US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Accommodating
We had a large group from Alaska and Ozon was very accommodating and made our once in a lifetime experience very comfortable and memorable! We had very great drivers who kept us safe and were very pleasant. We highly recommend Ozon for this experience!
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Super sweet
We've been really lucky to see all the big fives and the tour guides were super interested in making us happy and finding the animal
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic
It was amazing, our guide Samweli Shaban was super kind. He was always redy to explain us something and answare to our questions.
We really enjoied the tour, the food and the Safari was amazing!
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
helpful, kind
The experience was truly magnificent. Our ranger was truly helpful and kind, and shared so much interesting information with us. The trip was explained clearly, and the team is very well organized. The chef also always prepared delicious meals. We were lucky enough to see all five of the Big Five, as well as many other wild animals. I highly recommend going on safari with them.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent, personalized tour created by a very responsive tour operator!
Diana created an excellent, well rounded, 23 day itinerary for 2 women exploring Tanzania for the first time together. We experienced so much of what Tanzania has to offer including game drives in 4 different parks/reserves, hunting with Hadzabe men, conversations with Datoga women, cultural experiences with the Masaii, a cooking class, hiking the first stage of Kilimanjaro, swimming under a waterfall, swimming in a hot spring oasis, and so much more. The people Diana has recruited to her team are all exceptional -- thank you Rachael, Simba, Chidde, Abraham, Billy and Gifte for your kindness, professionalism, and for sharing your knowledge and love of your beautiful country. Be sure to contact Diana for your trip to Tanzania!
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
Excellent experience for see the big five in the safari
US
20-35 years of age
Overall excellent safari experience
Overall an excellent safari experience with Shanjoy. Our driver guide in Tanzania, Erick, was highly professional and truly exceptional. My number one goal was to see the migration river crossings and he made sure we achieved this! I’m very happy we chose to book with Shanjoy. They were very responsive and helpful from start to finish.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent experience for attention and quality of services
My experience with Uncensored Safari was fantastic! Their attention to the customer is maximum from the first emails, the manager Avitus is very kind and available for any advice and additional service, the guide was very good and showed us a lot of animals.
The location- where we stayed (Safari view luxury camp) was great, with very kind staff and very good food.
The price paid was blessed and certainly well spent.
Definitely highly recommended!
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Top! Good comunication, good price/quality and the best guide
We did a 2-day tour and from the very beginning, the communication was excellent—fast, clear, and very professional.
Upon arrival, we were lucky to have Tuhafeni as our guide, and we couldn’t have asked for anyone better! He is kind, always attentive and explained everything with great patience and knowledge. Even though the journey involved long distances, he made it enjoyable and fun throughout.
We visited incredible places like Sossusvlei, Deadvlei, Sesriem Canyon, and Walvis Bay, and each one was truly breathtaking. The landscape is unique, and the organization was flawless.
The price for the trip (camping) is good for the experience that we had.
An amazing experience we would recommend without hesitation. Thank you for making this trip so special!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Namibia Trip 2 weeks (long read)
Flights from Manchester to Windhoek via Frankfurt, Lufthansa/Discover airlines
Company Nature Travel Namibia
Travel Consultant Pepi Kern
Travel guide and driver Delano Potgieter
Outline of itinerary:
Quivertree Forest Rest Camp Quiver Tree Forest 15 Jun 16 Jun D,B&B 1x Double Room 1 Night
Canyon Village Gondwana Collection Namibia Fish River Canyon 16 Jun 18 Jun D,B&B 1x Standard Twin Room 2 Nights
Klein-Aus Vista Desert Horse Inn Gondwana Collection Namibia Aus 18 Jun 19 Jun D,B&B 1x Twin Room 1 Night
Dead Valley Lodge Sossusvlei 19 Jun 20 Jun D,B&B 1x Luxury Tented Chalet 1 Night
Desert Breeze Lodge Swakopmund 20 Jun 22 Jun B&B 1x Double 2 Nights
Ondjamba Hills Camp Brandberg 22 Jun 24 Jun D,B&B 1x Double Room 2 Nights
Okaukuejo Resort Etosha South 24 Jun 26 Jun D,B&B 1x Bush Chalet 2 Nights
Waterberg Resort Waterberg Plateau National Park 26 Jun 28 Jun D,B&B 1x Waterberg Bush Chalet (2 Beds) 2 Nights
We had taken £750 worth of South African Rand which is 1:1 to Namibian Rand. Both used equally in Namibia. Retrospectively, need not have bothered. Brought back a fair amount of cash. Cards used everywhere and could have exchanged British Pounds for a better rate anywhere in Namibia.
15th June 2025. 8:00 pm, Quiver Tree Forest Camp Lodge, on Gariganus farm, just 3 km northeast of Keetmanshoop
After more than 6 months of planning, we are here. Travelling with Nature Travels Namibia recommended by a friend and lucky once again with our 52-year-old guide Delano Delano is a white Namibian, the first I have seen or heard of. He is a fifth generation Namibian with strains of Afrikaans, German, Spanish and a few more European genes. But above all he is proudly African. He is also deeply attached to Namibia. I’m used to seeing the horizon,’ Delano says. ‘If I don’t see this openness, the horizons, I feel claustrophobic’. Makes one wonder at the stereotypes we hold about countries and peoples.
