Photos Of Namibia by Ari Katz

January 13, 2025

It's always fun to view the familiar through someone else's lens.

Last month, I traveled to Namibia with my daughter, Alexis, her children, Jude and Truman, and our friend Ari Katz. We journeyed through the deserts of the Republic of Namibia on safari and saw some of the most amazing wild animals - elephants, zebras, antelopes, giraffes, white rhinos, and so many more. We all took photos from the ground and from above. We captured images of animals alone and in herds, grazing, fighting, watching, building nests, guarding their young, etc. I am always interested to see the pictures taken by our group and to share them all with you.

Here are photos taken by Ari using his Canon EOS R7 Mirrorless camera, enjoy.

: Ari was able to capture closeup photos with his camera. Here is one of white rhinos we all saw on safari. For the most part, rhinos are gentle and keep to themselves, but like many animals may charge if threatened. Their vision is not very good, but they have a keen sense of hearing.

: The leopard tortoise is a large and well marked tortoise found in the savannas of eastern and southern Africa, from Sudan to the southern Cape Province. This tortoise gets its name from the markings on the shell that resemble the spotted cat with the same name.

: Both male and female springboks have horns; however, on the male, the horns grow longer and slightly curved, while those of the female springbok are narrower, straighter, and shorter.

: Springboks are herbivores and graze mainly on seasonal grasses and shrubs.

: Ari caught this amazing photo of a zebra fight. Male zebras are known to battle each other over females. Ritualized displays often show them striking out with their hooves, standing on their hind feet and wrestling.

: Zebras and springboks can co-exist. It is not unusual to see these animals walking together in their herds.

: The Oryx, also known as the Gemsbok, is the national animal of Namibia. It is a large antelope with long, straight horns and distinct markings. It is found in the more arid regions of Africa where it feeds on grasses and shrubs most often during the morning and late afternoon when it is cooler.

: The Cape ground squirrel or South African ground squirrel can be found in drier parts of southern Africa from South Africa, through to Botswana, and into Namibia, including Etosha National Park. They eat bulbs, fruits, grasses, herbs, insects and shrubs and spend most of their day foraging.

: Giraffes are also herbivores, so their diet consists mainly of plant matter. Namibian giraffes eat various leaves, seeds, buds, and some soft branches.

: Ari captured this image of a giraffe looking right at his camera. Giraffes are known to be very curious.

: They are also very nurturing parents. Young giraffes typically stay with their mothers until they’re between 18 months and two years old. Males may join other herds of males in adolescence.

: Ari actually took this photo of a masked weaver bird arriving at its nest as well as the photo I shared of a weaver in my last blog. The masked weaver is the most popular bird in Namibia. The adult male has a black face, throat and beak, red eyes, bright yellow head, and a plain yellowish-green back.

: African elephants in Namibia, also known as desert elephants, travel in smaller herds. These elephants inhabit the north western parts of Namibia, notably Kaokoland and Damaraland. They have smaller bodies and longer legs and can travel vast distances between water sources.

: Ari caught this photo of a herd of zebras turning back to see him. In general, zebras are not friendly to humans and can be dangerous if threatened – we always remained a safe distance away from the animals.

: Kirk’s dik-dik is a species of small dik-dik antelope native to the Eastern and Southern parts of Africa. Dik-diks are herbivores, typically of a fawn color that helps camouflage them in savannah habitats. They are also largely nocturnal and seek shade to rest during the day when it is most hot.

: Here’s another giraffe that caught us taking photos. Ari is an excellent photographer.

: Giraffes spend about 20-percent of the day walking. They can walk an average of three and a half miles per day, with single young males walking as much as 12 miles to find suitable mates.

: Giraffes often travel in herds, but they are also very independent. Giraffes are not known to have strong social ties like other animal species, except the mothers with their offspring.

: This pair, likely a mother and calf, are eating. They get most of the water they need from the plants they eat.

: And here is Ari getting ready to fly over the skeleton coast, the northern part of the Atlantic coast of Namibia. See more of his photos on his Instagram page @aridkatz.