Namibia by 4x4 Camper, September/October 2005
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Travelogue of 5 weeks exploring Namibia by 4x4 campervan. Deserts and dunes of every colour, Spitzkoppe, Skeleton coast, Brandberg and the White Lady, Etosha, Sossusvlai and Fish River. Lots of animals, lots of scenery. Words, pictures and costs.
Manchester to Heathrow, Heathrow to Johannesburg, Johannesburg to Windhoek; it seemed a long journey particularly as we had to wait for several hours in Jo'berg for our connection. Much of the flight to Windhoek was above a cloud layer, but shortly before we arrived it cleared and there was an amazing view of endless sand dunes lit by the evening sun. A taste of things to come.
Windhoek
We were picked up at
the airport by a man from Asco car
hire from whom we were hiring our campervan, 
and
deposited us at their b & b in Windhoek. Nice spot but the razor wire,
security gate and armed guard were a bit un-nerving at first but this soon became normal for much of the better property in Namibia. By 11.00
am next morning we had filled in all the relevant paperwork at the Asco depot for our dropping
off point in Cape Town, paid
our money, been shown round our vehicle, completed a crash 4x4 course in
a ravine behind the garage and were on our way. The plan - 5 or so weeks
in Namibia, 2 weeks in South Africa. As normal in this part of the world
the campervan was a 4x4 pickup, a Nissan in our case with seating for 4
in two roes in the front and a lockable cab on the
back. Accommodation was in two tents on the roof which folded out and had
ladder access, all the camping gear for 4 was included. First stop was a trip into the town to find a supermarket
then back to the b&b to ponder on how to get all the food into the
back of the camper along with our luggage - challenging at first though
after a few nights we were getting quite slick at it. Windhoek proved to architecturally unremarkable but teeming with life, markets, shops and people wanting to look after your vehicle while you were away. We usually took them up on this offer. We spent another night
in Windhoek and can highly recommend the very friendly Delices de France
restaurant run by Yann Morizur and his girl friend.
Our first experience of camping in Namibia was at the nearby Daan Viljoen game park quite close to Windhoek. There we learned the secrets of erecting the tents, tables and chairs, cooking with one stove and a braai (barbecue) and fighting off thieving baboons. We also learned that it pays to put on extra clothing before going to bed, the nights here were quite cold.
All seemed to work OK and a packing/unpacking/assemble routine was rapidly developing. Next day we set off on our first experience of Namibian dirt roads. We followed the C28 west, over the Bosua Pass which turned out to be one of the rougher roads of our holiday. Most of our time on this type of road we kept the camper in 4X4 with the front hubs locked. We also learned about dust which plumed out from the back of the camper, got through every nook and cranny and required us to tie poly bags over the rear locks and gas cylinders to prevent them becoming clogged.
The desert landscape was wonderful and soon after leaving the suburbs of Windhoek we entered a huge landscape of rolling brown hills and thorn trees like something from a film set. We stopped overnight at a small campground at the very pleasant and friendly Tsaobis Leopard sanctuary where we got to stroke leopards (1) but our first major objective was the Spitzkoppe, a rugged pile of rocks that turned out to be a small mountain, jutting some 500m or more out of the plain north of the town of Karibib, (2,4). This was a fabulous place though the camping was fairly primitive, well, just a braai pit actually. The rock was an excellent red granite and despite the temperature approaching 40C there were a couple of rock climbing teams in action.
Picture 3 , that's us hiding in the shade of a large boulder. L - R Suzy, Mal, Bob. To the east of the Spitzkoppe was another ridge of steep granite called The Pondoks which looked to have excellent potential for a tricky ridge traverse. Here we explored the Bushman's Paradise, a secret garden of rock art and prickly bushes accessed by steps and a cable.
