namibia: journal

fish river canyon - 14th march

we were over the border but the scenery hadn't changed much. the sky was still vast and blue, the land flat and dry, the air baking, the road black and smooth and shimmering towards the horizon. we were back in namibia, the country we'd vowed to return to. i remembered a depressing morning in frankfurt airport, just over two years ago. a cold grey morning in a cold grey airport. we were waiting for our connecting flight to london, still slightly shocked to have been whisked away from the namibian heat after our five night tour. we knew that freezing weather awaited us at home and the departure gate felt like death row. we had been sick with envy as an older couple regaled us with the details of their month long namibian tour in a rented 4x4. and there and then we'd decided to go back, but we hadn't even dreamed on what a grand scale the reality would be.

 
andy, fish river canyon

we pressed on fast through heat and space, chasing the mirage. the details of that morning in the airport were clear in my mind but as distant from my surroundings as any two scenes could be. we smiled at each other then focussed on the road as the kilometres melted away.

after spending most of the day on the road we arrived at fish river canyon. the simplicity of the river's name betrays the astonishing fact its the only watercourse in southern namibia with sufficient volume to support fish. visually though, its the canyon itself that is more impressive, snaking a deep gorge through the otherwise uninterrupted desert of rock.

that night we treated ourselves to a meal in the lodge's restaurant to celebrate our successful return to the country. it was around then that we began to fear that namibia would blow our budget.

 
the terrain takes its toll, near fish river canyon

to aus - 15th march

we didn't have too far to go the next day, but we decided to make things difficult for ourselves by taking a scenic route described in the guide book. it would take us to the banks of the orange river, via a dried-up river bed and gorge. there weren't any roads or even tracks shown on our map, but the lodge's proprieter seemed to confirm what the guide book said. so we decided to give it a go.

the roads started off dusty but well graded. on either side ran endless bleached fence posts and rusted barbed wire. we passed the skeletons of cars or cattle more frequently than trees. our route took us off the main track. we turned into what could only be described as a field by virtue of the surrounding fence. desert would be more apt. the track was thinner, the corrugations harsher and the dust finer. the scenery though, was well worth the discomfort. sand dunes piled high against a low, dark ridge of mountains; we could have been in northern sudan.

the track spilled into a dusty riverbed, as promised. we wound our way carefully between the strewn boulders. it was hard to imagine water ever flowing there. the canyon narrowed and its sides rose, it twisted so tightly that several times we thought we reached a dead-end. the ground became white and crispy with salt and we found ourselves avoiding shallow pools, spectacularly coloured with trona or natron - a type of algae that thrives in stagnant, saline water.

the canyon's labyrinthine twists ended abruptly at the banks of the orange river. we were cooled just by the sight of the wide, blue channel of water, fringed green with palms. again we were reminded of sudan, where the nile has the same effect.

 
gorge driving, south of fish river canyon

we drove to the river to paddle, but became stuck in the deep sand. we sweated even more digging ourselves free, out in the mid-day heat. a troop of baboons looked on, before swimming the river and disappearing over the far bank. when we reached the shore it was muddy. the water now looked more orange than blue - perhaps that's how it got its name. paddling didn't seem so appealing.

despite the incessant wind, the campsite at aus was idyllic. surrounded by low hills, the rocks caught the morning and evening light with a spectrum of reds that would challenge ayres rock. we decided to use it as a base for a couple of days whilst giving the land rover its usual service and repairs and taking a day trip to the coast at luderitz.

luderitz - 16th march

the small village of aus sits at an altitude of around 2000m. you wouldn't know it during the day, but as soon as the sun sets and all the heat vanishes through the cloudless skies, you find yourself reaching for jackets and hats and suddenly you feel the altitude.

heading west from aus, the land slopes gradually down all the way to the ocean. we were heading to the port town of luderitz for the day, travelling between vast areas of diamond reserves. as the frequent signs say, these areas are 'no-go'. they are mostly unfenced, looking no more exciting than any other patch of semi-desert. they're also home to one of africa's few remaining populations of wild horses. the horses are dark and muscled with tousled manes, running and prancing they looked every bit like the mustangs in the westerns. somehow, they, and the flocks of ostrich, managed to scrape enough nutrition from the meagre yellow grass.

