We started thinking about a trip to Africa last year and after deciding on a self drive the number of countries that we could go to was reduced quite a bit and in the end we decided to go to Namibia and South Africa which seemed to encompass most of what we wanted to see or experience. Given the difficulty of booking accomodations especially in Namibia we decided to employ a travel agent and after getting quotes from multiple agents and a few false starts including an agent whose quote quadrupled after we decided to go with him everything is booked. And so after months of planning and preparing we are finally starting our Southern Africa adventure. And it starts with a good omen as the Phoenix airport actually opened an exhibition on African animals so it seems we will be able to see them at least as art if we get unlucky and cannot see them in flesh during our trip.
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| New exhibit in Phoenix Airport | Another exhibit in Phoenix Airport |
But first we have to get to Windhoek with almost 21h of flight plus 10h in stopovers divided evenly between London and Johannesburg. We have passed through Heathrow a few times before so we already know most of the shops which makes it the more boring stop. The one thing that we try to do is to get a boarding pass for the flight to Windhoek but no luck supposedly it can only be gotten from Johannesburg. So we do some window shopping eat a lunch and then it's on to the second long flight of our trip. In Johannesburg it is a bit less clear what to do as a transit passenger but we finally find the right exit and we get to border control which poses a small problem as we do not have a boarding pass and we seem to be alone among all passengers with that problem. However when we mention Windhoek all is solved as they pass us through and tell us to get the boarding pass right afterwards. Which we do after we stand in a queue for about 1h after a group of Japanese flying to Victoria Falls. Finally in the airport we investigate all the interesting and new shops and even buy a couple books about the birds and mammals of Southern Africa and we eat breakfast. In the end we also decide to exchange some US dollars which in the long run proved to be a wise decision.
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| Shop in Johannesburg Airport | Departure hall for the flight to Windhoek |
And then we finally get on the short flight to Windhoek. To our surprise the plane is really comfortable compared to the long haul flights and we still get food even on a 2h flight. From the plane we can catch the first glimpse of Namibia and its roads as we approach the airport. And then we are finally at the Windhoek Hoseo Kutako International Airport, which is a bit small as you even have to walk from the airplane to the terminal. The border formalities are relatively fast after we complete a 20 question questionnaire similar to the entry to US when on visa including the same weird question "where do you intend to stay while in the country?". In the airport we first try to buy a Namibian SIM card for our phone which we think is worth the $5 cost as we can use much cheaper domestic rates if needed. It takes about 30 min but we succeed as everything seems to take a lot longer as it should. Then we try to exchange some money but we give up after another long wait (which was a mistake as we found out in the long run) and we simply withdraw some money from the nearby ATM. And then we finally get to the car rental counter and after a lot of formalities we finally get the key to our 2x4 Nissan Xterra. Knowing what we know now we would have insisted to get a second spare but we didn't know what we know now of course at that point😊. Then we go outside to get the car which again takes some time as the agent cannot find the car for some time and then he shows us that the spare tire is there and in good condition and that all the needed tools to change a tire are there. We give him a tip and then it's off to Windhoek 40 km away. Actually it takes a bit to be off as we kill the engine a few times as we get adjusted to a manual on the left side but finally sounding like a race car especially when starting from a standing position we get to the highway.
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| First view of Namibia | International airport in Windhoek |
The road is paved and in great condition with a speed limit of 120 km/h so we zoom along towards our accomodation for the night, Olive Grove in Windhoek. There are relatively few cars on the highway which is good as it is a bit difficult to juggle both the manual and driving on the left side of the road. And then we notice the roadblock - we are a bit scared especially as we kill the engine right at the checkpoint but we are waved through and then we enter the city. Luckily we have directions and the accomodation is an easy find - getting inside is a bit more difficult as it is gated but somebody notices us and we get in safely.The room that we get has both the advantage and disadvantage to face the veranda which is used for dinner and breakfast as it is noisy but also very easy for us to just step out for breakfast. It feels great to finally see a bed after all the travel and to take a bath - the bath actually is impressive with 3 different ways to get water in the bathtub or take a shower and his and hers sinks. Also the minibar is stocked and we like the fact that the electricity plug is build such that South African, European and US appliances can be used in it.
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| Entrance to our room from the terrace | Room at Windhoek Guesthouse |
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| Interesting bathroom at Windhoek Guesthouse | Lots of options - which one should we choose? |
Before dinner we take a short stroll on the grounds to take a few pictures of the veranda in front of our room and of our SUV still clean and shiny new before the start of our grand tour.
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| Veranda at the Guesthouse | Our rented SUV before the start of the long trip |
After an 1h of relaxing after our arrival we go to dinner which is menu based and as we did throughout our trip we each chose separate dishes to sample as much as possible. The food was great especially after the airplane food and it was soup followed by either kudu steak or pork medallion and then a selection of chocolates which came to about $40 for the 2 of us.
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| Pork medallion | Kudu steak |
We wake up early to have an early breakfast so we are be able to buy some stuff from the supermarket before we have to check out at around 10 AM. The breakfast is the first of many very filling breakfasts that we have on our trip in this case it is a combined buffet + hot item from a menu breakfast. We both choose eggs unfortunately without knowing that we will get sick and tired of them by the end of the trip. And then it is off to the supermarket - if we only knew how to get the SUV into reverse. We try multiple ways with no luck almost driving it through the wall. Finally we read the manual and solve the mystery (there was a ring on the shift that had to be pulled up) and are on our way. First we snap a few pictures of the accomodation as we forgot the previous day and then we go to the supermarket according to the instructions of the host. After a few bad turns we find the store but it is not yet open as it is Sunday. We wander around a bit and find an open gas station where we buy water and a few food provisions for our trip. And then we check out and go to explore Windhoek.
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| Eggs... | ...and more eggs |
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| Exiting the guesthouse | Olive Grove Guesthouse |
We park at the only covered parking in downtown which supposedly also has security even though we don't see any and it looks a bit deserted. After a short walk we get to the pedestrian zone the Post Street Mall and go directly to the most well known sight in the area the Gibeon meteorites. There are actually 33 meteorites (minus ~3 who have been stolen) that are presented as a sculpture in the middle of the mall and are part of what was supposedly the world's heaviest meteor shower some 600 million years ago. In order to ensure that no meteorites are stolen anymore there is a 24h on duty guard who eyes us really carefully so we snap only a few pictures before moving on. The downtown area has very few craft sellers this Sunday morning and also most stores are closed but at least the Bushman Art and African Museum is open so we take a look at the different artifacts from across Namibia and buy a few postcards and then we return to the car to drive towards the Christus Kirche (Church of Christ) which is another major attraction in Windhoek.
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| Meteorites and downtown Windhoek | Pedestrian mall |
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| In front of Bushman Art and African Museum | Parking structure in Windhoek |
We park at the Christus Kirche where we face for the first time the Namibian parking system. Parking is free but you tip somebody to watch your car. The tip is given afterwards at least and is in the vicinity of USD 50c so it is not high by any means it's just that you never know whether the person is just a random bypasser or really a security guard. In our case he gives some directions to the attractions around the Christus Kirche. The first one however is not mentioned by him and actually not mentioned anywhere across all the guidebooks we read: the Independence Memorial Museum. It is not open yet even though it was supposed to be opened in 2010, it was built by a North Korean company and it might be a bit controversial as it involved moving some other historic colonial monuments, especially the Reiterdenkmal (Equestrian Statue) to make place for it but still it is almost like it doesn't exist. We then walk a bit further up the street to see the moved Reiterdenkmal which commemorates the German soldiers who died during the wars of conquest of Namibia, ok maybe there is a good reason to move the statue a bit. Behind the statue is the Alte Feste (old fortress) which is the first structure erected by the Schutztruppen (protective army) when they arrived at the end of the 19th century. It is really not that impressive from the outside but we intend to visit it as it also houses the National Museum of Namibia and it is open between 10-12 am. We get there at 11 am and it actually is closed which is really a surprise for us and the other tourists who climb to the entrance. At least we see a few chat (birds) that walk around on the lawn.
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| Christus Kirche | Independence Memorial Museum |
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| Alte Feste with Equestrian Statue | Karoo or Tractrac near Alte Feste |
Then we walk back towards the church and a different direction to get to the Tintenpalast (ink palace) which is where the colonial government was housed and the name came from the copious amounts of bureaucratic ink used. Now it is the Parliament of Namibia but there is no one guarding it as far as we can see. We then walk back through the park in front of the Parliament to the car and view a few large lizards and quite a few birds and there are some locals who enjoy the time off picnic-ing and walking around. At the car the guard tells us that the church is open (which is rare) so we go inside to see the stained glass windows donated by Kaiser Wilhelm II. After this we finally leave the city on the main street going north, the B1, which should be paved almost up to our destination. It is interesting to see the street names as we leave the city including people that are not well viewed in Western countries such as Fidel Castro and Robert Mugabe.
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| Park in front of the Parliament | Parliament building (Tintenpalast) |
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| Namibian Rock Agama near Parliament | Downtown Windhoek |
After leaving Windhoek we start to zoom along the highway - the paved road is great the speed limit is 120 km/h (75 mph) and there are not that many cars going in our direction. However we learn relatively fast that we have to be careful with the wildlife as we see troops of baboons feeding near the highway in a burned area. As we will discover across our trip the burned area is part of a Namibian program to keep quite a large swath of the shoulder on both sides of paved roads clear of brush so animals cannot hide and in our experience it works great in two ways - first you see most animals far ahead so you can avoid them and second you see lots of animals that you wouldn't otherwise. There are even a few bicyclists on the road possibly taking a tour of Namibia. As we pass the first larger town after Windhoek, Okahandja, after about 70 km out of Windhoek we get a bit distracted by the fact that the fuel gauge does not seem to go down and as we go km after km nothing is happening. In the end we stop on a dirt road to check again the manual and identify how to change the trip indicator to distance remaining - this will be very useful given the long distances between fuel stations. However the short stop turns almost in a mini safari for us with multiple termite hills that we investigate, a family of warthogs crossing the road and quite a few birds just flying around (and cows...everywhere we go there are cows). The views are also great with mountains in the distance. We also check the tires and notice one of them doesn't seem to be filled up so we decide to check all tires and top them up at the next gas station if possible.
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| Termite mound | Mountain in the distance |
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| Family of warthogs | Finally a relevant sign |
After returning to the main road we notice the distance remaining indicator going down and after ~150km away from our rental point the dial finally budges so we can forget that worry. Pretty soon we arrive at the turnoff for Waterberg NP where we will stay the night. Still we have quite some driving left to do first 42 km on a paved road and then an additional 17 km on a dirt road. As soon as we turn from the main road we notice wildlife everywhere especially warthogs and guinea fowl. The speed limit on dirt roads is 100 km/h but the road is corrugated in some places so we drive carefully until we arrive at the NP. The visitor center looks quite nice and we notice the fuel station nearby where we intend to buy fuel the next day before leaving. Here for the first time we observe the Namibian bureaucracy in action as we have to complete a card with quite a bit of information to check in. Finally we receive the key and drive up through the park to the bungalow zone.
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| Waterberg visitor center | Waterberg gas station |
When we arrive we are quite impressed with the bungalow as we didn't expect much from a government run camp but it is a back to back cabin with a covered garage a small veranda and grill area. Inside we have a small kitchen with a refrigerator and we like the way the towels are folded in origami like fashion.
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| The cabins | Our cabin at Waterberg |
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| Towel figurines | Waterberg Camp kitchen |
But what we like most is the wildlife, it seems to be everywhere. First there are baboons seemingly all around us and luckily they do not seem interested in us, yet. Then a troop of mongoose is passing through and they are interested in us especially the car jumping from underneath the car in the motor area. We try to shoo them away but they really do not care that much about us and finally leave on their own accord. Then there are birds everywhere both larger ones like guinea fowl and red billed spurfowl and smaller ones. We decide to take a hike but first we check the pressure in the tire and now it looks even worse so we decide to go down to the gas station to see if the attendant can fill up the tire. After a bit of talking he proposes to actually check the tire for punctures which we accept and he comes back showing that it is punctured by a large nail. So we change to the spare tire (which now we notice is not full size) while he tries to fix the tire. We go back to our cabin and eat some prepared sandwiches and then return to find the tire ready. The fix looks temporary and he mentions that it is about 85%!s(MISSING)afe so we should keep the spare tire on and then fix or buy a new tire in the closest town. As all this took almost 2h and the sunset will be coming soon we change our plans and decide to go to the historical cemetery today and do the hike in the morning.
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| Chacma baboon troop | Banded mongooses on the prowl |
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| Pensive mongoose | Guinea fowl and mongooses |
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| Red billed spurfowl on the lawn | Damara Dik-Dik |
The road to the cemetery is pretty bad so we stop a few hundred meters away from it and then walk the reminder of the way. We know that this cemetery has historical importance as on Waterberg was the last large battle between the Germans and the native Herero where the Germans after a day of fighting forced the Herero to retreat and cede their last reliable watersource. The cemetery was built by the Germans so almost all of the buried are Germans but there is a place inside the cemetery that was recently dedicated to the lost Herero warriors (a lot more died than Germans). On the road again we see lots of birds including "go away" birds that look like a cross between a gray parrot and a pigeon and a few Damara Dik Dik - a very cute small antelope.
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| German part of the cemetery | Herero part of cemetery |
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| View from Waterberg |
While still adjusting to the time zone change it is actually easy to wake up early in the morning to be almost the first for breakfast. As almost everywhere on our trip there is a cold breakfast buffet with cheese and salami which we use to make sandwiches for the day, coffee and tea, guava and orange juice and choice of eggs prepared as desired as a warm breakfast. There is a nice view of the plains from the restaurant and a few historical photos from the German times. After breakfast we return to our cabin and enjoy the view of the Waterberg mountain under which the camp is built while packing. We have decided to first check out and then to hike the trail as the check out time is 10 AM and we are not sure whether we are able to return from the hike by that time. As we get down to the visitor center we stop at the gas station and the attendant after repairing the tire yesterday is interested in seeing whether the repair holds so we get it out and it seems it is fine. He then insists on changing it back instead of the spare tire and we are confused as why he changed his mind from yesterday when he actually recommended we go with the spare to the next town. However he insists and says that all the shops are closed and when we point out that it is Monday he starts saying that "Monday is like Sunday" which we don't understand. We believe him though so we change the tire back just as the neighbors from the cabin pass by and inquire on whether everything is fine and when we relate what the attendand has said they are confirming that this Monday only there is a national holiday and everything is closed. So we trust the repaired tire and after checking out we go to the start of the hiking trail.