Next day we moved out to the coast where we swapped 40C sunshine for 15C, a grey sky and a hint of drizzle due to the cold Benguela sea current that originates somewhere near Antarctica. The landscape became utterly barren without a speck of green anywhere as we arrived at Swakopmund, a typical medium sized Namibian town with straight streets, low rise buildings and a lot of unemployment though it tries hard to be a holiday resort and fishing centre. As always in the towns it was necessary to keep an eye on the vehicle or pay a 'guard' a few N$ to do so. Here we obtained fuel and groceries. The private campsite Alte Brukke close to the sea front was excellent and each stand had its own (warm) bathroom which was very welcome. The weather remained grey and cool and we drove down to Walvis Bay where there are extensive salt pans and lots of Flamingoes and other birds. From here we drove inland and although it became a lot warmer it was no less barren save for the remarkable Welwitschia mirabilis which exist only on the gravel plains of the northern Namib desert. Despite their disheveled appearance these plants have only two leaves, are bisexual bearing small cones and can live up to 2000 years. Almost obligatory is an ascent of the nearby 70m Dune 7 where the locals practice their sand boarding.
Back on the road again we drove north along the salt road through the National West Coast Tourist area to the Skeleton Coast, both desolate areas though the ever changing colours of the rocks and the sand more than made up for the lack of green and the cool grey climate. At Cape Cross we visited the very smelly Cape Seal Reserve (5) where it was possible to get very close to them. There were literally thousands spread out along the coast.
We entered the Skeleton Coast National Park at Ugabmund at the mouth of the Ugab river (or what remains of it) where money changed hands. Continuing north the road began to deteriorate; it became more narrow and with drifting white sand blowing across it became almost hypnotic. We were quite glad of our 4 wheel drive, tyre tracks from a 2 wheel drive vehicle somewhere in front suggested that the driver was having some difficulties.
After a further desolate 110 km just short of Torra Bay we turned inland on the C39 as further progress along the coast line required special permission. The temperature rose rapidly as we left the cloudy coast and by the time we crossed the dry bed of the Huab river it was well into the 30C. That night we stopped at Camp Xaragu an excellent though not cheap campsite where we spent a couple of days due to me going down with something horrible and where I had to be transferred to a chalet with en suite facilities. Enough said!
Still a little light headed we loaded up the camper and headed for the town of Uis and the Brandberg mountains. On route we couldn't resist stopping at a roadside stall selling traditional dolls, attracted by two delightful Herero (6) women attired in traditional dress. The Herero people originally came from Kaokoland near the Kunene river but over the last 150 years have migrated south. Traditionally they were pastoral people. We couldn't resist the dolls, such detail and asking so little for them.Brandberg, another granite mountain of 2573m, higher than the Spitzkoppe but more sprawling and less pointed. Here we came to see the famous White Lady of Brandberg (picture 5), an enigmatic cave drawing some 45 minutes hot walk into the hills along the Tsisab ravine. The figure is painted white, is clutching what looks like a wine glass and is definitely not a lady. Currently undated but thought to be some 16000 years old. The figure has been adopted to adorn the bottles of a certain South African wine.
Etosha.
This seems to be where everyone heads to when they visit Namibia. Most activity was around the water holes in the evening though wild life could be seen at almost any time of day. Over 2 days we saw Elephant, White Rhino, Warthogs, Giraffes, Blue Wildebeest, Springbok, Steenbok, Kudu, Gemsbok, Lions, Burchell's Zebra, Cape Vultures, Secretary birds, Great Bustards, Ostrich, the list goes on. Left, Kudu and Springbok. The campsite at Halali had a water hole quite close by and it was easy to wander there in the evening.
Etosha was a hot and desolate place, flat with mixed scrub and a barren area of salt pan that is just dazzling white as far as the eye can see. It was also an expensive place with unimpressive facilities for camping and officials often seemed sullen and disinterested. The campsite at Okaukuejo (7) consisted of a dust bowl with the occasional acacia tree for shade in temperatures of 40C, few power points all booked up; water and old overused toilets 100m away. The facilities at Halali were somewhat better, there was some shade and a nearby pool.
However, 8-10 Elephants, Gemsbok, Burchell's Zebra.
From Etosha we turned south and headed for small park of Waterberg which consisted of high plateau surrounded by a sandstone escarpment. It was a pleasant park but walking was limited as day hikers were not allowed onto the plateau.
