Real
Namibia |
Camping
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Survival tips for a night under the stars If you have never camped before, only attempt camping with a guide. Listen to the guide. He or she will have vast experience. Cooperate. Sit with your chair a fair distance from the gaslight unless you are prepared for a blizzard of moths. If you have to spend time close to the light, try putting a stocking over your head. You will be able to see and you won’t have to worry about insects flying into your mouth. Don’t just put your shoes on in the morning. Take them outside the camp, turn them upside down and shake them. Shoes are insects’ versions of condominiums with a great view of the beach. The one thing that you really need is a key to open and close the gas bottle. This is usually the thing that gets forgotten. If you do forget the key, a needle-nosed plier from the tool kit will probably do the trick. Make sure you carry a torch with you if you go out to pee. A tourist once mistook an elephant’s leg for a tree one dark night. The elephant took offense and now all that remains is the story. |
You should also
read
Getting around
The route
Offroad vehicles
Namibian roads
Gravel roads
Water
Fire
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“The sound of animals and insects is far more interesting than the drone of an air-conditioner. Without air-conditioning, the weather becomes more pronounced so you will be hot or cold depending on the season. Dress accordingly.”
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| Although,
when camping, less is seldom more, it is possible to overdo it. |
If Stanley, Livingstone and Burton had been welcomed to Africa by the doorman of a five star hotel, the world would have been a very different place, and perhaps a little poorer for the absence of their adventures. Fortunately, they had to rough it, and the spirit of adventure lives on in Africa.
In the absence of fine accommodation, they made do with what they had and what they could find. In other words they camped. Thanks to their precedent and experiences, no trip to Africa is complete without a night under the stars or at least under canvas.
The fact that people have been trying to relive their experiences in some way or another has led to an entire branch of the tourist industry basing itself on camping. In the quest to help travelers enjoy the experience as opposed to surviving the reality, camping and all its paraphernalia has been refined to the point where it is almost impossible to be uncomfortable in the bush in spite of the fact that there still aren’t power points for the microwave.
At the upper end of the camping scale, there is the deluxe treatment. This usually entails a comfy vehicle for the intrepid campers and a couple of Bedford trucks to carry the camp staff, the tents, the gourmet kitchen and the fine paintings. Yes, I am being serious, but the price tag usually means that the clientele of these enterprises are made up of rock stars, A-list movie stars, old money and royalty.
At the middle end of the scale, there is the standard, run of the mill camping tour. This typically may involve a guide, camp master, camp cook and camp assistant who, in a trainee capacity, empties and cleans the chemical toilets. At the bottom middle of the scale, there is the camping tour with just a guide who is usually tired and stressed.
At the very lower end of the scale you will find the ‘participation camping tour’. On this type of tour, you participate in everything including the job of emptying and cleaning the chemical toilet. But, like the camp assistant, you will learn a lot about camping.
The most wonderful thing about camping is finding the comfort in the midst of discomfort. If you don’t have a hot shower, Jacuzzi or full bath, a cold or lukewarm bucket shower attached to the top of a vehicle, enclosed by a couple of shower curtains becomes, at least in the mind, a truly luxurious experience.
The dusty area on which you pitch your tent, and the few meters that surround it, become your very own patch of Africa, if only for a night. And, unless you are truly jaded, food cooked over coals that come from wood lit before your eyes, tastes far better and more deliciously honest, than anything that could be produced by a Michelin rated restaurant. The scent of the bush and the aroma of hot coals is far more alluring than pine-scented cleaning agents.
The sound of animals and insects is far more interesting than the drone of an air-conditioner. Without air-conditioning, the weather becomes more pronounced so you will be hot or cold depending on the season. Dress accordingly.
You won’t have the convenience of electric lights, but you will probably have a gas light. Take pleasure in the fact that there is no light pollution though, and the denser, brighter more vivid stars and moon. In fact, they will almost seem close enough for you to reach out and pick them from the sky.
What are the discomforts? If you have a phobia about insects, forget it. There will be insects wherever you camp. Take along some mosquito repellent. Bug spray won’t help you. If you worry about dust and dirt, don’t bother either. Camp sites are built on compacted sand cleared of shrubs and grass. If you are worried about snakes, bear in mind that they are terrified of you. Snake bites are rare, but watch where you put your feet.
The alternative is probably to stay in what is known as a permanent tented camp. These are tents built upon platforms. They have hot and cold running water in en-suite bathrooms. Many of them have fans and even a cool box in place of a mini-bar. But, comfortable as they are, they are not the same as a camp that is erected in the evening and packed away in the morning.
There is a certain magic to canvas, that is very difficult to describe. Suffice to say, you are substantially closer to Africa than you would be behind brick walls, glass windows and under a roof. If you really want to experience the magic, make sure to spend a night camping or at least in a permanent tented camp.