Fantastic trip report.

Thanks, Jaimito Cartero:). I've got another ET fight myself coming up. Definitely no complaints on my trips on them so far though:)!
Many thanks, JohnRain:). Yes, it'll be hard to find such a beautiful and photogenic destination after beautiful Namibia! The Zebra and Ostrich steak were super delicious too:).
Thank you, tennislover9:). You'll be fine without 4x4 experience. As hauteboy and ChiefNWA have mentioned, the only serious part were the last 3-4 kilometes to Sossusvlei. They have offroad vehicles for the general public though if you'd rather wish for someone else to do the driving on this short stretch.
That's baby spinach, not lettuce:D!
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4298/...81608716_z.jpg
Thanks again for inviting us, hauteboy:). That heli flight was definitely a highlight of the trip, so cool with the doors off too!
Many thanks, ChiefNWA:). Your Namibia TR really whetted my appetite so was really glad when hauteboy invited us along to join him for his trip. Joe's beerhouse was a treat, a great way to end the trip.
Our little R44 probably didn't have enough range to see the shipwrecks. I think the scenic fixed-wing flights head further up the coast though.
Cheers, scott97:).
Thank you, zip10001, yes, Namibia should be on everyone's bucketlist:).
Hi KCRYSTAL, I researched the drone rules in Namibia before the trip but found only limited info online. I tried to contact the DCA also but they never replied. My advice from a friend in SA who had flown his drone in Namibia was to basically stick to common sense (not above animals, people etc.).
Thanks, kathykathy:). Yes, being out in the middle of nowhere with almost zero light pollution really brought out the wonderful night sky.
Thank you, gnomey:). Namibia seems to be about the same price as South Africa, they also readily accept SA rand. There is public 4WD vehicles to shuttle the general public for the last few kilometres to Sossusvlei if you wish to skip driving this part yourself.
Thank you, phranktz:). For the heli flight I switched between my 16-35 and 70-200 lenses. Just had to make sure I didn't drop them:)!
Cheers, lb8001:). Yes, the cheetah cubs were super cute! The sand dunes were so mesmerizing too.
Thanks, fivevsone:). Yes, the views of the coast were literally breath-taking, such a great experience!
Many thanks, Madone59:). Yes, such a beautiful part of the world:).
Cheers, blueferrari:). Namibia is definitely a must see:).
Many thanks, netllama:). Your TR as well as ChiefNWA and worldtraveller73's got me itching to see Namibia. We were seated outside by the bar too at Joe's, such a crazy and unique place!
Solitaire was still pretty dry, felt a bit guilty just flushing the toliet.
Definitely a place I would love to head back to as well, so much more to see:).
Cheers, pharmawalk:).

Just WOW!

You never disappoint DanielW. Some of those shots from the helicopter are stunning. After reading about Nambia the other day and reading this report it is now firmly on this list.

Thanks for a enjoyable report!

DanielW, I have been your fan for a long time but this trip report looks even more stunning than the previous ones. Simply wow!

Your pictures are always breathtaking but this time I am out of words.

Keep these reports coming!

Great trip report! I had a 3-day trip down there last November. Ended up having a car accident on one of the unpaved roads (do get a 4x4) near Solitaire.

Wow! Amazing photos, those from the helicopter were amazing! Actually, I am tempted to download the starry sky and keep it as a screensaver.

I know I am repeating myself, but... what about a book ??

Beautiful. Thanks.

1. How long did it take you to walk up and then down the Dune 45? Was it hot? Tiring?
2. What is the QE2 doing in Dubai? Is it a hotel now> I went on it in the 1980s. Nothing in comparison to the new ships today.

Thank you, ESFLYER95:). You'll definitely have to head to Namibia. The heli-flight is a great option too to see some amazing scenery.
Many thanks, superhelsinki:). Yes, it was an amazing trip to a very beautiful part of Africa. Will have to head back!
Thanks, Palal:). Bummer about the car crash, I can see how easy it would be to lose control on the gravel roads.
Cheers, londonfog:). The helicopter flight was super fun, especially with the lack of doors, had to make sure I held on to the camera though! Still have to do a book, perhaps when I get sick of all this travelling:).
Thank you, Bretteee:). The walk up the dune wasn't too far, maybe 20-30 minutes. It wasn't too hot at 7am in the morning. At midday almost no one was climbing due to the heat though. As far as I know the QE2 is effectively mothballed at the moment.

Amazing TR - I'm blown away by how much you saw and did in a short period of time. Would you have wanted to spend more time there? The landscape was very surreal. I assume you've seen the Tattooine-like Toscana (Italia) landscape when driving? Thanks so much for the TR.

Wow, another amazing report and photos, Daniel. It looks like you had a great trip and very cool to see photos from your drone. How high do you typically fly this?

Thank you for sharing!

Matthew (757)

Yet another awesome TR. Thanks Daniel! Also, how do I get on the invite list for these trips? ;)

They serve Oryx? Thought they were highly protected?

