My Luv Letter to Namibia

Isabella Drenthen
Feb 4
11 min read

Dear Namibia,

This will be my first love letter written on this blog. It feels weird, but I feel like it should have been this way. After visiting Africa for the fourth time and falling in love with all the countries I’ve seen, Namibia, you have topped them all. Here are all the reasons why:

The people
The nature
The food
The animals

Let me go more in depth.

I have been welcomed with open arms throughout Africa, and fortunately, Namibia has been one of those places as well. It all began when we were picked up at the airport; Nala helped us settle into the new country and was such a warm person. We had some issues with our luggage, so we arrived a bit late at the arrivals terminal. Nevertheless, Nala greeted us with a big smile, and all was well again.

Day 1: The Weinberg

We then proceeded to pick up a car and drive to the hotel, The Weinberg in Windhoek, where we were also welcomed with open arms and treated to a lovely shower before heading to dinner. It was surreal to eat Flammkuchen, a dish I usually enjoy during winter sports in Austria or Germany, now in Namibia (of all places...). It was a pleasant evening accompanied by a lovely glass of wine and some delightful appetizers. How good the food is in Africa for such a price is mind-blowing. I feel that we Westerners are living in a world where we accept the most ridiculous prices for over-processed food. Here in Africa, food is produced naturally, with minimal processing, and I felt the difference in everything after two weeks; my skin cleared up, I had far fewer stomach issues, and I never felt overly full, even after three courses.

Day 2: Bagatelle Kalahari Game Range

After a lovely breakfast with cheerful people the next morning, we continued our journey to the Bagatelle Range. However, we first had a pit stop at the airport to pick up our lost luggage. Although it is the rainy season, we were still surprised to see rain in Africa during our drive. The last couple of times we visited, it was August, and it was incredibly cold and dry in Africa, so this was a new experience. I believe Nala would have been pleased about the rain because, the day before, she mentioned that they had been eagerly awaiting some rain in recent weeks. When we settled into the hotel rooms, my mum luckily had eagle eyes; suddenly, she sat up straight and said she saw a cheetah. I quickly grabbed my monster lens (600mm) and zoomed all the way in, and yes, she was right; it was a cheetah walking very close to the fence. One cat done!

Day 3: Sonop Lodge

We resumed our journey to the very special hotel, Sonop Zannier. On the way, we stopped for petrol at Berta, which resembled a set from Cars (yes, the animated film I mean). Only rusted, broken-down cars were surrounded by cacti, sandy ground, and mountains in the distance; it felt like an old Hollywood Western, where a peculiar cowboy might suddenly appear from behind a tree. Fortunately, no cowboys appeared, just friendly people who assisted us with the petrol. When we arrived at Sonop, the sun was beaming harshly, but once we beheld the incredible hotel, built upon boulders, all was well. Again, the staff warmly welcomed us, especially Jacques. The rooms, reminiscent of an old British explorer's quarters, fulfilled my wildest hospitality dreams. In the afternoon, we went on a peaceful drive with Revival. The beautiful surroundings added to the tranquility. Revival asked us some questions about our life in the Netherlands and was surprised to find out that life in the Netherlands is considerably more expensive than in Namibia. He then proceeded to ask my dad about the peculiar object in the sky with a line (a plane), which made me appreciate the opportunity to travel so much as we do and see so much of the world. In the end, we had seen more of Namibia in two weeks than Revival has in the roughly (I think) 40 years he has lived there. At night, I made my first attempt at astrophotography, and to be honest, I’m absolutely thrilled with the results, hihi. The following day, we enjoyed a peaceful morning of horse riding, which was delightful. However, the heat took its toll on me after breakfast, and I spent the rest of the day trying to sleep it off.