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| Waterberg Mountain | Repaired tire |
The national park has quite a few hiking trails but only one actually goes to the top of the mountain and we want to see the view from the top which is supposedly great. The trail is quite well marked with signs on the rocks and it starts easy. There are lots of birds all around us and we can hear the baboons screaming in the distance. But relatively soon the trail starts to become steeper as we follow the other hikers around the cliffs towards what appears to be steep scramble up to the rim. As we approach the rim there are nice rock formations that we admire as our path weaves through the stones up, always up.
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| Trail...easy | Trail...hard |
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| Trail marking | Closer to the top |
The climb isn't that bad though and we arrive at the top only to find it literally overun by other tourists which was unexpected given the fact that we haven't seen that many on the trail. The views are great even though a bit hazy (which appeared to be common in the first days in Namibia). We walk around a bit and enjoy the view and then it's down on a different more direct trail back to our car. The whole slope is full of trees and interesting plants which is unusual as typically the area is more savannah - like.
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| Helpful signs | Finally on top |
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| View from top of Waterberg | Forced end of walk |
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| Interesting name | Cape Gooseberry (?), edible |
And then it's off towards Onguma Bush Camp our next accomodation which is at the entrance to Etosha, the most well known national park in Namibia due to its varied and rich wildlife. As we start towards it we get a few drops of rain and there are clouds everywhere which we think it is unusual given that it is the dry season. After reaching the pavement and the B1 the going is much faster and we reach Otjiwarongo the major closeby city relatively fast. As the gas station attendant has said most shops are closed but there are people celebrating or hanging out everywhere. Here as we try to identify which road to take we observe for the first time a major naming feature for the Namibian north - lots of city names start with O. We have to choose between Otavi followed by Oshivelo going to Omuthia, Onyati, Onankali, Ondangwa, Oshikango and the Angola border or Outjo, Okaukuejo - yep lots of cities starting with O. Most major cities seem to have a roadblock at the entrance or exit however today we are mostly waved through or they are not even manned in our direction as the majority of traffic is in the other direction with people returning to Windhoek at the end of the long weekend. Still we are stopped once asked where we are going and asked to show the driver licence but that is the worst it gets. Along the road we see many animals mostly warthog, baboons and a few birds mostly guinea fowl and hornbills.
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| Dirt road near Waterberg | B1 towards Etosha |
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| Downtown Otjiwarongo | Traffic on the B1 |
As we get close to Etosha NP we are searching carefully for the entrance to the Onguma Private Game Reserve but we shouldn't have worried as it is very obvious and it even has a guard at the entrance. After finding us on the list and after us completing all the necessary information on his checklist we are allowed in but our camp is still 12 km down the road. So we drive carefully as the dirt road is not in great shape in places and the road curves and then goes straight next to the border to Etosha. Barely a couple km in we see lots of antelopes grazing on the Etosha side and immediately after we notice an elephant. This is really exciting even though he is on the other side and in Etosha and at a distance so we take quite a few pictures and move on but we do not get far before seeing lots of zebra on the plains. And then antelopes. And then warthogs. And a bustard. And so it goes as we stop almost every a few 100 m to see an animal or bird and to take pictures. Even though we expected to see animals in Etosha we didn't expect the abundance even on this short road and are really enthralled about them.
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| First elephant in the distance | Kori bustard |
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| Zebras everywhere | Black shouldered kite |
When we get close to the Camp we get to the fence that encircles the camp for safety and after opening the gate we drive the short way to the reception. As we are pulling up we are offered two fresh glasses of guava juice and then again we go through the now known ritual of signing in. Afterwards we get a tour of the facilities pool, restaurant, reading room, waterhole overlook room and of course the waterhole where we see in the distance two elephants that supposedly just drank from it. Our room overlooks the waterhole which is what we wanted as we can watch for animals and birds from our room. The room is great it looks like a yurt but it has all the modern conveniences (except TV). It even has Wifi so we can check our email.
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| Onguma entrance | Our hut at Onguma |
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| Onguma waterhole | Onguma sitting area |
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| Onguma waterhole from cabin | Onguma interior |
While we watch for animals the sun is setting and given the clouds it is a beautiful sunset so we take lots of pictures as the sun falls towards the horizon. Also the wind starts to pick up it almost feels like there is going to be rain. Actually we see lightning at the horizon but no rain yet. Before dinner we go to the reception and book a night drive to go after dinner but we are not sure whether it will be held given the weather.
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| Sunset at Onguma | Beautiful |
We are almost first at dinner but still it takes a long time to get served the whole menu. As main dishes we get pork and beef so the food was not as exciting as we were hoping for Africa - still it is good as well as the soup and the dessert.
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| Onguma table | Onguma dinner |
And then it is off to our nighttime adventure. To our surprise and delight we are the only ones on the tour and there are 2 guides one who drives and one that relentlessly moves a strong searchlight from left to right searching for eyes of night creatures. The safari is 1 1/2h long and we start seeing animals right from the beginning, lots of antelopes (including a sleeping impala) and zebras everywhere even on the roads as we are driving towards them. We tell the guide that we want to stop for any animals and he mostly does that. Halfway on our trip we see a genet (a small cat) then a few white owls and then the highlight of the trip is a bushbaby which looks almost like a plush toy. We also have a chance to see a bushfire on the farm that we also noticed at dinner but the guide tells us it is a controlled burn. Given the wind all around us we hope that it doesn't get out of control at least until we leave the area. After we get back and tip the guides we finally go to sleep as tomorrow is the day we are driving through Etosha and hope to see as many animals as possible.
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| Zebra at night | And an impala |
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| Brush fire in the distance | Find the bushbaby |
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| Placid zebras |
At night it is difficult to sleep with the wind blowing and the thunder and lightning outside. So we are ready for the early breakfast which is again a cold buffet and eggs. The waterhole receives a lot of birds in the morning so we are able to see quite a few interesting and nicely colored birds while we are moving our luggage to the car and check out. Today we have a smaller distance to cover than in previous days however it is mostly through Etosha National Park where the speed limit is only 60 km/h compared to 100 km/h on dirt roads outside the National Park.
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| Breakfast buffet | Onguma omelette |
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| Blue Waxbill | Grey Go Away Bird |
Even though now we know that the road through Onguma up to the main road is full of animals we are again surprised by the number of animals on a stretch of only 13 km. Right outside the gate we find a few springbok who really appear bored and don't even move and then shortly afterwards we see zebras and wildebeest and of course a lot of birds.
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| Springbok | Blue wildebeests relaxing |
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| Black chested snake eagle | Zebras walking |
And then we enter Etosha. Etosha was first established as a game reserve in 1907 by Germany, the colonial ruler at that time, and had a surface area of about 100,000 km² (38,500 mile²) similar to current day Hungary or Portugal. As a comparison Yellowstone NP in the US has 9,000 km². However with all the political changes across the years and population pressure the protected surface has been reduced to a quarter of the original area which is still a huge area that we are trying to traverse today. At the entrance gate again we enter all the information about us and the car and then we are directed to the nearby Rest Camp Namutoni to pay the entrance fee. The road up to Namutoni is still paved but we drive carefully and almost immediately after the entrance we notice our first giraffe which is eating from the trees at the side of the road. It is by no means the only wildlife we see as there are lots of springboks crossing the road and also a few hornbills and bustards and we stop a lot to take pictures.
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| Etosha map | Curious giraffe |
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| Southern Redbilled Hornbill | Springboks deciding whether to cross the road |
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| The courageous one | Kori bustard in Etosha |
We arrive at Namutoni and find the reception immediately and we go inside to pay the entrance fee for the park. The park has a few simple rules the major ones being "do not exit out of cars outside of developed areas such as rest camps" and "exit the park or be in a rest camp by sunset". The first one we definitely intend to keep and the second one we hope that we can keep. As we return to the car we notice that a troop of mongooses has (again) taken an inordinate interest in our car and are jumping in the motor area and examining it. We try to shoo them away but no luck so we go to visit the rest camp and hope they are gone when we are back. The rest camp is an old German fort and it looks like it with a defensive wall that repelled an attack of Hereros back in the early 20th century.
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| Namutoni reception | Mongooses investigating our car |
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| Namutoni Fort in the distance | Inscription at the fort |
Inside the camp are a few shops where we buy some souvenirs. Then we go to the waterhole which is the first one that we see which is typical of Etosha with lots of animals just sitting or drinking. While leaving we stop at the gas station to fill the tank - gas stations are at a premium in the area so we want to be prepared.
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| Namutoni interior | Resting mongoose |
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| What a weird stance | Namutoni waterhole |
Our plan from Namutoni is simple: drive west and stop at all waterholes close to the road as we make our way to Dolomite Camp, the rest camp in Etosha that is our accomodation for the night. Even before the first waterhole we see a pair of jackals sleeping near the road and a wildebeest who suddenly got agitated and started running randomly.
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| Resting jackals | Excited blue wildebeest |
The first waterhole where we stop is Chudop. It has an incredible mix of antelopes especially springbok and oryx but there are also a few giraffes wandering about and a few jackals. There are also quite a few tourists both from Onguma and Namutoni so after taking in the view we move on.
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| Chudop waterhole view | Giraffe at Chudop waterhole |
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| Oryx at the waterhole | Safari car at Chudop |
The road through the Eastern part of Etosha is in great shape and passes through changing habitats with the majority being savanna with hip height grass.
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| Etosha road | Savannah in Etosha |
We do not have to go far to meet our first elephant for the day who is eating right next to the road with quite a few cars stopped to take pictures. We also stop and take pictures but after a few minutes of watching him eat we decide to move on. This was a good decision as we find more elephants further down the road and also wildebeest and zebras. At almost every turn we see some animals mostly springbok and zebras.
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| First elephant inside Etosha | Close up of elephant |
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| Single elephant at Kahkheuwei | Elephant gets company |
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| Gathering of blue wildebeests | Close up of zebra |
The centerpiece, geologically, of Etosha is the Etosha Pan. This is a large mostly dry salt lake that receives water only in the rainy season. At that point the animals are more difficult to see as they do not have to rely on the waterholes and can drink water from many other sources which makes wildlife viewing more difficult. We are here in the dry season so we are treated with views of the vast expanse of the pan vegetationless and featureless - it feels almost like you are on a different planet. We have seen something similar in the US in Death Valley however here especially with the light fog you cannot see the other side. It is allowed to walk on it and we do to have a feeling of the area - quite interesting. Even with it being so bleak we still observe a few zebras that appear to be resting on the salt pan.
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| Trail at restcamp | Etosha saltpan |
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| Road to saltpan | Zebras on the Etosha pan |
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| Road going to the Pan overlook | Deserted pan |
And then we move toward Okaukuejo Rest Camp with lots of stops along the way both for animals near the road and for waterholes. We see lots and lots of elephants both in groups and single. We notice some of them playing around and other taking a bath and others just eating and doing elephanty things.
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| Family of elephants | Elephants moving purposefully |
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| Opposing red hartebeests | Lots of springbok |
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| And a lot of elephants in the distance | Enjoying a bath |
Far of the road we also notice our first ostriches first just one and then suddenly as if the floodgates have opened we see ostriches everywhere. There are also a few hartebeest antelope and everywhere there are springboks, oryx and zebras. In the afternoon we arrive at the Okaukuejo Rest Camp where we buy some provisions and again fill up the gas as there is no gas further in the park.
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| Female Northern Black Korhaan | First ostrich in the distance |
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| Lots of ostriches - still far away | Lots of zebras |
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| Dreaming of being a giraffe | Okaukuejo entrance |
Starting from here we enter the wild section of Etosha. While the road between Okaukuejo and Namutoni is travelled regularly the road to Dolomite is restricted after about 60km to people who have a reservation, which we do. We notice immediately the drop off in cars and the animals seem also a bit more shy. There are also more trees which allows us to see our first huge weaverbird nest.
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| Zebra and fowl | Weaverbird nest(s) |
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| Chanting Goshawk | Hiding giraffe |
And then we get to the restricted area and for the next 120 km we meet only 1 car. The road also deteriorates in places being quite corrugated while still remaining good on average. Some waterholes are out of action however those that are working have the usual array of animals with more ostriches and what seem to be larger elephants. We are careful around here as the animals supposedly are not so used to cars but they ignore us studiously.
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| Male Northern Black Korhaan | Aggressive ostrich |
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| Burned savanna | Attentive hartebeest |
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| Oops..he's coming towards us | Phew...he went to the waterhole |
Even though we had over 2 1/2h when we started on the restricted road due to stops and the condition of the road the going is slow and we start to get worried on whether we will be able to make it to the camp before sunset. Zebras sleeping on the street and springbok single filing along the road do not help as well as a huge monitor lizard leisurely passing in front of our car makes us keep our eyes open and the speed down. In the end we arrive at the camp right as the sun disappears below the horizon - we made it in time.
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| Sun is setting...must hurry now towards camp | Monitor lizard |
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| Sun is setting - still on the road | Just in time |
Next question for us is how to get to the camp. The parking is at the base of a hill while the camp is on top. The answer is appearing almost immediately, a golf cart that we fill with our belongings and takes us to the reception while the cart winds further up the path towards the cabins. Dolomite Camp is a state owned accomodation like Waterberg however the quality is quite different. One reason is that it was built only last year to compete against luxury lodges and you can see it when compared to Waterberg. After signing in we go back to the cart which takes us to our cabin. There is quite some walk to it from the cart so this time the baggage handler really deserved the tip. The cabin is beautiful with great views of the savannah outside. We are really tired and still full so we do not eat dinner at the restaurant today even though it is relatively cheap but we eat outside on our veranda from our provisions while enjoying the view and the appearing stars. After that we plan for the next day and try to identify the southern stars and constellations using our mobile planetarium. Finally we get spooked by some sounds and the mosquitoes and go inside to rest.
