namibia – rene bauer photography

Tanzanian Maasailand (part 1)

It’s a little while since, but i don’t want hold back the pictures from my last Tanzania trip any longer. After the safari tour to Serengeti and Ngorogoro crater with – a rather disappointing – safari tour operator. I was happy to continue traveling with my own car and pace. On the safari tour i met two young tourist girls, who wanted to go to Daressalam too. I offered them to join me trough Maasailand instead of a boring, long bus ride direct to Dar. They agreed for sharing fuel and food.

The day before departure, the three of us went to local market to buy food. It’s hard bargaining if one goes with typically dressed tourist girls to the food stalls. Somehow we managed to get our supplies, as the girls told me about their appointment with the owner of the safari company we went days before. The same guy who cheated me and gave false informations to me, was inviting those young girls for pizzas and swimming pool at the most expensive hotel in Arusha and paid them even their room in a backpacker hostel. I joined the girls for that appointment and got at least a pizza myself and some relaxing hours with wifi at the pool at „Mt Meru Hotel“. The pizza was tasty, the pool refreshing and the view of Mount Meru splendid.

The first day traveling didn’t brought us very far, but to a wonderful oasis i knew from earlier visit. Hot spring and pool with crystal clear water was a delight after a dusty road trip. Since we supposed to travel as friends, the girls had to help with cooking while i pitched their tent for the night. With the highest mountain of Africa – Mt Kilimanjaro – we camped just next to the hot spring.

On the next day, we got deeper in Maasailand, with no specific route, just follow south on dusty roads. We passed some huts and villages which seemed to be abandon. Some kids lead cows somewhere, looking bewildered as we crossed their ways. The rain brought much green food for their cows. For us was it easy to find a quite place to camp in that lush, green bushland and enjoy a peaceful sunset.

August 22, 2016 by Rene Bauer Categories: Africa, HOPE, humansofplanetearth, landscape, nature, portrait, reportage, tanzania, tradition, travel, Uncategorized, water, wildlifeTags: 4x4, adventure, Africa, camping, culture, daily life, forest, HOPE, hotel, humansofplanetearth, kids, kilimanjaro, lake, Landrover, landscape, maasai, market, mountain, namibia, nature, Offroad, overland, people, pool, portraits, reportage, safari, sunset, tanzania, Travel, Village 2 Kommentare

Namibian Beauty

Before i left the country i got the chance for a spontaneous photo shooting with this Namibian beauty.

Mai 17, 2016 by Rene Bauer Categories: Africa, HOPE, humansofplanetearth, landscape, Nambia, nature, portrait, reportage, travel, UncategorizedTags: adventure, Africa, culture, lake, landscape, namibia, nature, overland, penduka, people, portraits, reportage, sunset, Travel, windhoek Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

Namibia Selfie Project

Being a tour guide for my parents was a completely new thing. It brought me a whole bunch of experiences and challenges too. At the start i did a selfie with my crappy cellphone at train station for remembering reason and posted it on Instagram. I repeated it at airport. Somehow i liked it and went on picturing my parents in this selfie style throughout our trip in Namibia. It became a collection of selfies of our journey.

Mai 16, 2016 by Rene Bauer Categories: Africa, food, gastronomy, HOPE, humansofplanetearth, landscape, Nambia, nature, portrait, reportage, tradition, travel, Uncategorized, urbanlife, waterTags: adventure, Africa, agriculture, beach, blackandwhite, camping, city, culture, daily life, Desert, food, HOPE, humansofplanetearth, instagram, landscape, namibdummies, namibia, nature, Offroad, overland, people, portraits, reportage, safari, selfies, switzerland, Travel, urbanlife, Village, wildlife Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

Relaxing In Hot Springs

What else could be better than a relaxing bath in hot springs at an end of a long journey on rough, dusty roads, many new impressions and some early mornings? I brought my parents to the newly opened and completely new designed Hot Springs of Gross barmen, not far from Windhoek anymore.

Mai 16, 2016Mai 16, 2016 by Rene Bauer Categories: Africa, Nambia, portrait, reportage, Uncategorized, urbanlife, waterTags: adventure, Africa, bath, culture, gastronomy, grossbarmen, hotspring, landscape, namibdummies, namibia, nature, overland, people, pool, portraits, relax, reportage, safari, swimming, swimmingpool, Travel Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

The Himba Village

What’s the fascination of the Himba people? Is it their ancient and traditional lifestyle? Is it the bronze color of your skin? Or is it because they walk almost naked but freely and proud trough life? I hear people joking about the nakedness of Himbas, giggeling about bare breasts. I sense how people are unnaturally ashamed about the shameless nature of the Himba tribe. So were my parents rather shy in beginning of our visit in this Himba village. The locals acted completely natural, looked self confident in my camera and went on with their daily work. Of course, i went with my parents to a village open for tourists. The people are used on curious visitors, showed us how the live and what is important in their life and culture. Their proud and serious look turned into a big smile when i showed them the photos on display or tried to imitate their language. Kids played on the ground, made fun of me when i try to catch them with my Nikon and just stick some sweets in my mouth. Meat hung in front of houses, which are circled around an inner fence for the cattle. In centre is always a holy fire too. Everyone takes care it burns eternal, but the chief of the village takes highest responsibility of it. A big income are the little handicraft market, displayed on the ground. I couldn’t resist to take a souvenir myself, but the nicest remembering are the feeling how strange but natural in same time it felt to be amongst those peaceful people.

