2017 Road tripping in Namibia 3/3

Details

[31 Dec - 7 Jan] 3 nights in Swakupmond -> ~320kms -> 2 nights in Sesriem -> ~100kms -> 2 nights in Namib Nauklauft.

Deadvlei (see Sesriem below)

Cape Seal colony

On route to Swakupmond from Mile 108, we stopped in at the Cape Cross Seal reserve. This is reputedly one of the largest cape fur seal colonies in the world & is one crazy (but worthwhile) experience hard to describe or "sum up" with a strong fishy smell, din of the colonies calls & constant movement! An assault on the senses & a little distressing. So, um, I'll leave this one for Ben!! Here's his take...

Swakupmond

After weeks travelling in 'rustic' style, we rolled into our first town Swakupmond on new years eve feeling pretty dusty & stale to be honest! 

Swakupmond is a well known tourist destination - a charming coastal town that doubles as an adventure sport hub. Strong German influences remain in the architecture of the town, furthered by various German referenced hospitality spots. Quite different to anywhere we'd been thus far.

We stayed at Desert Sky Backpackers, with easy walking access to the town centre. NYE festivities had the small town packed out, a definite festive holiday vibe going on. We decided to embrace the change of environment - starting with a good shower, laundry refresh & out for a lovely late lunch at The Tug! The same trend continued for our stay - very relaxed & maybe a bit indulgent. Of our various dinings & walkabouts, got to give special mention to The Village Cafe - fab decor, vibrant warm vibe & hearty food - pop in if you're ever in town!

Desert Sky Backpackers, lawn area

Sea mist rolls in, giving an atmospheric evening in Swakopmund

We also headed to Walvis Bay one morn, seeing pelican & flamingos super close from the town promenade (before dropping off the mother at Walvis Bay airport). Both Swakupmond & Walvis Bay struck as nice towns, Swakupmond seemed primarily tourism focused, whilst Walvis Bay is Namibia's largest commercial port (partially offset by the tourist attraction of the birdlife in particular). It was a pity we were in town (Swakupmond) over NYE public holidays, so of course a good bit of the town was either shut down or partially so!

Sesriem

On the 3rd Jan we set off for Sesriem (the famous dunes, Soussesvlei). Yet again the Namibian landscapes kept amazing & changing!
We stopped off at Solitaire, a wee village known for it's picturesque if bizarre car graveyard & some great apple pie - we had said apple pie... as well as a burger pie (yes, apparently this is a thing) & hot dog & cheese in a pastry roll (again, apparently a thing).
Hit a heavy storm on the approach to Sesriem, making the 4x4 do a little work, to find Sesriem isn't so much a town as the NWR (Namibian Wildlife Resorts) gate really.

Heading into (& through) storm on route to Sesriem

We'd booked in to stay in the NWR campsite which is within the first 'external' gate for the national park & dunes - this means that when the second 'internal' gate opens at 5.10am you have relatively peaceful access to the dunes for sunrise, before the external gate opens ~1 hour later for everyone else. That & it's a lovely campsite with shade (oh so precious when the midday heat sets in!) & electricity point, usual communal blocks (containing kitchen/ laundry/ablution sections), shop, restaurant/ bar & a little swimming pool.

Our campsite in Sesriem (NWR camp)

Dinner at camp

We got up super early to make the 5.10am opening time... erm, or close enough to it! There felt like there was a bit of a dash for the dunes as the internal gates opened, so we thought we'd opt out & cruise a little slower... until (dope!) we realised that, with ~65kms to cover to get to the main dunes, you can very easily miss the whole sunrise event. Dawn light crept up as we were driving, but that lovely gentle light stayed on a good while as we started with Deadvlei. We did the mandatory dune climb, which was a little bizarre. Then took in the adjoining petrified forest, where everyone is angling for that perfect/ iconic picture.

Feck it, so here's a few of my attempts (eye roll)!!