before we reached the coast we were enveloped in a bank of fog so thick that from a distance we'd mistaken it for a mountain range. the grey, misty weather didn't seem to fit with the yellow sand dunes that began spilling onto the road. just outside luderitz, the town of kolmanskop has long since been engulfed by the dunes. its inhabitants having left when the diamond rush ended. nowadays the sand filled living rooms are an attraction in their own right, but we didn't stop to take the tour.

luderitz is supposed to look like a quaint german seaside town. i've never seen a german seeside town but i can tell you that in the fog it looked like one of cornwall's drearier harbours. so much so that we began to get a craving for fish and chips. miraculously, a take-away appeared specialiazing in just that dish and we ate on the quayside from steaming paper bags. with our vinegar soaked treats in hand the salty mist became the perfect accompaniment.

 
sunset over elim dune, near sesriem

leaving the centre of town the tarmac soon gives way to sand, even before the houses end. we skirted some salt pans and more prohibited areas, before reaching a wide bay and a lighthouse. we weren't sure if the beach was prohibited too, but when dolphins began spinning and flipping from the surf we risked a stroll along the shore.

beyond the lighthouse the rocky headlands were home to colonies of sealions. the fog had finally cleared and they basked on rocks or raced between the foamy white water and the tangle of kelp.

on the way back to aus we once again passed the ghost town and the improved light tempted us into the forbidden zone to photograph the hopeless railway tracks where they emerged from the side of a dune. i wasn't sure what the penalty for trespass would be, but without my mining equipment to hand i didn't feel i posed much of a threat. i didn't see any diamonds anyway.

sesriem - 18th march

 
dune at sossusvlei

we left aus again. this time heading north towards sesriem and the famous dunes of sossusvlei; the tallest sand dunes in the world. the road was gravel and we left billowing clouds of dust as we sped along the perimeter of the namib naukluft national park. the trademark red dunes of the namib desert already visible to our left. to our right, long horned oryx fled at our approach, kicking up dust themselves.

by mid afternoon we'd arrived at sesriem campsite. this was where we'd first seen a roof-top tent on a 4x4 and decided we had to have one. now we were back, with our own roof-top tent and our own 4x4, but actually we were grumpy as hell. the extortionate camping prices had put us in foul moods. at around $40 for a tree, a bin and small patch of desert it was about the most expensive camping in africa.

we needed to get some perspective. we'd driven nearly 30,000 miles to get there, spent thousands of pounds, why ruin it over a mere twenty quid? perhaps the heat was getting to us. we proceeded directly to the bar, drank a cold beer, jumped in the pool, and felt immediately better. then we packed some more cold beers into a backpack, drove to the nearest dune and climbed it.

the dune we climbed happened to be called elim dune, and it was magnificent. unlike the last time we were there, there wasn't a sole about. we summited ridge after ridge, a further, higher one always creeping into view just before the top. when we were high enough, and exhausted enough we sat in the sand, opened the beers and watched the shadows lengthen as the distant hills burnt red in the last of the light. then, with empty cans, we raced back down the steepest face with giant, bounding strides.

 
dead vlei, namib-naukluft np

the next morning was the big one, dune 45. we'd climbed it at sunrise last time and we were going to climb it at sunrise again. last time though, we hadn't had to drive ourselves there and so hadn't appreciated quite how bad the road was. it was abysmally pot-holed and quite a challenge in the dark, an hour before sunrise.

we reached dune 45 and began to climb. a couple of friends of ours, as well as a tour group were also climbing. everyone wanted to get to the top for sunrise, but it was hard going, much harder than last time when we'd walked directly up the ridge. being just off to one side made it even more of a battle against the ever slipping sands.

about half way up progress was halted by an older couple, exhausted but unwilling to let anyone pass. we eventually overtook, racing the rapidly lightening sky and the imminent sunrise. in front now, we took the sensible option and climbed onto the ridge. "vandalism!" came the shriek from behind us. "they're destroying the dune!" claimed the now hysterical woman who didn't want anyone to pass her.

