Month: August 2016

Day 117: Etosha National Park – Day 1

So, Africa is known as a great honeymoon destination, as we can totally see why: the scenery is stunning and the accommodations are actually far more luxurious than we expected. Considering the amount of time and money one must spend to visit Africa, it makes sense that many Americans would only be able to justify the trip for a special occasion like a honeymoon. We’ve run into many honeymooners on our trip, and most people we meet assume they we are on our honeymoon as well.

Which leads us to one aspect of African lodging that continually confuses us. About 90% of the lodges we’ve stayed at in Namibia have given us two twin beds, even though we are travelling as a married couple. The first time it happened, we just assumed they were out of double/queen beds and didn’t think much of it. But after a week in Namibia we’ve realized it’s a thing. Even though we could push the beds together in some places, the bed covers only fit one bed, so we are still sleeping separately. Not much snuggling in Namibia, but you know what? We are getting *really* good night’s sleep…

 

Lindsay catching a few z’s in her twin bed, before a Hornbill starts knocking on the window, looking for breakfast

 

A beautiful Hornbill looking for food, and a lonely cheetah looking for attention

 

The fourth tame cheetah is an old girl at 17, and is a bit too grumpy most days to entertain hordes of tourists at the main farmhouse, so she has a private enclosure near the cabins. We are allowed to pet her through the fence as long as she is willing.

After breakfast, we make our way to Etosha – Namibia’s biggest national park, home to 4 of the Big 5. We will be staying here for four days and three nights, exploring the park via self-drive.

Bit of a warning to anyone who plans to visit Etosha – the process to enter the park is incredibly inefficient and frustrating. When we drove up to the gate, two separate people ask us to fill out registration forms with exactly the same info: one for the park, and one for the local police. Then, we were required to drive 30min into the park, bypassing several waterholes, directly to one of two headquarters in order to pay our entrance fee *immediately*. Since we were planning to visit the park for four days, we tried to pay for all four days at once so we wouldn’t have to go through the process again each day, but because we were staying inside the park on the third night, we were only allowed to pay for two days. When we asked if we could pre-pay that final two days, the answer was, “No.”

 

Driving into Etosha National Park

Like the rest of Namibia, Etosha has very little water, especially now during the dry season. The big draws in Etosha are the various waterholes (both natural and manmade) where the animals go to drink up. So we would drive to each waterhole, park our car, and basically have a stake-out, waiting for the animals to arrive. The previous renter of our CRV had left a detailed map of Etosha in the glove compartment, pointing out which holes are known for certain animals, so we drove off in search of cool stuff: lions, elephants and leopards!

 

Lots of Blue Wildebeest on our way to the first waterhole

 

A lonely Springbok!

 

LION! OMG IT’S A LION! IT’S A HUGE LION, TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES, WOW!

We got incredibly lucky, and spotted a lion almost immediately at the first waterhole we visited. Not that we are especially talented at finding wildlife, but when there are seven other cars all pulled over on the side of the road, you figure something interesting is there. Sure enough, that’s how we found our lion.

Unfortunately, we hit the highlight of our day early, and the rest of the day was full of lots and lots of antelope.

 

Even if the waterhole looks empty, if you wait long enough in Etosha, something will turn up.

 

A herd of zebras coming in for a drink

 

A lonely female ostrich

 

Kudu!

 

Hey, it’s the lion again! This time he’s on the move, and looking at Lindsay with a very menacing look, as she sticks her camera out the window. Instead of attacking her, he goes to hang out with his lady. We join about 15 others cars watching them, but instead of doing something cool – like hunting and killing an antelope – they just lay down and take a nap. You know, lions are kinda boring.

 

Since the park gate closes strictly at 5:30, we had to head out of the park well before sunset – just when the action was about to happen! We saw a Kori Bustard and a giraffe on the way out. Not a bad day.

