Category: Namibia

Day 122: Mahango Game Park

Around 4AM, Igor wakes up. We didn’t set our alarm until 7AM, so he is really pissed off. “Is someone watching TV?!?!” Yes, yes they are. Some inconsiderate “guest” checked into their room in early hours of the morning, and started blasting their TV. Lindsay can usually sleep through anything in the morning, so she gave Igor her earplugs and told him to go back to sleep. However, soon she started to realize that our new neighbors were not just watching TV. They were having sex. No, let me rephrase that – they were fucking. Loud, porno-style fucking.

After listening to the woman’s moans and screams for 20min, Lindsay finally got out of bed and found a second pair of earplugs.

Our second wake-up call, at sunrise. We did NOT sleep well.

When we came downstairs for breakfast at 7AM, we noticed only one other car parked outside our block of rooms – the noisy neighbor! He was already packing his car. When we walked by again after breakfast, housekeeping was already going into his room to clean up. Now, we’re not saying that his guy brought a hooker to this nice lodge in the middle of the night…but it seems like a very short stay for the average tourist…

 

Drinking a strong dose of coffee at breakfast

 

A handsome peacock, just roaming around the lodge

We had a short drive to our next stop – the Nunda River Lodge – also along the Okavango riverbank. When we saw our accommodations, we were super psyched: it was a canvas tent with a river-view! An outdoor bathroom was set-up next to the rear of the tent (walled in for privacy, but no screens!), and the tent had canopy beds with mosquito nets for our glamping comfort.

 

Our river-view safari tent!

 

We are in hippo territory now! Our host, Cameron, tells us to be careful when walking back to our room at night, and to ask us if we want an escort!

Since we had just done a sundowner river cruise at the previous lodge, our host Cameron suggested that we do a self-drive game drive at the nearby Mahango Game Park (which we would also be driving through the next day, as we cross into Botswana). While the main road through the park is a free public road to the Mohembo Border, there are two additional game trails that cost about USD $7 to visit. We registered at the park entrance, and headed off toward the river trail, in search of hippos, which we soon found in abundance!

 

Heading out for a short afternoon game drive in the Mahango Game Park

 

HIPPOS!!!!!

 

The Big Baobab Tree! While it is not dead (just dormant for the winter), it’s such a funcky, unique shape that Igor falls in love!

The Okavango River

 

Two camera-shy animals: trying to sneak up on a warthog along the riverbank, but just as we pulled out the camera, he got starteled and took off – scaring a poor impala in the process! The hippos were no better – we had our lenses pointed at the surface of the water for ages, waiting for this guy to pop his head up.

 

A herd of running elephants getting chased off by a lone hippo. Gotta admit, it was satisfying finally watching someone put these big bullies in their place!

 

A bit of birding: a Southern Yellow-Billed Hornbill and a far off silhouette of a vulture

 

Our first Sable Antelope! They are proving to be a bit shy. Unlike the Kudu, who feel like posing for us today!

Since the park gates close at 6:30PM, we headed over to the second game trail to visit the waterhole around 4PM. The trail was a bit challenging: 4×4 only, with a really soft, sandy one-lane road! We were keeping a sharp eye out for leopards – checking all the tree-tops, searching for the “prince of shyness.” No luck – just a bunch of antelope and a few monkeys.

 

Two very photogenic Kudu getting groomed by some friendly Oxpeckers while enjoying a drink at the waterhole

 

More residences of the Mahango Waterhole: Vervet Monkeys and Zebra

On our drive out of the park, Igor’s eagle-eyes finally spot leopard evidence! An antelope skull high up in the tree is proof that a leopard was in the area, as they often drag their kill into the trees to protect their food from scavenging lions and hyenas.

We have another three-course African dinner at Nunda Lodge (we are gaining so much weight on this part of the trip…) paired with a delicious bottle of wine from the proprietor’s wine cellar (WANT!), before drifting off to sleep in our safari tent to the melodious sound of hippos grunting.

 

Sunset at Nunda River Lodge

 

Three-course dinner at the lodge

 

Toasting a great day with another fine bottle of South African Shiraz

Day 121: Driving to the Okavango River

Today was a travel day, as we had about 450KM to drive in order to reach the Okavango River and the beginning of the Caprivi Strip. We requested an earlier breakfast seating so that we could hit the road early. While we were waiting for tea and coffee, Igor made friends with Mufasa – the owner’s huge Boerboel (not a Ridgeback after all – he’s a unique South African bullmastiff breed), while Lindsay made friends with the chef’s young son, who gave her a plastic gun to help him with his “military drills”.

