Desert-adapted elephant – Inhabiting the rugged landscape of northern Namibia, desert-adapted elephants have unique physical traits and specific behaviors that have evolved to thrive in a desert environment.
From the Martian-like landscapes of Sossusvlei and Deadvlei to the harsh Skeleton Coast, characterized by wind, sand dunes, and skeletons of whales, seals, and wrecked ships littering the beach, Namibia is a country of contrasts. From desert-adapted wildlife to the San indigenous culture, one of the oldest people on Earth, the country is about being different from the rest. Far from ordinary, it is extraordinary. Even Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie brought the country to world recognition when they gave birth to one of their children in this isolated country.
What’s not to love? Few places offer as much diversity and intrigue as this sparsely populated country of nearly 3 million.
Namibia is located on the African continent in an isolated geographic part of Southern Africa. It is a land of incredible diversity and outrageous beauty. Situated along the Atlantic coastline between the Namib Desert and the Kalahari, the country is famed for one-of-a-kind national parks that include Namib–Naukluft (Sossuvlei), Etosha, and Skeleton Coast.
Let us not forget that the country also claims title to many superlatives. Such as the oldest desert in the world with large mammals, Africa’s largest canyon, and some of the highest sand dunes at Sossusvlei. Also, it is the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa.
Image of a desert-adapted lioness in the early morning hours. They travel in smaller prides than those found in lusher environments.
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Desert-adapted elephant – About 1/3 of the female population in the Hoanib River area is without tusks. Family groups tend to be small
Wildlife of Namibia
Despite its low population density, the country is home to an incredible variety of wildlife. Few places can compare. Wildlife includes desert-adapted species such as the elephant, lion, zebra, antelope, and the Critically Endangered black rhino.
One of my favorites is the desert-adapted elephants, primarily found in the northwest regions of the country. These elephants have evolved to thrive in the arid climate by relying on moisture from vegetation and going days without drinking water. Their unique adaptations include larger feet for navigating sandy terrain and smaller herd sizes to reduce the strain on limited resources, demonstrating nature’s ingenuity in response to challenging environments.
This variety of wildlife has led Namibia to be popular among luxury wildlife holiday vendors, such as Wildfoot Travel.
Here is a list of species you can expect to find throughout Namibia.
Topi prefer grass but are flexible in their feeding and can adapt to browsing on leaves and herbs.
- Elephants
- Lions
- Giraffes
- Black rhinos
- White rhinos
- Zebra
- Oryx (gemsbok)
- Hyena
- Wildebeest
The Blue Wildebeest looks more like a cow than an antelope. Nevertheless, their behavior is decidedly antelope.
- Kirk’s dik-dik
- Springbok
- Blue wildebeest
- Cheetahs (the largest population in the world)
- Leopards
- Ostriches
- Pangolin
- Desert animals such as the oryx, meerkat, ostrich, and bat-eared foxes
- 115 species of fish
- 50 species of frogs
- 250 species of reptiles
Springbok graze near a sand dune in the late afternoon. They are most active at dawn and dusk.
Namib Desert
One of the oldest deserts in the world, Sossusvlei in the Namib desert, is a photographer’s paradise. Partly rocky and partly dunes, the clay and salt pans provide a colorfully bold palette of deep blue skies, red-oxide hills, and white clay salt pan silhouetted sparsely by skeleton trees in Deadvlei. It is otherworldly.
The Namib-Naukluft Park contains the iconic sand dunes of Sossusvlei. The Namib Sand Sea is now designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Come here for the flagship shots – the sand dunes of Sossusvlei and the skeleton trees in Deadvlei. Expect to see the iconic oryx, springbok, ostrich, jackal, and even wild horses.
Watering holes in Etosha National Park are a natural draw for wildlife in this desert region. This image shows springbok, hartebeest, oryx, zebra, eland, and the black-backed jackal cautiously sharing the same water.
Kalahari
Etosha National Park
Etosha National Park is part of the greater Kalahari basin and is the major wildlife viewing site in the country. The terrain is open and panoramic, with no dense vegetation to block the view.
Image of a desert-adapted lioness in the early morning hours. They travel in smaller prides than those found in lusher environments.