a few words were exchanged, but we left her beloved ridge as she seemed about to cry. thankfully they never made it to the top where we enjoyed the sunrise in peace. we reminisced about the last time we'd climbed it, a whole truckload, straight up the ridge, enjoying the climb and the dune and everyone happier for it. in fact we think the footprints accentuate the shadows beautifully.

 
patterns from dune 45, namib-naukluft np

that afternoon it rained in the desert. this was a rare treat, apparently. maybe if you're namibian, but if you're english ...

the next day we headed for windhoek and when we climbed the escarpment to the high ground, the rain really started. the normally smooth and well graded dirt roads began to erode under the deluge. we splashed through rivers that probably only run once a year and slipped and slithered through what would normally be hard baked mud. at least it wasn't dusty anymore.

we stayed just outside windhoek, in a lodge frequented by austrians who've flown in for the hunting. it was an unusual crowd for us to be mixing with, but we were made very welcome.

hunting for fun isn't our thing. we eat game meat though, so we can't object to it either. the hunting revenue also, perversely, provides a great deal of the income for african conservation. but to hunt a cheetah, as they would do the following morning, now that we really can't understand.

 
winding pass, on way to windhoek

windhoek - 21st march

back in windhoek and the rain so we found ourselves a room with satellite tv and its own kitchen and settled in for some serious 24hr tv marathons. there's little to see in windhoek and we had timed our arrival with independence day celebrations. the streets were teeming with police and we found ourselves bang in the middle of a police convey. the land rover's blind spot caused us to almost crash into not one but two of them. surrounded by flashing lights and irrate policemen we decided to hide out until the shops re-opened the next day and windhoek returned to being its normal sleepy small town self.

damaraland and the coast - 23rd march

armed with shiny, new electronic gadgets (we bought a new laptop as the old one went on the blink) we were ready to leave windhoek; the desert was calling us. we drove through town, moving slowly in the traffic. we could hear a strange clip clop coming from the rear of the land rover. one man at the traffic lights even drew our attention to the noise. we laughed it off. but the noise was there, consistent with the speed of the car. it sounded like a stone caught in the tyre tread but there were no stones. we had a long drive ahead of us but we didn't want to be hanging around any longer so we headed out anyway. we could sort the problem later if it didn't sort itself...

it didn't bit we soon worked it out. the steel plates inside our wheel (ex-military wheels - should bandits shoot our tyres then they should stay on the rim) had worked loose.

we overnight'd at the foot of the brandberg, a massif rising from the whitish/yellow flatlands of central damaraland. the brandberg is namibia's highest mountain range formed 115 million years ago. the brandberg is scattered with thousands of rock paintings dating back twenty thousand years. we took a walking tour to see these stylised drawings of hunters and the hunted. from this desolate and beautiful desert wilderness we headed to the coast, leaving the blue skies behind.

 
proud cape fur seal, cape cross

cape cross seal reserve was our destination for a close encounter with one of the largest cape fur seal colonies in the world. from the car park it's a short walk to a low wall. the humans are on one side, the seals on the other. imagine the smell of the collective bad breath of 100,000 animals that have never cleaned their teeth and only eaten fish. some were in the water, leaping through the waves but the majority were sunning themselves and intermittently belching; the vainest sitting proud, heads held high on their pedalstools. lines of black young pups filed towards the water as if on a school trip. the seals entertained us without even trying.

and this was only the morning's entertainment. the afternoons was transiting through the wind swept plains of the skeleton coast park. there's not much to see and a lot of the time the road veers away from the atlantic but it's beautiful. it's nature at its most raw. just sand, rock and the odd welwitschia here and there, namibia's national plant. we saw a shipwreak albeit small fry; certainly not the titanic. the colours of the coast were muted, whites and yellows until we turned a corner and saw the brilliant reds of the table top mountains of damaraland rising before us. we have seen some awesome views on this trip but this was one of the most unexpected. we camped close to twyfelfontein - a site of prehistoric rock engravings; depictions of lions, giraffe, zebra, and their footprints and, bizarrely, humans metamorphing into animals covered the sandstone slabs - all drawn by ancient bushmen.