 

Musfasa – the appropriately named Boerboel – a HUGE sweetheart!

 

The chef’s little boy was looking for a playmate, and Lindsay got recruited into the “Namibian Army”

In our itinerary from Russell, he mentioned a “new” road that goes straight up to the river from Tsumeb, however, even though the road was completed in 2013, Google Maps still does not register that it exists, nor does the Tourism Road Map produced by the Namibian government! We asked our hostess for directions, and she drew the location of the road onto our paper map, and told us follow signs pointing to Katwitwi until we hit the river, then to turn right towards city of Rundu.

 

The 270KM, “new” tarred road from Tsumeb and Katwitwi – straight easy going with little traffic, unless you count the donkey carts on the side of the road

 

This is the first day we have seen “traditional” villages, with huts made of wood, clay and straw! They all look so pretty (and some even have solar panels and satellites sticking out of them!). As we get closer to the river, we see fishermen selling smoked fish by the side of the road.

 

Once we hit the Okavango River, we turn right towards Rundu and the beginning of the Caprivi Strip

 

Driving on the Caprivi Strip can be dangerous, due to the farm animals that constantly wander into the street! The speed limit is 120KMPH, but we were often going much slower to make sure we had time to brake for cows, goats, and donkeys

We checked into our lodge in the early afternoon, giving us plenty of time to unpack, and check emails before heading out on the river for a sundowner cruise. While the boat could easily accomdate 20 people, we were the only ones booked for the cruise that day, so we had a private excursion! Our guide told us that hippos and crocs are rarely seen in this section of the river, so we didn’t see much wildlife. However, Igor did get an eyefull as we drove past some young women bathing on the Angolan side of the river! Yowza!

 

A private Sundowner Cruise on the Okavango River

 

Toasting the sunset with some sparkling wine

 

While the sun blazes during the day, we’ve found that a lot of African sunsets tend to be very dull red by the time they reach the horizon

Kaisosi River Lodge, along the Namibian bank of the Okavango River

Day 120: Etosha National Park – Day 4

Once again, we wake up before the sunrise on our last day in Etosha. For once, we have a short “commute,” as we head over to the Halali Waterhole in camp, but we were disappointed to see that there are zero animals. We’re starting to suspect that the whole “animals are active at sunrise” thing is a myth.

After a buffet breakfast, we check out and make our way through the eastern side of the park. While the waterholes on this side are supposed to have the most wildlife (according to TripAdvisor), nothing tops what we had seen at Rienfontein, west of Halali. However, we take our time and enjoy the scenery and the animals, before heading out of the park at 2PM to make our way to the next lodge.

After three days of pre-dawn wake-up calls just view empty waterholes, we’re starting to think our time is better spent sleeping in…

 

Since the waterhole is quiet, we decide to check-out and drive on through the park. Some of the snarky comments in the guest book give us a chuckle on the way out.

 

The dry, cracked surface of the Etosha Salt Pan

 

We screech to a halt as Igor spots a huge rhino! There has been some debate as to how close we were: 50 meters? 100 meters? Let’s put it this way, we were close enough that Lindsay did not turn off the engine, and kept the car in drive…just in case…

 

Turns out this rhino is not scary – he’s just chowing down on grass

 

A herd of zebra, chillin’ on the Etosha Salt Pan

 

A majestic Red Hartebeest photo-bombs the zebras

 

Namibian antelope: Impala, Kudu and a female Dik-dik

 

It seems we can’t get enough elephants, nowadays! They are everywhere!

 

Warthogs! We’ve seen these guys several times in the past few days, but they are so shy, they always run away before we can get a picture

 

The Twee Palms Waterhole, near the exit of the park. While very scenic, there wasn’t much activity in the early afternoon, beyond a few warthogs and an Oryx

 

A final giraffe sighting at the Klein Namutomi Waterhole before leaving Etosha for good.

A few short hours outside the park, we reached our home for the evening: Ohange Lodge – a lovely guesthouse run by fifth-generation Dutch-Namibians with beautiful, private cottages set within a tranquil desert garden. They had five friendly dogs (four Jack Russells and a huge Ridgeback), which we showered with attention. Dinner was a delicious steak BBQ under the stars, with a view of the flood-lit waterhole.

There are two types of lodges we’ve come across in our travels: those that encourage one to be social, and those that protect your privacy. While we would always select the later, we often find we enjoy the places that force us to be social. The dinner at Ohange was not only communal seating (Hey! We were paired with yet another German couple!), but the hosts each sat at a table to help break the ice and get conversation flowing. We felt like we were guests at a dinner party, with great company.