Day 5: Dead Valley Lodge

On our fifth day, we ventured to Sossusvlei, stepping into even more heat. We were welcomed by a large elf (it’s Christmas, just so you know) who had a big smile on his face. It was a stunning location in the middle of the desert, but the heat was a bit overwhelming, so we didn’t do much that day either. In the evening, we celebrated Christmas, and Eduardo, the manager, truly made our night just by being himself. He ought to have his own show managing this hotel because I believe it would be a massive hit; his personality alone would be enough. The next morning, we needed to wake up early; however, I wasn’t really paying attention to the time on my alarm, having noted the wrong time, and I was woken up by my parents just five minutes before departure. I have never experienced such a fright while waking up, but I managed to pull it off, and surprisingly, we were still on time. Our group activity was to climb Dune 45, the highest natural dune in the world, at 5:45 in the morning. It was brutal, but the view made it worth it, haha. There was another group of Dutch travellers that morning, which made it even more enjoyable, as they were hilarious. They acted on all the intrusive thoughts that normal people have when atop a dune (like sliding down), even belly sliding down! I, however, didn’t participate but seized the opportunity to channel my inner Jack Sparrow and tried to run clumsily down the dune. Afterwards, we headed to Sossusvlei, a natural wonder where trees have been stuck in time for nearly 900 years. They have been dead for all that time, but the ground is too dry for them to properly degrade, so they remain suspended in time. The sight was astonishing: the red dunes, the white ground, and the black trees—it’s crazy to think that this exists on Earth!

Day 6: Villa Margherita

Afterwards, we packed our bags again and drove to Swakopmund but made a quick pitstop at Solitaire, where they had the best German treats ever (better than in Germany even 😊). In Swakopmund, we were warmly greeted by Mutti; after settling in and enjoying the sun in their garden, we had a delightful dinner at their restaurant. Mutti and the staff enhanced the experience, but we had an early night as we were exhausted from the morning workout. The next day, we explored Swakopmund and concluded that this would be the place where we would love to live in Namibia (thus far). Swakopmund had such a fun yet laid-back vibe, with many coffee shops, the beach, and the architecture resembling that of the Caribbean. Even though it wasn’t sunny, the sun shone through the vibes. In the afternoon, we had another adventure, going to the place where the desert meets the Atlantic Ocean. The driver didn’t speak English well, but he drove very well through the dunes and sand, even though the wind raged wildly. Luckily, you get what you deserve (#Karma), and the sun finally came out when we went to Sandwich Harbour. Again, the same feeling of otherworldly experiences came to me; it is just crazy to me that this exists on Earth and in the same country. The wild ocean crashed on the sand of the desert, the oldest desert in the world, and the wind blew me away while trying to take the perfect picture! It was an experience…

Day 8: Ongava Tented Camp

Now, it was time to go on SAFARIIII!! Finally!! One thing we noticed while driving through the country over the past week is that it felt as though we had experienced all the planets while being on Earth. We saw a Mars-like landscape with its red rocks, a lunar scene featuring large craters, and a Jupiter-esque terrain with dark, curvy ground textures. Who needs to be an astronaut when you can drive through Namibia?

When we arrived at the first safari destination, we were warmly welcomed by the whole crew. Laina gave us a grand tour of the room and the hotel and served us super sweetly during all the meals. As a graduate in hospitality business management, it was lovely to see how much she cared about the hotel and how passionate she was about becoming a manager one day. I can absolutely see her achieving that; she has the drive and heart for it! In the afternoon, it was time to meet our driver, Binius, and go on our first drive. We already saw quite a lot; we saw some rhinos and something that would never happen in the ranger textbooks: elephants that climb. It was endearing to see how unsure they felt going back down the hill, one big foot at a time. After this, we went for our sundowner drink, and luck had it that the elephants from the hill followed us to the waterhole, playing together in the water, not 500 meters from us!

The next morning, we set out early for Etosha National Park. Once again, luck was on our side. For the first time, we encountered a black rhino, such a rare sighting! Afterwards, we believed we had already witnessed a rare event in the last few hours, but that wasn’t the case, as we then saw a young male lion enjoying his meal, with another rhino visible in the background near the iconic Etosha pan. You could never wish to see it, even in your wildest dreams. It wasn’t just one lion; there were two brothers and their mom, and it was amazing to see how eager they were, but their mom called them back every time. In the afternoon, we were joined by two new guests, a lovely couple from the UK (I just loved their accents), and we were lucky to see two very young elephants who were still learning everything there is to know about life, from eating to swinging their trunks. And to top off the day, we were joined by an elephant at the swimming pool when we returned. I think I have never taken that many photos in one day!

