Namibia April May Trip report by Michelle Furphy & Nakkiran Sunassee

Transcription

1 Namibia April May 2011 Trip report by Michelle Furphy & Nakkiran Sunassee

2 Day 0: Home Springbok (20/04/2011) What would have been an incredibly long, boring drive was made much more interesting by the discovery that the roof rack was loose and a near-miss with a truck just outside Klawer. A stop at a petrol station in Trawal and many phone calls to various people (thanks Francois Visagie & George Rudman!) regarding the roof rack revealed that all the bolts holding it in place were loose and that the right rear bracket was a bit dodgy, so we tightened all the bolts and decided that the roof rack would survive the rest of the trip so long as we kept checking it. Just before Klawer we passed a weigh bridge where a small truck was waved past instead of in and the result was that he just pulled back onto the road without even seeing us, so we were forced onto the gravel shoulder. The traffic cops chased him down and pulled him over, while we went on our merry way. Upon arrival in Springbok we proceeded straight to Mountain View B&B, where there had fortunately been a cancellation and we were able to spend the night despite the fact that we had no reservation. Dinner was, as always, as the Nando s. Back at the B&B the electric gate was broken but the problem was quickly solved and we were able to get back to our room for a hot shower before heading to bed. Day 1: Springbok Felix Unite (21/04/2011) Woke up early and discovered that it was positively Arctic outside! Packed up all our stuff and had some breakfast before filling up and heading for the border. We went through all the formalities quite easily on the SA side and proceeded to cross the Orange River into Namibia. After the disaster at Mata Mata in 2010, we were a bit nervous on the Namibian side of the border but after what seemed like hours our passports were stamped and we were good to go. About 5km from the border I made us turn back for fear that we would get into trouble for not having gone into the Custom s office. Back at the border Naks asked a policeman who said that if we had nothing to declare (we didn t) we could just go. We arrived at Felix Unite very early and they were seriously busy so we were asked to wait while the staff finished preparing the tents and so on. We wandered around for a bit, had some lunch and then went to go lie around at the pool while we waited. We eventually got bored and were on our way to get our books out of the car when Wula stopped us to tell us that we d be staying in a chalet that night instead of a tent SCORE! The chalets are really nice and we were fortunate enough to have one that was right on the bank of the Orange River. We spent the rest of the afternoon reading and getting a little drunk. We decided to have dinner at the restaurant so we headed back the chalet for a shower before having one of the largest steak dinners I have ever had. Day 2: Felix Unite Aus (22/04/2011) We were up really early after a wonderful sleep so we had some tea and breakfast and then packed up our stuff so that could head out towards Aus. We stopped at the supermarket in Noordoewer do a bit of shopping and then hit the road. We detoured via the Fish River Canyon viewpoint for a picnic lunch. Due to all the rain in the previous months we had to take a 30km detour past Naute Dam, since one of the dirt roads leading to Seeheim was closed and as a result we got to Klein-Aus Vista camp quite late in the afternoon. There was quite a storm on the horizon as we were driving towards Aus but fortunately we didn t get caught in the rain. Page 1 of 13