 

Checking into our fancy digs at the Etosha Taleni Village Lodge, just outside the park, and toasting a great day at dinner

 

The dinner buffet was AMAZING! The chef has a selection of meats – including African game like Kudu, Wildebeest, Eland and Zebra – for you to choose from! Gee, we didn’t realize the game drive in the park was our menu…

Day 116: Otjitotongwe Cheetah Farm

We slept so well in Terrace Bay – the howling wind and the crashing surf made our tiny little dorm super cozy. After breakfast in our private restaurant, we headed back on the road. We had a long day of driving ahead of us, as it would take us about 6 hours to reach the Otjitotongwe Cheetah Farm. However, we’re finding we don’t mind long driving days, as the Namibian landscape is so breathtaking. Our route through the Grootberg Pass was so full of “eye-candy” – it did not disappoint!

 

A huge breakfast spread, just for us! The reward for being the only visitors to Terrace Bay.

 

Igor trying to make friends with a jackal

 

Farewell to the Skeleton Coast – it’s been fun!

 

OMG! Our first giraffes! Pull over!!!!

 

A group of four giraffes just walking through a fenced corridor by the side of the road

 

Each new animal sighting in Africa is thrilling – after a good 20 minutes of following these guys down the road, we finally say goodbye to the giraffes

 

A lone Oryx running across our path

 

As we get nearer the Grootberg Pass through the mountains, the landscape is stunning

Heading up into the mountains

Just another roadtrip in Namibia

 

Signs warning us to be wary of elephants crossing the road on the Grootberg Pass! We kept an eye out for elephants but didn’t see any…or so we thought

 

Can you spot the elephants in the background? We totally missed them! It wasn’t until we were downloading our photos at the end of the day that we realized to saw one of the Big Five!

 

Elephants aside, Igor had a great day chasing the wildlife that we did see.

 

Descending from the mountain pass

When we reached the Otjitotongwe Cheetah Farm, we met a family from Belgium, who would also be staying overnight in the farm’s cabins. We nicked named the mother, “Belgian Barbara” because she and her family reminded us so much of the Nordqiusts – friendly, outgoing and determined to make friends with us whether we wanted to be social or not! The Belgians’ itinerary was very similar to ours, except they were doing it in reverse: starting in Botswana and ending in Namibia. They told us they wished they had gone in the opposite direction, as their best wildlife encounters were in Botswana – they said in comparison, Etosha and the rest of Namibia were a bit of a let-down. The Belgians were so excited for us, as the direction we were headed was only going to get more and more spectacular every day!

At 3PM, the farmer drove over to the cabins and picked us all up in his truck and drove us to the main farmhouse. The Otjitotongwe Farm started out as a regular livestock farm, that accidentally fell into the tourist industry when they found a mother cheetah with three cubs on their property. As cheetahs often attacked their livestock, they considered her more of a nuisance…until people kept showing up at their door asking if they could see the kittens. When the mother cheetah started eating her own cubs, the farmers ended up taking the kittens away and hand-reared them as pets. Over time, farmers in the area started calling them anytime they had a cheetah problem on their property. Instead of shooting the cheetahs, the Otjitotongwe Farm set-up a 200+ acre enclosure to relocate the wild cats, so at least they would get to live out the rest of their lives in as near a natural habitat as possible. As of now, they have 13 cheetahs: 4 tame females which tourists can actually pet, 7 “wild” adults and a pair of cubs (who unfortauntely didn’t make an appearance for us). During the tour, the farmers first brought us to the farmhouse where were we got to meet and pet three of the tame cheetahs, then took us to the wild enclosure to feed the rest of the cats.

 

Checking into our cottage at the Cheetah Farm and hanging some damp laundry out to dry

 

Time for the Cheetah Experience! We hop into the back of the farmer’s pick-up to meet the cats

 

Absolutely surreal! We actually got to *pet* a cheetah!

 

These cheetahs are so tame – the entire Belgian Family was showering her with attention. When we headed back behind the farmhouse, they calmly walked with the group

 

Kwaaitjie – the youngest of the house-cheetahs – rolled around in the yard, showing off her home to the guests

 

No chasing needed! Igor can get up-close and personal with the cheetahs

 

She’s just a great big cat – playing with the farmer’s hat

 

Such a cute kitty!

