Category: Namibia

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