We’d like to introduce Why We Wander – an ongoing photo and video series that offers a glimpse into our lives on the road, and which aims to convey what we love about travel. For our first post, we’ve chosen a photo, which we took in September 2016. It’s an image of Sheri relaxing in our hammock while camping in the Hoarasib River, the northwest corner of Namibia.
So, what’s unique about the Hoarasib River? I guess the short answer is that it’s part of Namibia’s Kaokoland – an area that’s perhaps Southern Africa’s last true wilderness. The Kaokoland is a rugged, remote, and sparsely populated land that’s home to desert elephants, black rhinos, lions, and giraffe. It’s a place where there are no fences. A place only accessible by a self-sufficient 4x4, where travel can be a hard slog over a rough and tumble mix of sandy tracks, dry riverbeds, and rocky terrain.
Exploring the Hoarasib River Valley exemplifies why we wander and more specifically why we overland. It’s an off-the-beaten-path corner of the world that offers a perfect combination of quiet solitude, unbridled wilderness, and pristine beauty. Just be careful to watch for elephants when climbing out of your tent.
If you’d like a broader perspective, here’s a quick video clip we shot one morning, which gives a bird's-eye view of our camp.