 

Dinnertime! Each cheetah gets a chunk of raw meat once a day

 

The cheetahs are very protective of their meal – but that doesn’t stop the dog from sneaking a small leftover

 

The 220+ acre enclosure for the “wild” cheetahs

 

The wild cheetahs – they started following us and salivating when we entered their enclosure – they were hungry! And they didn’t look that patient…

 

The farmer threw a big chunk of meat to each of the cheetahs – hand-feeding them keeps them out of trouble as they no longer hunt the livestock

We returned to the cabins, where we had a delicous dinner of eland meat pie – at least, Igor and Lindsay thought it was tasty! It paired well with our South African Shiraz! Hoever, the Belgian Family was convinced we were eating goat instead. After dinner, we all headed outside to admire the stars – it was the brightest sky we have yet seen in our travels! Unwilling to call it an early night, Belgian Barbara built a raging fire (as soon as the farmer and his wife left for the night) where we all sat around to enjoy a beautiful African evening.

 

A fantastic dinner back at the cabins

 

The stars were absolutely stunning – we had zero light pollution

 

We climbed to the top of the viewing tour for a perfect picture of the Milky Way

 

Belgian Barbara had her heart set on a rager – when the kids headed off to bed, the adults hung out around the campfire

Day 115: The Skeleton Coast

We had a 6-hour drive ahead of us, so after an early breakfast we said farewell to Swakopmund and headed north along the “Skeleton Coast”. Most tourist circuits only drive halfway up the coast before turning east toward Etosha National Park, but we were going all the way to the of the line to Terrace Bay.

We had a long way to go, so we set-up some driving music. Our rental CRV had an old-school CD player / radio unit with a USB input, so we copied all of our music to a thumb drive. The car’s media player could only process about 256 songs at a time, and would only play them alphabetical order, but anything was better than Lindsay’s singing!

 

Driving up the Skeleton Coast – a graveyard for hundreds of shipwrecks and lost souls! The Zeila (sunk in 2008) was our first wreck.

 

The road was deserted – we probably passed a total of five cars throughout the 365KM drive. It’s so desolate that hawkers don’t even bother to stay with their souvenir stands – they use an “honesty can” to collect fees for rock crystals, skulls and other curios! Another example of how Namibia is so different from their neighbor – no way a jar of money would be safe on the side of the road in South Africa!

A long stretch of road on the Skeleton Coast

Entry Gate to the Skeleton Coast National Park – gates close sharply at 3PM, but we were way ahead of schedule

 

Our second wreck along the Skeleton Coast

 

Igor loves all the dead wood on the beach! If he were a puppy, he’d carry each piece home and build a pile in the backyard. Even as a human, he felt the need to roll around in the sand.

 

Our third wreck – the “Oil Rig”

 

This oil rig couldn’t have been that old – possibly installed in the 1970s? – yet the coastline changes so rapidly along the Skeleton Coast, it was clearly underwater, then stranded on dry land within a few years!

 

A decaying oil rig along the Skeleton Coast – no stopping Nature

 

Hours of driving empty desert roads

 

Since there is no radio reception on the Skeleton Coast, we were listening to all our MP3s via USB stick. When some odd techno came on, Igor felt the need to break out the bandana! Lindsay’s husband is quickly becoming a backpacker douchbag…but she loves him anyways

After several hours of flat gravel, large sand dunes show un the horizon!

 

The beautiful, and varying landscape of the Skeleton Coast

A tiny patch of water in the desert creates an oasis of seagrass

 

Flamingos feeding along the coast

When we finally reached Terrace Bay and checked-in to the reception, we discovered that we were the *only* tourists in the park that day. The place was incredibly remote – just a handful of buildings in the middle of nowhere. The bar (which was in the same building as the park office) had about a dozen fishermen playing pool and drinking beers in the middle the day – with no tourists in house, there must not be much to do!

 

End of the line! We finally reach Terrace Bay – a small fishing settlement with a few accommodations un by the Namibian Wildlife Resorts (National Park Service)

 

Talk about tiny! The “gas station” is literally to pumps (one diesel, one unleaded) locked inside a shack. The “police station” is an old trailer home!