We have travelled from Manchester to Frankfurt, sat out a 7-hour transit and landed in Windhoek 10 minutes before time at 8:10 am. The skies are blue with fluffs of white and the air is fresh and mellow. Around the airport, the horizon is dotted with low mountains, yellow dotted with stubs of green.
Immigration is cleared within an hour, the queues well controlled. UK passport holders can do both an e-visa and visa on arrival. Looks like everyone has done an e-visa, leading to longer queues there! The lady at immigration is brisk and unsmiling. Her neighbour who finished his queue, offers to take my passport while she is processing Debashis. When I stand back for my photograph he smiles, ‘That’s a nice one!’ The lady scoffs at the compliment to an official grainy photograph but the gentleman is congenial, possibly at the end of his shift. I walk out to good-natured laughs.
By the time we have finished, the luggage belt has emptied its load, and our suitcase is waiting in the hall. We walk out to the waiting area where Delano is standing, holding up the customary signboard saying ‘Debashis and Nandini’. We buy a sim card for the equivalent of 2 GBP, which will give 30 minutes and 500 MB for 7 days, use the toilets and set off.
The roads are smooth, silky blue-black ribbons which stretch to the horizon. On either side buff-coloured mountains dotted with green, fold into one another in clusters, the land stretching to them in a golden sheet of soft waving grass and hay. A surprised baboon marks our first wildlife hardly out of the airport, and a tawny eagle flies overhead.
We stop at a service station for coffee and snacks, another time in an interesting village Rehoboth of Basters and one time at a picnic spot for coffee made out of a pack at the back of our white clean cruiser. Other than that Delano drives tirelessly to make it to Quiver Tree Forest Camp Lodge by 4 pm.
At Quiver Tree Lodge we are in time for the 5 pm feeding of the pair of pet cheetahs. They are two 16-year old males called Saddam and Gaddafi. The names are used interchangeably. Around 10 tourists gather to watch chunks of springbuck handed out of a bucket to them, which they neatly take to slabs of stone to chew down to bone. Cheetahs like their meat to be clean, hence they avoid the sandy ground of their enclosure. Also, they like having their meat on the floor. They mew and purr before being served. The spectacle is so interesting that even the pet dogs come to watch.
We then head over to the nearby quiver tree forest. Over a rocky patch of undulating ground punctuated by soft golden sheafs of grass, rise quiver trees with their straight cylindrical trunks, branches neatly placed on the top like arms raised above. Succulent leaves rise in clusters with yellow flowers in swinging bows looking like tiny bananas. The branches remind me of a bouquet. The San people used to cut the branches to make quivers and hence the name. Some of the trees might be 200-300 years old.
As the sun sets, families of hyraxes scurry out for some last-minute sunshine. Tiny ones which look out timidly and curiously towards us, larger ones which munch on grass and climb the trees for fresh leaves. The rocks which provide their nests are marked with dry white urine, the ground between the rocks with thousands of fibrous pellets accumulated over decades. The urine is used by indigenous people as resin in warm water to induce contractions for retained placentas in women giving birth, while given to pregnant women it can cause abortion. Possibly due to oxytocin content.
Delano also points out armoured ground cicadas clicking their rhythmic music. Large spidery, coppery armour, the insects are almost 3 inches across. We find two of them on the brunches of a low shrub in an acrobatic arches touching each other in a strained way, possibly mating in what looks like an uncomfortable position. They are cannibals too explains Delano. Often crushed by cars, the carcasses attract fellow creatures to eat them, which in turn are crushed when distracted by frenzied feeding. The cycle continues until there are scores of dead cicadas lying around with one feeding on the latest carcass. We find one on our way back after sunset.
At the lodge dinner at 7 pm is soft rice, chicken, salad and chocolate cake. Healthy and wholesome farm food. A lot of farms have caught on to the advantages of lodges.
The sky is lit with the milky way and the Southern Cross. Debashis and I catch a few pics with our stand before turning in.
16th June, Canyon Village Gondwana Collection Namibia, 2:10 pm.
We are in our cosy thatched cottage, with polished stone floors, heavy wooden furniture, African paintings and woven plates on the wall. It is one of several rectangular cottages dotting the area between sheer red cliff faces. It feels like we are inside the canyon. We’ve just had lunch surrounded by vistas of views, red towering rocks, mountains at a distance. I had a game steak salad with loads of meat strips. Debashis had a game steak sandwich. Not sure what meat we’ve eaten but it was fresh and tender. We are settled in for two relaxing nights. Feels good after one night each in Manchester, on the flight and then in Quiver Tree Forest Camp. No packing tomorrow morning.
We had breakfast at 7:15. The day has been clear and mellow. We set off around 8 am. First to Giant’s Playground, a stretch of volcanic rocks. Deep red and piled precariously on each other, they look like giant cairns. The whole area has the feel of a red fortress which has fallen to ruin, its building blocks tumbled around. Had fun scrambling up some rocks and Delano managed some good natural pictures.
