Ich habe die Infos in Englisch geschrieben, da sie auch auf der Lonely Planet Forum Website erschienen sind. Siehe auch den Reisebericht von Tobias vom Juni 2012, "Kein Problem - Ich habe ja Zeit..."

First of all: Namibia is no budget country to my sorrow! Next the Lonely Planet Guidebook is unfortunately rather useless (info’s are outdated and often not mentioned). In case you read German buy the latest Iwanowski Guide Book with a pull out map (much better but also with old information) and some good maps. The best map in my eyes is: Namibia, Traveller’s Map, Tracks of Africa, 2011/2012 Edition. It is mainly accurate and very helpful and has only some little mistakes on it.

We rented a Toyota Hilux, Double Cap with Camping Gear (you don’t need a GPS) as it is nearly impossible to get to most places without your own car (hitchhiking is often useless due to little/no traffic) and camping is the cheapest offer to overnight although some places offer cheap dormitory acc. e.g. in Lüderitz, Maltahoehe, Swapokmund, Opuwo (ABBA Guesthouse has rooms cheaper than a dorm), Tsumeb and Windhoek. In Windhoek check out the CS hosts which I prefer to hostels in general.

Our trip went from Windhoek to Noordoewer (border with SA) than up to Epupa Falls (border with Angola) and over Etosha back to Windhoek.

Keetmanshoop, (and Köcherbäume – Quiver Trees)

Lüderitz and Kolmanskop (mentioned in the LP)

9h Waterkloof Trail in the Namib Naukluft Mtns. with monkeys and mountain zebras (mentioned in the LP).

Sossousvlei Area, 2.5 days (mentioned in the LP)
Do yourself a favour and stay that long and on the camping place at Sesriem which is by far the cheapest and gives you the possibility of driving down to the dunes earlier. Try to climb one Dune 45 and be sure to have some hours left on 2 afternoon to hike to Dead Vlei (1km) much more if you like to climb Big Daddy and to Hidden Vlei. If you are your way to the Hidden Vlei be aware that the poles with a black top are there but very hard to see from where you leave the car. Just go straight for about 100m and search for the first pole, than follow the next one and so on (2km) We saw Springbook and Oryx on the wax. On a early morning visit Sossous Vlei proper, climb Big Mama Sand Dune and walk down and along the lake (which is presently there). When we were there there was a sandstorm and it was very cold but we could still manage in full mountain gear. Fantastic.

Swapokmund with a Quad ride in the dunes plus a scenic flight of 2h20 Min.
You can do all kinds of Quad rides but after looking around we choose Desert Explorers which has many Quads and a good reputation. They have many different tours but basically you can decide between a explorer tour where your guide will search wild animals like scorpions, geckos and the like or an adventure tour where you ride up and down the dunes for a longer time.
We took Pleasure Flights and Safaris, one of several outfitters who does these flights but they all work together to fill a plane (which is cool if you want to get into the air to experience the endless dunes from high). We flew from Swapok over a river valley to Sossousvlei, passed some abandoned Diamond Camps in the Sperrbezirk and headed to the beach to see the Edward Bolen shipwreck (spectacular turn) plus Shaunee ship wreck and then back on the beach over the dunes to salt works and Swapok. 2h20, E 200. Shorter flights are cheaper.

Ameib Ranch, near Usakos, 4-5h visit, spectacular rock formations and a nice climb around the rock plateau.

Spitzkoppe and Petroglyphs at Twyfelfontain. Good rock formations and bad petroglyphs at Spitzkoppe but if you have time only for one – go to Ameib Ranch. And high quality petroglyphs at Twyfelfontain.

Epupa Falls, 1st camping place plus Himba village visit in the area. Great place to stay right next to the falls. Plus the guided tour to a nearby Himba village (no name given here but min. 2 on offer) are much better than the ones near Opuwo. Note, you should bring a present in form of food, roughly US 10-15 per person and you need a guide to go to these villages and for once I agree because he can teach you plenty of customs of the Himba people and is most likely Himba himself/herself. The guide will know exactly what to buy and it will help the whole village. Basically it is maize, oil, sugar, fruits and maybe tobacco but no sweets although all kids will ask for it… The customs of the Himbas are very unique and nicely seen and explained with a good guide.The pad (nature road) is now very good between Opuwo and Epupa Falls and you can make the distance in just 2 hours but count more as you might want to stop on the way and chat with some locals.

Otjitotongwe Cheetah Park, watching and touching cheetahs near Kamanjab. 24km from Kamanjab on a tar road, 8 on a pad. They have 3 tame cheetahs and offer feeding in the open. No day visitors in July and August but call ahead, they might give you a chance. In summer you can enter after 4pm and in winter after 3pm (now is winter over there). If you intend to stay overnight they have camping and rooms, call ahead for the latest prices which are cheaper than on their website. They offer walks around the area as well. Fax: +264 61 244558, E-mail: Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!.

Etosha Pan, 2.5 days:
We saw a lion, a rhino and giraffes up-close on the way from the gate to the camp site (17km tar road) without paying anything  Again camping is the cheapest place to stay inside the park. We stayed 1 night at Okaukejo waterhole (rhinos and other animals at night) and 1 night Namutoni campsite and saw most animals (plenty of lions, giraffes and zebras) but it’s a big portion of luck involved.

