Namibia Trip Report: 5 May – 3 June 2008

Gerard (aka chukkie) & Erna Schuite

The idea of this trip started 6 months prior to our departure. Being the first trip of this nature a lot of research and planning went into the route. Thinking back I figure that maybe the planning and bookings were to rigid, leaving no room to change plans as we travelled. Won’t make that mistake again!

We travelled with a Nissan HardBody 2.4i 4x2 and an Echo 3 off-road trailer.

Day 1 - Orange River Lodge

We crossed the border into Namibia at Vioolsdrift. The border post was a bit busy and on the SA side sending sms’s were more important than helping the public. On the Namibian side the personnel were more interested in taking their tea break than assisting their fellow officers in getting the visitors sorted. Well 55 minutes later we were cleared and on our way to our first destination – Orange River Lodge. The personnel were friendly and helpful. Because we decided to stay in the lodge they provided a power point for the trailer to keep the fridge ticking. We did drive down to the river to have a look at the camp site, but were glad that we opted for the room.

Day 2 – Klein Aus Vista

We took the C13. The road was good and the scenery magnificent. Half way there we started to realise that this bakkie was the wrong choice for the trailer as we spent more time driving in 3^rd and 4^th than in 5^th gear.

The reception at Klein Aus was friendly; the ablutions clean with solar lights and gas geysers. The campsites are scattered between the trees thus you have a sense of privacy. A drink at the bar in the main building at sunset is a must! Good choice for a stand-over on your way to the North.

Day 3 & 4 – Luderitz

Although many asked why do you want to go there? The answer we gave was “To see for ourselves what the place is like”. And were we glad we did. It was an experience that we will always remember but then I must also mention that the likelihood of us visiting Luderitz again is very slim.

Saw the wild horses on our way there. During the planning of this trip we read about the wind and camping at Shark island and decided that we will rather stay at a B&B. It was too early in the trip to sit with a torn tent. Well we could have camped as there was no wind during the two days that we were there. Our choice for the B&B was Haus Sandrose. Friendly, clean and quite comfortable. There are many books on the market that mention places to visit such as Kolmanskuppe, Ritzi’s to name but two. We visited a lot of them and we must agree that each one was worth the visit.

Just a note; if fresh milk is important to you make sure you take your own supply as the shops only receive fresh milk on Wednesdays. During our stay the shops (all 3 of them) were sold out and the delivery truck never arrived.

Day 5 to 8 – Sesriem

Unfortunately visiting Luderitz there is only one way to Sesriem and that is the way you came up to Aus. Approximately 4Km past Aus is the turn-off to Helmeringshauzen. It’s a dirt road and the condition (when we travelled it) was not that good.

The camp at Sesriem has been renovated and the ablutions increased to 2 blocks. A generator powers the lights and geysers although no power at the campsites. Other facilities include a bar, swimming pool and a small shop which sells the basics and freshly baked bread on a daily basis. There is also fuel available and a tyre repair workshop. However it did happen during our stay that they ran out of fuel for a day.

The camp sites itself is nice, each with its own “kraal muur” and tree although here was the final nail in the bakkies coffin. Got stuck in the sand in front of our camping spot and not being 4x4 caused much digging, pushing and unhitching of the trailer.

Sesriem canyon was a bit of a disappointment as it was partially filled with water. Remnants of the good rains in February. The road to Soussosvlei and Deadvlei (60Km) is tarred and maintained by the Namibian Road Authority. Pleasure to drive. Visiting these attractions is worth the distance.

And then, most probably the highlight of our trip was the hot air balloon ride over the desert. Yes, it is expensive!, but if you can afford it then do it. For us this was an unreal experience.

Deadvlei – you better be fit, it’s a long walk so take some water with. The taxi’s that operate there for those that don’t have 4x4 vehicles are a bit expensive but still beats walking the distance.

Day 9 to 12 – Swakopmund

The dirt road was not too bad, although be careful in the dips for soft sand. After all the dust it was actually a pleasure driving the distance between Walvis and Swakop on tar.

We decided before hand that this stop would be our first point to get every thing organised again in the trailer and do some washing thus we opted for the municipal bungalows to rest our heads at night. We had dinner at The Tug restaurant. We should consider ourselves lucky as you normally have to book a month or so in advance. Sitting on the deck waiting we watched this magnificent sunset.

The next day we went for a 2 hr drive in the desert on quad bikes – fantastic! The rest of the morning was used shopping for supplies for the rest of the trip. That afternoon we went for a camel ride. The 2 camels, Olga & Didi did an excellent job shaking us loose and work up a good appetite.

The next morning we set of to Walvis Bay for a boat trip. At first we floated for half an hour in the harbour waiting for another couple that booked but never pitched. We were entertained by Ottie the seal that came onboard to beg for some fish and the pelicans flying alongside the boat also hoping for a bite to eat. Then we set of for more open seas and man what an experience. Dolphins swimming alongside the boat as if guiding it to its destination. On the way back to the harbour we had oysters and champagne. The rest of the day was spent visiting places of interest and lazing around the cabin. Supper and some beers at the Bacchus Taverne is also a must in Swakop.

Day 13 – Aba-haub

Aba-haub, what can I say except that hopefully we will never camp here again, at least not by choice.

Visited the organ pipes, burned mountain and the bushman paintings.

Day 14 – Camp Xaragu

I know it is only 20 odd kilometres from our previous camp, but we were convinced by a friend prior to the start of the trip that we must visit this camping spot. I am not sure how well known this camp is thus here are the directions:

When we arrived we were greeted by Max, the manager. The campsite is neat with clean ablutions and warm water showers. The generator only operates during the day and at night they use lanterns in all the facilities, which create a fantastic atmosphere.

