So, last time I left us at the situation where we had just broken the Land Rover's right rear shock absorber and were in the middle of the desert on the eve of a public holiday.
Having considered our situation we first
decided to turn around and go back to Swakop and see if we would be lucky
enough to find a shop that was open and has the shock absorber in stock. Then
we realized that it would be impossible to find a campsite in Swakop today – it
is New Year’s Eve and half of South Africa is on holidays camping in Namibia.
Even the Sophia Dale site was the last spot we got. That one we had booked in
October and no other sites had availability. So – off we go, to Messum Crater
and decided to camp out somewhere in the wild. We’ll worry about the shock
absorber later and hope to find the parts on the 2nd of January. The
absorbers should still be under warranty.
We found a cosy spot, took out some Swiss
chocolate, a couple of chairs and sat down next to a little hill in he desert.
The Helicopter (Claudio’s Christmas present from me) also had its virgin
flight. It turned out to be a very short
one - for an inexperienced pilot even a little it of wind meant running the
risk of crashing it. We did not want to crash and break it on its first flight.
We also had a visitor for the helicopter flight (pictured below). He was also curiously following Claudio fixing the car (i.e. making amends to the second shock absorber). Claudio thinks the metal rings (whatever they are called) are too big for the pans which causes the shock absorber to stall and breaks off the welding. He changed the parts before we lose another shock absorber. The broken shock absorber ended up in two plastic bags – pictured underneath for the amusement of the Finnish folks (and those familiar with the Finnish “marimekko” brand).
We also had a visitor for the helicopter flight (pictured below). He was also curiously following Claudio fixing the car (i.e. making amends to the second shock absorber). Claudio thinks the metal rings (whatever they are called) are too big for the pans which causes the shock absorber to stall and breaks off the welding. He changed the parts before we lose another shock absorber. The broken shock absorber ended up in two plastic bags – pictured underneath for the amusement of the Finnish folks (and those familiar with the Finnish “marimekko” brand).
For New Year’s Eve’s dinner we had Swiss cheese fondue with fresh bread. The fondue pot Claudio had brought with him from Switzerland and the fondue cheese and bread we had bought in Swakopmund earlier on the same day. We made a fire and toasted with sparkling wine for the arrival of the new year. Who should worry about a shock absorber when you have good food, a nice drink and great company by a fireside on a beautiful spot in the Namibian desert?
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| Unpacking the helicopter and taking it on its first flight. |
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| Claudio and his audience, the pied raven. |
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| The only plastic bag thick enough for the shock absorber. Even fixing a car requires design. |
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| Making Swiss Fondue in the desert on New Year's eve. We found some Swiss fondue cheese in a Woolworth's in Swakopmund. It was expensive but still we didn't hesitate at all buying it. What else could we eat in the desert on New Year's eve? |
Here is also a very short video of the helicopter's first flight:
I do think Messum Crater was worth a visit but in hindsight, I think the driving we did after that along the Ugab River Canyon and Ombonde River 4x4 trails was far more exciting (more about that later in this blog). The Ugab River and Ombonde River trails in the area ner the Desolation Valley require a proper 4WD vehicle and a skilled driver, though, whilst the Messum Crater area is visitable with almost any car. The road leading to the Messum crater had a hard surface although at times it was a little bumpy (and hence we lost a sock absorber to a bend).
I do think Messum Crater was worth a visit but in hindsight, I think the driving we did after that along the Ugab River Canyon and Ombonde River 4x4 trails was far more exciting (more about that later in this blog). The Ugab River and Ombonde River trails in the area ner the Desolation Valley require a proper 4WD vehicle and a skilled driver, though, whilst the Messum Crater area is visitable with almost any car. The road leading to the Messum crater had a hard surface although at times it was a little bumpy (and hence we lost a sock absorber to a bend).
