Northern Namibia

JULY 2016

Our first destination after Windhoek was the Wilderness Lodge. The lodge consisted of 5 Safari Tented Chalets, each with balcony’s looking out at the Waterberg plateau and the valley below, plus a restaurant with equally spectacular views. We had visited the Waterberg before, but this was the most beautiful part. We had two nights here, which meant one full day of hiking in the valley’s eastern section, leaving the western section and the plateau for when we return later in the trip.

The Waterberg Plateau

From the Waterberg we headed northwest to the Etosha National Park, one of Africa’s iconic parks. The park is situated on what used to be a massive lake, which is now dry, but still feeds many natural waterholes, which in turn attracts a lot of wildlife. The park covers an area of 22,270 square kilometres, and our aim was to explore three distinct areas. We had been to Etosha before and knew two of our camps well, all be it that they had been tastefully renovated since we last came. Our third camp was new to us and was situated in the previously restricted western side of the park. It was called Dolomite and our chalet was perched on the slopes of a small mountain overlooking a savannah below us, it was spectacular. It was so good we didn’t have to leave our balcony to see the wildlife, it all passed below us, on their way to a nearby waterhole. Another bonus of the balcony view was that we didn’t have drive to find the wildlife, as the roads around the camp were horrendous. Dolomite was also unusual in two respects, firstly it was unfenced so you weren’t allowed out of your chalet or public area after dark unless accompanied by a member of staff – Leopards and Lions can climb rocks, and secondly we parked our car at the foot of the mountain and were transported up to our chalet by golf cart. Five days in Etosha was very rewarding with some wonderful wildlife spotting.

Giraffe drinking

Waterhole action

Baby Elephant

Zebra & Giraffe at waterhole

Dust storm

Black Backed Jackels

Elephant herd

Bull Elephant

Rhino crossing

Giraffe drinking

Kudo

Our next destination was a completely different experience. We travelled east into Bushmanland and to the edge of Namibia’s Kalahari Desert, where we spent two nights as guests of a San Bushman tribe. To reach our bush camp we had to drive a short Kalahari sand road, advised by the camp owner that our two-wheel drive high clearance SUV would negotiate fine, off we went. But with just meters to go, we got stuck, and had to be dug and pushed out. A white farmer who had grown up with the Bushman in the area owned the camp and land. He spoke their language and was very supportive of their way of life and wanted to help the difficult transition they were going through. He did this by introducing tourism; he built the accommodation but left it to the Bushman to run it (Bushman refers to both the men and women). The main reason for going there was to spend a day with the Bushman, to understand their way of life, which we did. And what an experience, the morning was spent in the bush with them learning about the plants and trees, and food and medicines that they provide. The afternoon was about tracking animals, making a bow and learning how to kill an animal with it (not a real one in this instance, a straw one, although neither myself or a fellow guest managed to hit the target anyway). In addition to this we interacted with all the members of the tribe, were told about their way of life and were entertained with tradition singing and dancing. All this was made possible by our Bushman interpreter, Hedrick (his western name), who had learnt English at the local school. An experience we will never forget, and a privilege to be part of, as this way of life may not exist in 10-20 years time. The white farmer who organised this, Johan, wanted to preserve this way of life so it wouldn’t be forgotten. And to do this he needed to create the environment for it and provide an income through tourism for the Bushman to make a living from it. It was all done incredibly well. And of course we got stuck in the sand on the way out as well.

Kalahari Bushman Family

Bushman in search of food

Kalahari sweetshop

Fire making Bushman style

Bushman (Bushwomen) dance

Skipping Dance

It was now time to return to the beautiful Waterberg. Three nights on this occasion, time to do some laundry, get the car cleaned and do some more hikes. One of those hikes was to the plateau, a steep climb then a walk around the top. For this hike we were obliged to take a guide, JJ, as the plateau is also a wildlife reserve and Rhino encounters are possible. JJ was very informative, telling us stories of life in the Herero community and how to identify animals by their droppings and prints. In fact, as he realised we were quite knowledgeable, it turned into a bit of a quiz – he would ask us first to identify the animal from its prints or droppings before telling us if we were correct or not. This was a different approach to guiding, but it added to the enjoyment.

From the Waterberg we travelled west, towards the coast, and into Damaraland.
Another arid environment, but with seasonal rivers running through it, a green oasis appeared out of the desert. Our destination was Twyfelfontien, and three nights at the country lodge. The reason we choose this location was for the rock art and the chance to see Desert Elephants. Both of which was achieved, a wonderful afternoon with a small group of Desert Elephants – mother and three teenagers, was followed the next afternoon with a visit to the UNESCO San Rock engravings – some 2500 years old.

Desert Elephant

Desert Elephant hiding his tracks

Northern Namib Desert

San Bushman rock art

Next stop was right on the coast at Namibia’s second city, Swakopmund. We had four nights here in a lovely apartment, catering for ourselves. Really nice chilled out time. The only down side was the temperature, about 15 degrees cooler than the other side of the desert.

Namibian road