Arriving in the Etosha national park felt as though departing the craziness of Africa I had come to know into a world of incredible nature and absolute serenity. The bush camp lodge that become my temporary home was a small slice of heaven; luxury and nature in perfect symbiosis. The whole experience felt initially quite surreal, to be relaxing comfortably on the sofa, sipping a drink whilst watching wild elephants drink from the watering hole some twenty meters away is an experience I’m unlikely to forget.

Not only was the abundance of wildlife a significant deviation from the norm that has been established through Africa, but so too was the huge number of tourists. Until Namibia I had seen a grand total of about five Europeans and Americans (excluding Morocco), now though, I was surrounded. Namibia really does feel like Europe in Africa. I must say, many of my fellow guests were really rather lovely and I spent the first night getting progressively more drunk at the charity of a German family who were interested enough in my trip to compensate my stories with whiskey and beer.

The following day I headed into the park on a guided safari (no bikes allowed). Wildlife had hardly been lacking just milling around the lodge, I saw lions, elephants and heaps of other animals. But the safari offered the chance to see even more (including a white rhino!). The tour, needless to say, was brilliant. For anyone travelling to Namibia, Etosha is one hundred percent worth it. It genuinely produced a sense of awe in me that nowhere else in Africa has yet managed (other than perhaps my amazement at the ability of Guineans to load a twenty-foot-high pile of goods, plus several people onto the roof of a knackered old Citroen that’s held together with nothing but rust and hope).