Route of the day
All points shown were part of the original itinerary. Not all were visited — decisions made along the way are a natural part of any expedition. We kept them on the map in case you wish to explore them yourself.
What we lived
We were up early for the sunrise before returning to the cabins for breakfast and setting off. Along the way we passed a group of donkeys — several of them, in different colours, entirely unbothered by the road. Our first stop was Uis — a brief pause for coffee at the local bar and a bathroom break — before continuing to a Himba village. The Himba are one of Namibia’s indigenous tribes, still living largely as they have for generations, with traditions and a way of life that feel genuinely removed from the world we came from. We were given a guided tour of the village: their homes, their daily routines, aspects of their culture explained to us directly. It was one of those encounters that is difficult to describe without either overstating or understating it.
From there we stopped in the Brandberg area for lunch, where we were offered the chance to join a guided excursion to see the desert elephants. We accepted without hesitation. The guide led us straight to them — more than ten, possibly fifteen or more, and remarkably close. Then one of our cars got stuck in the sand. The second car moved in to help free it — and got stuck too. Once the first car was finally out, the second remained firmly embedded. What had started as an inconvenience had become, in retrospect, genuinely comic: at one point or another, every car in our convoy had been stuck. Two guides passing through with their own group came to help, and between all of us we eventually got everyone moving again. By then, the car that had originally gotten stuck had missed the elephants entirely, the day had run too long, and the lodge was still too far ahead. We started back.
The drive to Huab Lodge took us into the night — which in this part of Namibia means genuine risk. Animals cross the roads without warning, and at speed there is no time to react. Everything went smoothly. We arrived around eight, were welcomed with dinner, and closed a long and complicated day.
Photo of the day
Video
Video
Gallery
Our tips
Driving after dark in Namibia is genuinely dangerous — animals cross the roads unpredictably and often without any warning. Avoid it where possible. If you plan to see the desert elephants in the Brandberg area, allow more time than you think you need — and be aware that the sandy terrain can catch out even experienced 4x4 drivers.
Did you know?
Namibia’s desert elephants are one of only two populations of desert-adapted elephants in the world — the other is in Mali. They are not a separate subspecies; they are African savanna elephants that have learned, over generations, to survive in one of the harshest environments on Earth. They have larger feet for walking on soft sand, slightly longer trunks for digging down to underground water, and can go three to four days without drinking. They have been known to travel up to 200 kilometres in search of water — guided by memory passed down through generations. Around 150 remain in the wild, living primarily along the dry riverbeds of northwest Namibia.
Tomorrow we head to...
Twyfelfontein and Otjikandero