Deadvlei

Sossusvlei

Deadvlei

Soussesvlei next, walk at base - spotted tracks, further down track gemsbok (iconic buck for this area)... heating up with direct reverse effect on energy levels. Quick swim back at camp & into hiding... Late afternoon ~5pm, heat lessened, out to dunes again for the sunset light. Seems they move around the dunes open to public? Dune 45 arrived to only 1 couple in sight - up on the top of the(ir) dune. Short climb, pics & sundowner. Had seen gemsbok, ostrich & springbok, but on the slow drive back saw a brown hyena! A shy animal which, in all my various park visits, I've never seen. Great sighting as he trotted alongside the road, periodically stopping to size us up. Absolutely made up!

Dune 45

Namib Nauklauft

Had to do a double take as we arrived at this, our final, unassuming NWR park. Not a forgiving welcome, with dry rocky mountains & very hot, but a lovely surprise campsite at the end of it! After checking in at a nice new-looking reception building, we made our way to the campsite set on two levels of shady sites along a babbling brook within a little canyon! Uncanny given all the harsh dryness seemingly everywhere else!

Namib Nauklauft entry gate

This place was so relaxing, so tucked away & isolated (in a good way), we felt another level of chilled. While here we did 2 wee hikes, which Ben has covered in his post here.
After dinner, we relaxed by the fire with some wine. When you break your hypnotized gaze from the fire, the canyon opposite seems to pop with 3D sharpness, exaggerated by the star-painted sky above. A genet (gorgeous slinky cat-like animal) came visiting, doing it's nightly rounds in search for food... Aaah, idyllic right?
Until BAM the baboons roll into camp to generally cause mayhem about 6.30/ 7am... They unlatch the bin hatches, tipping anything out to riffle through & drag litter along their route. I've often heard that the animal kingdom is so much about fronting. Well, Ben had a rather humbling experience there as he tried to face off a baboon (I'll let him tell you...!). And again as we were packing up to leave & after I'd already chased off one cheeky baboon (better prepared now after Waterberg & Ben's story!), the animal was back - having Ben & I running in circles after it like fools until we finally cleared it off. Whilst I'd say it would've looked like a farcical skit, this baboon was way too confident in human presence (it had moved onto our neighbours - dashed through 3 women, into the back of a car where our 4th neighbour was sorting food, to grab a packet of spuds) - only a matter of time before it becomes a 'problem' animal & has to be removed. But don't let naughty baboons put you off, this was such a lovely stay!!

In Summary...

Full itenary & kit detail here & trip map here.

Funniest moment?
Probably Ben baring all when his towel fell climbing into the rooftop tent - gave a yelp which caused me to spotlight him. Nice one Ben, eyeful for the campsite ;)

Best accomodation?
Tough to say as so varied with different highlights... but will give it to Onguma (next to Etosha gate).

Best moment?
Sorry to duck this one but honestly couldn't say. Lots of WOW moments.

Worst moment?
When there was no water for a shower at Hoada camp (after maurauding baboons - see a theme?), after a hot sweaty day - if you knew how much I love my pre-bed shower! ;) But still, that's as bad as it got! Oh hang on... that or leaving Namibia?

Carry forward?
How doable & rewarding these trips are! And how quick an electric kettle boils. Where are the flies? And that our neighbour snoring at night is not a lion grunting... Adjusting back to city life!

A great trip - experience, people met, wildlife, & the landscapes (sorry I know I've said it a number of times!!) are just unreal. Expansive & wild. Causes the eye to falter, the throat to tighten.

Cape Cross Seal Colony

Saying goodbye to Mile 108 Camp, we continued to journey south down the Skeleton Coast. After a brief stop at another of the ship wrecks, and retracing our steps after missing a junction (most sightseeing spots are signposted for drivers heading north!), we arrived at Cape Cross, just 115km north of Swakopmund. Named after the cross erected in honour of John I by Portuguese explorer Diego Cao in 1486, this area of coastline is also home to a huge breeding colony of Cape Fur Seals.