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| Easy way up the mountain | View from chalet |
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| Chalet interior | Chalet work area |
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| Parked near a sinkhole in Namibia |
We wake up early so we are able to get to our destination, Twyfelfontein, during daylight as well as exit Etosha before 10 AM after which we have to pay an additional day in fees. Outside the dawn is breaking with only Venus and Jupiter still visible. Whenever we take a break from packing we go to the patio to see the sunrise and examine a close by tree full of guinea fowl and their behavior as they start leaving. After some time we notice the source of the sounds the previous evening, a giraffe, which after examining us for some time finally decides to leave and goes towards the waterhole.
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| Dawn with Venus in forefront | Tree full of guinea fowl |
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| Our very own giraffe | Giraffe meeting guinea fowl |
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| Sunrise in Etosha | Looks more like an UFO than the sun |
We walk to the restaurant for breakfast on the interesting boardwalks that connect our cabin with the paved golf cart trail. One reason that we didn't go for dinner was that you had to call for someone to escort you to the restaurant at night and that would have taken likely quite some time. The views all around are great and we enjoy the fresh air as long as the diesel powered golf cart is not passing us by.
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| Boardwalk to our cabin | Typical cabin in Dolomite Camp |
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| View from the top of Dolomite outcrop | View of parking area from top |
The restaurant is unusual as the kitchen is in a different location and it doesn't even have electricity which means that even coffee and tea has to be brought in. All of this takes time and while we are relaxed we can hear the German tourists at a nearby table starting to argue with the staff regarding how long it takes. After breakfast (again eggs this time poached for us) we check out and ride the golf cart down to the parking spot.
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| Dolomite restaurant | Poached eggs at breakfast |
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| Restaurant decoration | Parking with camp in the distance |
While we have to exit Etosha before 10AM we still want to see the few remaining waterholes until the exit starting with the Dolomite waterhole which is right next to the Camp. There is a herd of plain zebras and then we see the wildebeest coming in from the savannah. There are also a few giraffes in the distance and quite a few birds as usual.
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| Dolomite Camp from waterhole | Plains zebra at Dolomite waterhole |
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| Namaqua sandgrouse at waterhole | Wildebeests coming to waterhole |
The road is in a better state than the day before and the going is fast. There are guinea fowl crossing the road and springbok as usual but then as we veer off towards a waterhole we see our first kudu who doesn't seem excited to be seen and first hides and then runs away.
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| Road towards Etosha exit | Typical roadsign in Etosha |
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| Guinea fowl crossing the road | Greater kudu in hiding |
As we visit the remaining two waterholes we observe that the mix of animals has changed from the waterholes in eastern Etosha, as we see more oryx and wildebeest and also the zebra are the rarer mountain zebras and not plain zebras.
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| Red headed finches | Ground squirrel near waterhole |
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| Warthogs coming to waterhole | Mountain zebras at waterhole |
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| Kudu and oryx at waterhole | Wildebeests looking towards the water |
But all good things have to end and exactly at 10 AM we exit Etosha and we go through the check out process where the guard is examining our papers and enters the information in his register. We had a great time in Etosha and almost immediately start making plans to visit again sometime in the future not Etosha necessarily but any of the other big national parks in the area.
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| Western Etosha map | Etosha information |
And then we are off as we exit on a paved highway almost immediately and drive for 60 km to Kamanjab where we again leave the paved highway to go towards Khorixas. The dirt road C35 is in great shape though and it almost feels like we are on a paved road and we make good time to Khorikax. In Khorikax we fill up the gas as it is the last gas station on an almost 700 km stretch for us, check and top up the tires and then we start on the C39. The road starts in a good shape but it becomes progressively worse the farther we get and we have to go at a slower speed than usual. Still we have time so we take it slower and arrive at around 1PM at Petrified Forest National Monument.
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| Namibian village on the way | Old car in a wash |
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| Vending stall near the road | Caves in the mountainside |
We were not sure whether to actually visit the petrified forest as we have been a few times at the Petrified National Park in Arizona, US but in the end we decided to enter to make a comparison between them. The major difference is that in Namibia you cannot enter without a guide who takes you along a set path. While this restrains your movements and imposes a pace on your visit it also gave us an opportunity to get some information about the local flora. After he noticed our interest he started pointing all the different bushes and plants and knew both the latin and english names and the different uses which was really interesting. But the most interesting plant that we saw was the welwitchia plant, a desert plant with only two leaves (even though it looks like it has a lot more).
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| Petrified forest info | Petrified log |
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| Female welwitchia plant.... | and the male one |
The petrified trees were interesting as usual but not that different from what we have seen previously. Still there are a few big ones which are quite interesting to see - surprising in how many places you can see petrified trees.
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| Petrified trees and logs | Largest petrified tree here |
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| Root of welwitchia | Shaded parking for our car |
After leaving the petrified forest the road becomes corrugated for quite a few stretches and we get worried about the next day when we have to drive quite some distance on this road. But today we leave it relatively fast and head to Twyfelfontein. We have one more stop before the lodge though as we take a short side road to Wondergat an interesting sinkhole in the desert. The whole area looks more arid than Etosha with less vegetation and a lot more wild and forbidding.
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| Wondergat sinkhole | Dead? tree near sinkhole |
We arrive at the lodge at about 3 pm and the checking in takes quite a bit as you have to park at the reception then you are taken on a tour of the lodge then we have to return to the car and temporarily park in front of the room where we can unload our luggage. After finally checking in and unpacking we go to explore two geological phenomena in the area, the Organ Pipes and the Burnt Mountain. First we go to the Organ Pipes which is quite interesting and similar to what we have seen in Northern Ireland at Giant's Causeway but on a smaller scale. We have the viewpoint area to us for a few minutes before safari tours start to bring other tourists in but we are the only ones to actually descend in the canyon to walk through it which gives us more solitude.
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| Organ pipes from overlook | Organ pipes from bottom |
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| Organ pipe wash | Organ pipe canyon |
We continue to the end of the road to Burnt Mountain but even though it is sunset when the mountain is supposedly look like it is burning we do not see anything. So we continue a bit on a dirt road that quickly worsens so we stop and take a hike through the area to take a look at the plants and the interesting rock formations. We find quite a lot of stones that are placed in an upright position not sure for what reason, maybe just for fun. However we also see this afterwards in other areas so there might be another explanation.
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| Mysterious standing stones | Desert with standing stones |
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| Welwitchia mix | Standing stone in quartz field |
As the sun is setting we return to the lodge and visit the engravings that are on the grounds and are free to visit as a preview for tomorrow when we go to the nearby Unesco Heritage Site containing a large collection of petroglyphs and engravings. There are two panels which are quite impressive. We then decide to enjoy the sunset from our room and then we eat dinner from our provisions and then retire for the night.
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| Petroglyphs near lodge | Close up of petroglyphs |
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| Twyfelfontein Lodge in the distance | Twyfelfontein accomodations |
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| Safari tour bus | Sunset at lodge |
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| Lots and lots and lots of seals |
Today we have a long way ahead of us so we wake up early and walk to the breakfast area which is quite far away from our room. Along the way we see and especially hear lots of birds including some local sparrows. The lodge has quite a few interesting sculptures that we examine before going upstairs to the open air breakfast area and eating our daily eggs. We try hard to find cell phone reception and finally get it in the parking lot and call our kayaking guide for the next day to confirm the reservation. Then we load the car and drive to the lodge's work station that is 6 km from the lodge and is supposed to have gas so we can top up. Unfortunately they have only diesel and leaded gas and our car needs unleaded so we move on to Twyfelfontein which is both a National Monument and Namibia's first Unesco World Heritage Site protecting a large area full of petroglyphs.
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| Path at the lodge | Interesting art |
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| Cape sparrow on our roof | Breakfast buffet |
After parking (again there is a guard watching over the cars) we walk to the visitor center where we pay the entrance fee, fill out our details in the guestbook and get a guide for the tour. From the beginning he gives us a choice of the 2 trails, Dancing Kudu (1/2h easy) and Lion Man (1h more difficult but with more petroglyphs). We choose the longer one and on we go. It starts slowly with only one panel initially but it is not boring as the guide is showing us different plants along the way and the ruins of the farm of the previous owners who had to leave as the water level from the permanent fountain nearby dropped dangerously. The most interesting things afterwards until we reach the main panel sites are a tree that looks like an elephant foot and a dassie rat, a very cute local rat.
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| Twyfelfontein plaque | Old abandoned farmhouse |
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| Our guide and trail | First petroglyphs |
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| Elephant foot like tree | Dassie rat (cuter than a dassie) |
Then we arrive at the petroglyphs which are interesting representing the diverse fauna both in the area and further away. There are petrogyphs of penguins and seals that are found only on the coast 100 km away for example showing the range the local nomad community traveled. There are also engravings of animals with human features including the well known Lion Man which are supposed to show shamans that are in trance and have taken an animal shape.
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| Lion Man plate | Petroglyphs are everywhere |
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| Engraved elephant | Guide describing a panel |
The guide presents the petroglyphs as being a way for the San, the local nomad people, to teach their children about the different animals and their footprints as well as maps of permanent and temporary waterholes in the area. It is interesting but quite exhausting especially as the temperature starts to climb and we are happy that we visited in the morning. In the end we tip the guide and start the long drive to Swakopmund.
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| Lots of petroglyphs | Busy engraved plate |
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| Detail of plate with animal footprints | Interesting rock formations |
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| Guide explaining panel | Large(r) guided tour |
After leaving Twyfelfontein our plan is to drive to Swakopmund but not on the faster and more mainstream route through Brandberg but through the longer and more scenic route through Skeleton Coast National Park. For us actually they would have the same length as we intend to visit the Cape Cross Seal Colony on the way and that would require additional travel time if we went through Brandberg. The road that we take, even though is one of the major ones, C39, is very corrugated and therefore we cannot go as fast as we need to go and it is also bone rattling. At least we see ground squirrels and goats on the way and we pass a few small farms with souvenir stands near the road. Finally after about 100 km the road starts to improve and we arrive at the entrance of Skeleton Coast National Park. We sign in and are ready to pay the entrance fee however the guard tells us that there is no fee even though our guidebooks were mentioning quite a high one. So we buy instead a few souvenirs from the giftstand and ask about the state of the road going forward and he mentions it is much better. And it really is as it appears to have been recently graded and now we can make up for the time lost. The desert also changes and it becomes really desolated with nothing growing except a few welwitchias here and there.
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| Ground squirrel eating | Goats crossing the road |
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| Desolate landscape | Driving through the Namib desert |
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| Only welwitchias grow here | Looks like an alien planet |
After another 50 km where we meet only one car we arrive at the coastal road on which we will drive south to Swakopmund. There are dunes in the distance, the desert is still lifeless and the ocean that we glimpse in the distance seems really agitated with high waves. The temperature also drops precipituosly from 30 degrees Celsius to 12 Celsius on the coast so we have to put on warmer clothing whenever we get out of the car. We pass the (luckily) dry wash of the Koichab river which at least has a few bushes and then we arrive at Toscanini.
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| Sand dunes in the distance | Road gets sandy |
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| Passing through the dry wash of a large river | Ocean in the distance |
Toscanini Diamond Mine is a small abandoned mine where only very few diamonds have been found. We investigate the ruins of the plant and the cormorant colonies nearby, we are surprised at the number of dead birds near the shore so we do not approach them. The ruins are interesting as we like to explore abandoned structures and cities. There are fishermen who we see in the distance that fish directly from the shore - wonder if they catch anything.
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| Toscanini diamond mine remains | Cormorants on the pier |
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| Lonely cormorant | Fishing in the ocean from the shore |
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| Another cormorant colony | Remains from the diamond mine |
After a short drive we stop at an abandoned oil rig nearby. This is one of the few remains of oil exploration in the area built in the 60s before the National Park was created. Unfortunately for them (and fortunately for the area) they didn't find any oil and now the ruins can be explored as long as no cormorants are nesting when it is off limits.
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| Oil rig from parking area | Top of oil rig |
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| Inside the oil rig | View from the side |
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| Cormorants are nesting on the rig during season | Parking area at rig |
The remainder of the drive through the national park has a stark beauty with the ocean on the right and the desert and sometimes dunes all around us. The road is in great shape and we make good time. Soon we arrive at the exit gate that plays on the Skeleton Coast theme as can be seen in the photo. After signing out of the National Park we get our first (and happily for us only) taste of the fog that supposedly lingers for hours and days on the coast.
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| Exit from Skeleton National Park (fun gates) | Typical mists in the area |
And at about 2 PM we arrive at Cape Cross Preserve. We pay the entrance fee and drive the additional distance to the seal colony. It is difficult to describe the large number of seals including pups and of course the stench that permeates the air. And this is not the full strength colony which will occur only later during the year when it can get to more than 100K seals.
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| Boardwalk at Cape Cross | Ruddy turnstone |
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| Seal pup | Lots of seals |
We take lots of pictures of seals in water and on the shore, of white seals and pups and of the interaction between the seals, it is almost overwhelming to see this many animals all gathered in one spot.
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| Seals both on land and in water | How do they get ashore? |
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| Very young seal pup | Go away! |
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| Another side of the colony | Just swimming through |
The area is not protecting only seals though. This is the site where the first European explorer has set foot in the territory of modern day Namibia. He was a Portuguese explorer, Diego Cao, who reached the area in 1485 and promptly claimed it in the name of Portugal. The original cross was removed by Germany and is now in Berlin but there is now a replica of the cross as well as some informative signs at the site.
