Photo - Southern Africa

Photo Samples, Southern Africa (1)

Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and a little Zambia

A number of times, Southern Africa has been described as the most beautiful region of Africa. Going from West to East, Namibia is almost 100 % desert, and gradually the landscape becomes more green and more fertile - and the culture slowly changes from being a bit westernized into the more African with the typical round, thatched huts and nothing working. Incredibly charming, one has to add.

In any case, it's a great place to go walkabout, and, as usual, all photos are © Claus Qvist Jessen, and none of them are to be used without my permission.

The Himba of northern Namibia and southern Angola are some of the most photogenic "tribal" people of Southern Africa, and rightly famous all over the world; here Ruacana, northern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Old Himba woman with her great-grandchild. The reddish colour comes from a mix of clay and butter and is applied partly as decoration and partly as a protection against the sun. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Himba mothers and babies; Ruacana, Northern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Traditionally, the Himba men are nomadic herders. The unmarried men carry their hair in one, long "whip" as this gentleman; Ruacana, northern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Young Himba girl; Ruacana, northern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Cheeky Himba girls; Ruacana, northern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

The world's largest meteorite, the Hoba meteorite, is a 50 tonnes heavy solid alloy of iron (82 %), nickel (16 %), cobalt and others; Grootfontein, Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

No hitchhiking allowed; Otjiwarongo, central Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Warthog; a young and cheecky male from Okahandja, central Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Driving te cattle through a local village of the Ruacana District, northern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Village cooking: various innards from a cow. Yuck! Northern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Local firewood vendor; Ruacana, northern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Happy villagers in a small settlement outside Opuwo, north-central Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Having a smoke; north-central Namibia. Note the "bra", rather meant to keep the breasts down as opposed to up. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Obviously one of the BIG FIVE, this male elephant doesn't like tourists too much. Etosha National Park. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Lone male elephant; Etosha National Park. The males always stay alone while the females and youngsters stick together in big herds led by an old female. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Male lion, tired from having too much sex(!); Etosha National Park. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Here we go! Lion sex with lots of hoofed spectators; Etosha National Park. © Claus Qvist Jessen

A giraffe nibbling mimosis leaves and flowers; Etosha National Park. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Drinking doesn't exactly show the giraffe at it's most elegant; Etosha National Park. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Single male spotted hyena; Etosha National Park. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Burchells zebras Etosha National Park. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Female oryx (gemsbok) guarding the youngs of the flock; Etosha National Park. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Blackfaced impala, very rare outside Etosha - and very common in the park and it's hard to beleive that it's actually an endangered species. © Claus Qvist Jessen

The shy and speedy springbok of Etosha, Namibia, obviously a close relative to the equally elegant impala. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Young male Springbok grazing; Etosha National Park. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Cheeky ground squirrel; Etosha National Park. © Claus Qvist Jessen

The fast and strong, snake-eating secretary bird going hunting; Etosha National Park. © Claus Qvist Jessen

A pair of yellowbilled hornbills of Etosha National Park. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Oryx sunset; Etosha National Park, Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Sunset Zebras along the salt flats of Etosha National Park, Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

The road from Grootfontein to Tsumkwe in Eastern Namibia is incredibly dry and boring. Even a tree is an attraction. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Beware the potholes, Tsumkwe; Eastern Namibia - close to Botswana. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Ramshackle village hut in Tsumkwe; Eastern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Local cooking; Tsumkwe, Eastern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Herrero granny; Tsumkwe, Eastern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Charming young girl with alternative hair-cut outside Tsumkwe; eastern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Happy woman with unhappy boy, 50 kms east of Tsumkwe, Eastern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

One of the few places on earth to see the famed "Bushmen", the San, is the Kalahari Desert of eastern Namibia and western Botswana. These elders are going hunting. © Claus Qvist Jessen

San hunter; Tsumkwe, Eastern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

The San Women are just as colourful as the men; Tsumkwe, eastern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Have a smoke; San woman of Tsumkwe, Eastern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Enjoying life; San woman of Tsumkwe, Eastern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

The biggest sand dunes anywhere in the world (2-300 m) are found at Sossusvlei, central Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