From 2km, we could see the colony sprawled across the coastline, and very soon, this sight was matched by smell. The colony gets as large as 100,000 animals, and we arrived at a particularly busy time, as the pups had been born in late November and early December. Leaving the car, we were greeted by a cacophony of sound, as seal pups called for their mothers, temporarily out at sea replenishing stocks, and returning mothers called for their single pups. How pups and mothers are able to reconnect in such a mass of bodies is miraculous. We made our way onto the boardwalk which overlooks the colony, picking our way through the expectant pups and protective mothers - who bite apparently! This perspective revealed the colony in all its wonder. On the outskirts of the colony, pups huddled together, some calling for their mothers, some asleep, some not to wake. Closer to the shoreline, what looked like chaos. A mass of seals, slipping and sliding over each other as they entered and exited the freezing ocean. Every now and then, a pup became embroiled in the mass of hungry adults, having to fight its way to the surface.

Unsurprisingly, fights broke out between the packed seals as they battled up and down the shoreline. Once in the water, they joined the thousands of seals which packed the first few hundred metres of ocean, flippers and tails surfacing repeatedly as they went about their catch. At the closest point to the bulging colony, the oily, fishy smell was quite overwhelming. The picnic spot had also been taken over - the morning coffee wouldn’t have been so pleasant from here. Nevertheless, visiting the colony in such close quarters was a fantastic hour or so, and certainly an experience for all the senses.

Olifant Antics!

On our previous visit to Etosha, the westerly reaches of the park were only accessible to those staying at the higher end camps. However, since this time, the Galton gate was opened to the public, and thus the western parts of the reserve. We had hoped to fill up with diesel at Okakeujo but the petrol station was empty of fuel. However with the advice of a couple of fellow travellers regarding estimating the actual fuel left as represented by an analogue dial, we crossed our fingers and hoped that the fuel would last to Kamanjab, and of course that Kamanjab had fuel! The drive from Okakeujo to Olifantsrus was one of the most memorable of the trip including a hyena wrestling with a large portion of giraffe, a honey badger strutting across the road in front of the vehicle. However, the highlight was reserved until we reached 10km from our destination. The road had been flanked by termite mounds for the best part of an hour and as we rounded a corner, to the right of the road, sitting on top of one of these mounds, was an elephant! At closer inspection, the huge male was squatting down on top of the mound and from left to right, front to back, was giving his considerable posterior a good scratch. Whilst this may have been quite alarming for the occupants of the mound, it appeared to be just what the elephant was after. On our left hand side, two other elephants, more sedately, browsed on foliage.

With the itch scratched, the enormous animal crossed the road in front of us. He wasn’t quite ready for dinner though - with the undercarriage taken care of, he proceeded to exfoliate to top half. First locating an appropriate size tree, he then twisted his colossal frame into its thorny branches, backwards and forwards until the tree was a shadow of its former self. With a slight flick of its ears in our direction, the elephant turned and rejoined his group, disappearing amongst the thorn-bush, and leaving us to continue on our way.

Booking accommodation and the wheels

Gaining print information on Namibia proved a challenge. A Lonely Planet guide to Africa offered a small chapter on the country. However, online sources were more plentiful, with Cardboard Box representing one particularly useful website. The Namibian Wildlife Reserves (NWR) website provided useful information and a booking portal for their accommodation, and a number of private lodgings had websites of varying qualities. In fact, I had been able to book the vast majority of campsites in advance. This was most necessary for the most popular camps, for example, NWR camps in Etosha (Halali was full so we couldn't stay), and for bookings during the holidays (Christmas was busy and NYE in Swakopmund almost sold out!). Pre-booking and pre-pay also spread out the cost a little, which felt better, if costing the same!

