1 breath-taking country.
2 intrepid travellers.
3 extraordinary weeks.
4 thousand kilometres (almost!).
Short(er) Version
- Here is our itinerary.
- Here is a rough outline of the trip on Google Maps. We started, and ended, in Windhoek and travelled (roughly) in a clockwise direction.
- We booked through Cardboard Box. Fantastic, and very patient, service - completely tailored and personalised the itinerary just for us. Not cheap, but for us it was a trip of a lifetime and worth every penny/dollar.
- One Second A Day video:
Long Version...
Sunday 17th July 2018
Nice flights, fast and crazy transfer in Addis airport, and we were met in Windhoek by a lady who took us to the car hire place. She talked animatedly for the 40km drive, telling us some need-to-knows about driving in Namibia. I was very grateful for her honesty and frankness. She told us some dos and don'ts and talked a great deal about being careful of animals. And which ones to eat. Wow.
We collected the car, set the odometer to zero, then drove to the Windhoek Gardens Guesthouse. Spent a lovely evening there, looking at maps and guidebooks and wondering what Namibia had in store for us.
We collected the car, set the odometer to zero, then drove to the Windhoek Gardens Guesthouse. Spent a lovely evening there, looking at maps and guidebooks and wondering what Namibia had in store for us.
Monday 18th June 2018
After a hearty breakfast, we went to a supermarket to stock up on water and snacks. We then hit the road for our first big drive. We crossed the Tropic of Capricorn!
We drove about 280km south of Windhoek and arrived at our next lodge just before 2pm. We stayed at the Kalahari Anib Lodge in Mariental for two nights. Lovely place and amazing staff. We spent the afternoon relaxing in the bar area, reading, and watching the World Cup (England 2, Tunisia 1).
Tuesday 19th June 2018
My birthday! And what an incredible birthday it was!
We had an early sunrise breakfast. By about 7am it was getting light, so we headed off on foot for a walk in the Kalahari! No big game here, so nothing to be afraid of. We did see a fair amount of springbok, squirrels, and birds. It was pretty chilly until about 11am, when the sun was definitely starting to warm things up.
We continued north to Diaz Point and then headed back into Lüderitz to the lovely Diaz Coffee Shop. Back to our hotel for more reading and relaxing!
We had an early sunrise breakfast. By about 7am it was getting light, so we headed off on foot for a walk in the Kalahari! No big game here, so nothing to be afraid of. We did see a fair amount of springbok, squirrels, and birds. It was pretty chilly until about 11am, when the sun was definitely starting to warm things up.
One of my favourite shots of the whole trip. Can you see me?
Back to the lodge for lunch and a little more relaxing - it was the holiday after all! Late afternoon we headed out on a sundowner's drive with a couple who were staying at the lodge. We spotted LOTS of animals, including zebra, giraffe, ostrich, kudu, wildebeest, springbok, oryx, and eland. We also saw an aardwolf - first one I have ever seen! It's so hard to explain seeing all these amazing creatures in the wild. Just, wow.
Lovely spot for a birthday G+T! They set up a 'bar' especially for us!
Feeling so grateful.
Wednesday 20th June 2018
Sunrise breakfast at the Kalahari Anib Lodge then left early on another long drive. We drove first to the Quiver Tree Forest. This place took my breath away. Stunning, rocky, landscape with quiver trees dotted about all over. It was just like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. I just kept saying "wow".
Next we drove to the Giant's Playground. Huge dolerite boulders... how this came to be is mind-boggling.
After a little clamber on the rocks, we continued our drive towards our next accommodation, Canyon Roadhouse. A quirky little lodge in the middle of nowhere. Most of the places we stayed at were in very remote locations! We drove over 400km this day. Just time to do some laundry, have dinner, then bed!
Thursday 21st June 2018
Another sunrise breakfast. We learnt fast that getting up before the sun, having our breakfast, and then hitting the road as soon as it got light was the way to go - much cooler in the mornings and also better light for photographs! We visited the nearby Fish River Canyon. The second largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon. Stunning. And cold.
Next, we went to check out the Canyon Village for a coffee, then back to Canyon Roadhouse for an afternoon of games, reading, and relaxing!