Next a short drive through the sleepy and not much to see Keetmanshoop city. Then we stopped at Naute Dam over Louen River. A few dark coloured baboons were playing on the dam and climbing the fences. Dark mountains rose in a distance and the water was muddy brown near the dam, but blue green in some other patches. We had a quick coffee watching the views.
We reached Canyon Village by 1 pm, quite early. On the way we saw four giraffes, two springbucks and one puff adder which was almost run over. All thanks to Delano who has an amazing eye. The puff adder was crossing the road at an amazing pace. Around 2 feet long, grey with black patterns, head slight raised in agitation, tongue darting in and out, it twisted in an undulating manner, muscles rippling as it disappeared into the bushes at one end. Delano spotted it while driving, turned back and stopped for us to have a look.
Four giraffes were sitting in the large expanse, looking relaxed and lazy at a distance. They looked on with some curiosity when I started to approach them. Closer still they stood up one by one, and then one started running the long-legged flowing giraffe run and the others followed.
Very near the Canyon Village, as the cliffs started getting closer and higher, we spotted two springbuck, looking startled and curious but they stood their ground, curved long antlers in the air.
6:30 pm
We gave into the temptation of a quick day nap. This is so far turning out to be the most relaxing and pampering of our travels. I did 11 countries between 28 January and 30 April this year. Some for work, some solo, mostly with Debashis. All of them were hectic, one on top of the other, all exhilarating but never relaxing. We had the research to do and packed all that we could. Namibia is all guided, all organised and we are taking a breather. So, day nap it was, surrounded by the red rocks and layered cliffs and folds of purple mountains in a distance.
Got up around 4:15 pm and had some coffee in the room. Then decided to check out hikes and sunset options at the reception. Turned out there was a sunset hike at 5 pm, we had 3 minutes to get ready. We made it. Joined the tail end of a group of around 10 people, led by a black man, Moses. He guided us along a flat sandy road until we reached a cluster of giant rocks, piled on one another. I wondered how it would feel to see sunset from the top. Hey presto, there was Moses standing on the rocky incline saying very languidly that we were going to climb ‘this mountain’ to see sunset. Very quickly he also reassured us that there were steps, so no bother with hiking.
I bless the person who thought about stairs, beautifully blended in with the rocks, a spiral trail led to a flat stretch of rocky expanse with views to the horizon. Tucked behind a counter, also blended into the rock, was a bar with fridge and drinks. We bought our coke zeros and settled down for sunset.
Sunset to be honest was not spectacular. But then it never is when you are surrounded by higher cliffs and the sun disappears much higher above the horizon. We saw a single lonely springbuck. It is possibly the thinnest concentration of animals we have seen in an African expanse, but then this is exactly what they tell you. Namibia is for landscape. Save the animals for Tanzania and Kenya. (Botswana and Uganda as well!)
In a distance we could see the line of our cottages at the base of higher cliffs which stretched across the horizon, flat topped, layered and textured. Various shades of brown and red. Several clusters of red boulders were strewn intermittently on sandy expanse dotted by light green succulents including young quiver trees. We were on a set of boulders ourselves. In a distance, three thin ribbons of mountains stretched in translucent purple. The Fish Canyon lay beyond those folds.
We have returned to our cottage by 6:15 pm and while I’ve been writing these notes, darkness has fallen rapidly. It is almost time for dinner.
17 June, 8:30 pm. Canyon Village Gondwana
It has been a full day. A sunrise trip to the rim of Fish River Canyon for our first proper look at this majestic carving which can stand up to the Grand Canyon on many fronts. Then after breakfast a 6 km walk through scrambles and up to the mountains, descending through a ‘hole in the mountain’ and an old, abandoned bar in the rocks. Lunch followed by a short nap. Then sunset trip back to Fish River Canyon and finally a dinner of barbecued meat- pork, lamb, springbuck and beef sausage.
Last night we had a dinner of oryx meat with a spread of salads, rice, quiche and cassata. The staff sang traditional songs for us, including Amarella- to which Delano could join in. Then Debashis and I set off for some dark skies to take Milky Way pictures. First, we walked away from the cottages, a bit of the way we had walked for the sunset hike. Then we also found a good spot just behind our cottage where we were joined by the resident cats- Blackie and Lucky. One completely black with amber eyes, the other very similar in structure and eye colour, but a mix of white and black patches. No prizes for guessing who’s who.
This morning, we set off at 6:30 am. Delano drove us 13 km to the entrance of the park in darkness and then to the first viewpoint. There were a few more cars but not dozens as you would expect in a run of the mill touristic spot. Sunrise in the canyon is in a direction away from the rim. The horizon lights up and the rays hit the rocks from a distance. The patterns on the carved rock emerge gradually from the darkness like a lamp spreading its glow in a painted room.
The rim is scrambly and frightening. Beckoning with its views, scary with its sheer drop. ‘You don’t seem to have any fear!’ commented Delano. Actually, one looks a lot closer to the edge from a distance than is the case.