Mai 15, 2016 by Rene Bauer Categories: Africa, gastronomy, HOPE, humansofplanetearth, Nambia, nature, portrait, reportage, travel, Uncategorized, urbanlifeTags: adventure, Africa, children, culture, daily life, family, girl, himba, HOPE, humansofplanetearth, kids, landscape, mother, motherhood, namibdummies, namibia, nature, Offroad, overland, people, portraits, reportage, safari, Travel, tribe, urbanlife, Village, villagelife 1 Kommentar

Photo Session With Leopard

We’ve been lucky in Etosha Nationalpark spotting lots of wildlife such as rhinos, giraffes, elephants and even lions. To see cheetahs are rarer and to observe and photograph leopards needs much more time, patience and luck. I remembered a guest farm who offered wildlife watching with a guarantee. Not really my thing but just right to give my parents the opportunity to observe those proud animals from close-by.

The driver entered a gate, called some names and get off the car. He elicits the animals with big lumps of raw meat. Two cheetahs appeared, well known their food arrived. For the sake of the tourists pleasure he plays with the animals, teased them with the meat and give them some strokes.

That’s different with the leopard within the fence. Those animals stays really wild and are not to trust, the driver explains. With big precaution he puts the meat on several places, also on big branches of a tree. A pair of eyes already watched him. A tense silence amongst the tourists in the open safari car, when they spotted the back of the leopard in the high grass. Some whispers started when that proud animal lifted its head. Then the cameras began to click, the photo session started.

Mai 15, 2016 by Rene Bauer Categories: Africa, animal, landscape, Nambia, nature, reportage, travel, Uncategorized, wildlifeTags: adventure, Africa, cheetah, dusterbrook, guestfarm, landscape, leopard, namibdummies, namibia, nature, overland, photosession, reportage, safari, Travel, wildlife Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

Ombili Project For San People

San people used to be hunters and gatherers. The movie „the gods must be crazy“ gave a strong impression about their life in the Kalahari bush. However, i got aware of the ‚Ombili Project‘ nearby, which was founded to help the San people, who suffer from losing they’re natural habits. On the way to this ‚cultural village‘ i explained my parents what i know about the life of this tribe. Contrary to my expectations and explanations after arrival we’ve seen neither their nomadic huts, nor hunters with poisoned arrows. Instead we got introduced in the huge garden behind solid brick buildings and explained about their success with cattle. The Ombili project turns out to be rather an agriculture school in purpose to give the upcoming generations of San people a new future. Nevertheless there is still a corner in the village to satisfy the visitors with their images of old traditional huts, fire making with a stick and a group who sings wonderful old, traditional songs.

Mai 15, 2016 by Rene Bauer Categories: Africa, gastronomy, HOPE, humansofplanetearth, Nambia, nature, portrait, reportage, travel, Uncategorized, urbanlifeTags: adventure, Africa, agriculture, children, culture, daily life, firemaking, garden, kids, landscape, namibdummies, namibia, nature, nomads, overland, people, portraits, reportage, san, Travel, tribe, urbanlife, Village Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

Etosha Nationalpark

A nationalpark is not a zoo. The opportunity to see wildlife in their natural habitat comes not with a guarantee. Only time and luck (and some knowledge about habits of animals) let you observe most of these fascinating creatures. Because we planned two days in the park only, i kept the expectations low. But it wasn’t necessary. Already at the first waterhole many animals gathered for drinking. Later we’ve seen not only a lion in distance but twice a pack of lions laying around lazy or watching us just next to the road in the bush. My parents were amazed. Next to giraffes, different kind of antelopes, birds, jackals, warthogs, elephant bulls and huge herds of zebras, we spot twice the very rare black rhinos. To see them so close amazed now me. After the overpriced and rather disappointing group tour in Serengeti/Ngorogoro Parks few weeks earlier, Etosha Park was a short but incredible experience again.

Mai 13, 2016 by Rene Bauer Categories: Africa, animal, landscape, Nambia, nature, reportage, travel, Uncategorized, wildlifeTags: adventure, Africa, blackrhino, Desert, etosha, landscape, lion, namibdummies, namibia, nationalpark, nature, Offroad, overland, reportage, rhino, safari, Travel, wildlife Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

Petrified Forest

I talked about the desert elephants and how rare they’re to see, as i noticed a car parking next to the gravel road. And yes, the couple in that car spotted two elephant bulls roaming in nearby bush. Along the road we’ve been lucky with more attractions as a black cobra, once alive since there are many dead snakes on the road, more of the unique welwitschia plants or huge termite hills.

A guide explained the origin of the wood and how it came many thousands years ago down to Nambia, covered by mud and clay and turned slowly to minerals and stone. The colors, the structure of the bark and even the year rings look still like the wood, but if you touch it you feel cold, hard stone.

Mai 12, 2016 by Rene Bauer Categories: Africa, animal, flower, landscape, Nambia, nature, reportage, travel, Uncategorized, wildlifeTags: adventure, Africa, elephant, forest, landscape, namibdummies, namibia, nature, Offroad, ontheroad, overland, people, petrifiedforest, portraits, reportage, safari, snake, Travel, wildlife Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

A Rocky Day

I agree, the rock formations looks strange, but to see the „organ pipes“ needs good will and some fantasy. However, impressive are those vertical piles anyway. That black hill nearby called „burnt mountain“. Some minerals let it appears much darker as the surroundings rocks.

Highlight of the day was undoubtedly the rock engravings of Twyfelfontein. Over a big area are amazing witnesses of ancient culture engraved in rocks. The early San people probably used the rocks as a school board to teach the youngsters about nature and hunting, or some guys were just bored without TV and became artist accidentally …who knows for certain the truth. My parents, however, found the heat and the stony paths more challenging. Lucky there wasn’t much other people around who wanted the rare shade too. The newly bought hats, which my parents wore proudly, helped too. Myself was proud they made it trough all the rocky obstacles to follow me to the different sites and my explanations.