3 We started setting up camp as the sun was setting and made ourselves some dinner before heading off to the showers. It was a bit chilly outside so we went to bed quite early but woke up in the middle of the night to rescue our towels from a few drops of rain. Day 3: Aus Betta Camp (23/04/2011) After packing up camp we went to see the wild horses that Aus is famous for. We expected there to be more people at the viewpoint but there was only one other vehicle and it was leaving as we were pulling up, so we had the whole place to ourselves. There were loads of horses and some of those that were right at the viewpoint were trying to munch on building supplies. We stopped at the petrol station in Aus to fill up the car only to discover that the petrol card required authorisation. When we tried to draw money from the portable ATM in the shop we learned that those machines only accept VISA cards and to top it all off it ran out of money when Naks used it. We had to use some of our emergency money to pay for the diesel but it all got sorted and we were once again on our way. We stopped randomly at Lovedale farm to have some lunch. As we didn t have anywhere to stay and Sesriem was still a long way off we decided to try our luck at Betta camp, which is about halfway between Aus and Sesriem. Fortunately there was a chalet available but unfortunately it came with a donkey boiler so the shower was a bit too cold for my liking. Naks befriended some old folks and one of the ooms came round to ours to share a shot of Jaegermeister with us after dinner, which meant that we were quite blotto afterward. Day 4: Betta Camp Sesriem (24/04/2011) Had tea and breakfast and then packed up so that we could head for Sesriem and the Sossusvlei. As we got closer to Sesriem the sand started to change colour and we could see the beginnings of the gorgeous red sand dunes the area is known for. We checked in at the NWR campsite and purchased a permit so that we would be able to go to the dunes at sunrise the following morning. We pitched our tent and decided to just arb around for the rest of the afternoon. After wandering around the campsite checking out other people s camping set-ups we decided that 3 nights in Sesriem was going to be one too many so armed with our map we headed for the restaurant and looked for somewhere else to go. After a few frustrating phone calls we sorted ourselves a night in Windhoek and 3 nights at the Waterberg Plateau Park. We had a braai for dinner and quite a nice hot shower before going to bed fairly early in anticipation of the early start in the morning. Day 5: Sesriem (25/04/2011) We were up at 04:30 to make a quick cup of tea and un-pitch the tent so that we could drive the 60km to the dunes. The park gate opens at 05:30 and since we were the only people who seemed to bother to drive at the 60km/h speed limit it took us a little while to reach our destination. We decided to give Dune 45 a skip because there were already a horde of overlanders and other tourists Page 2 of 13

4 there and continued on to the end of the road and the 4x4 track. By the time we started hiking up Big Daddy dune the sun was already up and there were a fair few other people doing the same hike. The pan directly below Big Daddy actually had water in it so it was quite a spectacular sight from the top of the dune. Thankfully the sand on the dunes was quite compacted because of all the previous rains so it made hiking up much easier than we expected. After taking in the amazing vista for a while we decided to mission down the dune and walk along the edge of the pan back to the Landy. We then went to the Deadvlei Pan, which is basically a large, dry pan with dead trees in it. The whole thing is kind of eerie but very beautiful none the less and one can even get over the amount of tourists to a certain extent. By then it was getting quite hot so we decided to head back to camp. We were going to watch the sun set at the Sesriem Canyon but went a bit earlier because it s not that much fun to pitch the tent and make dinner in the dark. Day 6: Sesriem Windhoek (26/04/2011) Having packed up and left Sesriem quite late in the morning we filled up the car and headed for Windhoek. We made a random stop to see the petrified dunes at a lodge in the Namib - Nauklauft national park area. The petrified dunes are quite something to see and it s amazing to find out how old they are and the types of fossils that have been found in the area. Page 3 of 13

5 Travelled along the dirt road over the Remhoogte Pass, which is an incredibly scenic drive until we reached Rehoboth. The pass was fairly wet at some spots due to the recent rains. We re-inflated the tyres in Rehoboth before hitting the tar road again for the 90km stretch to Windhoek. While most of the roads in Namibia are in quite good condition one has to dodge some rather large potholes between Rehoboth and Windhoek, which is a bit of a pity. By the time we arrived in Windhoek we realised that driving on dirt roads with the windows open is a really bad idea and we d collected a whole lot of dust in the Landy. We checked into the Aus City Hotel and then spent a good half hour in the parking lot wiping everything in the Landy down, much to the amusement of the security guard. We had lovely hot shower and walking to the local shopping mall to do a bit of stocking up. Had dinner at the Primi Piatti and then headed back to the hotel to get some sleep as we were quite tired by then. Day 7: Windhoek (27/04/2011) Day 7 was spent doing laundry, and running around town to try and fix our diff-lock and purchase a ground tent. Neither mission was successful. We discovered that the NWR offices were walking distance from Chameleon Backpackers so we decided to go there to sort our stay at Waterberg. Once we paid for our stay in Waterberg we did a bit of shopping before heading back to the backpackers for a couple of beers before dinner. We had dinner at Primi again for a last dinner so that we didn t have to cook for ourselves. Day 8: Windhoek Waterberg Plateau Park (28/04/2011) After breakfast at the backpackers we packed up the car and did some last minute shopping before heading to Waterberg. Thankfully a good portion of the journey was on tar. There was a storm brewing as we were driving and it started to rain just as we pulled into Waterberg Plateau Park. After we checked in we waited for the rain to abate before we headed to our chalet. Upon arrival at the chalet the heavens really opened and it started to hail too. Fortunately the Landy fitted under the car port and we were able to offload the car without getting too soaked. As quickly as it started, the rain stopped and some Damara dik-dik came out to munch on the grass at the chalets. The chalets are quite nice apart from the fact that the kitchen only has a fridge, kettle, teacups and a sink. We were not that impressed but not to worry because we had our own mobile kitchen. I m sure this set-up is there to encourage guests to eat at the slightly over priced restaurant but we were having none of that and made our own dinner anyway. Had a fantastically hot shower as it was quite cold at Waterberg compared to the places we d come from and then went to bed. Page 4 of 13