 

NWR cabins – basic, but very comfortable. We had one of the best night’s sleep in Terrace Bay! It was wicked cold and the wind was howling outside, but we were armed with down comforters and heavy spare blankets. Snug as a bug in a rug!

Terrace Bay is famous for its off-shore fishing (apparently even the president of Namibia frequently takes vacations to Terrace Bay), so Igor wanted to give it a try! When we checked-in, we asked the park manager if someone ran fishing tours. She walked into the bar (which was right next door to the park reception) and asked around, and found a local who would be willing to take us out, provide bait, and let Igor use his rod for N$450 (about USD $35). After grabbing his gear, our guide, Daniel, hopped into our car and led us to a few of his favorite sites before we found a promising stretch of beach. It took a bit of persistence, but by the end of the day, Igor caught two Blacktails! Since we were only in Terrace Bay for one night, we only kept one and gave the second to Daniel.

 

Daniel – a local fisherman & handyman – took us out to the shore and gave Igor an introductory lesson in angling. He uses chuncks of frozen mussels tied to the hook as bait.

 

Shore-fishing on the Skeleton Coast

 

Igor getting a lesson in angling in Namibia

 

After about an hour we had our first catch! A catfish?! Boo – no one wants to eat that, so we threw it back.

 

The second catch is a keeper! Igor nabs a Blacktail! For his next fish, he baits the hook himself

 

Minutes later, Igor catches a second Blacktail!

 

The sun was starting to set after the second fish – perfect timing as two fish is the limit per day, so we headed back to “town” with our catch

Daniel told us that the park chef would cook our fish for us for N $30, so after dropping him off at his house, we headed over to the park restaurant. Apparently our fish was on the small side, so the chef refused payment, and said he would serve it as our appetizer. As long as the fish wasn’t going to waste, we were happy! After a quick shower, we drove about 100 meters from our door to the restaurant stairs (It was really cold out!), where we were *literally* the only guests in the place. Can’t imagine why this place was deserted – the food was fantastic – we really didn’t expect a park restaurant in the middle of nowhere to be so good! Terrace Bay might not be for everyone, but for us it was an underrated gem.

 

Tourist graffiti covered every inch of the wall in the Terrace Bay Restaurant

 

Igor’s Blacktail was filleted and cooked for our dinner

 

The Blacktail was delicious!

Day 114: Swakopmund

When we were looking for activities to do in Swakopmund, the Living Desert Tour was highly recommended to us, so after a delicious breakfast in the cozy living guesthouse living room, we were picked up by Charly’s Desert Tours for a drive into the dunes. Everyone knows the Big Five of Africa (elephant, lion, leopard, Cape Buffalo and rhino – most of which we would see later in our travels), but other regions have piggybacked on this clever marketing to sell tours to see the “Small Five,” the “Ugly Five,” etc. We would be tracking the Tiny Five this morning – basically looking around for spiders, snakes and lizards.

The sky was overcast again, but unlike the day before, it didn’t burn off until late in the afternoon, giving us a very cool and cloudy tour in the desert. Our guides managed to find three of the five creatures they were searching for (the snake alluded us, due to the lack of sunshine) – while we are not normally into bugs or insects, the tour was surprisingly entertaining!

Fireside breakfast in the charming Sandfields Guesthouse

 

Our guide deflates his tires to 2 bar so that he can drive on the sand dunes

Driving into the dunes for the “Living Desert” tour

 

Our guides look for tiny holes and prints in the sand to try and find the “Tiny Five”

 

The Dancing Whitelady Spider – our first “Tiny 5” sighting

 

A baby Namaqua Chameleon

 

Our guide gave the chameleon a little snack, to show off his long, sticky tongue!

 

The Palmato Gecko

 

All the tourists (including Igor!) taking photos like crazy! You’d think we were all bug enthusiasts.

 

The sand dunes are rich with iron fragments, which can be collected with a magnet

 

“Namibian Sand Art”!

 

Driving through the dunes in Swakopmund

 

Even with an overcast sky, the dunes are so spectacularly beautiful

Once we returned to town, we spent an hour in the Swakopmund Museum, until the sun finally came out. We walked around the beach and had a late lunch at the lighthouse, before heading back to our guesthouse to enjoy some R&R with their lightning-fast Wifi. We headed back out in the evening to catch the sunset and to run to the grocery store to pick up some snacks for dinner.