Apparently the D1991 road we took through the moon landscape was a Mad Max Fury Road filming location :)

Thanks, gaobest:). Yes, we certainly saw alot in our short time there. We would have liked to see the north and the bits of the south we missed, if only we had unlimited vacation time!
Thank you, 757:). The DJI drone's are electronically limited to a height of 500 metres. There are often safety regulations though that are far lower, e.g. it is 120 metres in the UAE.
Many thanks, krazykanuck:). I'm sure hauteboy is planning another adventure at the moment:)!
Mmmmmm, so thats why it tasted so great:D.
I thought it looked familiar:D.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CcZRPAoUUAANmu9.jpg

Stunning pictures as always, Daniel. Keep sounding like a broken record but its true, its damn true. :)

Thank you, injian:). Africa is definitely my favorite continent to travel, can't wait for the next trip:).

It looks truly beautiful. The nearest I have been to those dunes is actually Dubai - but I guess they do not compare?
The contrast between the dunes and the ocean was amazing.

The dunes in Namibia were red due to iron, which is pretty unique. As we got closer to the coast the sand was a more typical yellow color.

Another great trip report. That was quite the bruising trip down; all that way from ADD in a B737 and a SAA narrow body although I am sure that the helicopter ride from Sesriem made up for it. Those dune photographs were spectacular, as were the aerial ocean photos.

Another fantastic trip report from you Daniel! :)

I've read a few other TRs on trips to Namibia but you seem to capture a different side of it to those I've previously read. And your photos are, as always, amazing especially with the addition of your new toy!

Amazing and breath taking photography. Thanks for sharing your adverture with us.
My favorite TR of 2017 thus far.

I'll second that apodo77

Amazing TR as always! TY for sharing

Another spectacular trip report Daniel, bravo.

What's left now, a trip report into space? :)

Some drone bans are legit but some are obviously silly. The rule of thumb is to get as much drone footage as you can before they get banned in more and more public places.

In Namibia, I flew my drone at Etosha NP, Cape Cross Seal Reserve, Swakopmund, and Sossusvlei.

I just came back from Svalbard where I flew my drone over a polar bear when our boat was anchored 1 mile away.

I am sure the governor of Svalbard would ban drones if every other tourist had a drone. So flew while you can.

Another excellent report by one of flyertalk's finest! Those drone and helicopter shots are epic!!

Thank you, stevie:). No similar dunes in Dubai. They have some big dunes in Liwa in Abu Dhabi but I have yet to make the trek out there to see them yet.
Many thanks, worldtraveller73:). The flight down wasn't too bad, I've had much worse anyway:). Yes, the heli-trip over the coast was such a buzz. After our first pass, Harmand asked if we wanted to go lower, which we quickly agreed to:).
Thank you, nequine:). The Phantom adds a new dimension on how I can photograph things, always find myself looking for opportunities to send it up and see how it looks from a bird's eye view:).
Cheers, apodo77:). Next TR will be a little less scenic but hopefully still interesting.
Thank you, kathykathy:).
Many thanks, snabbu:). My next travel goal is a little less ambitious than outer space, to visit South America:).
Yes, drone laws seem to be encroaching quite a bit where you can fly. I read recently that Seychelles is considering some quite strict rules.
Stefan Sip, Looking forward to the Polar bear drone footage too:)!
Thank you, MA330:). Yes, with some much vast, and unique scenery, the best place to observe and photograoh it all was up in the air:).

What stunning nature shots!

Thanks, VH-RMD:). Definitely no shortage of beautiful landscapes in Namibia.

What an awesome trip report - thank you! I'm planning on Namibia in early January with a few friends, so I really appreciate this. We'll have four-five days as well.

From your perspective, is there much point in spending time in Windhoek beyond 'stopping over' before a flight out?

Many thanks, makin'miles:). There didn't be too much to see in Windhoek. My guidebook listed a museum and a church and a few other things, but nothing I felt I really needed to see.

It seems that the Toyota pick-up trucks with the topper are the most common rental vehicles in Namibia. Do they seat five people, or just four?

Yes, the double-cab Hilux fits three in the back and two up front (including driver).

Super - thanks so much for that, as well as (another) amazing trip report: they are great (and your photographs). Add so much to the forum! Thank you!

Make sure to get the double-cab. Single cab ones only seat 2.

They have normal rental cars and honestly we would have been fine in a normal car for everywhere we visited at least, though that meant we would have had to take the shuttle to Deadvlei,

This is all your fault DanielW I just booked four days in Namibia and plan to follow your itinerary for the most part. As a solo traveler helicopter is probably out of my budget...would it be reasonable to drive somewhere else that afternoon after the park?

Sossuvlei lodge also organises fixed wing flights, maybe they have a flight with a spare seat? [email protected]

worldtraveller73 checked out Sesriem Canyon when he was there. We didn't have time for this unfortunately: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/27419021-post68.html

Instead of spending a second night at Sesriem you could drive up the road for 30-40 minutes to Moon Mountain Lodge. Looks like a great place for sunset and have your own personal splash pool:). We looked at doing this also but run out of time as well: https://www.moonmountain.biz/

Booked for Namibia trip next month!
Thank you DanielW for the great trip report and tips!
:D

Is any FT'er going to be in Windhoek on November 16?
+ I cannot seem to reach the Cheetah Tracking Safari team by email, would anyone have their updated contact?

Hope you have a great trip too, zip10001:).
This is the email we used for the Cheetah Sanctuary: [email protected]