6 Day 9: Waterberg Plateau Park (29/04/2011) After a less than wonderful sleep the pillows were terrible and the mossie repelling thing is annoying we missioned down to the restaurant for breakfast (which is included in the price). We walked into a university dining hall style building to find a crap load of foreign tourists loudly enjoying their breakfast. It was really quite weird because we had no idea that there were so many other people staying at Waterberg. After breakfast we decided to hike up to the top of the plateau as it was a fairly nice day and it wasn t too hot. It was a surprisingly easy and scenic hike but the last part involved a fair bit of climbing over rocks. We chilled out at the top for a while and then decided to mission back down to make ourselves some lunch. We ended up taking a bit of a wrong turn somewhere along the journey down and ended a little bit lost. Instead of ending back where we had started, or even where we were aiming for, we found ourselves trekking through some seriously muddy bits and eventually did some leopard crawling under thorny bushes and trees to get back to the main road by the chalets. As it turns out we weren t that far from where one of the actual hiking trails comes out and we only got a little bit muddy from our bundu bashing, so it wasn t a bad little mission at all. Day 10: Waterberg Plateau Park (30/04/2011) We mostly did nothing during the morning apart from having breakfast and trekking down to reception to book an afternoon/evening game drive. The general public are not allowed to do game drives in their own vehicles so one is required to book and travel with an NWR guide. We got a lift halfway back up the hill to our chalet in an NWR staff vehicle which was quite an experience because they drive like maniacs. After lunch we headed back down to reception to await our game drive and on the way we stopped to have a look at the weird little German cemetery. Back at reception we got into the game viewing vehicle with 7 other people and our guide/driver Bariar. The dirt road to the main entrance of the park had turned into quite a muddy swamp as a result of all the rain and it was quite a fun drive to the gate. Unfortunately for us the weather took a turn for the worse just almost as soon as we d entered the park but Bariar decided that we were going to press on regardless of the rain. We weren t really expecting to see many animals because of the weather but we startled a herd of red hartebeest and spotted some giraffe before we were forced to head for the nearest waterhole to take shelter from the rain for a while. Once the rain had abated somewhat and nothing exciting was happening at the waterhole we headed back to the Cruiser to continue our game drive. We were rewarded for our perseverance by spotting a Sable antelope not long after we resumed our mission. As if that wasn t amazing enough a few meters further down the road we happened across the rest of the Sable herd! We had more or less given up on seeing any more animals by then since it was getting darker and colder so it was a huge bonus to see something as amazing as Sable antelope. We went to a second waterhole just as the sun was setting and were lucky enough to see a small family of buffalo just leaving the waterhole. By the time we left the park it was quite dark and bloody cold and when we eventually got back to the chalet we were Page 5 of 13