Friday 22nd June 2018
Sunrise brekkie. As soon as it got light we started our next big drive - almost 400km to Lüderitz. It took about five hours on the gravel roads that we were getting used to! Speed limit was 80km/hr and I didn't go much over that. Incredible landscapes and lots and lots of NOTHING. No buildings, no people, no cars. Arrived Lüderitz and checked into our hotel for two nights, Sea-View Zum Sperrgebiet. Lüderitz is a small harbour town on the west coast of Namibia with a population of about 12,500. We walked around the town, had some lunch by the sea, and bought some warmer clothes!
Saturday 23rd June 2018
(Happy Birthday, Dad!)
Another breakfast in the dark, before heading to Kolmanskop, a deserted German mining town where the desert has started to reclaim the landscape.
Sand is taking over!
White cabinet (left) is an old freezer!
We then went on a scenic drive around the Lüderitz peninsular - a lunar-like landscape! We stopped first at Grosse Bucht (lit. 'large bay'). This was an incredible experience. Huge, loud, crashing waves. Not another human or building in sight. I could have sat here for HOURS just watching, and listening to, the Atlantic.
We continued north to Diaz Point and then headed back into Lüderitz to the lovely Diaz Coffee Shop. Back to our hotel for more reading and relaxing!
Sunday 24th June 2018
A short drive today! About 120km through harsh, barren landscape. We stopped along the way to watch the beautiful wild horses, descendants of the cavalry horses left by the Germans after World War I.
We arrived at our next accommodation, the Klein Aus Vista Desert Horse Inn, before lunch and enjoyed another afternoon of games, reading, and relaxing! Great to have some time to just stop and soak it all in! We also watched some more World Cup - England beat Panama 6-1. Dinner at the Inn was incredible and one of the best meals we had on our trip. A 3-course meal starting with a delicious goulash soup, followed by a buffet main. I had oryx steak and lots of lovely roasted veg. Finished off with local malva pudding and custard! Mmmmmmmmm.
Monday 25th June 2018
Up early and left as soon as it got light for another big drive. Six hours and over 400km later we arrived at the Desert Camp. It's very hard to describe the drives. Hours and hours of incredible landscape... sometimes completely flat arid desert, sometimes mountainous, sometimes lined with farmland, bushes, and trees. Driving the long distances is never boring. On this trip, we often drove for hours without seeing another vehicle, another human being. I've never been anywhere quite like it.
Our home for two nights
Social weaver bird nest
We had an amazing surprise waiting for us at the Desert Camp! A moment of serendipity. By chance, two colleagues from Tanzania were staying at the exact same camp as us... for the exact same two nights. Two completely independently booked trips connecting in the middle of the Namib! So grateful that we got to spend time with them.
Tuesday 26th June 2018
We decided to car pool! We drove to Sossusvlei (lit. dead-end marsh) and stopped first at what we thought was Dune 45. We climbed it. The other three made it to the top. I made it about a third of the way. Huge red sand dunes. Bright blue sky.
Then... my one Namibian wish came true. RHINO! Mother and child.
We decided to do a sundowner drive, and we were NOT disappointed!
Total kilometres driven by me in Namibia:
When everyone got down to the bottom again, we drove off... and a little way further down the road we saw the sign to Dune 45! So we nicknamed the one we'd just climbed 'Fake Dune 45'. Safe to say, we didn't try climbing the real one as well.
We drove some more, closer to Hidden Vlei and then left the car to walk the kilometre or so to Dead Vlei. That might not sound like much, but it was up and down rolling sand dunes in what was becoming a rather hot day! Worth every bead of sweat though.
My son then decided that he would attempt to climb to the top of one of the dunes at Dead Vlei. It took him 45 minutes to reach the top with a fair amount of adult encouragement - luckily one of us is a PE teacher! Incredible achievement and experience for an 11 year old. He was extremely proud of himself. Took him about 3 minutes to come down! About equal measures of running, rolling, and tumbling down.
Never give up.
Can you see two humans towards the top?!