Back to Swakopmund
The next day we decided to drive back towards Swakopmund, camp there if we can find a site and find the parts for the car the next day. We had to drive slowly on the dirt roads since we were missing a shock absorber. We had the beautiful Brandberg mountains in the horizon whist we drove along the Messum crater riverbed. The river was dry this time of the year but you could still tell it was a river – it was the only area where we saw trees. We also spotted a burnt down American car skeleton. Not much left of it and its big additional fuel tank. It even still had the frame of an aggregate in the back.
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| A thoroughly burnt car. |
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| The "Green Mamba"in the desert. |
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| The "river" on the left and the mountains in the back. |
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| Views of the mountains and the "river". There were no plants anywhere else in the area but nor was there any water in the river, either. January should mark the end of the dry season but on several occasions the rains have only started in February and been very few. |
We tried one campsite at Henties Bay but as they were full we had to settle for Mile 4 just outside Swakopmund. It is not a very nice campsite and it’s massive in size – but we didn’t have much choice. At least it was on the seaside. We parked the car and had some custard for a snack (Claudio’s favourite) and went for a walk along the seaside.
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| It was low tide so we walked along the shore and tried to spot sealife in the shallow pools. We found mussles, something similar to oysters. Claudio was mostly thinking of cooking them for dinner. (We did not not but he would have liked to). |
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| Unknown crappy wreck. |
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| The Lousy Wreck of The Winstonia. |
Ugab River Canyon and Rhino Camp
We went up via Ugab River Canyon route. That was awesome! The first part of the route was pure desert, after which the road followed a dry riverbed.
We went up via Ugab River Canyon route. That was awesome! The first part of the route was pure desert, after which the road followed a dry riverbed.
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| Strange rock and dry sand were the main sights on this isolated part of the land. |
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| Have we landed on the moon? |
That was a proper 4x4 route. Once we got further in, we tried to follow the river all the way up. At times we had to get out of the car and see whether we can get through or not. Sometimes we had to turn back and find another path across. We spotted some oryx (i.e. gemsbok) and big cat foot prints in the sand. The prints were relatively fresh, I’d say definitely no older than two days since there was no sand in them yet. Eventually, after having scouted the area in grass that at times was taller than me, we had to give up. We could only see trees and grass too tall to try to go through ahead. We took a side track (which still was quite fun to drive on) and found a small, local Rhino conservation support campsite. Apparently there are about 100 rhinos left, just north of the river where we camped at. We were happy to contribute our camping fees towards Rhino conservation. They also told us there are lions in the area – that explains the big foot prints we saw earlier that day.
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| Toilet at the Rhino camp. |
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| Sign at Rhino camp. |
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| Our camp at Rhino. |
Further North and more offroad
The next day (03 January) we continued along the small track towards Etosha. Claudio chose to go by the Doros Crater and nearby 4x4 trails. It was quite fun driving – a proper 4x4 route.
The next day (03 January) we continued along the small track towards Etosha. Claudio chose to go by the Doros Crater and nearby 4x4 trails. It was quite fun driving – a proper 4x4 route.
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| The road soon after leaving the Rhino camp. The white stuff on the roadside is salt - a common sight in the Namib deserts. |
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| A petrified tree. Probably thousands of years old. I tried sitting on one and got told off by Claudio. Apparently thousand-year old trees are not meant for me to sit on. Oops. |
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| Who left a Landy in the desert? |
We crossed to the north side of the veterinary line (no uncooked meat can be brought to the south side of the line as they have hooth and mouth disease in the cattle in the area), and stopped for petrol. The look was immediately more local. We saw the local himba women selling jewellery in their roadside shops in their traditional costume – topless and only wearing what to me looked like not much more than a loin cloth, and some Harare women in their colourful dresses and triangular headdresses. I couldn’t take picture, they would not have liked it.
We camped out in the wild, and on the next day (04th January) just as we were leaving for the day’s drive, I spotted a tick on my wrist. Yeeeew! Luckily it was only just in the process of boring into my skin. I asked Claudio to pull it out. I can pull them out of others but I can’t take them off myself. I got a look from Claudio as if I was insane asking him to pull the tick off. He did do it, however, he didn’t twist the tick when pulling it out so I might have the head or the fangs left on my wrist. I’ll better keep an eye on it – ticks can carry borreliosis (not sure of how to spell that!) and that’s no fun if it gets bad. My brother had it after the army and was sick for months. Claudio has a friend who got paralysed from a tick bite after contracting the disease. Bloody vampires, leave me alone!