7 soaking wet and absolutely freezing. Thankfully the geysers are set to scald so after a fantastically hot shower and some pasta and sauce out of a packet we were feeling much better and ready for bed. Day 11: Waterberg Plateau Park Grootfontein (01/05/2011) We had our last free breakfast, packed up our stuff and started out for Grootfontein. The first 30 40km was down the same swamp er road that we driven down the night before but since there had been more rain overnight it was even worse. Thankfully after some slipping and sliding sideways down the road it got a bit better and the going was much easier. On our way to go and see the Hoba meteorite we passed an antelope that was chilling with some cows at a farm gate weird. The meteorite was quite something to see and it s quite cool to touch something not from this world. We couldn t find Bushbaby Lodge so we decided to go into town instead. Since it was Sunday absolutely NOTHING in town was open so we went to Lala Panzi Lodge because they have a restaurant and we were quite hungry by then. Sadly the restaurant wasn t open for lunch so we decided that we d just at LP for the night because I was seriously over it by then. We headed for one of the non-swanky chalets and suddenly realised that the whole place was totally deserted! Most of the lodge looks very new and there was a whole bunch of construction equipment and workers around. It was really creepy knowing that we were literally the only people other than the staff at the lodge. We went to the restaurant for dinner and that was a weird experience too because even the restaurant was deserted. On the plus side there was a TV in the chalet so we watched to Sunday night movie (The Blind Side) before showering and heading to bed. Day 12: Grootfontein Namutoni, Etosha (02/05/2011) Packed up the car and went to the petrol station to fill up and re-inflate the tyres because it s a tar road all the way to Etosha. After drawing money we decided that instead of doing our shopping at the Spar in Grootfontein we d do it in Tsumeb instead. On our way out of town we drove past the entrance to Bushbaby Lodge and felt a bit stupid that we hadn t found it the previous day! We managed to stock up on almost all the provisions that we wanted in Tsumeb and excitedly hit the road for the last stretch to Etosha. Almost as soon as we had entered the park we started seeing animals grazing alongside the road which was a little surprising but we weren t complaining. At reception for Namutoni Camp we were told that there was a record of our reservation but no record of payment. The problem stemmed from the fact that we d originally booked and paid for everything in 2009 but weren t able to make the trip in 2010 and NWR had subsequently changed their booking system so our payment confirmation had gotten lost in the madness. The lady at reception promised to follow it up in the coming days and warned us that we d probably have the same problem at the other two camps. It was bloody hot and we were suffering a bit after the cold and rain in Waterberg but we weren t complaining too much Page 6 of 13

8 because after two years and one false start we d finally made it to Etosha. We wandered around the campsite for a bit checking out other people s camping set ups a new hobby of ours since we decided to look for an alternative to the RTT. After lunch we browsed around the various shops at the fort and then had a beer in the courtyard before heading back to camp for some tea and an early shower so that we could head to the waterhole at sunset. Day 13: Nmutoni (03/05/2011) We went for a game drive in the morning but didn t really see too much as we d left quite late and it was already getting quite warm. The other problem was that there had been so much rain that there was water available for the animals everywhere so they didn t have to be at the waterholes and the grasses and trees had gotten quite dense which made seeing the animals more difficult. After spotting some giraffe, wildebeest, springbok, zebra and impala we decided to go back to camp for lunch. After lunch we chatted to Michael, our friendly German neighbour, who advised us to go on an early afternoon drive to the waterhole at Tsumcor to see some elephant. After repeated trips to reception where we were told every time that stuff still hadn t been sorted out we decided to just let it go and went on a game drive instead. Most our drive was a loop around a pan outside Namutoni camp and apart from the usual animals there weren t many interesting sightings. Just before the end of the loop we happened across a lone bull elephant which was quite exciting and then a little further down the road we came across the rest of herd which was even better because there were two tiny calves amongst them. We stuck around for a while taking photos and then decided to move on towards Tsumcor where Michael was already waiting. There was a lone bull waiting rather impatiently for the rest of his herd to arrive and according to Michael, who d been waiting there for a little while, he was being quite aggressive. Not long after we arrived the rest of the herd appeared to have a drink and a splash about in the water. After a while the big bull started to get really annoyed and belligerent so we decided it would be safer to leave the waterhole and head back to camp. Page 7 of 13