The Fish River Canyon is massive. My pics could very well look like the Grand Canyon in certain frames. The rocks range from grey, brown, slatish to red; changing hue with the light. The top the rim is flat and blocks of rock sit on the inclining cliffs which run down to the bottom, where the Fish River seems to stand static. Greenish blue and very dry, it does not flow, it seems stagnated. Sandy banks curve around its edges. Large rocky platforms are carved by the meandering of the river, hugged by its arched ‘C’s flanked by the two rims. Streaks of colour bleed down the rocks on all sides.
We returned for breakfast around 8:30 am. Then Debashis and I set off for the local 6 km hike, circular and very well-marked. White footprint shaped signs on the rock show the trail which at points merges into rocky scramble. The footprints at places can point in two directions to help the circular route go both ways. We had to concentrate to keep going with the footprints in one direction. After a while it was like a game, a jigsaw- where’s the next footprint. We would catch a white gleam in the sunshine and off we would climb in that direction.
The first 40 minutes or so were the most scrambly, at places narrow trail hugging sheer drops. The trail would up in a spiral up the mountain going up by its layers. Each layer characterised by a platform. The third platform was a vast expanse of flat rock where the path flattened and advanced towards another hill and a stretch of longitudinal rock which stood at right angles. We climbed the hill and reached a trail which ran clinging to red cliffs and giving expansive views over vast meadows marked by clusters of red boulders and light green succulent shrubs. Amidst some of these boulders stood our Canyon village with its circle of cottages.
The trail ran flat, then descended into the meadow. Next it ascended again, right into the longitudinal rocks which had stood at a right angle. Here we found a short tunnel, the ‘hole in the rock’ marked by the horns of an ibex. Emerging on the other side, we could see the path that would run straight to our lodge. On one side of the tunnel stood an abandoned bar counter, like the one used for the sunset point the day before. Here the white footsteps disappeared. We knew where we were going so it was not difficult to follow the trail back to flat ground and then a leisurely walk up to the lodge. It had taken us just under 3 hours.
We were in time for a shower before lunch. Then it was drive to Fish River Canyon for sunset around 4:30 pm. We reached around 5 and walked around for various angles and watched the sun dipping and the rock changing colours. In a distance the Naukluft mountains frame the horizon. Delano showed us within the scrambles how people tend to step on rocks and step over logs. The Bushmen used this knowledge to deter the Bantus who pursued and killed them. They would lace the ground with poisonous herbs in a way that would make the Bantus slip on rock and land on poisoned thorns which pierced their hands, and step on poisoned thorns placed just after wooden logs. The conversation turned to how at one point it was legal to ‘hunt’ Bushmen in this country as they were considered less than human. The law was changed only in the 1950s. Worse it was only in 1960s that Australia banned the ‘hunting’ of aborigines. The things humans do to each other.
Back at the lodge, the aroma of barbecued meat promised an interesting dinner, which did not disappoint. The topic of hunting continued. Delano shared that as a youth he was a diehard opposer of trophy hunting. Now with age he is wiser. An older elephant may have to be killed by a ranger when its teeth wears out. Better be killed by a trophy hunter who pays for the game, the meat remains in the community and the animal population is healthy. The same for game hunting. Better to have a healthy controlled population than a starving one in times of drought. Farmers are gathering that game parks are easier than traditional farming. The springbuck and oryx tasted good. All in moderation.
We’re having an early night. 7 am breakfast and on to our next destination.
18th June, 18:21, Klein-Aus Vista Desert Horse Inn Gondwana Collection Namibia
Sitting in our lodge, the wide windows looking out to red mountains. The sun has just set, directly ahead, leaving the horizon red and gold, the rocks burnished. This is also a Gondwana Collection accommodation. Marked by upmarket luxury, professionalism and plush rooms. The focus on sustainability is clear. Instructions on how to use the least amount of water in the shower, sun powered heated water, no plastic bottles- tap water is drinkable. The toiletries are supplied in larger re-fillable bottles, not the tiny plastic bottles which clog our toilet cabinets. The toiletries are good quality, smooth and rich, delicately fragranced. Our lodge is coral pink-orange with sloping asbestos roofs. Beside the bedroom area, in an L-shape there is a tiny lounge with sofa and a coffee station with a fridge below it. The window just at the foot of our beds, is still showing sunset colours.
We started off around 7:45 after a 7 am breakfast. We reached the Lüderitz around 12:30. A sleepy old German town by the sea. We had lunch of grilled angelfish served with thick cut chips and salad. An hour later we were at the ghost town of Kolmanskop where we spent around an hour and 20 minutes or so. Then we drove back towards Aus, veering off the road to see the wild horses of the Namib desert. Next, we continued driving on to our lodge, around 2 km away from the tiny colourful village of Aus. We reached around 4:30 pm. At the entrance we saw a curved red heart shaped decoration, similar to the one in Canyon Village. It is the logo of the Gondwana collection of luxury lodges. Somewhere on the way we have seen four ostriches, out of them a protective pair with a cluster of 5-6 chicks. We’ve seen one shy oryx. Most of the animals are shy and we’ve seen more backsides than faces. Delano has an idea for a coffee table book titled ‘The arses of Africa’. It would have the animal backsides and politicians. Right now, in our lodge, I’m typing my notes as Debashis is clicking pictures of sunset colours. Dinner is half an hour away. The sun has disappeared behind high mountains possibly hitting the horizon much later. The colours are deepening as I continue writing.