Impressive. Trudged back to the car. Very hot. Very sandy. Very tired. VERY happy!
We then had a well-deserved barbeque back at the camp. Pork chops, sweet potatoes, coleslaw, and the obligatory marshmallows!
By moonlight. TONS of stars. So grateful.
Perfect end to a perfect day.
Wednesday 27th June 2018
Another big drive day. About 350km to Swakopmund. Along the way we stopped at the tiny town of Solitaire for petrol. I was constantly wondering 'how do people LIVE in a place like this?'. Harsh landscape. Very little vegetation. Water comes from nearby springs.
We also drove through the stunning, and slightly scary, Gaub Pass and Kuiseb Pass. Very windy road, driving in between huge rock-like landscape and sometimes discovering you were on the edge of a very high cliff!!
We also drove through the stunning, and slightly scary, Gaub Pass and Kuiseb Pass. Very windy road, driving in between huge rock-like landscape and sometimes discovering you were on the edge of a very high cliff!!
Once we reached Swakopmund we checked into our accommodation, Pebble Stone House Bed & Breakfast. Our home for three nights. The longest we stayed anywhere!
We were greeted by a lovely lady who gave us a quick tour. Afternoon was spent... reading, playing games, and resting.
Thursday 28th June 2018
One of the best breakfasts of the trip! Cooked for us by the lovely lady who we had met the day before. Bacon and eggs and a cup of coffee. Perfect.
We decided to take a break from sightseeing and have a shopping day! We hit the Platz Am Meer shopping mall and stocked up on some things that we can't buy in Dar. Long story, but we also had to buy some new clothes!
We had lunch at the amazing Swakopmund Brauhaus. German restaurant. Lovely food.
Afternoon - more relaxing. More World Cup. England vs. Belgium.
Friday 29th June 2018
We went quad biking on the sand dunes of Namibia with Desert Explorers! It was foggy and cold so we could hardly see the dunes until we were right on top of them. By the end, our fingers were frozen but it was SO much fun! Maximum speed was 40km/hour... but it felt like we were zoooooming!
After all the excitement, we had a relaxing day in Swakopmund. Ocean Cellar for a 'posh' lunch overlooking the beach, then back to the B&B to pack to get ready to move on.
Saturday 30th June 2018
A very foggy morning. Checked out of the B&B and drove 130km through thick fog on very wet sandy, salty roads to the Cape Cross Seal Reserve. Home to more than 100,000 Cape fur seals. It was very cold. Very muddy. Very noisy. And not too smelly. We had been warned that it would be!
Just a very small section of the seals!
Driving along the barren sand and salt roads of the Skeleton Coast.
Salt for sale. Lots of these on the side of the road. No people in sight. Leave the money in the can.
We continued our drive. Another 250km or so until we reached our 'home' for the next two nights. Madisa Camp. Way out in the middle of absolutely nowhere. This was probably the most remote place we stayed at. No electricity. No WiFi. If we wanted hot water we needed to burn wood under a water heater. It was quite a shock when we first arrived but after two nights in the wilderness, I absolutely LOVED this place. We knew there were elephants roaming in the vicinity, but they did not wander through the camp while we were there.
Coolest road sign. Ever.
Our tent.
Our shower. Toilet outdoors too.
Dinner was served outdoors next to the bonfire. I have no idea how they did such an amazing meal in such a remote place. Meatballs, potatoes, beetroot salad, and... chocolate mousse!
A million trillion stars. Even saw satellites. Haven't seen that many stars since I went to Outer Mongolia a lifetime ago. Breath-taking.
Sunday 1st July 2018
A sleep in! Well, 9am breakfast. For this trip, that was late. Drove an hour away on a bumpy gravel road to the Twyfelfontein Rock Carvings. Lots of climbing in the heat of the sun! We'd got almost to the end of the trail when I realised I had no SD card in my camera. I'd been shooting away, but none were saved. Not a happy camper! Thankfully, my son had taken some on his iPod!
One of the largest concentration of rock engravings in Africa, dated from the Late Stone Age.
Twiga.
Pundamilia (Zebra).
Drove back to our camp. Played with the dogs on site. Read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Had dinner. Went to bed. Happy.