After we pitched camp we had a refreshing cold drink (water!) at the bar and drove to the Petrified Forest. Interesting and worth the drive. On our return we were entertained by the camp baboon, Maxwell and his comical acts with the hosepipe. Later that afternoon we went on a game drive to see if we could find the elephants, and yes, we eventually found them. Unfortunately the light started to fade and we had to return to camp.

This is definitely a camp site that we will visit again.

Day 15 – Okaukuejo (Etosha)

Okaukuejo is a big camp but still well maintained and the ablution facilities clean and spacious. We left the trailer at the campsite and first went for a drive –around doing some wildlife spotting. As we had some credit with NWR we had supper at the restaurant. The food was excellent; chicken, beef, springbok with vegetables, tomato soup, salads and desert with coffee.

After supper we walked to the floodlight lit waterhole and saw rhino, loin, giraffe and jackal taking turns to drink some water. Wish I had a camera with the ability to take pictures at night without a flash. Then it was of to bed after a long day.

Day 16 – Halali (Etosha)

The drive to Halali was not that bad although the dirt road could do with some maintenance. For the rest it was OK and we saw some jackal, rooi hartebeest and lots and lots of springbuck. It would seem that Halali is not a favourite stop-over as we had the choice of 40 sites to pitch tent. The waterhole was a bit of a disappointment as only a rhino made an appearance for a sip of water.

Day 17 – Namutoni (Etosha)

On our way to this camp we saw some game and birds AND some arsholes driving way over the speed limit. All they achieved was creating lots of dust and missing all the scenery. Namutoni is an old camp and in some ways it shows although NWR is busy renovating. Campsite wise it is OK. The waterhole is a total waste as it is 80% covered by reeds. In any event if any animal was on its way to the water they were scared away by the noise of drunken tourists keeping quiet.

Day 18 & 19 – Tsumeb

We camped at the municipal camp site. When we arrived it looked fantastic, lots of trees and green grass, but to keep a long story short after the first night we felt so insecure. I am not sure if it was the security guard with the double barrel shotgun that could not speak or understand Afrikaans nor English or the fact that somebody turned off the water supply without notice resulting in us leaving the campsite and booking into a B&B in town for the second night in this town. We most probably would have left altogether was it not for fact that we could only get our washing back at 16h00 and by then it was too late to travel to our next destination.

Day 20 to 22 – Gross Barmen Hot Springs (Okahandja)

Our next destination was suppose to be Acacia Park in Otjiwarongo but the moment we saw the campsite the memories of the first night in Tsumeb came rushing back and we just kept on driving. We did stop for some coffee at the German Bakery & Coffee Shop.

We decided to stay 3 nights at Gross Barmen just so that we could get back on schedule. Not much to do here except rest and swim. The inside pool averaged a water temp of 38 degrees. There is a large craft market in Okahandja but due to the public holiday (Africa Day) it was closed as they were in some meeting. Bought some biltong for the family and friends at home and the rest of the time we just rested.

Day 23 & 24 – Areb Busch Lodge campsite – Windhoek

Nice camp, although they mostly cater for chalets. The campsites, 18 of them, each has a shade net cover. The ablution is another story. It is not that they are inadequate or dirty; on the contrary they are super clean and kept that way on an almost 24 hour basis. The story is actually the fact that the lady side has a bath, and then you get these people that fill it to the brim with hot water – the result: the rest of the camp is without hot water for a couple of hours. Very inconsiderate!!

Windhoek in our opinion is a “deurmekaar” town, with not much to offer for a tourist/ visitor except eat and drink. As for the castles, we couldn’t find one, the second was converted to a hotel and the third was only viewable from a distance. The only must in the town is Joe’s beer house (S22 33.066 E017 05.437). Lots of atmosphere, culture, history and excellent food (bushman braai!). Just book in advance to ensure a table.

Day 25 – Hardap Dam – Mariental

Another NWR site and another disappointment. Rundown and hardly any maintenance. Blown power points to broken windows.

The reason for our stay there was to visit the nature reserve; however Nam-Water closed the dam wall for “repairs” a couple of months ago and apparently nobody knows when it will open again. Well that’s it!

Day 26 – Quiver Tree Forest Rest camp – Keetmanshoop

The campsite is quite nice, unfortunately no grass but each site has electricity and depending on the number of campers one could assume a private ablution facility. Clean and neat.

The Giants Playground is very dominating when you walk between the stacked boulders! You could get lost very easily if you don’t follow the route markers. The Quiver Tree Forest is equally impressive and quite unique.

16h00 we went to the main building to view the feeding of the cheetahs. They are in captivity only to survive and live out their natural life.

Day 27 & 28 – Hobas Camp- Fish River Canyon

The camp itself provides the bare minimum and like most of the NWR sites lack in maintenance. It is quite obvious that this is more a stopover camp for those walking the canyon. The views are magnificent but that’s it.

What we did find was this fantastic campsite at the Canyon Roadhouse, 14Km from Hobas. It’s clean and neat and it seemed that each site had electricity and the bar is filled with “anything” the owner finds next to the road.

Here you can buy petrol and enjoy an ice cold beer.

This was our last camp for this trip and what a memorable trip this has been for us. This might have been the first but definitely not the last! We learned a lot with regards to what we took along that was unnecessary and what to pack for our next trip

General

As mentioned before during our travels we made the decision that the 2.4 bakkie had to go on our return to South Africa. This happened and with it our fuel and distance travelled log. Unfortunately we realised this a bit late and after making some enquiries at the dealer it was reported as “mislaid”, thus for this trip no proper distances and any fuel consumption detail.

As we travel we learn and this trip had a very steep learning curve.