 

Our lovely, secluded cabin at the Ohange Lodge

 

“Madame” – a sweet old Jack Russell Terrier who does not wait for permission to jump in guests’ laps. If she wants a cuddle, she gets a cuddle!

 

The Ohange Lodge installed their own waterhole – not only does it have a floodlight at night, but you can see it from the dinner table! Smart.

 

Getting ready for a lovely al fresco dinner, and game viewing!

 

Kudu T-bone steak and South African Shiraz for dinner under the stars! When it gets cold at the end of the meal, our host gives Lindsay an “African seat-warmer”!

Day 119: Etosha National Park – Day 3

Happy Birthday, to Lindsay! Lindsay got a pre-dawn wake-up call on her Special Day – birthday or not, we had animals to see! We were packed, fed, and on the road well before sunrise, however, the staff at the park entrance apparently didn’t get the memo that today was Lindsay’s birthday. There was a line of about a dozen cars and overlanders waiting to enter before us this morning! Since our day pass had expired at sundown the day before, we had to stop to re-register (twice!), and buy new overnight park passes before exploring the waterholes.

 

On our way to the Etosha Park entrance at sunrise!

 

We may be on time, but there’s a hold-up at the gate causing along line. Hey, don’t birthday-girls get priority?!?

Once we got all the park fees settled, we started to make our way towards Halali – the campground in the center of the park where we would be staying the night – hitting a few waterholes along the way. Lindsay really wanted to see a leopard for her birthday, so when the western waterholes didn’t pan out, we bypassed Halali and started to explore new territory in the eastern part of the park. We found some scenic waterholes, but sadly no leopard.

 

Ostrich and jackals near the Salvadora Waterhole, next to the Etosha Salt Pan

 

We returned to Rietfontein since we were so successful there the day before. Sure enough, after a little patience, a HUGE herd of zebra showed up…then another…then another! It was like a zebra convention!

 

They may not be as exciting as predators, but zebras are very sweet to watch – especially when they snuggle!

 

Before too long, the elephants showed up at Rietfontein again, but without the drama from the day before

Driving along the pan’s edge, exploring new territory on the eastern side of the park

 

It’s a quiet afternoon, with just a few grazing antelope here and there and another pair of napping lions

 

Some stray elephant and giraffes wandering the vastness of Namibia’s Etosha National Park

Even though we were staying within the park that night, we still had a 5:30PM curfew, as the gates to the Halali Camp close at sundown as well. However, the silver lining was that each of the park’s three campgrounds are adjacent to waterholes that you can view from within the camp. The waterholes even have floodlights all night long, so you can watch the nocturnal animals that come out for a drink as well! We quickly checked into our cabin (a two-bedroom family suite – nice!), and headed straight for the waterhole to catch the sunset. The place was already busy with three rhinos, who kept picking fights with each other. Then, the elephants showed up…then the lions! It was really cool to see the interactions between all these Big 5 animals. The only disappointment was that Lindsay’s leopard never showed up. Oh well, gotta leave something to look forward to for the rest of the Africa Trip!

 

A huge crowd has already gathered at the Halali Waterhole for “sundowners” (drinks at sundown)

 

Unlike the two kissy rhinos the day before, these guys couldn’t seem to get along. We couldn’t figure out who was mad at whom, or why – we think the rhinos were just irrationally attacking anyone who got within their eyesight

 

Animal activity was not limited to the waterhole, as a pair of hungry Honey Badgers raided the trashcan, and an adorable little African Scops Owl flew back and forth searching for some dinner

 

After watching elephants for the last few days, we’ve come to the conclusion that they are big bullies! Doesn’t matter who is already at the waterhole, when they come along they walk as if they own the joint. A herd of about a dozen ellies swaggered in at dusk, and chased off all but one ballsy rhino who held his ground, despite the mock charges

 

The elephants finally decided to leave once the lionesses showed up. The rhino tried to be brave when there were one or two lions, but by the time five show up, he decided he’d had enough to drink!

 

We could have stayed at the waterhole all night, but Lindsay wanted her birthday dinner! The park had a very tasty buffet including a meat station serving beef and eland tenderloin! Yum! We cracked open the bottle of red we had been carrying since Swakopmund and toasted to Lindsay advancing age…DON’T ASK HOW OLD SHE IS.