When we got to the store, we were horrified to see signs taped up in the wine aisle stating that no alcoholic beverages would be sold after 1PM on Saturdays! Thankfully, our guesthouse had a small selection of full bottles in their “honesty bar,” so we picked up a bottle for the night, and an extra bottle to bring with us to Etosha National Park, just to make sure Lindsay could have wine on her birthday.

 

An educational trip to the Swakopmund Museum for a bit of Natural History, Colonial History and Indigenous History all mashed up together in one spot

 

Scary dental gear from the frontier days – yikes!

 

Walking along the beach in Swakopmund

 

Pizza break at the lighthouse restaurant, 22 Degrees

 

Two local boys drove up next to us in the beach parking lot in their Benz and started blasting nasty music while taking selfie of themselves in front of their cars. Youths. Luckily, once they felt there got their Instagram shot, they left before the sun finished setting

 

A beautiful Namibian sunset – our own soundtrack was playing The Eagles “Hotel California”

Enjoying another self-catered dinner by the fireplace in our room, with wine & cheese

Day 113: Welvisbaii – Day 2

When we woke up in the morning and looked out our hotel window, we saw a thick blanket of fog covering the bay. We started to get really bummed out, as we were planning to spend the morning on the water kayaking. However, during breakfast we noticed the fog burning off really quickly, giving us perfect visibility by the time our tour picked us up in front of the guesthouse.

Igor arranged a kayaking tour with Pelican Point Kayaking, which allows you to get up close and personal with the 50K+ Cape Fur Seals which live on the peninsula. While the seals were very shy on land, once we were in the water, they were incredibly playful. Our guide encouraged us to interact with the seals, saying the more we engage with them – by rowing, talking and moving our paddles near them – the more they would engage with us. He even said we could go ahead a pet them if we liked! “Just use you good judgement – if they look bitey, don’t pet them.” Gotta love Africa!

 

Foggy morning in Welvis Bay

 

The mist quickly lifts off the water as time goes on

 

As we drive past the Pelican Point Lighthouse, we see a jackal eating a dead seal cub – since there are no Great Whites in these waters (the cold Bengula Current is too chilly for the sharks, which prefer the warmer waters of the Agulhas Current in South Africa) the seals have no natural predators so the bay is overpopulated, to the point where there isn’t enough fish to sustain the population. As a result, jackals pick off cubs that are too weak.

 

The seals are very shy on land, so they only way to get close to us in the water on kayak

 

Once we are on the water, the seals lose their fear and come over to meet us

 

Kayaking with Cape Fur Seals!

 

The seals are so friendly! Igor pets one, while another tries to jump onto the bow of our kayak!

 

Getting up close and personal with the seals

 

Playful Cape Fur Seals

 

Bitey, bitey! These seals would grab our paddles and play with us

 

Awesome morning on the water with Pelican Point Kayaking

 

Igor had jeep-envy – this guy had rebuilt a 1970s military vehicle, and had plans to deck it out as a camper van when his kids grew up. Nice.

After the kayaking trip, we headed north a mere 35KM to the next town of Swakopmund. Our guesthouse was a short walk into town, so we explored on foot a bit – checking out the beachside restaurants, craft market, and lighthouse – and watched the sunset on the pier. We’ve been wine-ing & dining almost every night in Africa so far, so we decided to pick up the car and grab some take-out to eat in our cozy hotel room.

 

Good thing I didn’t bring a huka to Africa, as they are not allowed on the beach! I guess we’ll just have to enjoy this sunset sober.

Day 112: Welvisbaii – Day 1

We didn’t have any activities planned for Welvis Bay that day, so we allowed ourselves to have a lazy morning at the Rooiklip Farm. While all the big dogs were out in the fields with the farmer, the Jack Russell Terriers stayed close by us, excited about the prospect of a walk! We explored the farm, meeting Linus, the pet zebra (does he *know* what his owners ate last night?!?!), and checking out the farm’s hillside campsites and research facility for university students.

