Stillness and the call of the North

There’s a special kind of magic that happens when two women pack a car, leave the city behind, and drive straight into the unknown.

No plan except the route. No noise except the road. Just the breeze through open windows, dust in the rearview mirror, and the promise of something waiting, something only the open spaces of Namibia can give.

Their destinations? Palmwag Lodge & Camp and Omarunga Epupa-Falls Camp, part of Gondwana’s Adventure Collection. Their chariot? A fully equipped Namibia2Go Toyota Hilux 4x4, built for the journey, not just the destination.

But it was never just about where they were going.

It was about what the journey would awaken. 

The art of letting go 

With the Hilux loaded, fridge humming, maps marked, essentials tucked into every corner, they drove out of routine and into rhythm.

The first hours were filled with the usual excitement. Snacks were passed. The playlist changed with the mood. Dust swirled behind them like a soft goodbye to whatever they were leaving behind. With every kilometre, the landscape grew more dramatic, and so did the stillness.

Something about Namibia’s silence asks you to pause.

And out there, in that long stretch between nowhere and somewhere, they did just that. 

Photo by: Gondwana Collection Namibia

Palmwag: The heartbeat of Damaraland 

By the time they reached Palmwag Camping2Go, the light was almost golden, and the mopane trees danced in the wind.

They rolled into tented camp, a private, comfortable base sat at the edge of the wild. Beds made, kitchenette ready, solar lights flickering to life. It was camping, but with all the right touches. A space that honoured the desire to disconnect, without giving up the small comforts that matter.

That evening they dined beneath a wide desert-adapted sky at the open-air restaurant; delicious plates paired with the kind of stillness that made every bite taste better. Around them, the soundscape was pure Namibia: soft winds, distant calls of birds, and the occasional rustle in the bush.

No rush. No distractions. Just the warm glow of lantern light, good food, and the luxury of being fully present in the wild.

And somewhere in between shared memories and long pauses, they began to feel it, an unspoken sense of returning to something wild. Something true. 

Photo by: Gondwana Collection Namibia

The call of the North 

Palmwag gave them space to exhale. But the road kept calling.

So, they packed up again, zipping tents, brushing off their boots. They were heading north, to the place where the land changes its mind, where the semi-arid desert hands over the reins to the river, where waterfalls carve ancient stories into rock.

Photo by: Gondwana Collection Namibia

The road to Epupa Falls isn’t just long, it’s legendary. And from the seat of the Hilux, it felt like a living storybook. Red rocks turned to valleys. OvaHimba children waved from village paths. Dust gave way to baobabs. The closer they came, the louder the Kunene River roared, like it had been waiting. 

Omarunga: Between river and rock 

The first night, they set up the rooftop tent at Omarunga Epupa-Fall Camp, unfolding their mobile shelter beneath tall palms and beside the Kune River’s edge.

It was simple. Elevated. Safe. And there was something powerful about sleeping above ground, with the rumble of the falls as a lullaby.

In the days that followed, they moved into the tented rooms, comfortable, shaded, and beneath the makalani palms. Each one offered the basics they needed, along with a sense of calm that only comes from being close to nature.

From here, the experience shifted. The pace slowed. Mornings began with river views and the sound of birds, and evenings ended with the distant roar of the falls as a reminder of where they were, far from rush, exactly where they needed to be.

They watched the Himba women walk gracefully across campgrounds, balancing baskets with ease. They dipped their feet in the cool river. They laughed over sunburned shoulders. They sat on rocks at sunset and watched the water tumble endlessly, reminding them of how much the world keeps moving, even when we don’t. 

Photo by: Gondwana Collection Namibia 

What the journey taught them 

This wasn’t about seeing places.

It was about feeling them.

Palmwag taught them how to slow down. To listen to silence and feel its weight. Omarunga reminded them how small they are, and how magnificent that smallness can be when surrounded by something so ancient, so raw, so beautiful.

They discovered that travel isn’t just movement. It’s transformation.

It’s found in the patience of pitching a tent. In the joy of navigating an unfamiliar road. In the moment you look across the river, sweat on your skin, and realise: this is enough.

No filters. No perfect plans. Just freedom. Friendship. And the vast, generous wilderness of Namibia. 

Photo by: Gondwana Collection Namibia 

To every woman dreaming of going 

Go.

Don’t wait for the perfect time. Don’t wait for the right people. Just go.

Let the Hilux take you down the dusty paths. Let your GPS make mistakes, and your gut make decisions. Let the nights be quiet and the mornings surprising.

Because somewhere between the gravel and the green, the roar and the stillness, the tent and tented room – you'll find something you weren’t expecting: A version of yourself that’s softer, braver, and more alive.

Your Namibia is waiting.

Author: Jandia van Wyk