Paradise and Heaven: Taleni and Outjo Bäckerei

Having left Etosha with a heavy heart and dashed dreams (I composed hundreds of brilliant wildlife photos in my head in the weeks running up to our trip!!!), it was hard to imagine that anything could make up for feeling a little blue. Paradise, however, was not far away at Taleni Etosha Village, our overnight stop just outside the park’s Andersson Gate.

The tented camp is a clever blend of camping and luxury and was one of the best night’s sleep on the entire trip.  The whole experience was awesome, from the chilled welcome drink and friendly smiles, to showering outdoors under the stars in a simple stick boma.  Even the temporary power outage throughout the camp couldn’t dampen our spirits.  We slept with the tent flaps open – the only thing between us and the elements was a mosquito screen and even when it rained in the early morning hours we kept the flaps open and revelled in the sound of the rain falling on the tent roof.  That’s exactly how we woke the next morning, witnessing the glorious sunrise from our beds through a mosquito screen, as the birdlife around us came to life.

Undoubtedly the most amazing shower I have ever had lay behind those simple poles – liberating and rejuvenating all in one.

This yellow-billed hornbill watched us unpack from a tree nearby.  In the early morning I spotted it and its’ mate in another tree not far away, feasting on insects.  If you look carefully you’ll see an insect in its’ beak.

The sunrise was a myriad of colours bleeding into each other.

A red velvet mite, known in Namibia as red rain spiders.

One very hectic spider web and below, the famed Mopane tree.

Heaven followed our stay at Taleni in the most unlikely of places – a bakery in the tiny town of Outjo.  The Getaway Guide to Namibia had recommeded it for light meals and the food was absolutely delicious. Outjo Bäckeri is one of Namibia’s best kept secrets – which is why we stocked up on mouthwatering apple tart and bread rolls to snack on later.

Brunch – delicious very German wiener schnitzel with fluffy potato salad, while my brother-in-law and nephew settled for a late breakfast.  We’re still talking about this meal!

And from there it was on to Khorixas.