We continued along the small track leading towards Twyvelfontein and Palmwag, and then to the West Gate of Etosha. We drove along the Ombonde river bed 4x4 trail. We crossed the dry river several times, including a few spots where there still was some water left. On this route there were more local houses too, most likely due to the water levels. We saw boys walking to the river to bathe and to fill up water buckets. That was rather different from not having seen very much of anyone or any buildings during our previous two days of desert driving.
As we were approaching the West gate of Etosha (the Hobatere gate), we weren’t really sure whether they would be open yet, as Claudio hadn’t been able to confirm that when checking on travel websites. Some sites said the gate is already open, others said it is still not open for independent safari drivers. We arrived at the gate around 2pm, and found it open. After having discussed the camping site options and confirming which ones are open with the lady at the reception, we decided to camp on the small campsite just outside of the gate (Etosha Roadside Halt Camp and) Lodge) and enter Etosha early next morning, at 6am when the gates open. There isn’t much wildlife out in the afternoon heat, we were better off starting the “sightseeing” in the morning. The lodges at the Roadside Halt Camp had burned down a few years ago but the campsite was open, for a fee of 120 namibian dollars per person. We were the only campers here! Brilliant. The site had a viewing point to a nearby waterhole, showers and toilets and an area for washing dishes. A lovely campsite indeed. I would definitely recommend staying here if youa re heading to Etosha via the Hobatere gate in the West.
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| Driving along the sandy, dry riverbed. |
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| Found an elephant skull. |
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| The Devil himself. (They are gemsbok horns - we left them where we found them). |
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| Several dead zebras along the route - a sure sign of that the dry season has lasted a little too long. |
As we were approaching the West gate of Etosha (the Hobatere gate), we weren’t really sure whether they would be open yet, as Claudio hadn’t been able to confirm that when checking on travel websites. Some sites said the gate is already open, others said it is still not open for independent safari drivers. We arrived at the gate around 2pm, and found it open. After having discussed the camping site options and confirming which ones are open with the lady at the reception, we decided to camp on the small campsite just outside of the gate (Etosha Roadside Halt Camp and) Lodge) and enter Etosha early next morning, at 6am when the gates open. There isn’t much wildlife out in the afternoon heat, we were better off starting the “sightseeing” in the morning. The lodges at the Roadside Halt Camp had burned down a few years ago but the campsite was open, for a fee of 120 namibian dollars per person. We were the only campers here! Brilliant. The site had a viewing point to a nearby waterhole, showers and toilets and an area for washing dishes. A lovely campsite indeed. I would definitely recommend staying here if youa re heading to Etosha via the Hobatere gate in the West.
As we had arrived early we had some time for chores. We did our laundry (by hand, blaah, I don’t like doing handwash), and cleaned the car from the inside. It was covered in a thick layer of dust after all the offroad driving at the end of the dry season.
Into Etosha
On the 5th of January we got up at 5am and were at the Etosha National Park Gates at 6am. We had visited the office the day before and been told the gates open at 6am. Nobody around. We rang the bell, waited, honked the horn, rang again, waited again…. Eventually at 6.30 am the same lady we had spoken with the day before came to open the gate. We got inside, paid our park fees. I was so excited! This was my first African national park where I could expect seeing some truly big wild animals.