We have had the full range of experiences in relation to car hire on previous trips, from the seamless and stress-free in Spain, through to the protracted and duplicitous in Australia. After deciding that a 4x4, preferably with a roof top tent, was our top option for the Namibia trip, I'd emailed eight agencies for quotes. Beyond the cost of the hire (hefty!), the important things I'd looked out for were the full list of equipment provided and the comprehensiveness of insurance.  Britz had come out on top, and the communication was excellent and most importantly, transparent. We were picked up on arrival at Windhoek airport and driven to the Britz offices. Although the handover took a while, it was very thorough. Dropping off the vehicle was painless, and we left very happy with our decision.

When animals attack!

For the final few days of our trip we had booked a campsite in the Namib-Naukluft National Park, a 2 hour drive from the dunes of Sesriem. From the entrance of the park (and a sign saying let yourself in, and please close the gate behind yourself!) it was a slow 10km drive to the campsite. The road weaved up and around the Naukluft mountain range on which the park is situated. Either side of the track some of the harshest landscapes we had seen - scorched and rocky with little in the way of shade. Apprehensive as to whether the campsite might prove to be a hot one, we were pleasantly surprised to find the accommodation located in a beautiful valley. With the camp more or less to ourselves, we settled at a site on the unfenced perimeter, a stream running directly in front of the braai pit. 

The camp has two circular walks, of 10 and 17km respectively, and with some time before sunset, we traced the final 3km of the Waterkloof trail, sighting Dassies, Kilpsrpinger and Kudu, before doubling back on ourselves and returning to camp as the sun went down. As we plonked ourselves in our camp chairs and settled down for dinner, we were joined by a guest - a small-spotted Genet. At first we noticed the swish of a tail in the bushes and the reflection of torch light in eyes. And then the Genet sauntered out into the open, more concerned with catching the beetles which littered the camp floor than the two campers. At one point, the Genet was within touching distance as it checked out the braai. Other  surprises included a scorpion, dancing around on the floor as we made our way back from the shower block - head-torches essential!

Our animal interactions over the two days were not all entirely positive, however. Kate had headed off to the ablution blocks and I was sitting waiting for the water on our gas burner to boil for a nice cup of coffee. The coffee never arrived. 20 metres to my left came walking a male baboon. Striding towards our vehicle, his intent was obvious - he wanted food. I'd chased away baboons before in South Africa, so stood from my chair, made myself big, clapped my hands and shouted. He carried on walking. I carried on clapping. He was getting quite close. Not feeling so confident now. I stepped back slightly. He noticed and ran right towards me, bearing his teeth (large). I enacted 6 million years of evolutionary process by running away and hiding behind the 4x4. To the victor, the spoils - a kilo of ground coffee. He grasped his prize and trotted off, before plunging his tongue into the foil. Deciding that ground coffee wasn't his thing, he threw the saliva soaked bag to the floor. No food for him, no coffee for me. He did come back to raid our camp the following day, but Kate ran after him with a large stick.

2017 Road tripping in Namibia 2/3

Details

[23 - 30 Dec] 5 nights in Etosha (2 Halali, 2 Okaukuejo, 1 Olifantrus), 2 nights in Hoada camp, Damaraland.

Etosha

So the excitement for Etosha wasn’t misplaced. A very different, but as worthwhile, experience this time around. At a different time of year with far busier, bustling campsites, large herds (of springbok & zebra especially) & far less sightings of predators. Some spectacular thunderstorms too, which is great for the wildlife & the skyscapes, but not so much for viewing.

View from site, Halali Campsite

Halali campsite is one of Etosha’s 3 main campsites & was full of life with a mix of Namibian & foreign campers, including a few overland tour buses. Christmas eve was especially festive & friendly, with brief spurts of music (soon turned off per park regulations), singing & plenty of “happy Christmas”es being handed out to fellow campers. Certainly not a “traditional” christmas for most, but what a great alternative!! Back to nature, back to basics, & not a “Christmas Sale” sign in sight!

