were in heaven. Such a serene place in nature.

This was our most recent wild camping experience and also one I will not only not forget so soon, but one that made us keen on getting more of it.

More of Sweden.

And more of wild camping in Scandinavia.

Not sure when, but we’ll do it again.

This is one last scenic view of our wild camping site and the surrounding landscape.

Final words

No two campsites are the same and even more so wild camping locations. As the scenery changes, so do the facilities found out there. From trees for shade up to rivers for access to water.

All of it is part of camping in the wild. It’s the challenge of finding a combination of all the needs and that is what makes it so interesting. For me.

I do know camping isn’t for everyone and even more so wild camping but I hope you could enjoy traveling with me through my words and photographs.

This article was inspired by Ellie Jacobson and her writing prompt from Flint and Steel.

More about my camping adventures around the world:

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