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| Crosses at Cape Cross | In memory of the original stone |
After Cape Cross we drive to Henties Bay a larger city where we finally find an ATM and we can withdraw more money as we were down to very little reserves. We also get some gas after driving 600 something kilometers from the last gast station and then we drive the last 80 km to Swakopmund.
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| Road almost flooded | Typical city near the coast |
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| View of Henties Bay | Shipwreck in the distance |
We make one more stop on the way to take a look at the now more greener desert and take pictures of the sunset. This is the first time that the sunset catches us still on the road but we expected this. There are beautiful views of the sunset and also some interesting plants in the desert including a dollar bush that you can supposedly use to get water from in times of need.
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| Dollar tree bush | Desert at sunset |
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| Another abundant plant in the area | Sunset near Swakopmund |
We stay the night at Brigadoon B&B in downtown Swakopmund and for the first time we have to park on the street and not in a protected parking area. The room is large and spacious and looks like a boutique hotel except for the gaping hole in the roof through which we can see the boiler.
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| Brigadoon B&B Interior | Interesting hole in our room |
Given that the breakfast starts only at 7:30 and we have to be in Walvis Bay, a city about 30 km away, at 7:45 for our kayaking trip we arrange for a cold breakfast that is delivered to our room this evening. It is quite a lot and should be enough for the whole day. We then go out for the evening to a well known restaurant Kucki's Pub where to our surprise we cannot find any sitting place. We decide to order carry out from the menu (oryx steak and springbok schnitzel) and to eat at the hotel. So we wait for 1/2h in the bar area, there is lots of smoking and there are lots of Germans here who have a great time. At the hotel we eat the great food and then go to rest after the exhausting day to prepare for tomorrow's expedition.
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| Very early breakfast | Kucki's menu |
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| Dinner plate from Kucki's | And a lot of meat |
We wake up early to leave at about 7:15AM and after eating the breakfast we ordered the previous day we pack the car and start the drive to Walvis Bay which is about 1/2h away. Unfortunately it is rush hour on the road between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay which mostly means large trucks behind which we are stuck for long periods of time so we arrive a bit late. On the way we are pleasantly surprised by the palm trees that line the road at the entrance to Walvis Bay and by the nice houses in some neighborhoods. There are however still areas typical of Namibia with unmarked crossings where people cross the busy highway from one (possibly) government built housing area to another. When we arrive at the meeting point we find out that another group was also stuck in the same traffic jam so there is no problem and after loading the tour SUV that will carry us the tour guide starts driving around the bay towards the launching point.
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| Road to Walvis Bay | House in Walvis Bay |
At the beginning the guide gives us a short description of the tour. We will be driving about 1h around the bay to the launching point first on good roads and then through the sand while she will be pointing out the different interesting features along the way. Then the kayaks will be launched near a seal colony and after about 1:30h of kayaking we will land at a different point from which we will take the car back to the meeting point. Almost immediately after leaving the city we see lots of flamingoes in the distance and even though the guide assures us that we will see more we snap a few pictures. Then we pass the Walvis Bay Salt Works and the road snakes among different salt evaporation pans.
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| Walvis Bay with flamingoes | Salt works at Walvis Bay |
On the salt pans and further in the bay we see lots of birds mostly avocets and flamingoes. The birds are everywhere and in large numbers and the car stops from time to time so we can take photos but we still have to take quite a few of them while the car is moving.
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| Avocets and flamingoes | Flamingoes in flight and on the ground |
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| Flamingoes in flight | Lots of birds |
Next on the way we pass the filming site of the next Mad Max movie, quite interesting to see a movie site while filming. The guide tells us how difficult it must be for the filming crew and how they brought in sand to simulate a more desert like enviroment and how the wind is blowing it all across the road so they have to clean it every day. Also she tells us about the lonely tree that was brought in and then had too few branches and new branches had to be glued to the initial tree.
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| Filming site | The well known tree |
After the filming site we enter the deep sand and the car is gliding along, we just hope that we don't get stuck. Now we start seeing the fishing boats in the bay and also some wrecks along the bay. There are also some remains of fishing traps from a failed initiative to grow fish along the coast.
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| Fishing fleet in the distance | Wreck in the distance |
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| Another wreck | Old fishing trap |
As we get closer to the launching site we pass the lighthouse at the end of Walvis Bay, one of the few in the country. Walvis Bay is actually the only natural port in Namibia which made it very important to the colonial powers and it was the only spot that England owned on today's Namibia coast. This left Germany without any port and they tried to develop Swakopmund into one but it did not work so well. Even after Namibia gained independence from South Africa Walvis Bay remained South African for a few more years until it was ceded back to Namibia. The car also passes the short rail line that was used to shuttle goods from the shore to the lighthouse, we cannot stop due to the deep sand. We also see a few jackals that live in the area and according to the guide are really lazy and always lounging in the sun.
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| 4x4 sand road to launching area | Jackal passing close by |
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| Supply train line to lighthouse | Walvis Bay Lighthouse |
After arriving at the kayak launching site we get an instruction on how to use the kayak and water proof clothing. One of the guides is placing a divider further away from the car behind which is the 'toilet' -quite unexpected and difficult to use. Also we get some water proof containers so we can keep our cameras safe and two bottles of water and then we are pushed out into the sea. The sea is a bit rough and our guide explains that it is because there is no fog from the mountains and it means that the winds will be coming early. We like the fact that there is no fog though and that we can see in the distance.
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| Ready for launching | 4x4 with most kayaks unpacked |
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| Beach restroom in the background | Dressing up |
After getting in the water it takes only a few minutes for the seals to come to investigate. We are kayaking first along the shore right in front of the permanent seal colony which is used to the kayaks and therefore the seals are swimming mostly around us and are jumping out of the water and making lots of noises which is real funny. On land the seals look lazy but here they look hyperactive being everywhere and difficult to follow.
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| Seal colony from the water | Active seals |
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| Seals like to investigate | Seals colony from afar |
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| Seal underwater | Seals surround us |
Continuing along the shore we pass a temporary seal colony and the seals are not as happy as the initial colony about our approach and they let us know that by splashing around the kayak with their tails - lucky that we had the waterproof clothing. They are also almost dancing around us which is fascinating. The guide lets us know that the SUV got stuck in the sand when trying to move to the landing site but it got free in the end.
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| Close look of seal | Synchronized swimming |
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| One of the seal colonies | Seals with SUV in the background |
The seals are not alone though. We see quite a large cormorant colony and walking among them were a few huge looking pelicans.
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| Seal and cormorant colony | Huge pelicans near tiny cormorants |
And then the guide points out that there are dolphins a bit further away where some sightseeing boats are. We go and take a look at them as they are jumping out the water or just cruising with the fin out. It is difficult to take pictures of them as they are quick and submerge fast but there are quite a few of them. The guide tells us that this is the most dolphins she has seen this year so we feel lucky and privileged to witness the spectacle.
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| Dolphin in our area | Single dolphin |
There are also quite a lot of flamingoes on the shore and some of them take flight which is an impressive sight, it almost looks like a pink cloud. They seem to get along well with both the seals and cormorants as they walk among their colonies.
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| Flamingoes and seals | Flamingoes take flight |
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| Flamingoes, seals and fishing boats | Close up of flamingoes |
After getting back on land we get a lunch of sandwiches and tea or coffee which was included in the trip. We walk a bit around on what seems to be almost pristine sand looking for shells and also taking in the view of Walvis City across the bay.
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| View across the bay | Untouched sand |
On the return trip we pass again through the filming area and take a few more pictures of the interesting area and props. The filming has to be a boon for the area with the hundreds of people sleeping, eating and buying in the neighboring cities.
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| Filming crew trucks | Interesting prop |
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| Close by of prop | Young ducklings |
This time we stop a bit at the salt pans to take a few pictures of the salt producing process in the different stages. Basically they pump sea water in and let it to dry out and then collect the salt. The color of the water right before it finishes evaporating is a nice pink which mixes nicely with the white of the salt that is already visible.
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| Interesting colored saltpan | Pink water - is it safe to drink:)? |
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| Last stages before collecting | Dried out saltpan |
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| Salt mounds on the way | Salt collector |
Right before reentering the city and getting back to our car we view a flock of pelicans as they are landing, it is funny how majestic they are on the approach and then how difficult they make the actual landing.
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| Pelicans preparing to land | After the landing |
We return to our room to change clothes as we intend to visit Swakopmund in the afternoon. It is quite a good time also to take pictures of the room else we are either too early or too late in the day.
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| Our room at Brigadoon | Street where the B&B is located |
Our first trip is to a bank so we can exchange some of our US dollars and finally after so many days we succeed and are flush with money (more or less). With the money in hand we go to a tire shop so we can change the patched tire. However they do not have the correct tire but they apply a permanent patch instead of the temporary one which they guarantee is as good as a new tire. Given that the temporary one lasted over 1000 km we have confidence that this will last us till Cape Town. And then we walk through downtown Swakopmund doing window shopping and admiring the old houses in this well restored German colonial town. They even have a fur store with furs from lots of different animals from which probably half you cannot even import in the US. Before returning at the B&B we go and buy some provisions from the Spar supermarket close to our B&B which has quite a large range of different products. And then after a short dinner we go to sleep as tomorrow we have to leave Swakopmund and drive to the Sesriem area.
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| Tire shop | Historic building |
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| Downtown Swakopmund | Swakopmund downtown view |
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| Kucki's Pub | New provisions for the next days |
Today there is no hurry so we wake up later and eat the regular breakfast out on the terrace. There are lots of birds singing in the trees around us which is quite enjoyable. Again we eat eggs but at least we had a break the previous day. After that we pack and start south towards Walvis Bay and then SE towards Sesriem our next stop where there is a huge accesible field of sand dunes which is well known in Namibia. Passing through Swakopmund we take a few more photos of the town including of the lighthouse as we have to pass through the entire city again.
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| Swakopmund lighthouse | Downtown view |
Right after leaving Swakopmund in the direction of Walvis Bay we notice a row of camels close to the road, probably a tour of the dunes in the area. The road to Walvis Bay is emptier today as it is Saturday and given that it is paved we make good time on it. After turning towards Sesriem the road continues to be paved for a few miles until the airport then it turns into a dirt road which in the beginning is in quite a good shape. Almost immediately we find a burned car on the side of the road - wonder what happened but it made us just a bit more careful as we continued on the road. There are impressive dunes on both sides of the road for the first miles but then the vegetation reappears and even a small bush.
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| Camel tour near Swakopmund | Sand is everywhere |
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| Hope we do not end the same way | Lonely plant near the dirt road |
We stop at a rest area, which are plentiful along the Namibian highways, and which is full as it is noon. We walk a bit in the desert and are surprised by the number of quartz crystals and other glittering stones we see all around us. There is a weird tree that we identify as our first quiver tree and lizards are flickering all around the stones. After continuing on our way we also see our first ostrich for the day and they become more plentiful as the day passes.
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| Ostrich wandering the savannah | Lots of glittering stones |
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| First quiver tree | Lizard in quartz field |
After driving for over 100 kms through the desert we arrive at the mountains. The road becomes much more corrugated and curvy as we first ascend to a pass and then descend down to the Kuiseb wash. The roads here were washed out by the Kuiseb river quite recently during some floods and everyone had to take a much longer detour through Windhoek to make the same drive but we do not see any remnants of this. As we pass twice through the washes of the Kuiseb we stop to walk a bit and examine the flora and fauna. At one though we hear what sounds like a hyena in the distance which convinces us to move along even though we do not see anything around.
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| Kuiseb wash | Weird insect |
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| Bridge over Kuiseb wash | Another bridge over the wash |
Relatively quickly after exiting from the mountaineous area we arrive at the Tropic of Capricorn. We know that because there is a big sign stating exactly that. There is no one when we arrive so we take a few pictures and take a short hike along the imaginary line. When we return at the car there is almost a traffic jam with multiple cars stopped to take pictures of the sign.
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| Now we are entering the temperate climate zone | Traffic jam at the Tropics |
After passing the mountains the road remains corrugated but now the vegetation is more savanna like and we see lots of ostriches, zebras and springbok close to the road. The most impressive sighting is a family of ostrich with almost 12 chicken which is walking and eating near the roadway fence.
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| Ostriches in the distance | Zebras relaxing |
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| Ostrich with chicken | The whole family |
After all this excitement we arrive at Solitaire the only settlement along the way. It is actually more like a farm that evolved into a rest area with a fuel station, grocery shop and even a small restaurant that sells supposedly some great apple pies. We stop to take a look at the collection of abandoned cars and to take a look at the souvenirs.
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| This does not look encouraging | This doesn't look better |
There are lots of birds around making noises and flittering around. We rest for a bit enjoying the activity and then we start again towards Sesriem.
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| Female southern masked weaver bird | Sociable weaver |
Around 4 pm we arrive at the Namib Naukluft National Park gate. Our accomodation is inside the park intentionally as it is the only way to get to the dunes before the crowds that stay at the lodges outside the park. We check in at the gate and then continue to the Visitor Center where we again check in and pay the park entrance fee. There is a drive of 4 km to our accomodation and we see it from a distance as the cabins are tucked beneath a mountain. The parking area though is behind another hill and far away and not really visible from the reception. We unpack and because nobody is coming to get us we start walking towards the lodge. Finally we get noticed and a bus comes and picks us up. We check in and then go to our cabin...it is beautiful with a private deck and we quite like it.
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| Cabins in the distance | One of the cabins |
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| Inside the cabin | Lounge chairs to enjoy the view |
As we unpack we notice a springbok outside our patio and he is not scared even when we go outside and take pictures of him. He eats, goes for a drink and then relaxes. As it gets dark he starts some weird behaviour of gently hitting the grass with his head. It is enjoyable for once to let the wildlife come to you while you sit outside on the patio.
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| "Our" springbok | Springbok with dunes in the distance |
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| Close up of springbok | Weird springbok behavior |
While studying the springbok the sun is setting so we take a few pictures of the beautiful sunset among the dunes and mountains. Everywhere we went in Namibia we saw lots of great sunsets and today is not an exception.