We’ve seen a spread of varying vistas today. Within four and a half hours, between Canyon Village and Lüderitz, there was first red boulders the flat-topped dark plateau stretching across the horizon and stubby shrubs in between. There were stretches of black volcanic rock which shone in the early morning sun. Gradually we were looking at folds of dark mountains and stretches of farmland, once passing by a date farm. As we crossed Aus, we entered the boundaries of the Namib Desert. At first the sandstone mountains ranging from red to dark merged with light coloured sand, sometimes in grassy land and sometimes barren. As we neared Lüderitz and the coastline, the sand superseded the rock and sand dunes made their appearance, marked by tiny shrubs at places. Finally, we reached the coast, the desert merging with it. As they say, Namibia is the land where the ocean meets the sea.
In Lüderitz the streets were empty, like everywhere in Namibia so far. The houses are colourful, deep pastel shades like a fairytale book of a medieval town. In Kolmanskop, a ghost town of a once thriving diamond mining community, houses stand in various stages of dilapidation, the poignant reminder of the ravages of time. We visited the relatively well-maintained houses with their heavy furniture. The bowling alleys and the casino with its entertainment and music stage. Wallpaper of different patterns still stand on the walls.
We were keeping a lookout for the horses but saw none from the main road. Then Delano turned left plunging into the grasslands at the feet of red mountains. There we saw the horses. Nine of them close enough to be properly photographed, four more further away. As we left and pulled back to the main road, there were six more on the right side of the main road. Their coats were glossy and the horses were well-fed. Grass was plentiful. Namibia has had a good rainy season.
So, as I continue to write now, the sky deepens, and the first stars begin to appear. It is time for dinner.
19th June, 20:53: Dead Valley Lodge, Sossuvlei
It has been a full-on day and only now have I sat down to the next set of notes. We are in a white luxury tent, almost a chalet with canvas walls but light wooden floors, a plush bed, elegant light fixtures, a coffee corner, neat bathroom and heavy curtains. Our luxury holiday is a far cry from the semi-participation safari of Botswana. Each has its own charms, and I think we have chosen the right ones for the kind of safari we have done. In Botswana, our tents meant wildlife was right in our midst. In Namibia, each accommodation is unique in location and complements the landscapes they form bases for.
We had fine dining last night. I had kudu with lentils and Debashis had beef with chips. For dessert I had a berry strudel and Debashis had ‘Death by Chocolate’ a chocolate cake with pudding. We were hardly hungry for our 7 am breakfast. We hit the road just before 8 am, making our way towards the sleepy settlement of Helmeringhausen. But then every settlement here is sleepy with hardly any people visible on the roads. We stopped at a hotel which boasted the best apple cake in Namibia. On benches set amidst a manicured garden and chirping birds, we settled for filter coffee. From the little store within, I bought a colourful patchwork fabric doll which showed the traditional full skirts and headdress of the Herero women. The headdress is reminiscent of cattle horns, in reverence to the cattle wealth of the community.
After the quick stop we stretched ahead. The vistas changed as the days before. Mountains on the left, plateaus to the right, grass ranging from silky waves to rough tufts in colours of washed-out blond to beige. Green shrubs and trees alternated in density giving indication of underground water and still flowing rivers. Lines of trees showed where rivers still flowed silently at a dept. Then the road turned into the heart of the Naukluft mountains. The mountains we had seen at a distance from Fish canyon gorge drew closer. The colours ranged from dark to red, streaked with green, sometimes with a tinge of amethyst. The bases contrasted with white sand. Some had tufts of green and beige, others starkly bare. Somewhere here we spotted two cape foxes and two white breasted fish eagles. The trees were heavy with large beaver bird nests.
Before we turned into the C27, a few children came to us begging for sweets. We had some. A young girl cried as her brother took charge. An elder sister intervened to distribute them equally leading to smiles all around. We prayed for good karma.
Good karma came. Some ostriches, more oryx and a large herd of mountain zebras- almost 20. Shy springbucks and inquisitive oryx.
The grass Delano told us is not the usual. The soft silky gold tufts are a result of an extra good rainy season.
Set within the natural landscapes, we passed the monstrosity named Le Mirage. A resort trying to blend into the sand like an ancient fortress but looking very much like the resort it is.
We reached Dead Valley Inn around 2:30 pm. We had bought snacks on the way and a copy of ‘Sheltering desert’, from the services just outside the gate.
A quick wash up and we drove into Sossuvlei. We are driving on a dry riverbed, the dead trees show where the river once flowed, the green line is the underground river.
