AN OVERLANDING DREAM TO A JOURNEY: NORTHERN NAMIBIA

Lesson number one of Namibia desert exploring: always wear shoes!

Lesson number two of Namibia desert exploring: beer, no matter how cold or how good, is not considered adequate hydration!

En route to Swakopmund we decided to take a quick turn in at Walvis Bay. I fondly remembered Dune 7, the sand dune situated just outside of town, and was eager to conquer it this time around. With the Namibian sun and the mercury still rising what could possibly go wrong…

Little did I realise that Dune 7 was not only the highest sand dune in Namibia but is purported to be the 7th highest in the world. I was also soon to learn that when climbing sand dunes, one step forward results in sliding two steps backwards. It was during this arduous climb that I learnt that Malawians, from my sample study of one human, apparently have exceptionally delicate soles (and beautiful souls too, I must add, before I incur any further wrath!). With that compliment still lingering it must also be noted that one of the two adventurers did come equipped with shoes, socks and hydration, something he somehow did not seem to have on summiting the massive sand dune!

With the air conditioner blasting accumulated sand out of our hair, making the car look like a Namibian version of a snowglobe, we set our sights for Swakopmund, an ocean dip and our first green-grassed campsite in weeks!

Three nights in Swakopmund meant a rest for Camy; awfully fancy and indulgent flat whites, pastry and croissant consumption; stocking up on some of the best meat in the country; brand new vellies (veldskoens – local bush shoes) (I also urge any readers to avoid any shops selling seal-skin shoes and goods); soft serves; ocean dips; green grass and another desert life lesson – when there is zero wind in the desert, sand will get onto everything, always – just pack it away rather! And whilst we easily could have spent a lot more time taking in the old school charm of this wonderful town, was time to head back into the wilderness once more.

The Lunar Landscape – Swakopmund

Spitzkoppe is a landscape from which photographers’ dreams are made of! Having taken a detour via the ‘Moon Landscape’ and welwitschias and with only one night to enjoy the magnificent rocky outcrops this area is famed for, we made the most of taking in this protected area and all she had to offer. Driving around to look at the campsites (which for any overlander is as exciting as the landscape) we managed to appreciate some deaf-defying Klipsringers hanging precariously on to the edge of the Pondok Mountain whilst Verreaux Eagles soared above. With Tafel Radler in hand we made it to ‘The Bridge’ just in time for one of the most special sunsets of the trip! Spitzkoppe did not disappoint, and I am not sure it ever does.

The Bridge – Spitzkoppe

Spitzkoppe all to ourselves!

Landscapes even photographs cannot fully capture!

A photographers dream light – Spitzkoppe

The arch forming the perfect frame – Spitzkoppe

Our next destination feels like it almost deserves an entire blog post of its own! Stacey believes in a 6th sense that she inherited from her grandad, this gut feeling when you know something is just going to be special long before it happens. For her, when hearing of Brandberg during our planning, this was one such moment that she inexplicably latched onto with her 6th sense riding high, and boy was she right!

For Namibia in the main, my delight was going to be in the retracing of my footsteps from 25 years ago, however, there were a few things that were incredibly high on my wish list to add to it and these included trying our hand at spotting the elusive desert-adapted elephants, lions, rhino and giraffe plus tackling some of the dry riverbeds of the Damaraland region. Whilst the lions and rhino remain elusive, this region was to deliver the rest in spadefuls, literally not yet. That was to be the honour kept for Stacey and the Zambezi region.

In 4 days we managed to have some of the most incredible elephant sightings (including some hairy moments of ellies taking a liking to weight-lifting our dining table, resting from the midday sun against our car and playing tug of war with our camp waterlines); tackle some rocky 4×4 passes and the most stunning of sandy riverbeds; make friends with an orphaned meerkat (and lifelong enemies with a habituated Hornbill) and add some more green grass and ice cold beers to our Namibian list. With our hearts full, we headed on via an overnight stop near Twyfelfontein and some more incredible off the beaten track roads (thanks to Tracks4Africa) to eventually arrive in Palmwag, where both the elephants and rhinos evaded us but we did manage to finally see the desert-adapted giraffes.

The desert-adapted elephants of Namibia – Brandberg

Hands down one of the most memorable experiences of the entire expeditions - Brandberg

Hands down one of the most memorable experiences of the entire expedition – Brandberg

A front row seat to the desert adapted elephants of Namibia – Brandberg

Moments when you are very thankful for Tracks4Africa – Brandberg

When in Namibia… A desert dust bath – Brandberg

A moment to cherish forever – Brandberg

They have clearly learnt some tricks from their cousins in Mana Pools – Brandberg

Could a setting for a campssite be any more perfect? Twyfelfontein

Could a setting for a campsite be any more perfect? Twyfelfontein

Next on our great tour of Namibia was Etosha, where we would get to enjoy a week off, slow down and soak it all up… well that is what we thought at least! On my last trip to Etosha the western sector was not open to the public so for this trip we decided to enter on the west and travel all the way across, ending at Onguma. Our first stop was Olifantsrus, and what a special place it was. With just 10 campsites, a stunning hide, a small little cafeteria and even free wifi for us remote workers, this place was a gem! It would also be the location of a tyre massacre – a mighty expensive tyre massacre! With space for only one spare tyre on our little overlander and with the Etosha roads in some serious need of some TLC, we decided a priority was to try to find two new tyres in the area – no small feat when you are surrounded by salt pans for miles! Letting Camy tread gently until we could head further east to a workshop, we made some incredible friends and enjoyed some memorable sightings. Within 2 days, and with some deft bargaining, like only a true African can do, we had a pair of new shoes for Camy and had set up camp in Okaukuejo, the gateway to Etosha (and somewhat unpleasant overlanders too it seemed). With our nerves a bit on edge after our costly shop and interactions with campers lacking that human decency you expect to find in the wilderness (overlanders arguing with others, pitching tents right alongside other campers in an empty campsite and lastly getting out of their car to smooch in front of a lion sighting!) we packed up after one night and headed on further east to Halali (another virtue of travelling during covid times was the complete flexibility to move as we wished). This camp proved a much more pleasant affair, and with some special sightings of an african wild cat and some brown hyenas we headed on to our next stop, Namutoni. It was here that we managed to successfully complete our Big 5 sightings for Namibia (including both black and white rhino just in case there was any doubt as to which rhino technically was considered part of the Big 5!) plus enjoying some cheetah sightings.

Although we had enjoyed Etosha we were both craving for some ‘real bush’ time so before heading on into the Zambezi region we decided to spoil ourselves with 2 nights camping in Onguma, where Will Smith apparently stayed, although I highly doubt it was camping in our little site called Dik Dik! Here we acted like fancy folk, spending time at the lodge and catching up on admin and work.

Join us for part 6 of our travel blog as we head into uncharted territory in Namibia and taking in some hidden gems of the Zambezi region!