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| Sunset at Sossus Dune Lodge | Last rays of the sun |
And then we have to go for dinner. We are allowed to wander around in the dark on the boardwalks and we watch the multitude of stars some of them never seen north of the equator. The dinner is included here so we each order a different menu (actually only the main dish is different). The food is great as almost everywhere till now which actually is bad news for our waistlines.
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| Nice looking appetizer | Chicken main course |
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| Beef main course | Bread pudding dessert |
After dinner we sit outside and using our personal planetarium we identify the different stars especially Alpha and Beta Centauri. Today we go to sleep early as tomorrow we have to wake up at 5 am to get in time for the sunrise at the dunes before all the other tourists. In order to do this we order a breakfast bag which will be available for pickup instead of breakfast early in the morning at the lodge.
Today we wake up early, at what has been previously 5 AM, but unfortunately in Namibia it was the night of the daylight savings change and it is actually 6 AM according to the new time. Luckily both our kayaking guide and the receptionist at the lodge mentioned this else we would have been surprised by the change. We get our breakfast pack and start driving towards Sossusvlei, first on the private road of the lodge and then on the paved road. As a background the road between the gate and the end of the paved road is about 50km long and you are not allowed on it until after sunrise unless you stay inside the park as we did. In that case you can leave early and drive stress free and catch the sunrise over the dunes which is what we intend to do. The sunrise is beautiful as we see the sun appear behind the dunes and also the dunes take different shades of red so we stop multiple times to take pictures.
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| Early sunrise along the road | Sun is appearing on the horizon |
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| Dunes in the morning light | Sunrise and moon seen from road |
As we continue down the road we pass the Tsauchab River through which valley we are driving and then the dunes come closer and closer to the road until we reach the end of the paved road. From here the only way to proceed the remaining 5 km is using 4x4 either rented or your own. The parking area is empty and quiet except for a couple crows who sit in a tree and make a racket.
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| Impressive dunes on the side of the road | Close up of dunes |
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| Old tree in the parking lot | 4x4 is needed to go further |
Our intended goal for today is Hidden Vlei for which we have to walk about 2.5 km from the regular car parking. We are a bit apprehensive about how we are going to find the trail but it is well marked with posts showing the way through the sand and washes. As we leave the parking lot we walk through sparse vegetation until even that disappears and we are left with dunes all around us while we are struggling walking through the sand.
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| Trailhead is clearly marked | Dunes along the trail |
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| Striated dunes | Lonely tree in the desert |
It is early morning and it is relatively cold while the wind is blowing sand all around us and across dunes. The sounds are quite unearthly and unsettling especially with no one else around. The views are really special with the red dunes surrounding us.
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| The wind is blowing | Dune field |
After what felt like a lot of hiking through the sand we arrive at a wash which is good news as we can finally walk a bit on the stone and of course we welcome the change in scenery. We also start to notice the many lizards that flitter on the sand dunes and between the stones in the wash.
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| Wash in the desert | Pebbles in the wash |
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| Grass on the dune side | Alert lizard |
After climbing a dune for some time we finally see Hidden Vlei (Vlei=valley) on the other side. Of course we have to climb down but it looks enticing from above so we decide to descend. We also eye a pristine dune for a climb later if we still have some energy left after investigating the Vlei. After arriving at the bottom we go and investigate what appears to be almost a labyrinth of stones carved by the floods. As we do this a crow examines us warily from the top of the stones.
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| First view of Hidden Vlei | Wonder if we should climb it |
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| There are no living trees in Hidden Vlei | Crow studying us |
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| Labyrinth in Hidden Vlei | View of dunes from Hidden Vlei |
As we return toward the trail we decide to climb the dune at least a bit... it is an interesting and exhilarating experience with one side really steep while the other one being perfect for sliding at the end of the climb. We also find a large bone that surprises us insofar as we didn't expect any large mammals that far in the dunes.
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| Climbing the dune | View from dune - much steeper than it appears |
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| Not encouraging | Hidden vlei - typical vlei |
On the return trip we keep an open eye for wildlife, mostly crows and sparrows as well lots and lots of lizards. Surprisingly we also find some flowers which we take as a sign that it rained recently even though no water is visible.
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| Flowers in the desert | Sparrows on a tree |
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| One of the many lizards we encountered | Another colorful lizard |
The parking lot is full on our return and we are happy that we were not boxed in and can exit the parking spot. In the light of the day we see Dune 45, 45 km from the park entrance, one of the better known dunes in the park which is climbed regularly by tourists as we can notice when we pass by.
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| Parking lot has filled up quite a bit | Dune 45 and climbers |
On the way back we stop at the Tsauchab Wash to walk a bit and examine the different trees. Some trees were flowering but we couldn't enjoy the area as much due to the abundance of flies in the area that didn't allow us to stop for long in one place.
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| Tsauchab wash | Another view of the wash |
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| Tree in the wash | Flowering tree |
Before returning to the car we also notice our first camelthorn tree .. the most interesting feature are the moon shaped pods that are used in quite a few artisanal objects that we noticed before and after Sesriem.
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| Camelthorn tree | Camelthorn tree pod seeds |
We also notice one of the interesting and supposedly unexplained features in Namibia - the fairy circles. A full mountainside is full of them, circles where no grass grows without any plausible cause. As the vegetation reappears the animals and birds become more common especially ostriches and oryx. As we approach the lodge on the private road we get again a great view of the individuals cabins.
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| Namibia fairy circles | Lonely oryx |
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| Ostriches enjoying the park | Cabins viewed from main road |
In the remaining daylight hours we prepare for the next day and relax after the very early start. The dinner in the evening is again very good with springbok and pork on the menu. After that we again watch the stars for some time and then retire for the night.
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| Appetizer at dinner | Pork main course |
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| Springbok main course | Dessert |
As we wake up in the morning we are surprised to see two balloons in the distance just starting to rise towards the sky. For one we can see how it is filled with hot air before being launched. Our deck appears to be a magnet for various birds singing or just preening. As we finish packing we enjoy a nice sunrise, this time from our cabin and not from the road as the day before before going to breakfast.
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| Balloons in the morning | Balloons taking off |
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| Our deck | Morning visitor |
As usual the breakfast consists of eggs and a buffet of various cheeses and hams and fruit juices and is quite good. Afterwards we try to get a porter to carry our bags to the shuttle as we were instructed to do but in the end we decide to carry them as it is easy on the boardwalk instead of waiting. The shuttle is waiting for us and another couple and it takes us to our car.
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| Breakfast at Sossus Dune Lodge | Transportation to the parking lot |
The first point of interest that we intend to visit is still inside the National Park - the Sesriem Canyon. It is a short slot canyon similar to the ones in Arizona and Utah. We first look at it from above and cannot identify any way to get down, it is steep and doesn't appear to be climbable. We are not the only ones that are looking for the descent as we meet a couple from UK who are asking us if we have seen the stairs..we had no idea that there are any stairs or if the descent is even possible. Finally we find a side canyon that drops abruptly and just when it appears to end we get to THE stairs, just a few hops down and we are in the dry river bed. The canyon is cool and empty of other people however it is full of birds that take advantage of the few puddles of water on the canyon floor. After hiking to the end of the canyon, a couple hundred meters, we return to the car and proceed out of the park.
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| Sesriem canyon from above | Start of the slot canyon |
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| Looking back | Close to the end of the canyon |
Before starting on the road however we first buy gasoline from the modern gas station next to the park and some provisions especially water. The road south is in good condition and we make good time. The vegetation changes repeatedly between no grass and dense savannah and to our right always visible are the dunes as a reminder that we are skirting the Namtib desert. There are zebras and ostriches and even oryxes that like to sit on top of some hills that appear to be constructed just for them.
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| Dunes in the savannah | Oryx on the hill |
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| Lonely road | Zebras in the distance |
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| Mountains with sparse vegetation | Aggressive lizard |
Our second point of interest for the day is Duwisib Castle. It was built in the early 1900 in two years to look like a real castle by Hansheinrich von Wolf and his wife Jayta. The building materials were imported from Europe and transported by ship and ox cart and European crafters were brought in to finish the woodwork and the stonework. We visit it only from the outside as the entrance fee is expensive and we know that it doesn't have any original furniture.
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| Quiver tree near the castle | Side of Duwisib Castle |
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| Front of castle | Swallows on a window |
On the return trip from the castle to the main road we stop at a huge weavers nest that we have seen on the way and take a few pictures of the nest and of the birds flitting between the different openings.
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| Tree with huge weaver nest | Close up of nest |
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| Sociable weaver near nest | Looking in all directions |
We leave the main road on a secondary road that continues to hug the desert. Oryx and ostriches continue to be relatively common but there are no more zebras. The road is almost empty with very few cars on the 100 km of very scenic road till our accomodation.
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| Driving near the Namib desert | Lonely oryx |
We are staying the night at the Namtib Desert Lodge which is 12 km from the main road and is a working farm with a few guesthouses. The road is one track, sandy and rutted which makes for different sets of worries..what happens if we meet someone, what happens if we get stuck, what happens if our wheels fall off? In the end all is well and the road brings us close to the mountains where the farm sits in a secluded valley.
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| Lucky we stay here for the night | One track road to the farm |
The farm looks rustic but it has all modern comforts (except Wifi but that would be a stretch that far from civilization). We park and find the reception and the friendly hostess/farm owner gives us a tour of the area and shows us to our bungalow. There is a nice succulent garden (no native cacti here but for us succulent=cacti most of the time), a large quiver tree in the middle of the courtyard and a few hiking trails through the mountains which was one of the reasons why we chose the accomodation. Moving the bags to the room is fun with a hand pulled cart...no porters here which was great news for us.
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| Entrance to the Namtib Farm | Carrying the bags |
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| Reception area | Quiver tree in the yard |
There are about 5 guest rooms in a row and all of them have bathrooms that are separated from the main room by an interior courtyard. First time that we see this setup in our travels and we assume that each guesthouse might have been the 2 houses of the hired help previously that were rebuilt so that one is the bedroom and one in the bathroom. The interior of the bedroom is interesting with a German theme as we would have expected given that the majority of tourists in the area are from Germany.
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| View of guest houses from above | Front of our cabin |
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| Inside of our room | Interior courtyard of our cabin |
For the afternoon we decide to hike the botanical loop trail. The major reason for this is that it is supposedly clearly marked with numbers that are linked to a large binder with botanical information that the hostess gave us and we are interested to learn more about the flora and fauna of the area. As we make our way to the trailhead we walk along the edge of the farm and have an occasion to spot different fowl raised on the farm especially chicken and geese.
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| Start of botanical trail | Geese at the farm |
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| Farm rooster | View of farm |
The trail starts with a sharp climb but it is well laid out with great views of the mountains and the farm. As we rest we see the goats coming in for the evening which is quite a sight...almost a stampede with purpose. We miss the initial number in the botanical trail guidebook but then we find the majority of highlighted plants and the information about the uses and dangers of the individual plants is really interesting for us. The sun is also falling towards the horizon and highlights the red rocks quite nicely.
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| Domestic goats coming home for the night | Snow bush - used for perfumed oil |
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| Rocks in the sun | Hoodia - appetite suppresant |
There are even a few flowers on the trail, it is easy to forget that while for the northern hemisphere it is the end of summer here it is the beginning of spring. The trail after climbing to the ridge is following it back towards the dry wash and it is without major altitude changes while skirting or going through rocky areas with beautiful formations.
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| Chinese lantern - root heals wounds | Flower growing between the rocks |
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| Trail through the rocks | Translucent bush |
Birds are flying all around us however we concentrate on the trail as it winds over the rocky terrain. The views are spectacular in the falling sun and we continue to be captivated by the information about the local plants contained in the folder.
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| Great view of rock formations | Red eyed bulbul |
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| Rocks everywhere | Castor oil tree |
After passing the wash we look back and see some movement. Taking out the camera which doubles also as binoculars we notice that there are a few antelopes that are interacting on the top of the opposite mountain. We identify them as klipspringers...a new antelope for us. They observe us but don't appear to care as they decide to descend towards the wash. We track them as they descend first surefooted and then more hesitant on the steep rock but they get down much faster than we could.
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| Klipspringers watching each other | Trying to fly...maybe |
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| Becoming aware of us | Looks dangerous |
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| ...but not for a klipspringer | ...or maybe it is? |
It is likely that they were going towards the maintained water catchment that we passed by or that there are pools of water further up. Later we find out that this year was one of the few years that they have seen the river flow for a few days so certainly there is no lack of water yet in the area. The trail continues through the rocky terrain and we are happy that it is well marked as even so we make a few bad turns and have to return to the trail before getting hopelessly lost (no chance of that with the GPS 😊).
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| Stop on the botanical trail | Mother in law's tongue |
Suddenly the mountains give way to the plains and the trail becomes more defined. We can see horses in the distance and the views are still beautiful. Also the plant mix has changed and we are suprised at the number of poisonous plants in the area some being invasive.
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| Plains vegetation | Communal area for wildlife |
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| Pig's ear - very poisonous | Euphorbia succulent |
The views of the mountains around us remains spectacular especially with the windmill in the foreground.
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| Mountain and windmill | Mountain in the sunset |
As we enter the wash and walk back through it toward the farm we notice an interesting collection of beat up cars. We examine them a bit more closely and wonder how the river didn't sweep them away when it was flowing.
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| Antique car park | Close up of antique car |
The sun has almost reached the horizon and rocks look like they are burning, for us this looks more like a Burnt Mountain than the one near Twyfelfontein.
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| Fiery red rocks | This looks like a Burnt Mountain |
As we arrive back at the farm in the twilight we walk to the lounge area which is on a smaller hill and allows us a view of the area that the sun has set. There is a small cave nearby and to our surprise it is inhabited. The colors at the horizon are beautiful and we sit down in the chaise lounge relaxing until it is almost time for dinner. The area is lighted by tens of candlelights which while bright in the immediate area let us sit in the darkness with our portable planetarium to gaze at what appears to be an infinity of stars.
