David's moving toes: Namibia sea, desert and mountains

Namibia Camping Trip

Click on the photo above to get 55 pictures of Namibia camping.

Luxury accommodation.Di

Dining and sleeping in the back of the car

Dave bogged the car

Our camping area for the night on a german speaking farm

Intercape bus to Swakopmund. Leaves almost three hours late as we were waiting for the bus from Cape Town. Drive through red hot deserty mountain landscape to cool Swakopmund on the Atlantic. We have crossed Africa east to west. Paavo takes us to Auriols house, a beautiful old place. Look at the ocean from the lounge, a bit like the Cliffs hotel in Blackpool.

Sat morning and Paavo takes us to get fishing licences and then to Walvis Bay to meet Peter and his brother Mike. Four wheel drive along windswept wild beach. Too windy to catch fish. Back towards Swakop and a more sheltered spot in front of sand dunes. Youngmi catches a baby shark. Amazing. Walk up into big red sand dunes for sun set.

Sunday start with lunch in german restaurant the Europ Hof. Youngmi chooses well with schweinhaxe or pigs leg. Try fishing but huge waves crashing on beach and pier. Dodge waves to reach a smart restaurant at the end of pier and indulge in oysters and wine.

Monday stroll around this modern, german type town until we find a car to hire. 4 wheel drive nissan ute we can sleep in the back of. German sausage dinner in house with Peter. So pleasant.

Car arrives in early afternoon, we load camping gear, food and water. Peter says it looks like rain but that it never rains. Drive down dirt road past moon landscape to Bloedkopje. Herd of zebra and lots of gembok to be seen. Along four wheel drive track to Groote Tinkas a bush camping place next to a rock overhang. No one else anywhere to be seen. Shelter of rock gets us out of the strong wind. Lots of lightening. Glad to lock ourselves in back of ute and go to sleep. Very heavy showers in night but wild animals came visiting.

Early morning we continue on 4 wheel drive track which disappears sometimes so we were very nervous. Eventually the track gets better and we drive quickly seeing lots of magnificent big gemboks with long straight horns. More rain. Look at Kuisib gorge then lunch at Solitaire including Moose's apple crumble.Divert from our sand dunes plan as rain getting heavier and go to Naukluft ntional park.Big mountains and big rain. Cooking sausages in the rain when a baboon grabs our kettle. Retrieve the damaged pot. Next morning the baboon sneaks in the back of the car and grabs a carrier bag which fortunately just has washing up in. Hard work in baboon land.

Auriol phoned next day as we drive through mountains on wet dirt roads to say weather forecast is better. Get on campground in Sossusvlei park. Dry everything we have in the sun then drive 65kms in park to 4 wheel drive only sign. Continue in deep sand doing well until we are stuck. Dave driving. Youngmi jumps out with the spade Peter gave us and digs the wheels out. With help from two people who give us a push we are off again.

Park at the end of the track on a dry pan surrounded by giant sanddunes. Climb one and sit happily on top until a minor sand storm makes us nervous and sandy. Run down in soft sand great fun. Drive back to deadvlei and climb another dune. See people really high up nearing the top of big daddy.Looks like Mallory and Irving near top of Everest

Dinner in campsite restaurant was baboon free. Try for sunrise at Dune 45 next morning but see it from road instead. 2 hour walk including big climb up a back dune then walk along knife edge of sand to top of 45. Wonderful in sun.

Drive north for rest of the day through changing lands and colours. In dry mountain lands watch giraffes. Just reading in our guide book that some guest houses are german speaking and some english speakers may prefer to go elsewhere. See a campsite sign and drive down a lonely track thinking of Wolf Creek and mysterious germans. We shout hello a few times at a locked house and then an old lady appears saying Guten abend! She is friendly. We are on the only people on the campground. It is beautiful with firewood and hot showers. The hot water is heated by wood and an afrikaner guy brings a black guy in the back of his ute to light the fire. Great night.

On to Usakos where there is a church brai or bbq. As Youngmi said the characters recognised each other and we had a good time with one old timer going on about the war, the Boer war. On past Spitskopje big granite mountain. Lots of local people living in shacks and trying to sell gems and crafts to passng tourists. Long drive to Uis, past Brandberg to khorixas for petrol. A slightly rough looking place. On along a valley with isolated mountains. Stop for petrified forest then pass other petrified forests,the original, the best etc take your pick. Saw a welchwilia plant hundreds of years old and only two leaves but look like more.

Twyflfontaine campground good. Dave lights stove which we had refilled earlier. Flames everywhere and the singed Dave dives under a tap with water running on his face. Youngmi and two ladies run over and put burn pad on his face. The chef at the campground recommends Dr Khoosals treatment of toothpaste and this helps heaps.bNext day much better. Good old toothpaste. One of ladies rica? went to school on Namibia with Peter.

See the rock art at Twyflfontaine. Lots of carvings in a gorgeous rocky valley. Red hot. Drive the dirt roads for a fewhours back to Uis. Road then flat and sandy to Henties Bay. Cold, grey dump. Salt road back to Swakop stopping to see a ship wreck. Almost Skeleton coast.

Get car back safely by 6pm and then Dave settles into the bath for the evening. Four days of relaxing and walking on the beach before bus back to Windhoek. Have more oysters on the pier but pass on Zebra steak