They say your life flashes in front of your eyes before you die. Like a fast-forward flip through a photo book, you get a glimpse of all the moments that meant something.
Yet stuck in my camping chair, staring at the trunk of a five-tonne elephant so close I can feel her breath, I'm not treated to any mental snapshots of my 10th birthday party. All I can think of is that I really need the bathroom…
Nyae Nyae, also known as Bushmanland, is a fiercely wild place. It was the first communal conservancy to be proclaimed in Namibia – in 1998 – and at 8 992 km² in size, it's the second largest. (The nearby N#a-Jaqna Conservancy is the largest at just over 9 000 km².) Most of the area's roughly 2 300 residents hail from a San sub-group called Ju/'hoansi. Historically, their communal land stretched east into Botswana, beyond Khaudum National Park to the north, as well as further west and south. It's a long, harrowing tale of resettlement and restrictions, but the fact that the Ju/'hoansi remain is testament to their pride and tenacity.
Scattered around the so-called pannetjiesveld along a dusty jeep-track loop through thick Kalahari woodland are seven community campsites in the Nyae Nyae Conservancy. Spending time in this unfenced expanse means contributing directly to the community through camping and conservancy fees, activities and excursions. With help from NGOs like Ubuntu Namibia, some sites have long drops and bucket showers.
awaits when my partner Le Roux