 
table top mountains of damaraland

it was easter weekend and the campsites were getting busy. we never like to book as we never like to commit ourselves and the times we have booked we've always been disappointed - it's not so easy to turn around and leave. at palmwag we arrived at dusk and so it seemed did the south african conveys. but room was made for everyone. we have never seen so many roof-top tents in one place. all of a sudden we weren't the only overlanders. there were riggs everywhere.

epupa falls and the kaokoveld - 28th march

 
himba women, kaokoveld

we escaped 'overlands r us' early the next day. epupa falls on the border of angola sounded like a much more isolated and appealing spot to spend a few days. the guidebooks warn of travelling on your own through the kaokoveld due to the harsh driving conditions. it hadn't stopped us before and it wasn't going to stop us now. plus it was easter weekend, as we had already experienced, road traffic was at a peak.

there had been unusually high rainfall during the last week and whilst the roads were passable it would be slow going. to make it easier for ourselves we split the journey at sesfontein - a small oasis in the middle of nowhere. nut palms added a touch of the exotic to the harsh landscape.

thankfully, the roads had dried out considerably and we made good progress. however, at frequent intervals the road dipped 6 to 10 feet to the bottom of dried up riverbeds. sometimes smooth enough to build up confidence and speed but every now and then the drop was harsh. sometimes we would see it too late and feel the wallop as the front wheels entered the trench and bounced out the other side.

close to opuwo traditional, small himba villages appeared. the young bare breasted women waved, hoping for few dollars in return for a photo, cashing in on the passing tourist trade. at epupa we camped at a beautiful site on the river's edge. at night we slept to the sound of the falls, the crickets and the silence of the nightsky.

 
claire, epupa falls

the falls are not dramatic, but they are beautiful. himba women with their young ones sat on the dusty floor minding their own business, some were selling crafts. the tourists cooled off in a rock pool. village children played in the water with the tourists. one emboldened girl wandered between the visitors posing for the cameras; counting her coins she was pleased with her half hour's work. there was something so simple and so nice about epupa. the tourists and the locals seemed happy to be in the one place. i hope that it stays like this and doesn't go the way of say some of the tourist spots on lake malawi where the surroundings are beautiful but the hassle makes it unbearable to be there.

 
himba girl, kaokoveld

to etosha via opuwo and otjitotonge cheetah park - 31st march

otjitotonge cheetah park is a sanctuary for cheetahs taken from the wild for one reason or another. in most cases, they are rescued from farmland where they would otherwise be shot. we arrived late in the day, just in time to park up and jump on the back of the trailer, loaded with two bins full of fresh meat. we entered the first enclosure. by the gate three cheetahs were lounging, waiting for dinner. the truck drove slowly through the compound until c. 15 cheetahs were following the vehicle, some close, some keeping their distance. we stopped. the driver and cohort emerged cautiously from the front seats, one armed with a heavy wooden stick. the cheetahs were hungry, the tourists were falling over the railings to get a good view. we watched enthralled as remnants of donkey flew through the air, to fall into the claws and open jaws of a waiting cheetah. this ended only when every cheetah had its own meal. and then we did it again in several more enclosures.

 
cheetah feeding, otjitotongwe

the next morning we stopped by the house. this was it. into the cheetahs den. there are four tame cheetahs - one was sunbathing. 'go ahead and stroke her', said the owner. andy went first. she purred and grumbled. we took this as a good sign. andy didn't lose any fingers so i went next. i felt something against my foot, the cat's huge paw was resting on it. i could feel a claw and went to move my foot backwards. as i did the cheetah moved deftly - she had the flip flop off in no time. shoes and camera bags are her thing apparently. and she looked pleased with herself with my flip-flop in her mouth. she was purring even more. it took some time to retrieve the footwear. a few different strategies were tried. the one that worked - pulling the cat's whisker!