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Even though this photo is from the official rainy season (March), the cracks in the ex-mud reveal a very sporadic rainfall; Sossusvlei, central Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

A 200 kg male oryx from Sossusvlei, central Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Orange sand dunes of Sossusvlei, central Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Tree in front of "Dune 45", Sossusvlei, central Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Another tree of Sossusvlei, central Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Yet another African sunset - here from Sossusvlei, Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Very boring desert road in between Otjiwarongo and Swakopmund at the coast. © Claus Qvist Jessen

The old German past of Swakopmund reveals itself by the road signs. Otto von Bismarck is still alive. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Old German style house; Swakopmund, Namibian coast. © Claus Qvist Jessen

German "fort", now a youth hostel; Swakopmund, Namibian coast. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Wall painting from Swakopmund, Namibian coast. © Claus Qvist Jessen

One of many participants in a small religious festival in Swakopmund, Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Stranded Chinese ship, just 10 kms north of Swakopmund, Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

A small fraction of the great and ill-smelling seal colony of Cape Fur Seals at Cape Cross Seal Reserve, Namibia, a fine evidence of the cool water right outside. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Reportedly, more than 200,000 fur seals roam the waters of Namibia - and more than 1 mio. including South Africa and southern Angola. This female i from Cape Cross, Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Another Cape Cross fur seal; Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

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Lazy young fur seal at Cape Cross, Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Beach fishing on the "Skeleton Coast" of Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

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Hook-up! CQJ fighting a 75 kg copper shark (bronze whaler) in the cold waters right outside the Skeleton Coast of Namibia. The big fish are hooked and fought right off the beach. very hard work! © Claus Qvist Jessen

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Second fish of the day: A 65 kg copper shark from Namibia.
© Claus Qvist Jessen

Small kabeljau - fresh bait for the sharks; Namibian coast.
© Claus Qvist Jessen

Happy English angler with a fine 40 lbs spotted gully shark; Namibian coast. © Claus Qvist Jessen

12 years after the beginning: A personal record gully shark of 20 kgs (44 lbs); Namibian coast. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Chameleon on the hunt; Caprivi Strip, Eastern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Local fishermen; Caprivi Strip, Eastern Namibia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

The windy beach front of Beira, second-largest city of Mozambique. © Claus Qvist Jessen

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Fishing boat; Vilanculos, Mozambique. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Harare, the slightly moth-eaten capital of the once so glorious Zimbabwe, in between Zambia and Zimbabwe. A few years ago, it used to be a model city for most of Africa, however, 30 years of Mugabization has completely destroyed everything. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Despite the obvious poverty, Zimbabwe people still have the ability to smile. Here I was even invited to tea; Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
© Claus Qvist Jessen

The major monument of Zimbabwe: the ruins of Great Zimbabwe which is actually the reasons that Zimbabwe got it's new name instead of the former Rhodesia. To be honest, it's nothing compared to the impressive things in Egypt or Ethiopia. © Claus Qvist Jessen

One of Southern Africa's smallest and most accesible national parks used to be Matobo, Zimbabwe. What has happened since 1999, I really don't know. © Claus Qvist Jessen

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The most vicious freshwater fish of southern Africa Second must be the tigerfish. Don't try to remove the hook without pliers! Zambezi River, Zimbabwe. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Number one attraction in Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls, first described by the legendary David Livingstone and the only thing in the country which has not been given a new "African" name. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Local market street; Livingstone, Zambia. The difference between the relatively polished Victoria Falls of Zimbabwe and the rugged and worn Livingstone on the Zambian side of the falls is quite amazing. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Thirsty elephant; Chobe National Park; Northern Botswana. Chobe is possibly the NP in the world with the highest concentration of elephant, and lots of effort is done to prevent them from "spreading" to the local villages, eating all the crops on the way. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Flock of impalas, Okavango, Botswana. As no cars can get into the reserve, safaris are done by foot or by boat (mokoro, below). Unfortunately, this makes the animals much more shy as compared to you being in a big car. The animals are kind of used to the cars, but not to walking people. © Claus Qvist Jessen

Hyena shit from Okavango, Botswana. The spotted hyena is the only land predator able to crush buffalo bones, and it's the white colour of the bones which gives the droppings its' colour. © Claus Qvist Jessen