I’ve just returned from a month of travel in Southern Africa and I’m still struggling to find the right words to describe my experience. It’s been an amazing journey of dramatic proportions – one that has given me rare experiences, shown me the beautiful sights of Africa and blessed me with lifelong friendships.
On my previous travels, I often found myself digging deep beyond a country’s surface; although I barely scraped the surface this time, I felt like I’d gone deeper on a different level. I’d gone deeper into human relationships and I’d learned alot more about friendship, teamwork and looking at life from different perspectives. This trip taught me about life beyond travel.
And there’s no better setting than Africa. I’ve long known about its raw beauty and wilderness, but it’s a whole different story coming here and actually immersing in the vast savannahs, rich wildlife and intriguing cultures. As I take a step back to absorb all that I’d experienced over the past few weeks in Africa, I’ll leave you with some photos of my favorite moments during the journey. I’ll be back with more stories from Africa in the new year, enjoy!
A surreal sight: the Dead Vlei in Sossusvlei, Namibia.
Catching sunrise atop sand dunes in Sossusvlei.
Atop the Waterberg Plateau in Namibia.
A rare moment of affection: a teenage lion and its mother in Etosha, Namibia.
My favorite animal, the elegant oryx, grazing along the grasslands of Etosha National Park, Namibia.
Sunset over the savannah of Etosha National Park, Namibia.
Exploring the Okavango Delta in Botswana on a mokoro.
A hippo pokes its head above the water as we glide past it in the delta.
Meeting the bushmen (San people) in Ghanzi, Botswana.
Victoria Falls in Livingstone, Zambia.
Getting upclose and personal with a white rhino in Kruger National Park, South Africa.
A buffalo looking straight into my lens. Kruger, South Africa.
We camped out under starry skies and had barbeque around the campfire every night. Absolutely loved it!
Special thanks to this great group of people and G Adventures for making this trip special!
This experience was made possible by G Adventures ( Dune, Deltas and Falls tour) as a part of their Wanderers In Residence program. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. Read more about my travels in Southern Africa here or follow me on Twitter with the #gadv and #WJAfrica hashtags.
awww… loved this. And your pictures of the Rhino and the Buffalo are amazing. And thanks for including the picture Joe and I took on the dunes.. its one of our favorites. Getting to share our African adventure with has been a real pleasure. Happy holidays Nellie – all the best in 2012
Marieke ( & Joe)
hey Marieka, so good to see you here! Thanks for leaving a note here. Glad you didn't mind me using your photo in this post – all the rest are my own photos, but I didn't get the chance to take a group shot so I had to use one of yours. I miss Africa and you guys terribly! Hope our paths cross soon.
Why am I not living in Africa!?! AMAZING SHOTS!!!!!!!!!!
Great photos, what a stunning place.
I live in Cape Town South Africa, and honestly I have travelled but this place, africa is really a hidden gem!! I love this country and all its beauty,the pictures are great but if you have not been here as Nellie said it best "words cannot describe it" .