 
missing footwear, otjitotongwe

in etosha national park - 1st april

from there we were off to etosha, namibia's flagship national park. mention the words 'namibia' or 'safari' to anyone who's been to etosha and they will soon go misty eyed and start making statements like 'the best park in africa ... you'll see everything ... the waterholes ... a hundred elelphant ... blah, blah, blah'. of course we'd been there before, endured torrential rain and spent hours gazing at unvisited waterholes. we didn't doubt etosha's credentials though. a lot of rain is rarely good for game viewing, particularly in vast, usually dry parks - like etosha - that rely on waterhole sightings. we'd been unlucky and now we were back to even the score.

things went off to a promising start. the cheerful warden at the gate asked if we'd been to etosha before. we told her yes, and that in fact we spent the best part of the last year driving back there to see it again (a slight embellishment on my part). 'i think that's a good idea' was her gleeful reply. she then told us there was a pride of lions 10km down the road on the left. now that's the sort of advice you want to hear.

 
look out point, etosha np

we missed the lions on the first pass. we turned back and tried again, scanning the bushes expectantly. some distant black shapes below some trees barely distinguished themselves from the undergrowth. if we repositioned the land rover on the slightly higher side of the road, focussed the binoculars, waited for movement; then yes, we could see them. they were lions.

it wasn't the greatest lion sighting ever, but it was a good start. at this stage of our trip we'd learnt a thing or two about game viewing. well, maybe just one thing, and that was that if you find a lion sleeping, come back later and just before sunset the chances are it'll start to move about.

in the mean time we needed to book ourselves a campsite. being in a national park, we were faced with the same problem as at sesriem. there were only two of us, but we had to pay for a campsite that accommodates eight. it's a little unfair to say the camping's expensive. if you're a group of eight it's very cheap, but if you're two... what we really wanted to do was share a site. we knew a couple of other overlanders who were likely to be in etosha around the same time as us, so we surruptiously hung around the camp gate, hoping to bump into them or indeed anyone who looked like they might want to share a site. this involved looking for preferably a couple, travelling on their own, who didn't look too dull to talk to all evening or equally wanted to stay up partying all night. they would probably be driving a 4x4 that wasn't either so new and expensive that they'd just pay for their own site or so cheap and crappy that they might want to eat all our food.

we soon gave up. choughed up the cash and went for a game drive.

and it was good. we went back to the sleeping lions and after a while one by one they started to sit up and look around. and then they were on the move. we kept with them, matching their movement. they in the bush, us on the tarmac. and this we did until sunset where the lions decided that the tarmac was far more interesting.

 
king of the road, etosha np

the next morning we were in luck. just outside of the campsite we sighted a different pride of lions. again they were on the move and we stuck with them. we guessed they were on their way to a waterhole closeby so we drove there and waited. sure enough the nine male lions came to the waterhole. one was carrying what looked like a wilderbeest tail in its mouth. they took their time drinking. nothing was going to rattle these guys. one male turned and looked towards the land rover before making his way over. we were not too sure what he wanted, the others weren't following. and then to our delight the male came right up to the drivers side and sat down in the shade of the vehicle. he was ridicously close. and they he stayed. looking at us as we looked at him. just a big pussy cat really.

and that was that. the rain came down (again) and the game disappeared. we did see some other game but not the herds that we had so ofen heard about. oh well, there's always another time. and with all those lions, we weren't complaining.

caprivi strip via khaudom national park- 4th april

whilst we weren't sure where we were going, we were heading in the right direction. a family appeared from the bushes dangling homemade necklaces. surely this had to be a tourist route - why else would they be there? we drove on through the sand, small detours took us away from the 'road', avoiding deep patches of mud. after an hour or so we reached the park, two small stones marked the entrance way. we headed for the office but the track disappeared into deep mud. with mud there are two choices - the best is to drive through the middle (scarier) or skirt the edge. we had spent the last hour skirting the edge of quagmires. there was lush green grass and shrubs on either side. the edge it would be. low range was engaged, we crept forward, we went for the left side, the wheels spun, we were stuck, just metres from the wardens hut. it would have been embarassing if there had been anyone around to see. how could this have happened? so close and yet so far. no-one appeared to help. could we winch? reverse, forward, reverse, forward, we found some traction somewhere. we were out.

