Watching rhinos at midnight in Namibia

It’s tough to sleep when there’s a rhinoceros wallowing in the waterhole right outside your bedroom window.

Picture this. It’s midnight. I’m in my bathrobe watching a mother rhino lead her baby to the water for a drink. Two other rhinos have already slipped into the pool for a skinny dip. A couple of lanky giraffes cautiously tiptoe out of the shadows.

Where in the world am I? In Namibia. These animals are the real deal, not some Discovery Channel version of Africa.

With experiences like this, it’s amazing Namibia isn’t on more travelers’ radar screens. It should be. Though its best known feature is a vast expanse of otherworldly, tangerine-colored sand dunes, all of Namibia packed with surprises—from dune to dusk and beyond.

In case you’re wondering, this undiscovered gem is located in southwest Africa, next to South Africa, Botswana, Angola and the Atlantic Ocean - which makes it accessible to cruise ships. With barely 2 million people in a space twice as big as California, it ranks among the most sparsely populated countries on the planet.

Let’s begin with some serious wildlife spotting. For your wild animal fix, head straight to Etosha National Park.

On game drives through Etosha, it’s rare for five minutes to go by without seeing zebra, giraffe, long-horned oryx, wart hogs, jackals or courting ostrich. Elephants cross the road in front of safari vehicles. Lions lounge in the tall grasses, totally hidden until your eagle-eyed guide points them out.

For nighttime thrills around the waterhole, stay in a cushy chalet in Etosha’s revamped Okaukuejo Camp. Around midnight, slip out of bed and peeked outside. That’s when you’ll see rhinos, giraffes and other thirsty beast gathered at the floodlit waterhole.       

Namibia is a port of call for Princess and MSC Cruises, to name two. San Francisco residents can get to southern Africa by flying from SFO via New York or Washington, D.C.