We are now much further into the Namib Desert just outside Sossusvlei. This area is famous for the huge red sand dunes, rising up to over 300 metres high in places. It was a 5am coffee call so we could be at the gates to the National Park to join the long queue when they opened at 6.15. It is then a 60km drive down a tarred road through the large dune fields to try to get to the end of the normal road as early as possible after sunrise to see the fantastic colours and shapes change as the sun gets higher. To get further on than the end of the road you either need a 4x4 or get the shuttle to the biggest dunes or as we did, walk. The dunes are massive rising bright read with curves and lines formed by the shadows from the sun. It is also getting hotter so we started a climb on the soft sand, very hard going but the formations were impressive.
On the long drive from Swakopmund, the roads were just gravel so speed was slow. We passed through two passes on very twisty roads before getting to the “One Horse Desert Town” aptly named Solitaire. Famous the world over for its Apple Pie, or so we were told so we had to stop and try. The town is just a filling station, bakery and small lodge but is very quirky. The Lodge has a lot of old cars lining the route in, stuffed with cactus and other plants growing from them. Fuel first the bakery for apple pie which was delicious especially welcome in the desert.
Not a lot of large animals around, a few ostrich, springbok and oryx as well as the odd Jackal. On the lookout for meerkats but not seen any yet.
Now moved on once again to a place in the mountains called Zebra River Lodge, a great place in the middle of nowhere. Time to walk and relax so we may be able to update things again before going to the far south of Namibia. Milage to date just over 3500kms
OK we couldn’t update as it seems most places in the south of Namibia have yet to get behind the World Wide Web so this will have to wait to be posted until we reach Windhoek again
So a quick update on what we have been doing.
Zebra River Lodge was another fantastic place out in the middle of nowhere, this time in a small canyon, 12kms from the nearest road. We only had one night there but we managed to pack in a long hike down the canyon to the springs at its head, a great hike, lots of Dassies, the local name for Rock Hyrax. These smallish creatures resembling an extremely big hamster are supposedly the nearest living relative of the Elephant. No resemblance in size, shape, eating habits or anything but the biologists reckon they share a large amount of DNA, the same number bones in their feet and many other things bit we cant see it.
After ZRL it was a long drive through the mountains to the edge of the desert where the dunes meet the mountains. Although booked in here for 2 nights we only stayed for one and moved on the next day to Aus. We had not looked at this area but wanted to go here mainly to drive the 125 Kms to Luderitz and see the ghost diamond mining town of Kolmanskop. This town set up when diamonds were found in the area back in the early 20th century. It prospered and grew in the desert becoming the largest mining town and headquarters of the mining company. The whole area is even now strictly controlled and you are not allowed into it apart from one or two places. Kolmanskop started to decline when the HQ moved south to the South African border and the town lost its last resident in 1956. Then the sand dunes took over and started burying parts of the town. Kolmanskop is now open to visitors and some parts are even being restored. Some houses were magnificent and now stand full of sand.
After Aus it was another long drive south to Fish River Canyon, the 2nd largest canyon in the world after “Grand Canyon USA”. A fantastic site seeing the canyon floor a long way beneath us. Unless you take the 4 day hike you are not allowed to the floor in the main part of the canyon. We did drive to the end at a settlement called Ai-Ais and walked a short way back along the valley but you are not allowed far and at that point it is just another valley.
We managed only our 2nd puncture but as luck would have it the tyre went flat at the camp site so easy to change and the campsite all have facilities for repairs.
Tonight Monday 23rd is our last night under canvas ands the last 2-3 being in the far south have been very cold at night, very different from up north in Etosha and Opuwo where it was very warm at night. The days are still warm but not the 35 degrees we have had more 17-20 degrees.
Tomorrow we do our last stretch of gravelled road, the 125 Kms back to the main road towards Windhoek. So far we have travelled over 4750 Kms and 75% of that on rough gravel roads.
The place where were are in Fish River Canyon is called CAÑON Roadhouse, a really quirky place, built and set up as a 1950s US roadside lodge, lots of old cars outside but a huge “barn” of a place inside where the diners all sit around old cars, served from lorry chassis and even the reception desk is an old lorry. Look it up on the internet, type in Canon Roadhouse, Namibia into Google and take look.
Now for Windhoek when this will be posted, more pictures available then we hope
Well yes safely back in Windhoek after almost 5500 Kms, car returned to the hire company, filthy but undamaged so no charges.
Great last night in the Kalahari Desert and seeing a porcupine plus this morning finding out where we can see two animals we had not seen yet, Meerkats and Cheetahs. Brilliant end to a wonderful holiday. More to come about it over the next days/weeks (we hope)
Mike and Jan
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