9 Back at camp we made ourselves some dinner and then sat chatting to Michael while his dinner was cooking. We decided to leave him to have his dinner in peace while we went to wash our dishes. Once Michael had finished his dinner he wandered back over to our camp and we sat around drinking beer and just having a lekker kuier. Day 14: Namutoni Halali (04/05/2011) We took our time getting packed up and ready to go and finally left Namutoni at about 09:00. We had already decided to a slow meander to Halali via the Eland Drive loop as it s not that much of a distance between the two camps. En route we didn t see many animals other than giraffe and impala. Halali Camp is the newest of the three camps in Etosha and it appeared as though it was recently refurbished because although there isn t much grass and the campsites are packed quite close together the ablutions and other facilities are very new and quite swanky. The campsite wasn t nearly as busy as we had anticipated so we had a whole section of it pretty much to ourselves, which was quite nice. We didn t do very much other than arb around camp and laze at the pool for the afternoon. We went to the waterhole in the evening, there were loads of people milling around which wasn t that great but while we there a couple of rhinos showed up to have a drink. After pushing each other around for a while they decided to have a sleep and we took the opportunity to nip back to camp to take our malaria tablets and grab the camera before heading back to the waterhole. When we got back to the waterhole the two rhinos were still sleeping but we were rewarded for returning when a third rhino arrived on the scene and the pushing and shoving started all over again. Day 15: Halali (05/05/2011) We were up at 04:30 to go on our game and Samuel, our guide, was ready and waiting when we walked into the parking lot. Unfortunately the gate hadn t been opened so Samuel had to go and rouse the guard so that we could get going. Amazingly we were the only suckers that had booked a morning so off the three went on our little adventure. Samuel pointed out some chameleons in a tree just outside the camp gates but it was still much too dark to take any decent photos. A little while later we came to a fork in the road and Samuel decided to take a brief detour down the right side as he had caught the glint of eyes in his spotlight and wanted to see what it was. As it turns out it was a really good move on his part because the eyes belonged to a jackal but there was a leopard walking alongside the road that we would never have seen otherwise! Sadly it was too dark to take photos and the leopard seemed to be on quite a mission because it disappeared into the bush shortly after we spotted it. Some distance later we spotted a lone lioness walking away from the remnants of a recent kill and Samuel informed us that she was seen with a second lioness and some cubs the day before but unfortunately for us there was no sign of the others. There was also a pair of jackals fighting over something to eat and a pair of vultures in a tree nearby. There wasn t much else that we saw for the rest of the drive but we considered it a very good morning as we d completed our sightings of the Big 5. When we arrived back at camp we were treated to breakfast in the restaurant which was quite a blessing as Page 8 of 13

10 we were quite cold and it meant that we wouldn t have to wait for water to boil to make our own tea. The rest of the day was spent arbing around camp and we headed back to the waterhole again after dinner. There was just one rhino that came to have a drink and a sleep while we were there but we were happy enough with that to top off a good days game spotting. Day 16: Halali Okaukuejo (06/05/2011) We left camp quite late as we had decided to have a bit of lie in and we took our time having breakfast and packing up. We took a fairly slow drive to Okaukuejo and were astounded upon arrival at reception that we weren t going to have the same problem of payments having got lost in the system! We had a minor issue when we discovered that someone had randomly dropped off their trailer in the campsite assigned to us but the problem was quickly and easily resolved by us moving to another site. We bumped into Michael again, which was a nice surprise as we had expected to meet up with him again at Halali the previous day but he hadn t shown up. We spent the afternoon sending postcards home for laughs and climbing to the top of the tower at reception. The views from the top are quite spectacular even if being so high up doesn t agree with me. While we were having dinner a jackal appeared at the gate between the pool area and the restaurant and was trying to get in. After shooing it away and closing the gate we made our way into the dining room to help ourselves to the buffet. For a change dinner was REALLY GOOD salads and soup for starters and Oryx steak for mains. The Oryx steaks were done really well and accompanied by a choice of red wine or pepper sauce and rice and veggies. All in all dinner was lovely and it was nice to have some company for the evening. After dinner we went back to the waterhole for a while but as it was getting quite late and we were quite tired we headed back to camp to have a shower and go to bed. There were three jackals roaming around the campsite causing havoc for most of the night. Fortunately all of our stuff was securely packed away so we didn t get bothered by the jackals at all. We were awoken at around 23:00 by the sound of lions at the waterhole but we were just too warm and comfy to get out of bed to investigate. Day 17: Okaukuejo (07/05/2011) We slept quite late despite the noise around camp and took our time getting ready for a drive to the Sproekieswoud. The forest is a fairly large group of Moringa trees amongst some other trees. Moringa trees are also known as phantom trees, presumably because of the way they look. There is a fenced off picnic area not far from the forest so we decided to stop there to have lunch. The whole place was surrounded by zebra who were not impressed about having to move out of the way of the Landy. There were quite a lot of young zebra and some of the females were so fat that we thought they must be pregnant. Page 9 of 13

