Namibia

Imagine a country with a lot of people packed into a tiny area. Think Singapore, Hong Kong or The Netherlands. What would paradise look like for these people – keeping in mind Jean-Paul Sartre’s “l’enfer, c’est les autres“? Since “hell is other people“, paradise should be by definition “very few people or none at all“. Welcome to Namibia – paradise for birders, loners and introverts. It is a very empty country hence this particular Dutchman believes it is heaven on earth.

Internet claims at least one endemic species and a total species list of 688. Any reasonable birder would be able to see at least 300 bird species in a single trip. Just one tiny issue – unlike Hong Kong, Singapore or The Netherlands – Namibia is vast. To see it all, you will need weeks and weeks and drive thousands of kilometers. I have been three times with my country list (thank you, eBird) now standing at 253 species – every trip yielding at least 150 species. These trips all have been with family in tow, a focus on hairy animals and at a non-birder pace.

Assuming you will spend at least two weeks and preferably more, let’s look at some possible round trips. On my last trip in 2022, I had my entire family with me. My grandson was renamed Dexter of Damaraland as his local popularity probably could have gotten him elected. Hey, stranger things happen. Keeping daily travel limited to no more than 300 km, we did a 2,000 km loop in 16 days. This being my third trip to the country I had made a wish list of only 16 species I “needed”. I saw most of them and added Burchell’s Sandgrouse, Rufous-cheeked Nightjar, Stark’s Lark, Pink-billed Lark and Damara Tern to my life list. We also saw a Brown Hyena trying to steal a freshly killed Gemsbok from a very large male Leopard, but there weren’t any birds at the scene, so I won’t bore you with the details. The route took us from the airport in Windhoek through the Otjozondjupa region to our first stop: Okonjima Nature Reserve. Our second stop was on the eastern side of Etosha National Park at Onguma, then on the western side in Okaukuejo. From there southwest to the coast and Swakopmund. We ended the trip in Sossusvlei and flew home after a one-night stay in Windhoek to rinse the desert dust from our clothes. This would have been an excellent introduction to the country (as it was for most of my family).

The first trip, back in 2010, was just my wife and I. We drove at least 10,000 kilometers in three weeks. The bridge at Kazungula only existed on drawings, most of the roads were not yet closed with tarmac, Zambian lorries were absent and tourists were scarce. The focus was to see as many of the Namibian specials while traveling north through Etosha National Park and into the Caprivi Strip, and onwards to Zambia. We saw a total of 80 lifers, with stonkers like Damara Hornbill, Rockrunner, Rüppell’s Parrot, Meyer’s Parrot, Carp’s Tit, Violet Woodhoopoe, Souza’s Shrike and a full set of Okavango specials with Greater Swamp Warbler and Long-toed Lapwing as my favourites. What happened when I was watching the wader can be read here.

Desert specials were left for our second trip, six very long years later when we saw Dune Lark, Gray’s Lark, Herero Chat, and Rüppell’s Bustard. This trip got us as far as the Kunene River (Angola Cave Chat!) with enough adventure to warrant a separate post.