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| View from inside the farm | Lounge area |
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| Inhabited cave | Sunset from the farm |
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| Beautiful sky colors | Main area illuminated by lanterns |
Dinner is a personal affair here and is relatively late at 8 pm. We eat with the host family; the food is great with the main course being an oryx gulash. The discussion gravitates towards schooling and land owner rights in Namibia. One thing that we were curious about and find out is that there are no school buses in Namibia and most children who live on the farms are driven to the nearby villages and cities at the beginning of the school year and stay there for the duration of the school semester. Also provisions that are not grown on the farm are hard to come by and they have to make a trip per week to the nearby village to buy stuff and to pick up any accumulated deliveries. After dinner as it is late already we crash in our beds tired after the hike through the area.
Waking up there is still time till breakfast so we take a short hike up the closest mountain to get a better view of the farm and the surrounding area. We see the goats again, this time cooped up in an enclosure and the mountains are illuminated beautifully by the sunrise. There are birds waking up and chirping in the bushes.
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| Farm from above | Interesting sculptures |
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| Goat enclosure | Close up of goats |
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| Morning light across the mountains | Bird enjoying the morning sun |
The breakfast is buffet style and quite good and then we leave going south. However before leaving the farm we pay a closer visit to the goats and take a few close up pictures.
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| Breakfast at Namtib | Packed goats |
The dirt road is empty of other cars but we notice quite a few ostriches enjoying the spring and some of them dancing in the savannah for each other or even for oryxes.
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| Ostrich showing off | Why is he dancing for the oryx? |
And then we reach a group of springboks on the road who start to run away and because the road is bounded by fences they become more and more agitated as they run away from our car. Some of them make it through the fence but the last few ones start to pronk (jump vertically) and finally stop and let us pass without continuing to run in front of us.
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| That looks dangerous | Crazy springbok |
The area is even drier than usual with the soil being cracked but there are still quite a few birds and antelopes until we reach the paved road near Aus.
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| Tractrac chat on a tree | Dry land |
Near Aus there is a cemetery from World War I when South Africa had a prisoner camp for German captives until the end of the war. We visit the cemetery and there are quite a few flowers nearby which again remind us that it is spring here.
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| Aus cemetery - general view | New graves |
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| Historic graves | Flower and quartz |
We then drive towards Luderitz for about 20 kms to see the famous wild horses at Garub. There is a really rutted side road towards the viewing area for about 1 km from the main road and to our surprise all the horses are in the viewing area so we don't have to look for them with binoculars. There are other tourists also some of whom appear to be stuck in the enclosed viewing area as to exit they would have to go through a huge horse who is waiting in front of the door.
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| The all important waterhole on the Garub plains | Horse observation deck |
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| Just sitting around | Wild Garub plain desert horses |
On the way back we stop in Aus to get gas and check the tire pressure as well buy some provisions. The town looks quite nice with a few well preserved and maintained buildings including the old church.
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| Downtown Aus | Aus church |
From Aus we drive on the paved road towards Keetmanshop. It is great to drive on pavement for some time without all the bumps and ruts and the traffic is light even here. Right before the city we pass an ostrich processing plant which is relatively new and one of the job creators in the area. After reaching Keetmanshop we drive a few more kms to the Quiver Tree Forest. It is a bit difficult to find the access and finally we park at the campground and walk to the quiver trees. It is quite impressive to see that many quiver trees together which is a rare occurance.
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| Path to the quiver trees | Quiver trees everywhere |
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| Quiver tree forest | Not only quiver trees are here |
Looking around we see some large rodents and looking more carefully we see that they are dassies one of the animals that we really wanted to see. They look lazy but their expression looks frightening sometimes so it is an interesting mixture and we are captivated by them.
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| He sure doesn't look friendly | Hope they are not carnivorous |
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| Definitely not friendly | Close up of rock hyrax (dassie) |
Our entrance fee for the Quiver Tree Forest also includes entrance to the Giants Playground which is a bit further away. This area doesn't appear to be visited often but it is quite spectacular with lots of interesting rock formations. We hike a bit following the trail through the formations and then go crosscountry back to the car.
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| Twin rock formation in Giant's Playground | Weird rock structures everywhere |
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| Wall like rock formations | View of Giant's playground |
We drive back to Keetmanshop and then towards the intersection with C12 that we take south towards the Fish River Canyon. C12 is a dirt road however it is in great shape and we can reach speeds similar to the paved road. The road is built along a train track and we can see a few abandoned train stations and other structures along the way. After leaving C12 toward Fish River the road becomes more rutted so we are more careful but still make good time.
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| Old railway station | Foundry(?) near railway station |
Tonight we stay at Canon Lodge and for the first time since we arrived in Namibia when arriving at the reception there is no one there and we have to wait for 15 minutes until somebody notices and helps us. We get a bungalow relatively far from the main building which is nice however there is another bungalow further up that has a direct view into ours and there are no drapes which makes us a bit uncomfortable. The accomodations are spread out between a few red hills and they are scenic...ours even has a boulder built into the wall.
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| Canon lodge boardwalk | Our cabin |
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| Our room | Boulder in the room - cool |
Tonight we decide to eat from our provisions on the table in front of the house and enjoy the beautiful sunset. As we are eating we notice a few birds entering our house through the roof..in the end we find out that they actually intend to sleep on the rafters and given that they are quiet we let them stay. As the darkness falls we look at the stars and planets that are out and then retreat for the night.
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| Sunset at Canon Lodge | Just below the horizon |
We are awoken by the birds that overnighted in our bungalow as they sing for a short while and then leave. After about an hour we also go outside and walk the 10 min walk to the main cabin for breakfast. The red mountains are nicely illuminated by the rising sun and there are birds in almost every tree chirping and looking active.
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| View from the bungalow | Old tree close to the main house |
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| Lots of birds in a tree | Pensive bird |
The lodge has one of the largest breakfast rooms that we have seen on this trip however the offer is very similar a buffet plus an a la carte egg dish. There is a nice large mural on the wall next to us showing the area that we have driven through the prior day and we can even see the ruined train stations where we stopped on our way. However what we like most are the sparrows that eat the crumbs from the tables and fly from room to room always following the food.
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| Breakfast room | Eggs as usual |
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| Birds are having breakfast too | Mural in dining room |
We leave the lodge driving towards Fish River Canyon our goal for the day and situated about 25 km from the lodge. The road is rutted so the going is slow. After about 10 km we reach the entrance gate and after paying the entrance fee receive a map which is really a surprise for Namibia's National Parks. We continue to the main viewing point which looks really impressive but we still do not see the canyon and are wondering if we are missing something.
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| Map of Fish River Canyon | Main canyon overlook |
But then when we climb on the viewpoint and we get blown away by the view which is very similar to the Grand Canyon. Fish River Canyon is claimed to be the second largest in the world after Grand Canyon - there is a bit of controversy on that - but even if it is not it is impressive. As we return to the car we notice a bird flying repeatedly into the car, our assumption is that it was eating insects that were stuck to the front of the car.
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| View from main viewpoint | Impressive view |
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| Bird attacking the car | Glad that baboons do not read |
Our next stop on our tour of the rim is the hiking trail viewpoint. The only hiking trail through the canyon starts here but there are strict restrictions on going down - you cannot go even on day hikes without a permit for which you need lots of things including a medical certificate of good health. The full hike takes about 5 days. We examine the hiking trail from above and take in the great views and then move on.
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| Start of the hiking trail | Guardrails protect the hikers |
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| Resting area near start of trail | Fish River in the distance |
For the next viewpoint we pass again by the main viewpoint and continue on a short very rocky road that is not shown on our map but is very used by the tourists. There is a short hike at the end to another view of the canyon where we see our first succulents of the area which otherwise is really dry.
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| Another view of canyon | Succulents near viewpoint |
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| Lots of bends in the river | Close up of water in canyon |
Last viewpoint of our tour is the Sulphur Springs Viewpoint. It is a bit off the main road which makes for more solitude and the views are great. At the bottom there is a sulphur spring where hikers camp on the 5 day trip.
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| Sulphur Springs Viewpoint | Another view from the viewpoint |
After leaving the National Park we stop at a gas station and then it is on to South Africa. After 1h we reach the paved road and then continue south towards the border. The landscape is desolate and featureless until we finally see the mountains on the South African side. Right before the crossing of the Orange River which is the border between Namibia and South Africa we see the only vineyards in Namibia that use the water from the river and the fertile soil for some supposedly good wine. And then we reach the border and are immediately lost as the border is closed due to construction and there is no clear way to proceed regarding getting the exit visa. We enter the closest building and they tell us that we need to go first in a different building and from there we get all needed stamps and approvals and get back to the car but we are still lost how to get to South Africa as the road is definitively closed. Finally an army man takes pity on us and shows us a hidden way that we can use to cross to the other side. We cross the bridge and are officialy in South Africa however we still have to pass through the border and we are a bit discouraged as there is a huge line of trucks waiting for admission. After a bit of waiting however we are waived in front of them and then complete a few forms as we move from person to person and finally enter South Africa proper.
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| First view of South Africa | Namibia's only vineyard |
The road immediately becomes curvy as it snakes through the mountains which is in contrast to the straight lines on the Namibian side and makes for a few long waits behind trucks as we try to find an opportunity to pass them. After leaving the mountains it becomes straight again and we make good time. One thing that we notice is that there are more flowers on the side of the road and stop in a rest area to take a few pictures.
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| Spring landscape in South Africa | Succulents flowering |
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| Interesting flowers | They are growing everywhere |
The largest town on the stretch of road is Springbok and this is where we have to leave the main road and drive about 20 km to Naries Namakwa through a couple of townships. We are lucky that we have a good description about how to pass through the city as for the first time in quite some time the roads are not well marked and we wouldn't have found the correct road easily. The road is paved but really curvy and it rises and falls abruptly and therefore we have to drive slower. The hills are green though and full of flowers it seems and we cannot wait to arrive and examine them closer.
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| Richer area of town | Township part |
After arriving at the reception we notice a multitude of weaver birds in the trees in front of the main house that are building their new homes and repairing the old ones and are really gregarious.
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| Time to build the nests | Resting after work |
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| Trying to hide | Weaver showing off |
To our surprise and delight we are upgraded to a separated house in the middle of the blooming flowers. The house is large with two bedrooms, two bathrooms separated by a large living room with fireplace. Outsides in the back we have a terrace with a firepit and in front we have private parking. Given the cold that we already can feel (at nightime it is near freezing temperatures) we group all heat making equipment in one room and bathroom and keep them at reasonable temperatures while the rest of the house is much colder.
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| Flower carpet near our house | Rented house - much larger than expected |
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| Interior of rented house | One of the bedrooms |
After moving our bags inside we brave the cold and go outside to take a few pictures of the flowers which unfortunately are almost closed already for the night. What we find is a nice maintained trail passing next to our cabin that we take. We don't get far as we stop at almost every step to take a pictures of the views and flowers. After darkness descends we return to our room and drive back to the main house for dinner which starts exactly at 7.
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| Maintained path through the flowers | Beautiful flowers everywhere |
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| Close up of flowers | Yellow flowers and boulder |
The dinner has probably the best presentation that we have seen on our trip and is also quite yummy. There the dining room is full and the majority of the other people are from the UK and South Africa and retired and they visited the flower area that we intend to visit the next day so we listen to their descriptions and try to get a feeling about the stage of the flowering in the Namaqualand National Park.
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| Salmon appetizer | Dinner soup |
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| Chicken curry | Lamb chops |
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| Dessert, quite good | Even better |
After dinner we return to our cabin and after some stargazing given that this is our last good opportunity in Africa we retire for the night.
In the morning it is getting warmer and after packing we first walk around the house and then do a short hike on the hiking trail near the house. The flowers are opening and it looks beautiful as we walk through the meadows.
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| House in the morning | Our grilling station |
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| View of the road from the house | Beautiful mix of flowers near house |
There are quite a few different flowers but most of them are drowned out by whatever dominant flower is in the area - in this case yellow flowers.
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| Flowers on the trail near the house | Namaqualand daisies near our home |
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| Interesting plant near house | Mix of flowers |
We stop a few times to take close ups of some of the more interesting flowers on the trail.
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| Close up of flower near house | Close up of succulent |
After the short hike we drive to the main building for breakfast and again watch the weaver birds at work as they build and improve their homes.
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| Lots of weaver birds nests in the tree | Weaver bird in the morning |
Before breakfast we check out so we don't have to return to our room afterwards. The breakfast is the usual and is quite good and filling. We can also enjoy the great view of the gardens compared to dinner when it was already dark outside.
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| Breakfast hall at Naries | Breakfast buffet |
Today we intend to visit the spring flower preserves in the area and see if we can see any good blooms. But first we stop in the town of Springbok to fill up the tank and to get some South African currency (rands) from one of the few banks in the area. We also make a few photos of the city as we pass through it on our way Goegap Nature Reserve.
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| Downtown Springbok | Springbok hotel |
Goegap is really close to Springbok and we arrive in about 10 minutes. However it takes some time to pay for the entrance as again we have to fill out some forms but we also receive information about the hiking and driving trails. In the end we decide to stop at the succulent garden and then drive the 2WD auto loop through the reserve. On the road we notice quite a few oryx on the meadows which are unexpectedly white until we identify that the color is given by a multitude of white flowers.
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| Entrance to Goegap Nature Preserve | White flowers oat Goegap |
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| Lots of oryxes on a meadow | Close up of oryxes |
As we stop at the end of the paved road we walk to the visitor center which is under construction so we can visit the succulent garden. On the way we find a weaver nest on the ground not sure if it is because of the construction or because the bird didn't build it correctly. There are also quite a few quiver trees in the area - this is the last time we see them on our trip.
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| Quiver tree | Weaver nest on the ground |
The garden is quiet and there are quite a few succulents in flower which we enjoy and snap pictures off.
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| Succulent near visitor center | Close up of succulent flower |
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| Everything is flowering | Nice contrast |
After the succulent garden we start the loop drive and it takes us close to the white meadow with the oryx. It is really impressive and quite a few of the cars in front of us stop to take pictures multiple times so the going is really slow until we can finally pass them.
