by Elzanne McCulloch
Sometimes you hear someone speak and their words settle deep inside you, reshaping the way you see the familiar. That happened to me when I listened to Kai-Uwe Denker’s reflections on hunting in Namibia at the previous NAPHA AGM. His words were not polished marketing talk, nor defensive arguments about why hunting matters. Instead, he spoke about wilderness, authenticity, and what it really means to portray Namibia to the world.
I left that room with a renewed conviction that Namibia, in all its harsh beauty, deserves to be celebrated with more pride than we sometimes give it.
When Namibia is promoted as a hunting destination, we often lead with convenience: easy travel, political stability, good roads and reliable health care. All of that is true, and it matters. But it is not what stirs the imagination of the hunter who longs for adventure. Safety does not smell like dust. Tar roads do not feel like wilderness.
What sets Namibia apart is that beneath this layer of modern infrastructure lies a country of staggering wildness. Deep sands that test you. Escarpments that drop into endless horizons. Rivers that are more sand than water, yet hold the promise of elephant tracks and gemsbok herds. That contrast, between ease of access and raw adventure, is our real strength.
Listening to Kai-Uwe, I realised again how rare that combination is. Namibia can be reached and travelled with ease, but the wilderness still lies just beyond the turnoff, waiting to surprise you.
Every African country has its signature game. For Namibia, it should never be in question. It is the gemsbok, the kudu and the Hartmann’s zebra that belong on the pedestal.
The gemsbok, fierce and elegant, stands on our coat of arms for a reason. It is the desert’s icon, perfectly adapted to heat, dust and thirst. These animals belong to this harsh country, just as we do. The fiery sun, the thornbush and the pale desert grass shape them. To hunt them here is to connect with Namibia’s spirit in the most authentic way
“Namibia deserves to be spoken of with awe around African campfires.”
Africa stretches across an extraordinary spectrum of landscapes, from the dense rainforests of the Congo Basin to the sweeping savannas of East Africa and the deserts that define the continent’s arid heart. Each zone holds its own character, yet time and again, seasoned hunters speak with reverence about the desert margins and drylands. These are places where beauty is pared down to its most essential form – where harsh climates, scarce water and rugged terrain shape both wildlife and the people who live alongside it.
Namibia is part of this story. Its wilderness belongs among Africa’s most striking arid landscapes. The northwestern ephemeral rivers, which carve through rock and sand, the Khomas Highlands, and the final frontier of Khaudum, are every bit as dramatic as the better-known hunting grounds of the Sahel or the Horn of Africa. The country’s wildlife reflects this ruggedness: Hartmann’s zebra clambering over rocky escarpments, gemsbok standing defiantly on the open plains, or a kudu bull emerging from the thornveld at dusk. These images are not just iconic – they are uniquely Namibian, embodying the stark grandeur of a land that offers some of the most authentic hunting experiences left on the continent.
What Kai-Uwe reminded me of is that we need to tell this story with confidence. We do not need to imitate anyone else. Namibia is more than enough.
Namibia’s professional hunting association, NAPHA, has been in existence for over half a century. That milestone naturally brings reflection, but it also brings a challenge. What will the next halfcentury look like?
According to Kai-Uwe the answer lies in pride, a belief that resonates with many of us. Pride in our wilderness, our animals, our traditions. Pride in portraying Namibia honestly and boldly, not just as a safe choice but as an adventure worthy of the most seasoned hunter. International hunters are looking for new destinations. They long for authenticity and adventure.
When I think back to Kai-Uwe’s words, one line echoes: “Namibia deserves to be spoken of with awe around African campfires.”
Namibia is wild rivers that run dry for most of the year, yet still carry the tracks of elephant herds and the promise of game along their sandy beds. It is endless plains where the horizon never seems to end and where a hunter must learn patience and endurance, for the distances are vast and the quarry is elusive.
Namibia is gemsbok standing tall against a desert skyline, their horns like spears piercing the sky. It is the embodiment of strength and resilience, the animal that has come to symbolise both our wilderness and our identity.
Namibia is a kudu bull stepping out of the shadows at dusk, ghost-like and regal, a prize not measured only by the curl of its horns but by the hunter’s long hours of tracking, waiting and listening to the bush. Namibia is dust and heat rising in shimmering waves across the thornveld, where every step reminds you that this is not an easy land. It is the scratch of wait-a-bit thorn, the scent of wild sage crushed underfoot, the sudden bark of a baboon on a cliff face.
Namibia is ancient baobabs standing sentinel over rocky riverbeds, silent witnesses to centuries of hunters, travellers and wildlife passing by. It is the Milky Way stretched across the night sky, so bright and unbroken that around the campfire you feel as if you are sitting inside the universe itself.
Namibia is not comfort dressed as wilderness. It is real, harsh, beautiful and unforgettable. For the hunter who seeks authenticity, who values experience above convenience, Namibia is the adventure that lingers long after the rifle is packed away
From the 2026 issue of Huntinamibia
Namibia’s hunting community stands at a pivotal juncture. For five decades, professional hunters, trackers, operators, conservancies and rural partners have protected wildlife and ensured that land remains dedicated to conservation. Our model, grounded in ethical hunting and sustainable use, is recognised worldwide as one of the most successful conservation systems.
Hunting for me goes beyond the obvious, beyond the daily grind and the collecting of trophies. Even beyond the now hackneyed phrase of “collecting memories” ‒ something probably nobody can really define. Once you allow yourself as a hunter to actually and consciously take in moments and breathe in air,
We were kneeling in the hot sand. It was early April, yet the sun was burning down on us mercilessly. Poldi was sitting behind me. It was his second visit to Namibia and therefore he now knew that in Africa, too, the scorching heat and biting flies do come to