I didn’t need to wait for long. Soon I spotted a giraffe and Claudio it’s partner across the road. My first giraffe, yaaaayyyy!!! We mostly spotted springboks, gemsboks (Oryx gazella), wildebeest and zebras. We did also see more giraffes, also at the waterholes. The highlight of my day was first spotting four elephants feeding and soon after that one drinking and bathing at a waterhole nearby. It was covering itself in mud. It was getting hot, so I could have used one of those mud baths. Later we saw more giraffes, another elephant bathing (and chasing away the rest of the animals from the waterhole), an eland, warthogs, ostriches, many hornbills, guinea fowls, a bustard – and a male lion sleeping in the shade of a tree. At the nearby waterhole there were also three giraffes, lots of springboks, gemsboks with their young ones, zebras with their calves, a vulture, pied ravens, a bateleur (terathopius ecaudatus), a black kite (milvus migrans). We still saw another lion before reaching camp.
The last
part of our drive was rather uneventful as after 1-2pm all the animals seek
shade to escape the heat of the day. We mostly saw springboks and wildebeests
seeking shade under the trees. I don’t blame them – when we reached the Okaukuejo campsite our thermometer was showing the outside air temperature was 42
degrees. Claudio headed for the pool and I stayed at campsite to write my blog
and edit my photos since we finally had power again (though no internet so I
don’t know when I will be able to post my Namibia blogs). |
| The first time I saw zebras on this trip I was really excited. By the time we left Etosha I was thinking "Oh, AGAIN more zebras. Why are they everywhere?" |
In the evening we had dinner with a group of Swiss folks at the Okaukeujo campsite restaurant . Claudio knows some of them from when he was guiding motorbike tours.
Claudio stayed with them after dinner and I headed back to camp - as I don't speak any German. Claudio took a while longer so I went to bed - slightly disappointed that we didn't go to the waterhole tonight. I didn't really want to go there on my own (which was silly, as I soon discovered the waterhole was a 5min walk from our campsite). A little later I got woken up by Claudio who asks me whether I want to see rhinos, since they are now at the waterhole.
Do I want to see rhinos??? What kind of a question is that! Of course I wanted to see rhinos. I got up and we walked over to the nearby waterhole (it was around 11.30pm). There were 5 black rhinos at the waterhole and two more arrived. Two of the rhinos were young, one probably under a year old (still running after it's mommy). I was so excited! Seven rhinos in one evening! What an amazing way to end a day.
On the 6th and in the morning of the 7th we drove around Etosha, visiting all the waterholes along the route. We stayed the night at the Halali camp. The camp sites in Etosha are a little disappointing. The camping fees in Etosha are a little higher although nowhere nearly as high as for example in the Okavango area in Botswana, but still higher than in the rest of Namibia. The campsites however are rather unimpressive and not particularly well kept, and they are massive. Well - if they do use the money towards conservation I wouldn't mind but knowing the campsites are privately owned and not government owned, the money most likely goes to the owners.
It was terribly dry in Etosha, and every day we faced heat of over 40 degrees. Our car air conditioning isn't working. Winding the windows down provided some escape from the heat until about midday, when the breeze that came through the open windows felt like someone had turned a hot air blower on right next to you. The pools at campsites were in good use (yes, they did have pools although their shower and kitchen facilities were run down).
Photos from Etosha:
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| The other animals at this waterhole drank from the pond. This male elephant went straight for the tank and put its trunk in. When it was finished it chased off the other animals from the pond and gave itself a mudbath. The zebras, springboks and gemsboks only dared to return after the elephant was done and started making its way back towards the bush. |
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| Two lions walking towards a waterhole in the late morning heat. The zebras, springboks and even the birds at the waterhole remained very alert as long as the lions were around although they knew these two were there for the water, not for the hunt. |
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| A herd of elephants at the Halali campsite waterhole. |
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| One of the 16 giraffes we saw on the last day. |
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| Zebras and kudus at the waterhole. |
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| More giraffes... (same place as earlier) |
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| Giraffes drinking |
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| Wildebeest with their young on the roadside. |
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| Those little dots are also giraffes. This was the giraffe hole, clearly. |
We made a quick top in Tsumeb to buy food, go in a hardware store (for Claudio's never ending search of little tools, parts and other things) and made a stop at a tyre store. Claudio decided to follow their advise and we asked them to change the rear tyres and put the spare tyres in. We kept the old tyres as spares. The workshop was a very old fashioned one and they didn't use a machine to tighten the bolts on the tyres. That made Claudio worried as it is important to check that you tighten them to 160kN - in order to ensure you are not overtightening (could break the thread) or leaving them too lose (and lose the bolts later when driving on gravel roads).