While we needed our down jackets at breakfast, by 10AM we were starting to feel the desert heat, so we got back on the road and headed north. At dinner the night before, we asked the farmers if there was a petrol station nearby, as we were worried about only having half a tank of gas. They said the two closest stations were Welvis Bay or back to the capital of Windhoek! They told us the golden rule of Namibia: never, ever pass a gas station without filling up! Even if you just top it off, that could make all the difference. Lesson learned! We left the farm, and tried to drive as efficiently as possible to conserve every drop of gas.

 

Morning on the Rooiklip Farm

 

These Russell Terriers were so sweet! Affectionate lap-dogs during our breakfast coffee, and SO EXCITED to go on a walk with us to visit the campsite! You can see all three of them patiently waiting for us on the trail.

 

Linus, the farmer’s *pet* zebra, comes when he is called for a snack

 

After a tasty snack, Linus lets us pet his nose, and check out his stripes. You can tell he is a Mountain Zebra (not a Plains Zebra) due to the stripes that run down his back through his tail.

 

The farmer also has an affectionate Oryx – kissy kissy!

 

When we tried to pet the Oryx, he started head-butting the fence!

 

We continued up to the camp site with our puppy escorts

 

The camping facilities were awesome! Running water and flush toilets…with a view! Making Igor wish we had been camping on this trip…

 

A wild zebra running down the road as we leave the farm – he probably heard that we ate one of his kin… L

 

Driving through the Kuiseb Canyon

 

We pass a lagoon on our way into Welvis Bay – even though our fuel light is starting to blink, Igor pulled over for a picture!

After checking into our guesthouse, we had the afternoon free to explore Welvis Bay. The Welvis Bay Lagoon was only 10KM away, and home to a huge flamingo population, so we spent the rest of the afternoon taking WAY too many pictures of pink birds.

 

The salt flats of Welvis Bay

 

The salt flats are home to the biggest salt factory in Namibia, and about 75,000 flamingos

 

Igor wanted a picture of the flamingos in flight, but after 10min they were still just standing around eating brine shrimp, so Lindsay helped get the show started by running through the salt flats

 

Flamingos! Lots, and lots of flamingos.

 

We parked out by the salt flats for over an hour waiting for the perfect sunset photo op

 

Flamingos flying off into the sunset

 

A magical Namibian sunset

Day 111: Sossusvlei

We ordered a packed breakfast before going to bed the night before, as we knew we would need an early start if we wanted to get to the Sossusvlei sand desert in time for sunrise. We found out that our lodge actually runs their own tour to Sossusvlei, which left at 5:30AM, so we decided to leave at 5AM just to make sure we beat the crowd. While we aren’t supposed to drive at night in Africa, we knew this would be the one day we would have to break the rules, as we were staying an hour away from the park gates. Luckily we had the road pretty much to ourselves (except for one jackal crossing the road), and arrived to claim the #5 slot in line for admission.

Even though the park didn’t open until 6:30AM, one of the park managers started walking down the line of waiting cars and started registering everyone ahead of time, so that we could all proceed through the gates the second they opened – smart! The park also allows you to pay the entrance fee on exit, rather than entrance, so they you have more time to admire the dunes at sunrise. Smart, smart, smart!

 

We are the fifth car in line for the park’s 6AM entrance, so we eat our packed breakfast while we wait for the gates to open

 

A beautiful full moon is setting as we enter the park

 

Just as the moons sets, the sun rises behind us – we see several hot air balloons taking flight in the distance

 

Driving quickly through the park on a tarred road (thankfully!) in order to reach Big Daddy before the tour buses arrive

While most of the cars and tour buses stopped at Dune 45, we sped past – our destination 60KM down the road was the Big Daddy – the highest dune in the Namib Sand Desert, next to the Dead Vlei – the most photographed location in Namibia. The sun was rising fast, and we were warned by Russell from Green Bushpig Safaris that we had to leave by 11AM, as the sand would be too hot to walk on.