 
axeman, khaudom np

it was just us in the park. the office was locked and there was no-one about. a sign warned of lions, hyenas and elephant passing through the camp. we lit a huge fire, cooked some steak and headed for the safety of the tent. there wasn't too much night traffic, just one noisy hyena knocking the refuse bin over. the next morning we transited through the park. the bush was dense and it was hard to see game but we did meet with one feisty bull elephant. he mock charged, trumpeting and flapping his huge ears. we reversed as there was no where else to go on the narrow sandy track. with a bit of distance between us he seemed to calm down. we waited a few moments before passing.

later on we found a water hole. there was a raised platform with a beautiful view of the surrouding bush. it was so peaceful and so isolated we decided to stay a while. it wasn't long before an elephant emerged from the distant trees and we watched and waited as he slowly would his way towards us. when the elephant finally got close, the sound of a vehicle broke the silence. we hadn't seen another car for nearly 24hrs, so it was unfortunate timing. the pick-up, driven by rangers, accelerated towards the startled elephant, causing him to flee, trumpeting into the bush.

the rangers started up a loud generator, presumbably powering a pump, then drove off. the industrial noise deterred the elephant and us too.

the road out of the park was slow, deep sand and the fuel consumption increased rapidly. it was the first time we'd had to use a jerry can of fuel in order to make the distance - not just to manage our cash flow. the hours streched out as long and slowly as the tracks themselves. it was a beautiful drive, but as is so often the case in africa, it went on for about four hours too many.

we finally made it out of the sand and arrived at the lodge, on the cool banks of the kavango river, and for the first time in two months listened to the screech of fish eagles and the deep chuckle of hippos. we looked out across the wide brown river and saw the pinks of sunset reflected in the clouds above the palms and decided we'd be staying put for a couple of days.

 
deep sand, khaudom national park

a submerged cage, attached to the lodge's jetty, allows for river swimming without the inconvenience of hippo and crocodile attacks. the current was strong and just swimming against it was good exercise. most of the time though we just sat by the river, reading and keeping an eye out for crocs.

 
mokoro trip, okavango river

after three nights relaxing and no driving, we moved onto the unpromisingly named 'bum hill camp'. it was in fact one of the best campsites of the trip, with a riverside location, a private raised deck and ablutions that would do a luxury lodge proud.

and from there it was just a short hop to zambia and vic falls. namibia hadn't let us down. it had fulfilled all our great expectations and provided diversity matched only by kenya (and maybe sa, if we'd travelled more). we stayed in real wilderness campsites within breathtaking landscapes, saw great game and striking tribespeople, swam in rivers and climbed sand dunes. we'd blown the budget but it was well worth it.

namibia: accomodation

namibia: other info

entry checks: you can just turn up at the border and get stamped in for nothing. we used the carnet. a cross-border entry permit is required at a cost of 10 pounds.

money: the currency is pegged to the rand so we used a mix of sa rand and namibian dollars. like sa there are atms everywhere accepting both cash and credit cards. you cannot use namibian rand in sa or zambia so be sure to use them all or to swop them for rand in any shop. living costs - we had to self-cater, just to costly to eat out; supermarkets are similar in price to sa, the product range is not so good and the meat is poorer quality. if you have a fridge stock up in sa. the camping has to be the most expensive in africa but you get what you pay for. the private campsites are in stunning locations with excellent facilities. the average cost per night was c.$20. the national park campsites were a real killer. they charge per site not by person at a staggering $38 and disgusting toilets. the good news is that the np entrance fees are a snip at $10 for 2 people and a car. diesel is 35 pence a litre.

must sees: there are so many. the namib-naukluft np - dune 45, soussvlei and dead vlei; etosha and the look-out point over the blinding white pan; the whole of damaraland with its surreal landscape, rock paintings and carvings; the kaokoveld especially epupa falls on the border with angola with its resident himba tribe communities; a mokoro trip on the waterways of the okavango river in the caprivi strip; feeding of the cheetahs at otjitotongwe cheetah park; the desolate skeleton coast; the seal colony at cape cross; driving south of fish river canyon following the course of a dry river bed to the orange river.