Day 10: Onguma Tented Camp

On our last morning at Ongava, we stayed at the game reserve and, unfortunately, we didn’t see much. However, given all the luck we had enjoyed over the last two days, we didn’t mind! After breakfast, we packed our bags and drove straight through Etosha to our next location, Onguma Tented Camp. The lodge was beautiful, but we were just getting accustomed to the staff from the previous location, which made us feel a bit uncertain. In the afternoon, we went out for a drive with a newlywed couple from the US. It was a crazy warm day again, so we saw a rhino cooling himself and playing in the water. This was super fun to see; I almost wanted to join him to cool myself as well. Afterwards, we followed a lion who had just woken up and was trying to call his group. We followed him all the way to the fence where the others of the group were as well. One thing that wasn’t on my bingo card was seeing how flexible lions are; they all went under the fence to the other side. The downward-facing dog leading into cobra pose, “Vinyasa” in yoga terms, should be called the “Lion under Fence Pose” (watch my YouTube video to see it happening ;)).

The following day, we ventured out once more and spotted two female lions preparing to hunt in the morning sun, although we had no luck just yet. We then made our way into Etosha Park, but with the sun blazing down, all the animals sought refuge in the shade, as they rightly should. In the afternoon, we encountered the two female lions from the morning again, now in the perfect position to hunt. A group of zebras was minding their own business, paying no attention at all—not to the lions closing in on them, not to the alarming sounds made by the birds, and certainly not to the ten or so cars watching the entire scene unfold. Eventually, the lions began working together from a distance; one was close to our car, getting nearer to the group with a focus on the young zebra, while the other lion was sneaking up from the other side, ready to initiate the hunt and drive the zebra into the path of the other lion. Their plan worked! The lion closest to us caught the zebra and fortunately snapped its neck in mid-jump, resulting in the zebra’s swift death, with no blood, wounds, or painful screams. I am not particularly fond of death, but this instance was impressive to witness, mainly because it happened behind a bush, so we didn’t actually see the death but heard it all. Good way to end the year!

Quick break for the Happy New Year announcement…

HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY 2025!

Let’s go to the next morning! We didn’t have an early drive, as we wanted to sleep in a bit. However, when we arrived for breakfast and the other group returned from their walk, we felt a twinge of jealousy. They had come face to face with the same two lionesses from the day before; they mentioned that one lioness was preparing to attack if necessary, which was quite an exhilarating way to start their year. Unfortunately for us, we could only listen and imagine how that must have been.

In the afternoon, we desperately wanted to see leopards, but even zebras were hard to spot; all the animals seemed to be hiding. However, just before we were ready to return to the lodge, we were informed that The Onguma Pride, a large group of lions, was lying close to the entrance. So, of course, we raced as if we were in Formula 1, Safari edition, to the sighting. It was still incredible to see them all lounging there in the pinkish afternoon sun. A splendid way to end the first day of the year.

Day 13: Otjiwa Mountain Lodge

Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to the lodge and the team and continue our journey to our last destination before returning home. Unfortunately, it was raining heavily on the way there, but everything was well when we arrived, as this hotel is a great ending point. The entire aesthetic felt like the African Hamptons, with plenty of white “beachy vibes” and large windows overlooking the savannah. In the afternoon, we tried to go out for a drive, but due to the heavy rain, we didn’t make it a long one.

The following day, we attempted one last drive to spot the leopards; however, there were still no leopards to be seen. Nonetheless, the drive was beautiful and incredibly scenic, adorned with freshly bloomed flowers and lush green plains. Afterward, we made our way to the airport.

The last two weeks have been amazing. I have fallen in love with a wonderful country. The people, the locations, the nature, the animals, the food—everything was spot on. I couldn’t recommend visiting Namibia more! I have been fortunate to have travelled to South Africa, Tanzania, and Botswana before, but if it’s your first time in Africa, I believe Namibia might be the perfect country to begin with. It encapsulates what Africa means to me: the most beautiful, wild, and loving place on Earth.

Namibia, this love letter is for you and all the people we have met there. Thank you for a fantastic time; I can’t wait to return and discover even more!

Spread the love,

Isabella

P.S: Here are all the links to the amazing hotels we stayed in, couldn't recommend them more!

P.P.S: Here is the "moving" Luv Letter to Namibia, specifically focused on the amazing wildlife.