When we reached the end of the tarred road, we decided to park our CRV in the parking lot provided for 2×4 cars. We might have been able to make the last 7KM through the sand, but we didn’t want to risk it. The park shuttle was only USD $15 (although the guy at the desk tried to skim some off the top, first giving us the incorrect price, then giving us incorrect change), and we decided the peace of mind was worth it. Good thing too – on the shuttle ride back we saw an abandoned 4×4 Britz camper truck with all four wheels half buried in the sand!

 

The last 7KM to the big dunes is on a 4×4 sandy road

 

We decided not to risk getting stuck in the sand in our AWD, and took the park shuttle instead

Big Daddy was AMAZING. We have about 250+ pictures of our climb, as every single angle was so beautiful, we couldn’t stop snapping pics. Since we reached the dune so early, we decided we would climb to the peak, even though Russell said it would take us 2hrs. We climbed the ridge to the first peak, and decided to take a short cut by climbing up the face of the dune. The walk was easy up until the last 50m, when we almost got buried in the sand, but we made it!

 

Starting the ascent up Big Daddy

 

Big Daddy and Dead Vlei

 

Climbing up Big Daddy

 

The varying landscape of the Big Daddy sand dune

 

Taking the “short cut” up the face of Big Daddy – Lindsay’s boots have been swallowed by the dune!

View of the Dead Vlei pan from the face of Big Daddy

Reaching the summit of Big Daddy, together!

 

Views from the summit of Big Daddy

What goes up, must come down – and the fastest way for us to get down from Big Daddy and onto the Dead Vlei was to run down the face of the dune! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Dead Vlei was surreal – like walking inside a Salvador Dali painting. This place is a photographer’s dream – it’s impossible to take a bad picture here. The pan used to be an oasis full of acacia trees, but when the river changed course, it dried up to a cracked, white wasteland and the trees all died. Igor is obsessed with dead trees and has been taking pictures of them throughout our trip – after an hour Lindsay had to forcibly drag him away so we could visit the rest of the park.

 

Running down the face of Big Daddy

 

The Dead Vlei pan

 

The lifeless acacia trees in the distance – this is feeding Igor’s obsession with dead trees!

 

The trees of Dead Vlei

 

Dead Vlei – like a Salvador Dali painting come to life!

 

We see a new group of tourists heading up the dune ridge as we are leaving – we feel like we’ve conquered the desert!

When we caught the return shuttle, we did a quick drive-by the eponymous Sossusvlei, where the trees are still alive. Pretty, but unimpressive after Big Daddy & Dead Vlei, so we decided not to climb it. We returned to pick up our car in the parking lot which was now jam-packed with overlander buses! Feeling very pleased with our decision to self-drive, we headed back to the beginning of the park where we paid our entrance fee and then took a 1hr detour to visit the Sesriem Canyon.

 

The actual “Sossusvlei” – not nearly as stunning as Dead Vlei

 

When we got back to the parking lot, it was packed with overlander buses – including Acacia Africa, one of the companies we nearly booked with before decided on a self-drive!

 

We drove by Dune 45 on the way out of the park – most tour companies stop here first as it is the first climbable dune when you enter. But after Big Daddy, this one just looks puny

 

“Fairy circles” – inexplicable barren circles of sand surrounded by grasses – in the Namib Sand Desert, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

We took a quick detour right before we exited the park to check out the Sesreim Canyon

 

It may be tiny compared to the Grand Canyon and even Namibia’s Fisher’s Canyon (the second largest canyon in the world, which we had to skip due to time) – but unlike Australia’s King’s Canyon, this is a *proper* canyon

 

Climbing the walls of the Sesriem Canyon

Once we left the park, we filled up on gas and started backtracking through Namib-Naukluft and Solitaire on the road towards the coast to Welvis Bay. When we passed through Solitaire and hour and a half outside the park, we still had a near-full tank, so we decided to press on instead of refueling.

 

More Springbok and Gemsbroke as we backtrack through the Namib-Naukluft region, on our way back north

 

Since we just refueled at Sesriem, we blow past Solitaire and continue north

 

More wildlife one the road! Wild ostrich and our first herd of zebra!