11 After lunch we headed back to camp only to find that a crap load of overlanders had unfortunately pulled in. We didn t do much for the rest of the afternoon but we had an early shower and dinner and then headed off to the waterhole for a while. There wasn t much happening at the waterhole and we were quite tired so we decided to call it a night and went off to bed. Day 18: Okaukuejo Namutoni (08/05/2011) Packed up camp, had breakfast and then started the 150km trek back to Namutoni. We didn t see too many animals en route between Okaukuejo and Halali. We were planning to have lunch at Halali but we arrived much earlier than expected so we just bought some biscuits and continued our journey. As we got closer to Namutoni we started to see more wildebeest, antelope and giraffe, and scenery that reminded us of the coast, except for the occasional oryx in the frame! Upon arrival back at Namutoni reception we were informed that the non-payment issue had been resolved and that there wasn t a problem at all which was great so we went to find a campsite. We happened to set up camp at the site we had previously used, had lunch and decided to just do nothing for the rest of the day. We went to bed early so that we could be up for an early morning drive to Andoni. Day 19: Namutoni (09/05/2011) We hauled ourselves out of bed at 06:00 to go on an early game drive. We weren t having much luck seeing animals on our way to Andoni so we decided to head back in the direction of Halali to find somewhere where the vegetation was less dense. Just after we turned around we happened across a bull elephant wandering down the road in the direction of Tsumcor. We had to follow very slowly behind him for a while until he veered back into the bush and it was safe for us to go past. We also a group of female kudu in the road just after the elephant left it. While we driving we saw a whole lot if vultures and a Marabou stork having a morning snack near the road. We couldn t see exactly what they were feeding on but as there were so many of them we assumed it must have been a fairly sizeable carcass. It was getting later and warmer but we decided to continue on to Kalkheuwel waterhole before heading back to camp for brunch. This turns out to have been a good idea because we came across a lone lioness lying under a tree about 2km from the waterhole! On our way we saw a vehicle stopped at the side of the road so we decided to stop and see if they d spotted anything interesting and it turned out to be another lioness chilling under a tree. Page 10 of 13