Day 118: Etosha National Park – Day 2

Breakfast started at 5:30AM, and we were the first people to arrive. Animals are supposed to be most active at dawn and dusk, so we wanted to make sure we were the first ones through the park gates when it opened at 6:30AM. Since our park pass from the day before was valid for 24hrs, we were able to drive right through the gates without registering, and we headed straight for the Okondeka Waterhole – the waterhole that was the furthest West and was known for lion sightings.

 

7AM in Etosha National Park – a small herd of giraffes cross the road just ahead of us

 

Just as quickly as they approached our car, they disappear into the horizon

 

Just down the road, we see evidence of a kill! Poor giraffe. Africa can be magical…and deadly.

 

Our first waterhole of the morning is on the edge of the salt pan – where a large herd of wildebeest are chowing down on grass and butting a few heads

 

After about an hour, the wildebeest take off, and a few Springbok are the only animals left. We soon see why as a female lion slowly walks onto the scene. One lone Springbok stares down the lioness for a few minutes, before slowly backing off.

 

Turns out the lioness was only thirsty – no kill for us today!

Since the lion chased off all the antelope from the Okondeka Waterhole, we started the car and headed back toward the center of the park to check out all the waterholes that had a reputation for leopards. Still no luck, but we did find some very scenic spots with lots of playful animals (clearly no predators were nearby).

 

A Springbok mid-spring, two Springboks fighting, and a close-up of a Springbok.

 

A pretty, but empty waterhole next to the Etosha Salt Pan

 

A busy waterhole with lots of antelope, and a very chubby Springbok

Around noon, we decided to park out at the Rietfontein Waterhole, which Russell from Green Bushpig had recommended as “usually rewarding”. We shut of the engine, pulled out the snacks and laptops and settled in for a long wait. It wasn’t long until we were rewarded with another first: a huge herd of ELEPHANTS!

 

I have a view of elephants fighting next to an African waterhole as I type up my travel blog. Not bad for my temporary “office”!

 

We can’t get over how BIG these elephants are! Sure we got to wash elephants in Indonesia, but they were little puppies compared to these guys. Especially *that* bull heading right for us. OK, Lindsay is getting a little nervous now…

 

Wait, who just showed up to the waterhole? A RHINO! One of the most endangered species in all of Africa, wow!

 

OMG! A second rhino! And they kiss each other hello? Oh, Africa, this is just adorable.

 

The big bull elephant makes sure the rhinos know he is boss around this waterhole, by strutting by and staring them down. Look at the size of this guy compared to the rhinos – he’s MASSIVE

The elephants were really cool to watch…from a distance. After about an hour or so, another herd of elephants showed up. The big bull from the first herd decided he was feeling a bit crowded. And who can blame him? Not only does he have rhinos, and a wall of ellies taking up his waterhole, the parking lot next to the waterhole has slowing been filling up with SUVs and overlander vehicles. Apparently, he’s gotten tired of all the attention, so he starts to leave.

However, he decides that the path he wants to take is DIRECTLY THROUGH THE PARKING LOT. The fact that the parking lot if full of PARKED CARS each with their engine turned off doesn’t bother him. “They’ll move for me,” is what he must be thinking. He decides the car he likes least is a gigantic overlander bus. He starts heading towards it – rather fast! When the bus doesn’t move, he starts to flap his ears and shake his head – all clear warning signs he is about to charge…which he does! The bus driver pulls away at the last moment, as does everyone else in the parking lot – yours truly included. Of course, our mobility is limited as other cars have parked us in – Lindsay is FREAKING OUT – convinced that the entire herd is going to stamped at any second, while Igor is yelling at her to stop trying to drive away as he is filming the entire encounter.

 

The path finally clears for the big bull to walk by…with the rest of the herd soon to follow!

 

A smaller bull keeps eyeing the cars after the big guy has left – he seems to want to show off he is a big shot too, as he knocks down a tree – just for the hell of it! The rest of the herd takes their time drinking water and having a dirt bath before following their leader.

 

We start to drive away from the waterhole, only the realize that the road out is also directly in the path of the elephant parade! Oh boy, here they all come!

 

It’s too late to back up! There are *literally* dozens of elephants in front of and behind our car!

The rest of the afternoon was pretty uneventful, save for a pair of sleepy lions near the park exit. We were so disappointed when we looked at the clock and had to leave! Really looking forward to tomorrow – Lindsay’s birthday! – when we would be spending the night *inside* the park.

Poor zebras – they want to get a drink of water, but the sleeping lions are blocking the waterhole

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