At the campsite waterhole, a short walk away, there was a reverent sunset viewing, with lots of visitors gathered, drink in hand, to take in the beauty… & hope for a day’s last animal sighting or two.

Okaukuejo waterhole at night

It was on to Okaukuejo campsite (the administrative hub) on Christmas day, with a distant viewing of a lioness with a kill on the way. At Okaukuejo, sporadic electricity & no diesel/ petrol caused a bit of hassle through the stay, but animal distractions in the campsite helped - jackal, squirrel, various birds. We’d planned to do a night drive, but first night cancelled due to rain & second due to no electricity (no card facilities). Instead we had one relaxed eve at the bar playing cards & the other at the campsite waterhole where we had an amazing sighting of rhino (black I think).

With both rhino species under such sustained threat of extinction, the sighting seemed all the more poignant. The rhino was twitchy, starting to drink, stopping to look around, moving location a little & then starting the routine again. At one point the great beast was on the nearside of the waterhole in clear sight, pausing for a good while to stare in our direction. Yes, I’m going to anthropomorphise - to me, from where I was sitting with my thoughts, it seemed like s/he was reproaching our kind.

Rhino sighting at waterhole

On our last night our supplies were low & fancy dining was ruled out as electricity was down - no card, only cash. We were just starting to scrape a meal together, when some serious storm clouds began to gather. A gorgeous eerie light fell over camp, the wind picked up, whipping sand along in it’s path. Then, from this build up of suspense, the rain broke in a heavy hard stream accompanied with a visual & audio show of lightning & thunder. We made a staged retreat, until we were tucked away in the laundry room with dinner on pause. Had to hand it to our Dutch neighbours who’d popped a bin lid over their fire, ducked into their car for a little R&R, emerging about an hour later to continue the bbq as the storm subsided, totally unphased.

That night, finally fed & in bed, the night was alive with sounds - first hyena which triggered a chorus of jackals (I’m guessing here - a dog-like whingeing sound), followed later by clear close lion’s roars. What a bedtime lullaby!! :)

Incoming storm, Okaukeujo campsite

Reception, Olifantsrus Campsite

We left Okaukuejo for Olifantsrus, our final night in Etosha to be spent in a place new to us. Olifantsrus (“elephant’s rest” in Afrikaans) was used to ‘process’ elephants killed during the culls of the early 1980s. Elephant numbers were deemed to be destructively large & culling deemed the only viable solution to managing such populations. Conservation techniques have changed since & Etosha doesn’t cull currently nor intend to. The site is now a lovely small (only 10 camping sites) & rustic campsite, with a kiosk, info centre (including the history of the site), & a lovely waterhole hide.

As sun set a sandstorm rolled in & over the campsite, obscuring the sinking sun & forcing everything in it’s path to hunker down. Afterwards the night settled in & 4 of us in the hide were treated to another rhino sighting - this time a mother & calf. Again lion calls accompanied the night, feeling very close in this little campsite!

We had a great drives to & from Olifantsrus, with barely any vehicle traffic. On the way to, we had close clear sightings of hyena, elephant, sightings of honey badger (honey badger don’t care!) & numerous herds & birds. On the way from, we were up & out early as usual & started off with an extremely rare & special sighting of a wildcat (sorry, no photos - I wasn’t blinking to miss a second). Thereafter we saw warthog, giraffe, kudo, gemsbok, vultures, jackal, elephant, red hartebeest, springbok, zebra, tortoise. We exited the park with an animal control check & spray, before heading on to Kamanjab for diesel, cash & food & drink supplies. Kamanjab is a tiny village with 2 ATMs, 2 petrol stations, 2 stores - manage expectations as the maps claim it as a major town!

