Self Drive Namibia

[penolva]

This seemes to have got left out of the new trip report listings format as I tagged it onto my Botswana trip.

 

It might be of interest so I will post a link to my book today. Pen

 

http://www.blurb.co.uk/b/3462283-namibia-2012-a-road-trip

[KathBC]

@ penolva Gorgeous book - Thanks so much for posting!

 

I'll be there this May and can't wait!!

 

How was the walk from the parking lot to Dead Vlei - Am so hoping my knees will make it??

[penolva]

Hi @@KathBC the walk was fine, I have a replacement knee. Just take plenty of water as it gets hot even in winter. Pen

[AKR1]

Beautiful book. Thanks for sharing this.

[Sangeeta]

The meerkats are to die for!!

Amazed at how you do your two page spreads so beautifully.

I thought I was imagining that moose sign and had to double back to make sure I was not imagining it

What a lovely trip that must have been. Thanks for sharing, Pen.

[penolva]

Hi @@Sangeeta thanks, glad you liked it. We loved Namibia and are going back next year, Kakoland and Etosha this time. Pen

[Sangeeta]

Really enjoyed all your videos from Bots yesterday, Pen. There is a lot of love in those montages. I have never done that Chobe river cruise but now I most certainly will.

[KathBC]

Hi @@KathBC the walk was fine, I have a replacement knee. Just take plenty of water as it gets hot even in winter. Pen

 

Thanks pen - will keep my fingers crossed!

[penolva]

Really enjoyed all your videos from Bots yesterday, Pen. There is a lot of love in those montages. I have never done that Chobe river cruise but now I most certainly will.

Chobe is a magical place. So glad you like my videos. Just booked to go back to Botswana right after the Namibia trip next year. One month of camping heaven! Pen

[Atravelynn]

This is the book you had mentioned to me.

 

A centerfold of meerkats. Wow.

 

Can you elaborate on your Bagatelle time. How/where did you see the meerkats? I read about a domesticated cheetah. Do you recall its background story? Does a gazelle come with the room? It looked like one was walking around the facilities.

 

I see you went in June, when I'll be going. Can you comment on the temperature lows in early morning and the highs midday and what you wore.

 

For those beautiful 2-page spreads of desert scenery were the shots taken with panorama or just your widest angle? Did you use a tripod? Or any other hints?

 

I concentrated on Bagatelle and Sossusvlei, Dead Vlei, Sesriem since that's where our itineraries overlap.

 

Really great stuff from your last camping heaven trip.

[penolva]

Hi I must confess that the centerfold of meerkats is two seperate photographs made to look like a full page spread!! They live at the back of the pool area and you can just walk out there, the ground

squirrels are also very entertaining.

 

The cheetah were there with the permission of Cheetah Conservation Fund at the time which made me feel comfortable about their situation.

However in hindsight they don't have a lot of room. Cheetah in particular seem to suffer this way as they are more like domestic cats than any of

the other preditors. The gazelle and oryx live at the ranch and were very tame.

 

The, genuine, two page spreads were taken with 80-200 on the Nikon D300, hand held. Looking forward to trying again this year with our new Nikon.

 

It was very cold in June in parts of Namibia, Etosha in particular. However in the lodges in Sesriem, Damaraland we were able to sit outside with a fleece after sunset. Its a fantastic country. You will have a wonderful trip. Pen

[Atravelynn]

Confessions of a centerfold, by @@penolva. Whether it was one or two shots doesn't matter. The meerkats are beautifully posed in a beautiful setting with beautiful light. A real privilege to see that.

 

You got excellent results without much setup for the scenery shots. That's encouraging.

 

I remember you mentioning how cold it was. We just had snowfall on April 15, so it should not be too shocking. But then again, I am not sleeping in a tented camp during the snows.

 

Happy travels with the new camera!

[penolva]

Confessions of a centerfold, by @@penolva. Whether it was one or two shots doesn't matter. The meerkats are beautifully posed in a beautiful setting with beautiful light. A real privilege to see that.

 

You got excellent results without much setup for the scenery shots. That's encouraging.

 

I remember you mentioning how cold it was. We just had snowfall on April 15, so it should not be too shocking. But then again, I am not sleeping in a tented camp during the snows.

 

Happy travels with the new camera!

It's good to confess, although I will add that the colours of the sand and the Meercats are not photoshopped, completely natural. Pen

[Atravelynn]

 

"It's good to confess, although I will add that the colours of the sand and the Meercats are not photoshopped, completely natural. Pen"

I have seen other photos of meerkats at Bagatelle with the same brilliant colors. Good to note what you see is what is really out there!

Edited April 17, 2014 by Atravelynn