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| Circular drive road | Goegap meadow |
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| White meadow with some splashes of orange | Close up of daisy |
The road goes through a pass and descends on the other side and almost immediately we see an oryx close to the road. It seems undecided but just as we pass it it decides to run in front of the car so we stop and wait for him to finish crossing. This happens a couple more time...either the oryx are suicidal or they are really dumb.
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| Oryx waiting near road | Starting to move towards road |
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| Running across the road | Resting on the other side |
On this side of the mountain the majority of the flowers are purple but there are still quite a few orange daisies in the mix.
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| Violet flowers are common on this side of the hills | Beautiful violet flowers |
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| Another type of violet flowers | Still there are some daisies |
The road now curves back over another pass and we get into orange flower territory. There are also a lot of oryx on the meadow that are enjoying the abundance of food in the area.
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| Mix of flowers on the far side of the mountains | Flower mix near road |
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| Close up of white flower | And another daisy:) |
Leaving Goegap we stop on the roadside to rest and to take a few more pictures of the multitude of flowers in the area. Our next goal is Namaqualand National Park - Skilpad Wildflower Reserve section which is one of the most reliable flower areas even though we cannot think of anything that could top what we have already seen. As we start on the dirt road towards it we rapidly change our opinion - the views of the orange daisies are mesmerizing and they are everywhere.
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| Running out of superlatives to describe this | Incredibly deep orange |
After arriving at the National Park and paying the entrance fee we stop at the visitor center and discover a hiking trail which is not described neither on the park map nor in our printed information. We start to hike and almost immediately we are in the middle of the flowers and the views are spectacular..it feels we stepped in a Van Gogh painting.
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| Hiking trail view | We are here at the right time for peak colors |
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| Trail through the meadows | View from the point of view of the flowers |
We stop almost at every step to take pictures of the flowers both as an ensemble and also individually.
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| Windmill in the meadow | Ubiquitous daisies |
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| Purple flower close up | And a yellow flower |
After some hiking we turn around and return to our car but continue snapping pictures all along the way especially of the picturesque bridge on the trail.
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| Picturesque small wooden bridge | Looking back |
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| Mix of colors | Yellow in the middle of orange |
Next we drive on the loop road through the preserve which is short if you are in a 2WD vehicle...with a 4WD there are multiple longer roads which probably are also less packed with people. Still the views are impressive even on this short loop and we still have some ways to go till our next accomodation.
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| On the way back | Animals really enjoy the bloom |
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| Getting rarer | Boulder in the middle of field |
On the return trip we notice a few sheep near a water tank - almost everywhere the grazing animals seem exhausted from the overabundance of food.
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| One last look at the flowers | Sheep near water tank |
We return to the paved road and continue south and relatively fast enter a different South African province which is marked as usual with a sign where we stop and take a few pictures.
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| South Africa province border | Caterpillar at the border |
As we approach Clanwilliam where we will stop for the night the mountains become more impressive and the road more curvy. Given the number of trucks this means multiple times that we have to wait a lot to pass, South Africans however are passing even with blind spots using death defying maneuvers.
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| View of Cedarberg mountains | Another view of the mountains |
We arrive just as darkness is falling and the room at the B&B looks great. The host is really friendly and has even reserved a table at the nearby restaurant for us..which we have to decline as we are still full and then just eat from our provisions. This is the last night outside of the Cape Town area and we enjoy the sounds of the birds nesting in the trees outside before falling asleep.
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| Clanwilliam room | Even a sofa |
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| Minibar | Rooibos tea is a specialty here |
After waking up we start packing and then go to breakfast which is a bit later in South Africa compared to Namibia. We are the first people in the breakfast room so we get very personal service in the small breakfast room. There is also a small souvenir shop with interesting souvenirs including rooibos tea. Everywhere on our trip we had rooibos tea for breakfast so being in the heart of the rooibos producing area we splurged on a few packs of tea.
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| Breakfast buffet | Breakfast eggs |
Stepping outside we have time to admire the bird feeding area with lots of interesting birds and the huge tame parrot that is the mascot of the inn. There are also the three dogs that try to eat the scraps that fall from above when not running outside to play in the main street area.
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| Birds at feeder | Southern Red Bishop at feeder |
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| Parrot eating | Dog eating bread |
Having arrived after sunset the previous day this is our first chance to see the buildings and courtyard and take a few pictures. There are a few really old trees where birds have overnighted and it looks like a relaxing place however we have to move on towards Cape Town the final stop of our trip.
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| Room from distance | Close up of room |
First however we do a side trip through the mountains and we stop at the grave of a well known South African poet C. Louis Leipoldt who wrote in Afrikaans, the grave is nicely and quietly placed in an alcove in the mountains.
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| Descriptive information | Grave of well known poet |
The views are nice along the highway with red boulders lining the highway and the mountains.
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| Cedarberg mountains view | Cedarberg formations |
We arrive at our goal, the Traveller's Rest Farm, where we pay the entrance fee for the Sevilla Rock Art Trail. This is a self guided trail that goes to a series of well known petroglyphs in the Clanwilliam area. But first we have to go back on the paved main road from the parking area and cross the fast flowing river to get to the trail entrance.
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| Brandewyn River | Highway composition |
The trail entrance is well marked and we even have a pamphlet provided by the farm showing the location of the pictographs and a brief explanation for each of them.
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| Our goal - Sevilla Rock Art Trail | Trail map |
The start of the trail is beautiful through meadows full of flowers and then across a flat rock area full of small holes filled with water. Close to the beginning we meet the only other 2 people that we met across our hike of about 8 km (5 mi) which was great but surprising given the publicity for the trail and the number of tourists eating breakfast at the nearby farm.
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| Trail through meadow | And on outcroppings |
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| Flowers near trail | Close up of flower |
The rocks create pools and caverns near the trail which look interesting and we explore them as we hike towards the pictographs. It is quiet and a bit hot but we enjoy both the flora and the fauna of the area as well as the beautiful sights. The trail is well marked and even has interpretative descriptions of the different plants on the trail.
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| Natural water basin | Cave but no petroglyphs |
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| Desolate rock surface | Plant description |
The mix of flowers changes from the yellow at the beginning of the trail to purple with beautiful meadows especially near the river. Lizards are everywhere some of them larger but most of them small always hiding in the rock crevices near the trail.
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| Flowers near trail | Close up of purple flower |
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| Sunning wizard | Wedged wizard |
The first petroglyphs are about 1 km into the trail and there are 2 panels close by. The most interesting in our opinion was the one showing some dinosaurs/monsters...proof positive that the San people lived with dinosaurs..if you want to believe that😊. The method of drawing was different from what we have seen to date in Europe and USA with a lot more focus on people. That doesn't mean that there were no animals but the majority including the weird black painting were focused on people or groups of people.
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| Dinosaurs as depicted by the San people :) | More reasonable animals |
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| Headless humans... | Dark colors are rarely used |
As we continue along the trail we see multiple other panels depicting humans hunting as well as dancing but the one that stands out as different from all the others is the one where two elephants are depicted in faded yellow color.
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| Humans(?) dancing | And hunting |
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| Carrying the loot | Faded yellow elephants |
The other dominant feature on the panels especially of the ones toward the end of the trail are the depiction of hands, children's as well as adults' which is most common in the area of pictographs drawn right onto an alcove which seems to have been lived in.
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| Hand pictograph found almost everywhere on the globe | Weird animals |
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| One of the many shelters | Lots of black paint hands |
The last panel of the trail before we have to return as the river is uncrossable further on due to flooding is interesting as it seems that some birds are overnighting above the panel and are eroding the paintings with their droppings. Multiple things were tried but in the end they just placed an absorbent surface so it doesn't splash onto the paintings and were requesting feedback if it is working.
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| Last stop pictograph location | Anti bird protection |
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| Well preserved | Artistic representation of humans |
On our return hike we do not have to focus on finding the petroglyphs so we can enjoy the yellow meadows all around us. There are lots of birds and bugs but no mosquitoes fortunately.
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| Flowers near the trail | And a huge beetle |
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| Yellow flowers everywhere | Impressive |
The flora is varied and also the landscape is changing at a moment's notice from wide expanses to small canyons with plants clinging to walls and rocky areas.
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| Plants growing in a rock hole | View through a hole |
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| Purple flowers | Resting bird |
The mix of flowers changes seemingly at every step with yellow giving way to purple and red it almost looks like a crazy gardener has arranged the flower mix so you cannot get bored with the flower colors surrounding you.
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| Large bush near trail | Colorful flower mix |
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| Close up of flowers | Red flowers near trail |
The red takes over for a short while with nice views across the meadows.
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| How can they grow here | Weird plant |
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| View near trail | Red flower carpet |
But then it is back to yellow with a vengeance, there is yellow everywhere with small patches of red and violet.
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| Dead tree in sea of yellow | Beautiful trail |
Just before exiting the trail we make an involuntary side trip to the riverside as we miss a turn on the trail ...lucky we did so as it is a beautiful area. As we return to the trail we also see a few dassies checking us out...they look unhappy but non aggressive.
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| View of river | Another water hole |
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| Friendly (not) dassie | Turning away - phew |
After finishing the trail we hurry towards Cape Town...actually we think we hurry but everyone else is thinking we are going too slow and passing us in permitted and non permitted areas along the road. We notice as we approach Cape Town that the traffic is up and the people respecting traffic rules is down so you have to be extra careful especially when a big truck is approaching at high speed from behind. After entering Cape Town we are happy that we have some directions as there are lots of freeways with hard to reach exits given that with our luck we arrived during Friday evening rush hour. Entering Cape Town is easy but exiting it it is stop and go as we approach our destination Simons Town which is on the only major coastal highway down the Cape Peninsula where quite a few people are going for the weekend. But everything is forgotten as we stop in the parking lot of the hotel and we spot our first penguins sitting in the bushes and looking inquisitively towards us.
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| Penguins on rocks at sunset | Settling in for the night |
The hotel is the worst one we stayed in during our trip not necessarily when looking at it by itself but certainly when looking in comparison. We knew that however having penguins just outside the door really outweighs the fact that the warm water does not work and that the refrigerator is a store refrigerator with a huge Coca Cola advertisement that lights garishly the room. The hotel also has a restaurant where we order the sea platter (when in Rome do as the Romans do) which is fresh but average tasting and the steak which is also average.
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| Seafood dinner | And a steak |
After going back to our room and unpacking as well as charging our electronics we hear the penguins all around us. They are not called jackass penguins without a reason as it feels we are surrounded by donkeys. We exit the room once to search for one and we find it a bit further in the front of a hotel room...we do not approach so we do not scare him. After our long drive we go to sleep...tomorrow it is penguin day.
After a night during which we woke up a few times to the braying of penguins both in front and behind our room we went out to the nearby terrace restaurant where we had our free breakfast. The view was nice and the food was good but the most interesting encounter was the hotel cat coming and sitting in our laptop case. We had to use the laptop here given that the Wifi connection was not working in the room but at least we got as a prize a black cat. The cat was very friendly and did not want to leave the laptop case until the server decided to take her away. Afterwards we went to the nearby gift shop which had quite a few interesting gift ideas most of them related to penguins and sharks.
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| Hotel from distance | Sleeping in our laptop bag |
The plan for the morning is to visit the nearby Boulder and Foxy Beach and the area between them that is supposedly full of penguins. The whole area is part of Table Mountain National Park and our hotel is right next to it so we simply walk to Boulder Beach after paying the entrance fee. To our surprise and delight immediately we see three penguins exit the water and waddle next to us up towards the bushes. There are also Egyptian Gooses which seem to ignore the penguins and just sit on some boulders.
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| View of lagoon | Boulder beach penguins |
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| Waiting penguin | Goose on rock |
The beach is pretty small so we decide to go towards Foxy Beach on the raised boardwalk. While returning towards the boardwalk we meet an unsure penguin that is stuck on the paved trail; in the end he decides to jump in the bushes where we notice other hidden penguins and birds.
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| Unsure penguin met on trail | Curious Cape Robin Chat |
The boardwalk has a fence to avoid people going into the penguin area and while at first we don't notice any penguins after a bit of walking we start to see more and more. It is fun to see penguins in a forest it is not something that we expected but they seem at home between the trees. On the other side of the trail there are beautiful gardens and what we think are really expensive houses.
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| Huge house near trail | Flowers close to trail |
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| So we should not catch penguins...I guess:) | Penguins from trail |
There are a few overlooks where we can see Boulders Beach from above and the penguins playing in the water and outside. The views of False Bay are quite nice and we enjoy stopping and just looking at the view.
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| Our trail linking two beaches | Overall view |
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| Penguins entering water | Swimming without a care in the world |
And then suddenly we notice there are plastic barrels on the penguin side. Initially we think that it might be some bad littering but then we understand that they are artificial burrows for penguins as we see penguins entering and exiting them and chicks standing at the entrance of a few of them. We notice also a few natural burrows but they seem at a premium and that might be the reason why the barrels were added.
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| Artificial houses for penguins | Lots and lots of them |
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| Usage rate seems to be high | Natural dwelling |
And yes to our surprise there are penguin chicks around and we see quite a few both in the forest and on the beach later. It seems not all of the penguins know when the breeding period is...which is just fine with us.
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| Resting penguins | Chick in front of house |
After the 1h walk on the boardwalk through the forest we arrive at the second beach, Foxy beach. The ticket from Boulders Beach also works here and we enter first the visitor center and then move on to the beach. First there are a lot of bushes which seem to teem with penguins but they are difficult to spot...not so difficult to hear though.
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| Entering the second part of the park | Spot the penguins |
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| Pair of penguins | Penguins meeting geese |
The beach is full of penguins further away but there are also quite a few close to us some of them with chicks enjoying the beach and the sun.
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| Nice beach taken over by penguins | Protecting the chick |
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| Still like the rocky areas more | Sunning themselves |
The penguins are not the only birds on the beach though. There are quite a few oystercatchers on the boulders and some Egyptian Geese hidden between the bushes.