Damaraland

From Kamanjab we continued on the our next stop, Hoada campsite in the Grooteberg mountains of Damaraland. No more tarred roads after Kamanjab. Not a long drive, but DRY DRY HOT DUSTY. The landscape had changed significantly as we drove from Olifantsrus & continued to change as we approached Grooteberg. The camp is in a section dotted with rocky outcrops & small shrubs, & is a lovely wilderness rustic site, part of a conservancy area & run in partnership with the local community & private business. 

Facilities brief: no electricity, rock pool & sunset bar in the outcrop behind reception, site consists of bbqs, hot water boiler, shaded kitchen surface & sink, shower wet room & open-to-the-elements loo. Midday is breathtakingly hot, too hot for anything but the flies & lizards to move… & the occasional sand swirl… we survived in the pool on the first day & made a day trip to Twyfelfontein (or ǀUi-ǁAis) on the second. As the day winds down, the sunset & surrounding landscape are striking, with the cool starry night sky finale making it idyllic.

The campsite was laid-back friendly, and the problems were dealt with pragmatically & timely. As we arrived the baboons had just been through the site, ripping up the toilet for water & trailing the loo roll behind them (mischievous whatsits), but this was sorted within 15mins. The water cut out late on the first night, as baboons had ripped up the pipes (!!), but this was fixed by the mid-morning the next day. Not much you can do about marauding troops of baboons… & the battle for the precious resource of water!! 

Twyfelfontein/ ǀUi-ǁAis is a UNESCO World Heritage site, containing San rock engravings. Our day trip started with an amazing if long drive (~2.5hr one way) on rocky/ sandy roads through various different striking landscapes. Landscapes & scenery so striking it defies capture on camera/ video. At Twyfelfontein we checked in at the sustainable-style building (made from recycled materials, structured to enable removal). We (or Mum) opted for the short tour (35 mins vs 45 mins) & our young guide talked us through the history of settlement in the area, the technique of the San engravings (aged between 2,000 to 6,000 years old) & some of the meanings behind.

Coast

On the 30th we packed up once again to start our way south, leaving having had a great time in the north - amazing landscapes, wildlife & lovely people, from our experience. Our route took us pretty much directly west toward the coast & into the Skeleton Coast National Park, transiting through to Mile 108 camp for the night. Amazing vast expansive & changing scenery. Not much that we saw in the way of shipwrecks, just a few remnants - but the roads were often screened from the shoreline or a distance away distorted by mirages. Fascinating drive nonetheless & much cooler, very quiet & “empty” most of the way. Such harsh landscapes to live in. We arrived at Mile 108 camp ~2.30pm. The camp is wholely a fisherman’s stop & we felt like the interlopers! In fact on our drive down we’d seen barely any travellers & only a number of fishermen over the ~300kms. Again no electricity & charges for drinkable water & showers, campsites terraced on the beach. Some impressive mini-villages set up by obviously experienced fishing parties. 

[Ben's post on Skeleton Coast here]

Only phone pics for now (rookie), so some 'holes'! Vids to follow.

Skeleton Coast - Ben

Entering the Skeleton Coast National Park at Springbokwasser gate, we followed the road as it descended in a westerly direciton towards the coast, and our first sight of the Atlantic Ocean. The promise of spectacular coast line, steep dunes and isolated shipwrecks was soon fulfilled.


The drive through the park was by some stretch the most isolated part of our trip so far. Very rarely we were met by oncoming vehicles, often with atttena-like fishing rods attached to the front bumpers, making their way north to the fishing camps of Torra Bay and Terrace Bay. On a couple of occassions, jackals appeared, trotting purposefully along the roadside despoite being miles from any other signs of life.

The many shipwrecks that give the coast line its name were littered along our route. Sometimes, the wrecks were almost now submerged beneath the ever creeping sands at the shoreline, only the tip of a mast visible. Elsewhere, another wreck, half a fishing boat, percehed precariously on rocks, just 100 metres off the shoreline. The crowsnest was now a comorant nest, its new tenants basking in the warm sun.

[Link to Namibia trip, part 2]