Etambura – high in the mountains 27 April 2021

The road to Etambura wound its way through river beds and

across a wide open red sand plain that shared its space with springbok, cattel , goats and ostrich- they all seem to graze together without a problem

Etambura, Namibia’s first Himba co-owned camp, situated in the Orupembe Conservancy on top of one of the highest hills above the holy plains of Onjuva

The holy plains are steeped in mystery, with several different stories of why the area was consecrated by the semi-nomadic Himba herders who live here. Hunting here is strictly forbidden, tradition has it that animals on the plains are protected by the ancestral spirits.

The camp is absolutely stunning with five canvas and thatch chalets each with its own private deck extending from the hill and into the beyond, conjuring illusions of “stepping into the air.

Sadly the maintenance of basics like door handles, toilets, showers, is sadly lacking so while it is beautiful – the stay here could be improved if some basics were looked after. They have to cart water up a very steep and rough road 500 litres at a time so life is not very easy on these hills.

This is the view from the cleverly designed U-shaped common area where we did cooking/braai/eating, sundowner time – the shade provided and clever shadow design on the floor as the sun moves

And this is one of the tented cabins in situ

While there we visited a nearby abandoned Marble mine – very interesting observing and imagining the process followed to cut the marble – unfortunately the area has not been restored in any way and is quite dangerous