There are red dunes on either side. Around 3:30 pm we are at dune 40 and climb around one third through blowing sand and the shifting grains. It gives us the idea that climbing Big Daddy before sunrise with our limited time in Deadvlei the day after, is possibly not a realistic plan.
Around 4 pm we are near another picnic spot where we stop for a drink before entering Deadvlei. The late afternoon tourists are empty and we find it completely empty, totally to ourselves.
It is a 20-minute walk from the car park. Over sandy ridges which undulate up and down. Then you come up a ridge and as you look out, Deadvlei emerges like a dramatic film frame. The circle of ashy clay like a volcano crater, surrounded by red sand dunes like a volcanic rim. In its midst, 900 year dead trees stand in graceful poses, straight trunks branching into delicate strands. Black and ash against the red and clay. Just like the pictures and better.
Then we leave around 5:15. Watch sunset on the way. Pass Dune 45 and the Elim dune Black backed jackal walks within the red.
Back by 6:40. Dinner is a spread of game meats and mopani, alongside salads and dessert. We had beef, pork, mutton, elan, wildebeest, elan, kudu, springbuck….. did I miss anything. Oryx? I cannot remember.
My eyes are closing today. 6 am start tomorrow.
20th June, 21:20: Desert Breeze Lodge, Swakopmund
We are in yet another spectacularly situated luxury accommodation. It is becoming a habit, expecting a room with character and a view. This one is however in the city of Swakopmund, but it boasts an extensive view of yellow sand dunes. It is situated in a high-class neighbourhood, the one with the dune views. Our bedroom has huge windows which span half the walls. A veranda looks over the dunes in a stunning sunset colours. The cottages are semi-circular and painted a picturesque lime-green.
We started at 6 am and entered Swakopmund only at 5:30 pm. It has been a long drive for Delano today. It was sunrise at a viewpoint, then Dead Vlei with Chinese tourists and fashionable clothes, breakfast at Sossuvlei, sighting of a brown hyena, pale chanting goshawk, countless oryx and springbuck, hike down the Sesriem Canyon, then leaving towards Solitaire which we reached around 2:30 pm. Stopped for coffee and famous apple pie at the Macgregor Bakery where a picture of Moose Macgregor still adorns the walls. Soon after Solitaire we passed a couple whose car had veered off the road. After making sure they were okay, we continued on to Gaub Pass, the Tropic of Capricorn, then the Namib Valley of Thousand Hills. We continued on to Kuiseb Canyon, saw three warthogs run off the road with their tails in the air. Shortly saw three ostriches on the road. Finally, the land flattened out. Our last wildlife sighting was a lone ostrich which raced our car.
The whole country is softly tufted with grass after generous rainfall, the last such year was around 2021.
Around 4:30 am we approached Walvis Bay, the fog sat heavy on its harbour. A glimpse of the international airport (it connects with South Africa). Yellow sand dunes make their appearance, including the majestic C7, its ridge embroidered with tiny figures as people trudge their way up for sunset.
Finally, Swakopmund. We have had dinner at the famous seafood restaurant, The Tug. We had garlic prawns with cheese, blackened fish and Tug’s signature fish curry. Washed down with a mocktail laced with pineapple, orange and mint.
21 June, 6 pm, Desert Breeze Lodge, Swakopmund
We are back in our cottage, looking over a clear sky turning red with sunset and the dunes changing colour and shadow. They look spectacular but we’ve seen better today. After cruising Walvis Bay and dune bashing in Sandwich Harbour, we’ve seen the sand dunes in this region in their fullest silky golden glamour. It has been a typical touristy day, but we’ve seen different landscapes yet again. Wondering how much more variety this country can offer. And we’ve seen the desert meet the sea- the line that defines Namibia to the world.
We started off at 7:45 am after breakfast, joined by an American couple possibly in their sixties Mike and Lawrie from Nevada. They are also seasoned travellers, doing Botswana, Victoria Falls and Namibia in this trip. We did the Walvis Bay cruise for 3 hours and a bit where we saw seals, dolphins, pelicans, cormorants and sea gulls. The company was Ocean adventures. And I had a half tame seal give me a hug as the captain held a fish above my lap. Up the seal flopped, fins on my lap head straight up to catch the fish. Later in the afternoon we had a pelican guest. The resident seal tried to compete but was gently navigated back to the sea where dead fish were thrown in for him. The captain of the boat was a Kolmanskop descendent. One of his grandparents when to school there.
On return just after 12, we were picked up by Lorenzo our guide for Sandy adventures and the four of us joined two more cars to proceed for Sandwich Bay. Dune bashing was the highlight. Did manage to climb a dune as well. Got the technique, do it on all fours. Not graceful but it does the job. And we saw cormorants, hundreds and hundreds of them lining the shore. They take a few steps in, then step back and continue looking at the sea rather philosophically. As our guide commented, they almost look surprised when they realise, they can fly! He kept telling the static crowd, ‘You’re birds. You can fly you know?’
Now back to our cottage we are due to leave for a pizza dinner in few minutes.
Tomorrow, we depart for Damaraland.