 

After 300KM of corrugated roads and a mountain pass, we finally reach the “driveway” to the Rooiklip Farm…which is another 18KM down a 4×4-only road. We’re now down to a half tank of gas, and getting a little nervous about our drive tomorrow…

The Gamsberg Nature Reserve – the “Land of 100 Hills”

 

A small Steenbok antelope and Helmeted Guinea Fowl

We reached the Rooiklip Farm just before sunset, and checked in. As this was considered their low season, we were the only guests for the night, so we had a family suite all to ourselves! We relaxed by the pool with the farmer’s 8 dogs each vying for a seat on our laps until dinnertime. We sat down to dinner with the family and their two interns for a home cooked meal of…zebra. OK, we didn’t know people ate zebra – it seems wrong, like eating a horse! But hey, TIA – “This Is Africa.” (Lindsay thought it tasted like a tough version of pork, but Igor liked it.)

 

Our room in the family suite at the Rooiklip Farmstay.

 

WE LOVE ALL THE DOGS! Even the Jack Russell Terrier lap dogs – Rooiklip had 8 dogs roaming the grounds, all of whom wanted a snuggle

Sunset at Rooiklip Farm

Day 110: Namib-Naukluft National Park

After a quick breakfast, we were picked up by James from Desert Car Hire at 8AM, to go and pick up our rental car – a circa 1990s Honda CRV with a squeaky wheel and about 150K kilometers and counting! But hey – it’s more appropriate than a shiny new Benz. Plus, we know from experience that Hondas can take a beating – they are dependable cars and as long as this one gets us through Namibia and Botswana in one piece, it’s all good!

Desert Car Hire gave us an extra jerry can so we could carry spare gas, and an ice cooler to store snacks, so we made a quick stop at the grocery store after filling up the tank. After that, we left the tarred road and were riding on corrugated gravel the rest of the day.

 

A quick breakfast before picking up our Desert Hire CRV

 

Hitting the desert roads in Namibia – as soon as we are outside the city of Windhoek, all major roads are gravel

We opted to take the scenic route to Namib-Naukluft via the Spreetshoogte Pass – the steepest pass in Namibia with a 1,000+ meter drop in elevation in just 4KM. After several hours of driving on flat desert roads, we were starting to get jaded – maybe the Namibian landscape was over hyped? Then out of nowhere, the earth just opens up, and there is a huge valley below us! Totally breathtaking.

 

Taking the scenic route through the Spreetshoogte Pass

View from the top of the Spreetshoogte Pass

View from the bottom of the mountains

 

The animals are getting more exotic! Grazing cattle and our first herd of Springbok!

As we got closer to the Namib-Naukluft National Park, the landscape started to remind us a lot of the Australian Outback – especially the little “town” of Solitaire, which felt more like a roadhouse than a town. It was our first and only option for a fuel stop in 300+ KM since Windhoek.

 

The gas station in Solitaire – the only petrol since Windhoek

 

Dead cars in the desert

We arrived at our hotel, the Namib-Naukluft Lodge, early enough in the afternoon we had time for a 2hr hike in the desert on the trail running around the lodge. We brought the zoom lens in case we lucked out and found any wildlife – sure enough we ran into a herd of Wildebeest and one lone Oryx.

After a spectacular sunset, we got cleaned up and went outside for an open-air BBQ under the stars! Once again we were reminded of the Australian Outback (except the cost for a similar dinner at Uluru was USD $150pp, whereas this dinner was about USD $25pp). We had a full moon, so we couldn’t appreciate the starry sky just yet, but we’re looking forward to the next new moon in two weeks – it’s going to be spectacular!

 

The Namib Naukluft Lodge – luxury accommodation inside the park

The view of the desert from our room

 

Taking an afternoon walk on the trail around the lodge

 

The Namib-Naukluft desert

 

Our first Wildebeest sightings!

 

Our first Oryx (AKA Gemsbok)!

 

Wildebeest & Oryx – true African wildlife

 

A couple of boots catching the sunset

 

Sunset in the desert

 

Excited for a BBQ dinner under the stars!

 

An awesome BBQ under the full moon, concluding with an impromptu a cappella song and dance from the hotel staff