The climate can be intense with bone-chilling cold in the morning and oppressive heat in the afternoon. Be prepared by dressing in layers. Because rainfall is sparse, watering holes in the vast salt pan are congregational points where a variety of species intersect to quench their thirst. The dynamics can be strange to see lions and jackals being given a wide berth by antelopes and ostriches.
Expect to see zebras, elephants, lions, hyenas, jackals, ostriches, leopards, and one of the largest populations of black rhinos. Antelopes include springbok, oryx, wildebeest. It will be challenging to replicate the experience of seeing so many species at one watering hole.
Two indigenous San men pose in traditional attire. The minimal wear is basically a triangular loincloth.
The San People of the Kalahari
The San People of the Kalahari (sometimes spelled Saan) are also known as Bushmen. However, the term “bushman” has fallen into disuse over the years, as it is now considered derogatory.
They are a diverse group of indigenous hunter-gatherers, and are the oldest known inhabitants of Southern Africa, having lived in this region for over 20,000 years. It is no wonder that the San people possess tremendous survival, hunting, and tracking skills, alongside their extensive knowledge of local flora, fauna, and the medicinal uses of various plants. In addition, these people have a deep knowledge of plants that includes those used for nutritional, mystical, recreational, and even lethal use.
Generally short in stature, their skin coloration is different from that of many other African indigenous peoples, usually characterized by a light yellow-brown skin. And their language is unique due to the use of numerous clicking sounds made with the tongue. It is estimated that about 27,00 to 36,000 San people live in Namibia today.
Four San men with their bows & arrows. Arrows are often equipped with poison tips to enhance their effectiveness in hunting activities.
One of the most fascinating opportunities I ever had was visiting the San people of the Kalahari while visiting Etosha National Park. The men, dressed only in loincloths and carrying their iconic spears, proceeded to show us how they start fires, poison the tips of their arrows for hunting, and how they hunt with their bows and arrows. They even demonstrated how they look for water.
Later that evening, I was asked if I wanted to join a fireside ceremony where the local San shaman was conducting rituals on several village children who were very ill. I wasn’t told what their illnesses were, nor did I find out if the rituals helped heal them the next day.
But what I did learn was how the San people view the world. Their belief system sees a world of supernatural beings and a world of living things everywhere – in stones, trees, animals, and plants. As a result, they are rumored to have closer connections to the old spirits of the land. The shaman was also the chief. Singing, chanting, and narrating, the shaman went into a trance-like state as he danced by the fire. I was told he was visiting the spirit world to help the children heal.
The next day, my group visited the local San village, where we had a chance to interact with the villagers and see firsthand how they lived. Friendly smiles greeted us everywhere. Afterwards, the children escorted us to their village store where they displayed beadwork made from ostrich eggshells, berries, and roots. They also had traditional crafts for sale that included many lovely necklaces. The income from the sale of their handicrafts is vital to their frugal existence.
Ostriches are the world’s largest and fastest two-legged animal in the world.
Skeleton Coast National Park
Skeleton Coast National Park envelops 310 miles of Namibia’s famed barren coastline. This is the world’s only coastal desert with prolific sand dunes. Because rain and groundwater are scarce, fog is the primary source of water in this desiccated region.
You may encounter large colonies of Cape fur seals, elephants, black rhinos, lions, jackals, ostriches, giraffes, and cheetahs.
While staying at Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp as our base, I witnessed more elephants than I ever did in my past five trips to various places in Africa. Mesmerized, I photographed numerous mothers and their babies as they trekked through dry riverbeds. I was told that there are about 150-350 desert-adapted elephants in this region. We also had great success in locating and photographing the desert lions.
Favorite Places to Stay
Camelthorn skeleton trees, about 900 years old, dot the white salt pan and red iron oxide sand hills of Deadvlei.
Dead Valley Hotel
When I first saw a photo of the 900-year-old skeleton trees in Deadvlei, I really thought it could be the moon or Mars. The scene is stark, desolate, scorched, and barren, save for the colorful layers of white clay in the salt pan and the iron-oxidized red sand hills, juxtaposed against a deep blue sky. This is the surreal backdrop to lifeless black skeleton acacia trees that provide a visual mystery as to how these sun-blackened dead trees managed to survive upright for countless generations. The scene is simply out-of-this-world.
The Dead Valley Lodge is situated inside the Namib–Naukluft Park, one of Africa’s largest parks. It is one of only two…