22 June, 21:13 Ondjamba Hills Camp, Brandberg
We are in a luxury tent, this time more like a tent compared to Dead Valley Lodge. Nestled at the base of red rocks and with a view of the spreading Brandberg mountain, this is yet another spectacularly situated lodging.
We had pizza at Bits and Pizza yesterday. Cheesy and thin based. We also did a spot of coffee shopping at Spar.
This morning, we had a lazy start at 9:00 am. First, we drove around Swokapmund. Saw two dolphins at the beach. Beautiful pastel-coloured houses. Shopped at a curio shop with collections from around the world. Hit the road around 10:30.
Past uranium mountain where Demara women spent weeks when they no longer wanted children. Saw the Zeikel shipwreck. Past expanses of red lichen, hammock dunes. Took a picture with Damara lady, her face painted in red sunscreen. Bought a rose sandstone from her, delicately golden with spiral whorls.
Entered Damaraland with view of Brandberg, Damara stalls lining the road. We stopped at a place called Cactus and Coffee, for chicken and drinks. The food was good and the cactus selection spectacular.
As we drove towards our resort, we passed Himba stalls and villages. Then Herero women with costumes. Both tribes whirl and wave, trying to entice tourists to stop and take pictures. I found it somewhat sad. Himba women have ochre all on their bodies, Damara women only on face.
Saw one black back jackal on the way. Finally reached lodge around 3 pm.
In the evening around 5 pm went swimming and saw sunset from the pool. It was a spectacularly placed pool, surrounded by red rocks. The water was cold but most importantly, for me a not so confident swimmer, exactly my height. I had brought my swimming costume, and it was time to make use of it.
Dinner was at 7 with sweet potato soup, oryx steak and ginger & caramel pudding. The staff treated us to a short song and dance. Lovely rhythmic, standing in line in their usual uniforms. Their feet went right stamp, left stamp and right out. Going to use that in our own dance routines, I think.
23 June, 20:55 Ondjamba Hills Camp, Brandberg
We were up today at 7 am. The sun popped out only at 7:45 am. Brandberg glowed a coral pink-orange with delicate shades. The rocks around glowed fiery. I had a bit of scrambling up the rocks near the pool. The dry riverbed showed wavy patterns. The vast expanse was like a stage with curtains lifting gradually.
We left at 8:15 am after breakfast. Herero women were twirling in their heavy skirts, Himbas were trying to wave us down.
Proceeded to Twyfelfontein rock paintings. The centre is made of recycled oil drums giving it the look of a pangolin. Pictures and writings tell the story of settlers in the area. The old house is still maintained in ruins. Up the rocks, the Lion Man rock looks like a vegetarian lion.
The local guide explains the pictures of animals and waterholes. This is actually an ancient map, now no longer decipherable due to weather changes.
On way back we saw a ground squirrel who gave us a great pose.
It was around 11:40. After a short deliberation we decided to go straight for searching for elephants. They were an unbelievable 20 minutes away.
We saw them near a lush area of grass and trees. Near the waterhole before they proceeded to a vast expanse of dust. They were headed by the matriarch Rosie. Delano identified her through a hole on her ear. She looked at him with wise old eyes. He had done well to remain in her good books. There were dozens of them. Large ones, babies and teenagers.
Then we saw the baboons coming. Then saw a leopard pug mark. Did a round to try our luck. Back to the waterhole, the baboons were now near the water edge. Returned to the expanse to see the elephants again. This time all in the dust, raising a fine cloud.
We lunched at White Lady Lodge. Chicken burger and a salad of lettuce, apple, sundried tomatoes and cheese. Saw the views and a female Rock Agama Lizard with a yellow head and colourful markings.
We returned to our lodge around 4 :30 pm. On the way Herero women were still in their heavy costumes.
Coffee and cake time. Then another spell at the pool.
Dinner was pear curry soup, apple and corn salad, beef with mushroom sauce and vegetables, panna cotta for dessert. The staff gave us a short display of song and dance, ending by ululating.
Tomorrow, we leave for Etosha NP.
24 June, Okaukuejo Resort, Etosha South
Writing notes much later. 24 June was a very long day.
Set off from Damaraland at 8:25. A last look at the fiery Brandberg. The rocky landscape of multi-coloured mountains changed gradually to low lying rounded hills with dotted green specks. Soft grass like blonde hair. Crossed water holes. The car rises to a ridge and rides down to mountains on the horizon and a vast expanse on either side. My favourite scene in Namibia.
After a while termite mounds start appearing. White changing to red. Vast meadows dotted with them. Trees sometimes rise right from within the mounds, sometime hugging them closely. Termites do not eat live trees; they seem to co-exist in peace.
Weaver bird nests, single. Sometimes neat and dark, others scruffy. Varieties of weaver birds. Saw sable antelopes at a distance.
Camel thorn and mopani trees are protected in Namibia and farmers are not allowed to cut them down. On either side of the road, we see two types of fences. There are higher electric ones to stop exotic animals from entering the road. There are lower barbed wire ones for farm animals.
