A Namibian aerial adventure

Talk about a quick turnaround! Not half an hour since leaving the airport and we’d arrived here at Zannier Reserve. We were lucky enough to have a conservation drive lead by the Herad Guide planned for our arrival too – I hadn’t expected to get to see giraffes, warthog and ostrich so early on! It was just the elusive leopard that avoided our gaze, but this trip is already off to a great start.

From one nature reserve to another, I’m excited to see what big cats we will see here. We’ve got a cinema under the stars experience planned for tonight, and will definitely be taking it easy to prepare for the morning adventure. We’ll be having breakfast on top of a dune, with the option of walking trails and horseback riding later in the day.

I’d heard how astonishing Namibia’s landscape was, but wow, it’s like another world here! Our guided nature walk yesterday talked through the red and white surroundings, and it was almost surreal to see the skeletal trees of Dead Vlei. On tonight’s agenda is a game drive followed by sundowners and stargazing, I can’t wait!

Soaring above the dunes in a hot air balloon is well worth the early wake up call, especially when it precedes a champagne breakfast. The view from the air was amazing, and that’s definitely one ticked off the bucket list for me.

We’re in the land of desert black rhinos now, if you can believe it? Today we were invited by the specialist monitors to join them on their tracking walk, checking on the rhinos (though we had to track them down first). It was so interesting to see how the mighty creatures are taken care of.

You’d think Skeleton Coast was too remote for wildlife, but surprisingly there’s so much to see! We’re staying in a mock shipwreck which is such a fun twist, and have already spotted some seals from afar. Apparently we’ve a good chance of seeing zebra, elephants and lions on a drive later today.

I’m adding water safaris to my list of favourite moments so far – even if the crocodiles looked a little fear-inducing yesterday. Today’s highlight though has to be our visit to the Himba community, who couldn’t have been more welcoming. It was so interesting to hear about their traditions, especially as they live a semi-nomadic lifestyle in such a fascinating environment.

I’m sad to say we’re already on the penultimate stop of our trip, but my gosh I wouldn’t mind living like this every day. We’ve a guaranteed game drive every day to watch wildlife wander, and besides that, relaxation is the name of the game here. Yoga in the mornings and sleeping under the stars come nightfall? Yes please!

As if it was planned all along, today we saw a leopard! They’re looked after here by the Carnivore Care programme, and what beautiful animals they are. After we missed them at the start of the trip, I was convinced we’d missed our chance, and how wrong I was!