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| African black Oystercatchers | Close up of Oystercatcher |
Some of the penguins play near the water, they enter it, swim a bit around and then run out of it. It is really funny and there are quite a few photographers trying to capture a special picture of the penguins.
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| Entering the water | First dive |
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| Swimming freely | Exiting the water |
After returning back to the hotel we take the car and drive it to the Cape of Good Hope section of the Table Mountain National Park. The ticket from Boulders Beach does not grant us entry here so we have to pay again for entrance. The park is quite busy but not on our first stop, a short nature trail near the road. It is quite a nice trail through a rocky area and a good chance to get acquinted to the flowering fynbos in the area.
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| Desolate landscape in the Cape Peninsula | Trail through rocks |
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| Flowering fynbos near trail | Close up of fynbo |
But in the end the vast majority of the visitors are driving to the Lighthouse area and that is what we are also doing. But on the way we stop a few times to marvel at the views of the cliffs and the multitude of the flowers and fynbos near the road.
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| Lighthouse | Great view of ocean |
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| Wild kahla | And some wild orchids |
The lighthouse area is the developed area in the National Park with a few gift shops and restaurants. We decide to eat a pizza as late lunch and it is quite good. There are a lot of signs about the danger of the baboons trying to get to the food but we do not see any.
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| Visitor center from afar | Train up to the lighthouse |
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| Visitor center and shops | Our lunch |
And we understand why there are no baboons as soon as we start a short hike on a nearby trail... there is an electric fence around the visitor area which keeps them out. Outside we feel more exposed but we do not see any baboons. What we see are birds and lizards and some beautiful views of the coastline. There are also flowering fynbos everywhere.
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| View from trail | Vegetation near trail |
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| Flowers close to the trail | And one lizard |
After leaving the lighthouse area we stop at a whale viewpoint. While it is the whale season we do not see any but we enjoy the views of the cliffs and fishing boats in False Bay.
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| View from Whale Viewpoint | Looking down |
And then it is off towards the Cape of Good Hope which is another branch of the road going down the peninsula. However we get detoured by what seems an out of place sighting as we see ostriches walking near the ocean. And not only one but a whole group of ostriches seems to be eating right next to the Atlantic Ocean.
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| Ostriches enjoying the spring flowers | Lonely ostrich |
And then we arrive at the Cape of Good Hope sign and understand where all the tour buses are as the area is chock full of visitors. Most of them take only a picture at the sign which makes it really busy but the surrounding area looks still wild and untamed and you can understand how the Portuguese felt when they first arrived here and assumed that they are at the southern tip of Africa (which actually is not true).
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| Cape of Good Hope | Ocean at the Cape of Good Hope |
As we return back north from the southernmost point of our trip we stop at a roadside parking lot to take a short hike to the ocean and view some tidal pools. The trail is beautiful with a vigilant ostrich near the trail and lots of fynbos on both sides of the trail.
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| Trail through fynbos | Ostrich near beach |
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| View of fynbos | Mix of flowers |
There are interesting rock formations to see and flowers to smell as well as interesting tidal pools to explore so we enjoy the area and take picture after picture of the different landscapes.
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| Beautiful fynbo hill | Close up of fynbos |
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| Ocean view | Purple flowers |
And what is a day without dassies? Here we have our last look at some dassies who look at us with their patented look of indifference and disgust.
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| Resting dassie | He thinks he is hidden |
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| Unhappy dassie | Close up of almost cute dassie |
As the sun starts to fall towards the horizon we have to return to the gate as the park closes at sunset. But on the way we stop at a few historical sites including the two crosses in the honor of two well known Portuguese navigators who discovered the way to Asia around Africa.
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| Diaz Cross | Da Gama Cross |
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| Description of monuments | General view of monument |
After returning to Simon's Town we take a short stroll through downtown and even though most stores are closed on Sunday we find an open grocery store to buy some provisions for the remaining days in South Africa. Downtown has a lot of good looking houses but looks a bit beaten down.
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| Downtown Simon's town | Central hotel |
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| One of the historical buildings | Special sign |
In the evening we prepare for our move tomorrow to the last accomodation in our trip near downtown Cape Town and try to understand how many rand we still have and whether we still need to exchange some for the last couple days. Of course we also exit a few times to see the penguins overnighting in the hotel courtyard and behind the hotel who give themselves away through the constant braying which we are starting to get used to actually and does not disturb us at night.
This is the last morning in Africa outside of Cape Town and we eat our eggs (what else?) on the terrace overlooking the bay. Unfortunately the cat doesn't do a repeat visit of the laptop bag while we check the weather forecast and are a bit dismayed by the fact that there is a 50% chance of rain for the day.
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| Eggs at breakfast | Breakfast omelette |
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| Parking lot in front of the hotel | View from terrace |
As we start to move the luggage to the car we see a bit of movement in the foliage next to our door and checking a bit more carefully we discover that a penguin overnighted there and is unhappy that we discovered him. He does all kind of movements which should be threatening but we think are quite cute. Now we know why we heard donkey-like noises all night in front of our door.
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| Hidden penguin | Trying to stay hidden |
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| Defensive penguin | Weird pose of penguin |
The drive north towards Cape Town is short on the map but slow going as the route is always choke full of cars. The fact that it rains sometimes torentially on the way also does not help but we still arrive around 11 AM at our last accomodation for our trip, Abbey Manor in Cape Town. We are a bit stressed about the fact that we are there hours before the official check in time and hope they will at least let us store the luggage while we visit the downtown area. We had similar problems in Europe and always had to wait for hours until the room opened up - here however it is different. The host is really friendly and tells us that a room is already prepared and leads us to it. The room is great and certainly one of the best we had during our trip and it also has a terrace with a great view of downtown Cape Town and Table Mountain.
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| Room at Abbey Manor | Private terrace door |
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| Bathroom | View from terrace |
While we go crazy taking pictures of the views from the terrace we notice that the rain has stopped so we decide to try our luck and go downtown to visit the major tourist sights.
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| Table Mountain in the clouds | View from the terrace |
We park centrally and after exiting the covered garage are a bit surprised by how empty the streets are. It is Sunday of course but still it feels like a US downtown and not any African or European downtown we have seen. There are however lots of interesting buildings to gawk at as we walk toward the center of the tourist area the Company Gardens.
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| Downtown Cape Town | Seemingly abandoned street |
The Company that is alluded in the Company Gardens name is of course the Dutch East India Company which basically owned Cape Town for hundreds of years and first started the garden in 1652. The garden was used for the resupplying of their ships that plied the spice trade route between Europe and the East Indies via The Cape of Good Hope. As we get to the southern edge of the Gardens area there are already a few historical buildings, the Slave Lodge and the St George Cathedral. The Slave Lodge is where they housed around 9,000 slaves across a century and a half until slavery was outlawed in the 19th century. The building afterwards served as government offices for another century and now it is a museum dedicated to slavery. We do not visit it today but we visit the exhibit below St George Cathedral about apartheid. St. George Cathedral was a focal point of the battle against apartheid with the first black archbishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu being one of the leaders of anti-apartheid for which he received the Nobel Prize for Peace.
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| Entrance to an apartheid expo | Slave Lodge - a downtown museum |
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| St. George Cathedral | St George interior court |
The next stop on our tour is the South African Parliament, the government offices are split across 3 cities with the parliament being located in Cape Town. However soon we are inside the Gardens and we are surprised by the number of squirrels inside the park as well as some whimsical details like the faucet in the tree.
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| Government Ave towards Company Gardens | South African Parliament building |
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| Whimsical sculpture | One of the many squirrels |
There are also beautiful flower formations and quite a few statues including one of Rhodes an important person in South African history and also the founder of De Beers.
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| Company Garden flowers | Bird of paradise flowers |
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| Company Garden View | Rhodes statue |
There are also birds everywhere including at a small aviary in the middle of the Gardens. Interestingly it seemed like a white finch like bird escaped the aviary and now was frantically trying to get back in to food and safety with no luck it seemed.
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| Hadeda ibis | Egyptian goose |
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| Turtle dove | Bird trying to reenter bird exhibit |
Close to the other end of the Company Gardens there are multiple museums including the National Museum and the National Gallery but most of them are closed. Given that it doesn't rain anymore it doesn't really matter as we wanted to visit as much as we could on foot anyway during our only full day in Cape Town.
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| South African National Gallery | Iziko South African Museum |
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| Company Garden boulevard | Exit from Company Garden |
One of the most common birds in the park to our surprise is the Egyptian Goose. We see multiple ones on the roofs and in the trees and even a few with a multitude of cute little chicks.
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| Egyptian goose with chicks | One in a tree - interesting |
Getting back into the more modern area of Cape Town and walking towards the Castle of Good Hope we notice all the high rise buildings which sometimes are mixed with older buildings creating an interesting mix of building styles. As we walk along we notice a beautiful older building that we identify from our map as being the City Hall.
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| Cape Town building | Old time high rise |
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| Old and new facades | Cape Town City Hall |
Right before the Castle however there is a large mostly empty parking lot which we find quite bizarre given that land seems to be at a premium in Cape Town. There is a small market and a few cars parked but else it is an unexplained puzzle for us. At least we know that from the balcony of the City Hall Nelson Mandela made his first speech after being liberated from jail and the crowd was obviously gathered in this square.
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| Market area | Mountains in the clouds |
The castle is not as impressive as we expected from the pictures but it has a nice entrance over a moat guarded by two lion statues and quite a few museums inside.
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| Entrance to Castle of Good Hope | Main entrance |
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| Detail on entrance | Interior courtyard |
Next we return to our car and drive to the V&A (Victoria&Albert) Waterfront. One of the interesting sights we notice on the way is a half constructed bridge that seems to stand like that for some time maybe even from the World Cup period.
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| Train station | Unfinished road bridge |
The waterfront is a shopping area that we visit thoroughly with multiple malls and art exhibits. It also has the Nobel Square which shows the 4 South African Nobel Price winners and behind it a futuristic construction out of Legos that showcases the medals won at the Summer Games.
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| Important figures in South African history | Olympic medals statue |
There are also lots of birds both natural and artificial.
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| Dove walking | Penguin at the Wharf |
We end the day at a restaurant that was recommended to us at the hotel and it is quite good especially given that we ordered the meat sampler for 2 with everything from ostrich to springbok, impala and kudu.
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| Meat lovers paradise | Where to start? |
After arriving back at the hotel we spend some time on the terrace taking pictures of the beautifully lighted city below us before packing for our long trip back to the US.
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| Nighttime view in front of Abbey Manor | Downtown Cape Town |
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| Wharf view | Table Mountain in the darkness |
After waking up the first thing that we do is go to the roof terrace for a panoramic view of the area. On the way up we notice the drawings on the wall of the Manor throughout its history. The views from the top are beautiful and we enjoy the cool and sunny weather until we have to go down for breakfast.
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| Drawing of Abbey Manor | Table Mountain in the sun |
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| View of neighborhood | Docks in the distance |
Today we have more time to examine the interior decorations which are quite interesting. We wander around until we find the breakfast room where for the first time in some time we can order something different than eggs - crepes and pancakes.
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| Breakfast buffet | And handmade crepes |
Before leaving the room we enjoy the views from the terrace one last time and leave our luggage downstairs as we go again downtown this time to visit a few shops and museums that were closed the day before.
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| Abbey Manor from front | Table mountain and pool |
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| Terrace view | Cape Town in the distance |
Downtown is bustling with people today and it feels more lively than the day before. We enter a mall and sample a few stores and even buy a few things which leads to a bit of confusion when entering a different store as the security guard insists and in the end staples our shopping bag for safety. One of the interesting things inside the mall is the archaelogical dig where they discovered one of the early water canals of the Dutch and preserved it behind a protective glass.
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| Downtown with more people | Archaeology in the mall |
After our sample shopping we go back towards the Company Gardens and this time enter the St George Cathedral. Surprisingly it is almost empty and we can visit it thoroughly including the interior courtyard.
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| Interior of St George | Looks to be in Gothic style |
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| Interior courtyard | Plaque with names of bishops |
Next we visit the Slave Lodge which describes the history of slavery in South Africa and Cape Town especially. It is educative and pretty sombering especially when reading the newspaper announcements regarding escaped slaves and the punishments they received.
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| Entrance to the Slave Lodge | Slave trade routes map |
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| Historical model of building | Fugitive slave announcement |
But the Museum is not only about slavery it also has sections with silverware, insignia, history of Francmasons in Cape Town, toys and even a whole section dedicated to an old white and black movie about the Zulu made in the 1930s by an Italian filmmaker which is really interesting. They also have on loan the table where the slavery abolition treaty was signed for the United Kingdom - an important part of history also for South Africa.
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| Historic table | Interesting toy |
Our next stop is the National Museum where the most well known section is the petroglyph section. This section has a lot of slabs of rock with petroglyphs from different locations in South Africa and Namibia collected before this was viewed as a desecration of the original sites. Some of them are really interesting especially with the accompanying explanatory descriptions. There is also a section about the different tribes in South Africa which was created quite some time ago with a warning note that this is not reflective of current conditions and that it was created during the apartheid regime to showcase the fact that the tribes are out of step with modern civilization. We also visit the stuffed animal part of the museum and then go to the Museum restaurant to have a quick late lunch before driving to the airport.
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| Lunch at the National Museum | And our dessert |
After getting our luggage from Abbey Manor we fill up the tank and then we drive again through rush hour traffic towards the airport. At least after a few days we are used to the driving here and arrive in due time to the airport. The car rental return is uneventful and after quite a walk we arrive at the airport building. There is lots of confusion where we should check in but there is more than enough time for us to check in bags and pass through security and border control. Inside we decide to use up most of our remaining rands and go on a shopping spree through the airport shops buying lots of souvenirs including a painted ostrich egg. And then our flight is called and to our regret we have to start on our long return back to the USA....but we will return😊.
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| On the way to airport | Airport |
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