Ombili Project (NGO who works with the San Tribe), near Tsumeb: If you would like to visit - you have to call the German NGO ahead for an appointment. They are very friendly and show you around the area, including the school where you might hear the children’s choir and a nearby village. They would be happy about a donation which benefits the San Community. Strictly no alcohol and please don’t bring any sweets. Tel. 067 230 050 / www.ombili.de , e-mail: Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!

Cave visits, Schoeman Ranch, near Otavi:
Introduction: There are normally 2 caves for visit to the general public in Namibia. The biggest (Arnhem) and the 3rd biggest (Ghaub) caves, both I decided not to visit after talking to the responsible people for the following reasons. Ghaub Cave: Most of the stalactites and stalagmites are broken (in the same area) and Arnhem cave (out of Windhoek) which has plenty of bats but is very dusty (bad for pics). As a cave explorer we were happy to get very useful infos at the Tsumeb Museum. There we learned about the Schoeman Ranch, Andre Schoeman, Tel. 081 124 95 59 and 067 234 250 (farm). By appointment only. We visited 2 caves (Märchenhöhle / Storybook Cave and Ulenhorst Höhle / Cave and spent half a day with Andre, the owner, up in the mountains. Both caves have very nice sinter formations and some bats and are quite easy visited; still you need to climb down some ladders of up to 10m without an additional rope security, which means you have to be sure-footed and not afraid of some climbing and heights. But there are many more caves up there. Prices are very low at NS 50 per person in general. Day visitors welcome if you can get someone showing you the caves. They also have nice rooms to stay at for a budget rate and you can camp on their ranch as well. Not in any guide book yet.

Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) and Okonjima (near Otjiwarongo)
Introduction: CCF and Okonjima / Africat are mainly in the same field and are caring for cheetahs (both) and leopards (Okonjima). CCF takes only day visitors and Okonjima takes also campers (NS 550 – NS 5’500 per pers. high end acc.) The fees for camping are quite high as each group gets his own camp.

CCF: Here you can see a cheetah run. It’s quite amazing and you have to have a pro camera to catch a running cheetah although they run only about half as fast than in the wild. They do cheetah runs only in early morning and maybe in late afternoon, due to the heat. You can get close to cheetahs in a open car and snap great photos. For more infos and prices check out: www.cheetah.org / email: Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein! / Tel. 067 306 225. CCF seemed a little unorganised on our visit but it was interesting and worthwhile.

Okonjima / Africat Foundation (near Otjiwarongo), 22’000ha Area: Here you can track cheetahs on foot with a ranger and it’s nearly certain you will find them. We saw 3. You can do the same with leopards but you have to stay in the car at all times and chances are small you will actually see a leopard up close due to the many thick bushes in the area. We saw 1. Okonjima takes now children but they can not take part in all activities, check for the minimum age. Okonjima mainly caters for high-end tourists and are very professional. Donna one of the board members is very charismatic and engaged with the protection of all cats and it was a pleasure talking to her even outside in this cold night. Okonjima runs various programs including game drives and the mentioned ones above. There is no feeding of cheetahs or leopards anymore although still mentioned in the guidebooks. Check out their webpage and call ahead before turning up. www.okonjima.com / Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein! / Tel. 067 687 032 or 033 or 034 or cell 081 142 11 95.

Mount Etjo Safari Lodge, 30’000 ha (near Otjiwarongo) – Stunning wildlife!
There are very few people I would like to change life with, even for a year but the owner Jan Olelofse is one of them. Read his story in a fantastic book with countless photos about his life. Geared to high-end tourism – good news for budget travellers; this is still a place to go! Very friendly and professional. They offer 6 campsites for NS 400 (serve 4 people) and this is actually cheaper than Ethosha N.P. as well as high end acc. NS 3’000.—p/Pers. Generally they don’t take day visitors but might make exceptions, there is a age limit for children but call ahead with your wishes even on short notice. If you can get on a game drive as a day visitor without staying there the prices will be higher especially if you go on a vehicle of theirs without any other paying guests. (You can’t go in your own vehicle.) Game drives are generally 3h and cost NS 300 per pers. with others and NS 2’000 for your group only. The wildlife is simply stunning, with black and white rhinos up-close and plenty of rare antelopes which you most probably won’t get to see in a N.P. like Etosha. At a 2 days interval they feed the cheetahs outside with a gazelle (not just meat blocks) great pics and on a nightly base they feed one group of 4 lion groups which you can watch and hear the crashing of bones of the gazelle they are just eating, no 5m away from the place of action and basically on eye level. They offer a variety of additional activities ranging from NS 100 – NS 300 but also exclusive options including rhino tracking on foot (NS 1’000 for 2 people) Animals numbers approx.: 22 lions, plus 20 cheetahs and leopards, < 20 white and black rhinos, 30 elephants, various endangered antelopes and birds. Speak to Kaorla (engl/german) Tel. 067 290 173 or 174. www.mount-etjo.com / Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!

Out of the 3 mentioned above – this is my favourite but all are definitely worthwhile visiting, depending on your time, budget and interest.

That’s it for now, enjoy your trip. I will be on an epic 4 months journey on public transport through Eastern Europe and the Middle East in a few days and hope to post more later on. Roger and Tobias