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Xanthe Campbell, 43
Desert Elephant Project, Namibia
Xanthe was the lucky winner of the Gap Year for Grown Ups feedback questionnaire competition. Her prize was a 2 week Gap Year for Grown Ups programme of her choice.
 Desert Elephant Project Namibia
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I had always dreamt of going to Africa but shied away from the typical tourist thing of bus tours and luxury lodges. My dream was to discover the African bush in its true form. As a photographer I wanted to take shots of the desert elephants and the African plains, so the decision was easy - it had to be Namibia. But this would be a trip with a difference!
I have fallen in love with Africa; it was an awesome place, a fantastic experience and has had a significant impact on my life. Namibia blew me away, the endless savannah, the kopjes and the amazing African skies.
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I experienced so many new things…
…how to live wild in the bush, to cook good food on a campfire, to live without loos and showers and the most amazing experience of all was sleeping in nothing but a sleeping bag under a canopy of stars and the milky way every night. I never once missed my western comforts of home. |
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Soon after I arrived in Swakopmund, we drove in an open 4WD to ‘base camp' for our first night in the bush. This is a permanent but beautiful camp on the bank of the Ugab River in Damaraland.
Elephants often wander by and come into the camp to see what is new! After leaving the majority of our belongings behind, we set off to the location for our “project” week. |
Our work consisted of building walls to help protect the precious water pumps of the Damara farmers. I got an enormous sense of achievement from seeing the wall grow in front of me.
We made our camp here for the week, collecting firewood from the bush to make our breakfast and dinner, sleeping out in our sleeping bags and learning how to live in harmony with the ecosystem of the bush. |
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At the end of the week we headed back to base camp for a weekend of “luxury” - we had a bush shower and a long drop toilet! However before we got too used to these comforts we soon set off on “patrol” week. This was the part that I had been waiting for..…. out in the open 4WD, tracking herds of wild constantly roaming elephants.
The most amazing thing about elephants is how an animal so huge can disappear into the bush, but with the skills of a good guide and a bit of luck you, like me, will get remarkably close to the elephants. Every night we made a new camp for the night. Despite this nomadic lifestyle, we always ate well and slept safely in the bush. Each evening shortly after 9pm we were tucked up in our sleeping bags and woke each morning as the sun rose warming the sky, the landscape, and the creatures within it.
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What a fantastic way to discover the Namib Desert.
Be still, be silent, feel the beauty.
The down side is how am I ever going to find this type of experience again? The trip made me examine many aspects of my life. Camping out wild, away from everything that is familiar and comfortable, it made me look at what is important in my life and what is not. |
I really didn't want to come home. I now want to find a way to pursue my dream of doing something similar on a permanent basis - I want to go back!
Images are courtesy of Xanthe Campbell - enquiries@xanthecampbell.com
Desert Elephant Project Namibia
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