Monday 2nd July 2018
After an early breakfast, we drove 125km to Vingerklip, a huge rock 'finger'. Stopped to take a few photos of course! I'll share just one here.
We continued our drive, another 210km to Etosha National Park. We stayed in the Okaukuejo Resort, situated within the park, for two nights.
We sat at the waterhole in the evening for a couple of hours and watched the wildlife come to drink. Lots of gorgeous elephants, zebra, and springbok.
Went to bed feeling very grateful. Again.
Tuesday 3rd July 2018
We had breakfast in the dark as we were keen to get out into the park as soon as the gates opened at sunrise! I drove for hours around Etosha, searching for wildlife! We saw so much.
Another rhino (WOW). Hundreds of springbok. THOUSANDS of zebra (I gave up counting). Multiples of other animals.... Hyena. Jackal. Giraffe. Vulture. Ostrich. Wildebeest.
My son's favourite was the oryx. He called them 'soldiers', as they moved very regally!
Mine - Red Hartebeest! Loved these as I had never seen them before.
Oryx
Red Hartebeest
Springbok
Back to the resort for lunch before going out for another drive in the afternoon!
A treat in the evening at the waterhole - lots of baby elephants.
A fabulous day of driving and game watching.
Incredible.
Wednesday 4th July 2018
Another day in Etosha. We checked out of our accommodation and drove around the park, heading slowly towards our next 'home', Halali Camp. Saw hundreds more beautiful animals along the way, but lion, rhino, leopard, and elephant were not to be seen.
Checked into Halali, grabbed a quick bite, and then headed back into the park. We saw baby 'soldiers', kudu, and more of the animals we had spotted the day before.
We also drove out to the Etosha Pan, a large salt pan in the park that is 120km long.
Miles and miles of... nothing.
We spent a little while at the Halali waterhole, then back to the camp for some games, dinner, and bed!
Thursday 5th July 2018
A leisurely breakfast before checking out and driving 70km through Etosha National Park to our next destination. As we drove through we spotted two lionesses. Lions, at last! They didn't seem to want to stand up for us though.
Well camouflaged.
We exited the park and then realised that our next lodge was in a private game reserve just on the other side of the Etosha fencing.
As we checked in, I began to wonder if we were really supposed to be staying here... it seemed to be a bit more upmarket than all our other accommodation. But no, we were in the right spot!
Etosha Aoba Lodge was stunning. We had one of the Heritage Bungalows and it was lovely. The staff were amazing and so friendly. The food was fantastic. I couldn't fault them on anything. There was a little waterhole at the back of the open air restaurant and a family of kudu came to visit!
Young female leopard. Three metres from our safari jeep.
She was the first leopard I have ever seen in the wild... AND... 'Big Five' completed!
Pinching myself again.
We were so lucky.
Friday 6th July 2018
Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to the Aoba Lodge after only one night. We got up early, had breakfast, checked out, and then drove 350km to our next stop - Okonjima Game Reserve, home of AfriCat.
We stayed at the Okonjima Plains Camp for one night. We didn't do much here except read and relax... and watch the family of warthogs play by the waterhole!
Saturday 7th July 2018
After breakfast we left Okonjima and drove 225km back to where our Namibian journey had begun. Windhoek Gardens Guesthouse. We had time for a little bit of shopping before watching some more World Cup (England vs. Sweden) before sleeping. Our last night in Namibia.
We saw so much and have many, many special memories of the places we saw, the people we met, the animals we watched, and the experiences we had.
Sunday 8th July 2018
Time to return the car, be taken to the airport by the same lady who had collected us three weeks earlier, and say goodbye to Namibia. I could have stayed for a lot longer, but all good things must come to an end! We flew back through Addis Ababa. Longer connection so didn't make it back until about 3am the following day.
Total kilometres driven by me in Namibia:
Woohoo!!
Well done if you got to the end of this VERY long post!!
Thank you for taking the time to read about our adventure.
If you liked the photos and want to see more (!), here is an album of some others I took. Be warned - there are over 1,000... and that's AFTER editing!!
Video coming soon...
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