As we discovered soon after, he was worried for a reason. The guy at the workshop had tightened one of the bolts too much. That broke the thread. That is apparently a part you cannot get on individual sale, need to buy a set of 5 for all 4 tyres and costs about USD 1,000. Again, another part broken on the journey. The Dude's baby is bleeding and that makes him a sad man. I can't help - even if I did understand anything about cars I would not be able to get the part for him here in Maun.
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| This is the workshop we had the tyres changed at. Claudio tried to supervise their every movement yet we ended up with one overtightened bolt (and lost threads). |
In any case, going back to Tsumeb and the 6th of January:
We drove off towards Botswanan border but as we realised we will not make it across today, we looked up a couple of campsites along the way and decided to stop at the first one, called Roy's rest camp. Roy's turned out to be a great surprise. The place was small, well maintained, beautiful and rustic. Claudio liked the fact there were car wrecks as decorations - sorry, I mean, old car needing repair. According to Claudio there is no such thing as a car wreck. We camped, made friends with a Swiss couple and exchanged contact details for possibly joining forces for the Kilimanjaro climb in February, and spent time in the outdoor "internet cafe" to catch up with what has happened in the world while we were on the road.
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| A photo collage from Roy's: The rustic deco included not only car wrecks but also old tools, such as axes and pickaxes. The chairs in the lounge and bar area were made of crooked pieces of wood. The campsite itself was green and spacious. We loved Roy's! |
To finish off the Namibia section, I have a few things I wanted to say in summary about Namibia:
ROADS: The roads are great. The main roads are in good condition and there are also plenty of exciting offroad trails to explore for those who want them. Self driving is good and maps are reasonably accurate. A GPS is however definitely required if you plan going on smaller roads. It is relatively affordable compared to travelling in some of the more popular "safari" destinations. Namibia offers a good combination of desert (most of the country) and wilderness (mostly the Etosha national park). Claudio had mostly bought the Tracks for Africa maps.
CAMPSITES: Campsites are good and affordable. Most have nice, clean showers and toilets, water points, barbeque ("braai") pits for each camper, and most often also electricity. Many camp sites also had laundry services. Surprisingly many also had swimming or dip pools near the main reception and small shops selling basic necessities, such as toiletries, cold drinks and basic food items. Even the more remote camps often had their own stock of meat and cold drinks that they could sell to the campers who had forgotten something. It seemed most of the users of the camp sites were South African, Swiss or German but other nationalities also used them, and in the campsites near cities we also saw more locals.
WEATHER: It is hot, especially in the dry season. Hot means sandy and dusty. If you do decide to go, be prepared with packing your valuable items (laptops, phones, binoculars etc) in good bags or even sealable boxes (Pelican boxes or similar) when they are not in use. We had incredible amounts of sand everywhere in our gear and in the car.
RENTAL CARS (vs other options): There seemed to be plenty of really good ones around, both from Windhoek in Namibia and from South Africa. The cars come equipped with rooftop tents, kitchen equipment, proper 4WD. I do not know the price range as I've been lucky enough to be travelling with Claudio who had his own Land Rover Defender TD5 in Cape Town that he had equipped perfectly for this trip. The car is 9 years old but with all the changes he has made it's been perfect for this trip. Some Germans and Swiss had shipped their own cars over - but that must be insanely expensive, in particular since you have to then ship the car back home. Most countries here also have a right hand drive, and are thus different from Europe. There also seemed to be many tour operators around, from high end to budget (the most visible budget operator was South African Nomad Tours who seemed to have around 15-20 pax per truck. I haven't spoken to anyone on their trips but having seen them on the campsites they seemed to be operating fairly well). I know nothing about luxury travel so I will keep quiet about that.
So, if you want my opinion: GO TO NAMIBIA! It is great. Hot and sandy - but great.
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