12 Back at camp we had some breakfast and then went to fill the Landy up, pump the tyres and do some souvenir shopping before we leave. We decided to eat at the restaurant since this was our last night in Etosha. Dinner was some seriously yummy eland steak, which neither of us had ever had before, and some decent wine. We had a good giggle about the misspellings and funny translations on the menu and have, as a result, christened the Landy Orxy. Possibly the weirdest sighting on our entire trip was that of the old folks in the next campsite pulling out a microwave oven WTF?! Day 20: Namutoni Windhoek (10/05/2011) We were up fairly early to pack and get going because it s a fair distance from Etosha to Windhoek. We stopped at the Wimpy in Tsumeb to get some coffee and then bought a few supplies at the Engen shop before continuing our trip to Windhoek. Everything was going swimmingly until we got flagged down by a policeman just outside Otavi. We didn t really have space to pull over so we went down the road a bit and then turned around and went back to see what the cop wanted. According to the cop we d been clocked doing 126km/h in a fully loaded Landy!? After much discussion between Naks and the cop we determined that he wanted a bribe to let us off but Naks rather smartly whipped out his wallet to show the cop that he had literally no money. He told the cop to issue the fine and direct us to the nearest police station where we would be happy to pay it but the guy let us go when he realised that he wasn t going to get a single thing out of the deal. We pulled into Windhoek at around 14:00 and went straight to the laundry to wash the stuff we d been wearing pretty much the whole week in Etosha. While the clothes were being washed we went to the Spar to do a bit of stocking up. We headed back to the Primi for dinner with friends of ours and it was back to the backpackers and into bed by 21:00. Day 21: Windhoek Duwisib (11/05/2011) We left Windhoek after brekkie at the backpackers and headed down the B1 to Mariental, where we stopped to get a sandwich at the Wimpy. We left Mariental and headed to Maltahöhe to fill up before the dirt road to Duwisib. Upon arrival at Duwisib we decided that we were only going to spend one night instead of two, as there s not much to do once you ve seen the castle. The NWR guy was very nice about it and threw in a guided tour of the castle for us. Naks spent a good part of the afternoon trying to fix the castle s internet connection problems but sadly was not successful in his endeavours. We eventually went to set up camp and saw that there were two other couples already camping right next to the ablution facilities. As it turned out there was only one working shower and it was on the ladies side. The other people had already beaten us to it and it was bloody cold so we just decided to not have a shower at all that night. We spent some time chatting to the other people and then went back to our own camp to make some dinner. Naks made pan-fried Oryx steak and we poured some good old Ina Parman sauce over it. Dinner was really yummy and after a few glasses of wine we decided that it was too cold to be outside so we went to bed instead. Day 22: Duwisib Keetmanshoop (12/05/2011) Got up a bit later than we planned and had some tea and breakfast and did some packing while we waited for the tent to dry out a bit. When everything was eventually sorted out and packed up we hit the (dirt) road and headed for Keets. We passed through the tiny hamlet of Helmeiringshausen and a few other little dorpies before we finally got the tar road for the last stretch to Keets. We got to Keets in the early afternoon and after a few failed attempts at finding accommodation in town we went to Maritz Country Lodge just outside of town. Since it was fairly early and despite the fact that we were quite knackered, we decided to go and see Giant s Playground and the Quiver Tree Forest. We decided to stay for feeding time of their cheetahs, and it really was an incredible experience being able to go into the enclosures and be so close to the cheetahs. Page 11 of 13

13 As it was getting later and darker we made a quick trip to Giant s Playground so that we d be back at the Quiver tree forest in time for the sunset. Giant s Playground is a really awesome collection of huge rock formations just outside Keets and it s quite something to see. We were the only people there and it was kind of eerie and quiet but awesome none the less. We took a stroll before going back to the Quiver tree forest to see the sunset. Back at the lodge we had a drink at the bar and then decided that we d treat ourselves and eat in the restaurant instead of cooking. We had a really good dinner of spare ribs washed down with some decent and then headed back to the chalet for a shower and some much needed sleep. Day 23: Keetmanshoop Sprinbok (13/05/2011) We had breakfast at the lodge and then packed up our stuff for the last time in Namibia. We went to the petrol station to fill up the car and stock up on a few provisions for the journey back to South Africa. The rest of the journey was pretty uneventful, but the weather did get worse as we approached Cape Town. We were starting to miss the heat and tranquillity of Namibia More pictures at Trip Stats Vehicle: 2010 Land Rover Defender Puma 90, 17400km; Fully laden weight 2500kg Total distance covered: 6115km Total fuel: L Consumption figures in l/100km: Avg 10.57; Max 12.5; Min 9.1 (mostly 500ppm, 50ppm available only in main centres) Lessons Learnt 1. No more than 200km in one day on Namibian gravel roads 2. Don t try to do too much in one trip, limit yourself to one area Page 12 of 13