South again, back through Windhoek where we stocked up on everything, back to Daan Viljoen park where we again froze overnight and were ripped off by baboons, then south again down the C26 into new territory. Brown stoney desert soon became sandy and the skyline to the west was soon lined with pink and yellow dunes. At the Gaub Pass we crossed the tropic of Capricorn (11) arriving at the collection of shacks known as Solitaire. Here there was a store, a petrol station and a cafe where they served what was probably the best apple crumble in Namibia. It was certainly the biggest. South again with the dunes growing ever closer to Sesriem at the entrance to the Namib Naukluft Park and the next tourist trap, the dunes of Sossusvlei. This was a strange place with a part surfaced road, sometimes covered with deep sand, boring 65km deep into the dunes (picture 12,13). The dunes tower up to 200m above the road, and occasionally (1997, 2001) the Tsauchab river gathers enough water to reach the ephemeral pan at Sossusvlei where it sinks beneath the sand. On these occasions the pans become blue-green lakes and flowers bloom and animal and bird life appears as if by magic. No such luck when we visited. The last few km requires 4x4 and a bit of skill with driving in deep sand. Picture 14, Dead Vlei, one of the salt pans some 1.1km from the road.
Onwards and downwards. From Sesriem we followed the C27 past the settlement of Betta to stay overnight at a campsite by Duwisib castle, a bizarre edifice in the middle of the desert built in 1909 for Baron Captain Hans-Heinrich von Wolf for his wife Jayta Humphries. Built in red sandstone I thought it looked more like a mausoleum. Check this one out, it's an interesting story.
The more we progressed south the more the colours and textures of the scenery grew. We left the C27 to follow the minor D707 which wound its way around the west side of the Tirasberge and it seemed that every bend and viewpoint presented a view more magnificent than the last. Grey and blue mountains, black rock draped in white quartzite sand dunes of red and purple that stretched 100km to the coast and plains of sparse yellow grass. Stunning, we just couldn't get enough, picture 16 time exposure from a lonely campsite, 15 on the road again.
Too soon it seemed we arrived at the C13 and then the metalled B4 leading to Luderitz. We stayed overnight in the campsite just outside Aus, a pleasant desert spot with lots of interesting rocky excrescences and trails. The road from Aus to Luderitz is 125km and is surface though the last 10 km are often blocked by the unstoppable march of the dune fields. A new railway seemed to be being built when we were there, we wished them luck, the old line had been completely inundated. South, were the restricted diamond fields.
Luderitz is a bit of a bizarre place. It's in the middle of nowhere surrounded by an utterly barren landscape. It is also up against the restricted diamond area and much of its history and that of the deserted village of Kolmanskop is tied up with the diamond trade. It has a rather Germanic air and indeed, Kaffee and Kuchen are readily available. We rented a self catering apartment for a few days - luxury; found the laundrette, stocked up on gin, beer and groceries, explored the peninsula and took a boat trip for a few hours to view the penguins and whales. Penguins yes, whales no.
Keetmanshoop and the Quiver Tree Park. Back to Aus and then continuing east for several hours we came to the town of Keetmanshoop. A good watering and shopping centre , the town was not an objective as such, it was just on the way to the Quiver Tree park. These trees (Aloe dichotoma) grow all over Namibia and are also known as Kokerbooms. They seem to like dry rocky terrain and the park had a fine concentration of them. When dry, the branches were hollowed out by the San people to make quivers. Picture 17 , Kokerbooms at sunset.
Our last objective before the South African border was the Fish River Canyon (16). From Keetmanshoop we took the scenic D608 which wound and undulated its way through the Klein Karasberge to join the C12 and then the C37 to the campsite and park entrance to Fish River Canyon. It's a popular stop with tour groups and in the evening the site filled up with huge tour buses full of Germans and South Africans. The campsite was pleasant though the facilities seemed far too small for the demand and the baboons were something of a nuisance. Despite stacking our plastic boxes with click-on lids and then heaping a bench on top of the lot we came back to find them all on their sides with the tops off and things missing. Grr, I hope they get indigestion!
The canyon, Picture 18, is hyped as the second most impressive canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon. Well, it's impressive though it doesn't have the depth (only 500m) or the colours of the Grand Canyon. However, it was well worth the effort though disappointingly day hikers were not allowed to walk to the bottom thanks to the death of a badly equipped tourist a few years ago. Left, Suzy gazing in awe at it's depths, note the trickle of water.
We checked out the village of Ai-Ais at the bottom of the canyon, there were thermal baths here and a pleasant looking campsite. From there we headed south to the Orange River (19) and the border with South Africa at Noordoewer.
chris.jackson@zen.co.uk