We stopped around 10:46 at Outjo for coffee at the Bakkery (I promise you, I got the spelling right) which was opened in 1947. We tried their steak pie and apple strudel. We bought materials for a braai at the local spar. After our little stop, Delano took us to another quaint shop just outside Etosha. We did some more curio shopping there. They had sparkly metal bangles and interesting woodwork on display. Prices in Namibia are marked and fixed at shops. They appear quite comparable, and we have a fair estimate now. The range included Namibian and a wider ‘African collection.
Finally entered the Anderson Gate of Etosha around 12:50. Our plastic bags were taken off us. Meat can enter the gates but not leave it. So, our biltong and braai meat all had to be finished off.
It was early, so we left directly for the Ombika waterhole with a rich collection of zebra, impala, wildebeest and impala. A few mountain zebras had made their place amongst the more numerous plain zebras. There were zebra kids.
Red succulent ground vegetation in patches punctuated the tall golden grass.
Return to Okaukuejo for check-in. cottage number 89. Round cottages. External seating area with kitchenette, a spacious bedroom and clean bathroom. The verandah has wooden picnic bench with a solid table. There is a clay stove for braai.
At the Okaukuejo waterhole we watch malibu storks, herons, zebras, Egyptian geese and crows until a lone elephant makes its way.
Out on our first game drive we see- a giraffe chewing a bone, male coorhen cracking noise and raising head looking for response from female, springbok (and more springbok). Secretary bird. Salt flats, zebra. 14 female ostriches with chicks in one group. 2 kori bustards. Ground squirrel. 3 kudus cross the road. Rhino crosses road but then bolts. More impala and giraffes. Let me tell you about the rhino. Shy creatures, they are difficult to spot in the day. A network of efficient well maintained roads criss-cross Etosha. From the larger roads, smaller ones branch off. The trees and bushes are closer to the vehicle. The rhino was as startled as we were. This huge bulk that crossed the road almost brushing against our car. The beady eyes and the sharp horn were a glimpse, before he disappeared into the trees. Too quick to take a picture or video. Just a mental picture of the giant, the stone crunching beneath its pillar like legs.
We returned to the Okaukuejo waterhole for sunset. From 5:15 to 7:15 pm, the sky turned red, gold, terracotta. There were no animals. Then suddenly in 45 minutes, from 7:15 to 8 we saw 1 elephant, 8 giraffe and one lurking 1 brown hyena. It was drama. First the elephant emerging from the dusk. The giraffes coming one after the other until they had circled the waterhole. Then the large lurking brown hyena, mysterious loping. Probably looking for the eggs of the Egyptian geese which set off an orchestrated alarm following her around as she poked around the grounds.
It was time to enjoy the braai prepared outside our cottage by Delano. After an hour’s break we returned around 9 pm.
Low benches line the stone fence between the campus and waterhole with grounds around it. Electric fences form another line of defence between the fence and the waterhole. People sit on the benches or the series of staired platforms, cameras and binoculars in hand.
After dinner the drama unfolded quickly. From 9 am, the rhinos started appearing, like stars on a stage emerging from dark curtains. You hear them before you see them. Their heavy footsteps crunching on the stones and pebbles.
Two pairs of mother and babies. One huge white rhino and a lone male one. A total of six through the night. First it was the large white rhino. A mother and baby came in, gave the white rhino a white berth and found another corner. Then the mother lay down to suckle her cub.
The next mother and baby interestingly walked right up to the white rhino. I almost thought it might be the father. Then the white rhino decided to walk off, encountered the single male which gave it space. The two mothers walked up to each other, nuzzled with unexpected gentleness. Then the two babies seemed to say hello to each other. Then the mothers acknowledged each other’s babies before each pair trundled off to their own corners to drink
The last male rhino decided to go to sleep on the rocks. The spotted hyena lurked off. We decided to call it a day at 11 pm.
25 June, 14:31, Okaukuejo Resort, Etosha South
It is siesta time. The sun is glaring in a cloudless sky and in the vast plains of Etosha, animals are searching for shade and cool. We have had lunch from leftovers in our cottage. A quick post-lunch visit to the local waterhole has shown hordes of zebras splashing in the water noisily, softly fluffed babies trotting along with their parents. The gnu are incredibly slow getting to the waterline, munching their way through long grass. The springbucks are spritely, and the males are sharpening their skills through playfighting. In a further distance, three giraffes are slowly making their way. Occasional impalas, less numbers here compared to Botswana weave their way through more populous zebra and springbuck. The malibu storks are sitting on the same log, stretching their wings. The Egyptian geese are huddled in their corner and two tiny goslings keep swimming their laps in the blue water. It is a peaceful scene, quintessentially African safari.
We have come back after our morning drive. We left just after 8 am, after breakfast. Sunrise reflected in the doors of our breakfast area. Early in the morning, the low growls of lions had woken us up. They could not be far away.
Not even 15 minutes out and we saw our first lions of Namibia. Two males and a female. One male was standing, walking for a few seconds before he made himself comfortable in the tall grass. The other male and female were sitting close together. After a while, the male got up, stretched, walked over to the female and swiftly mated to growls from his partner. Then he walked back to his spot and flopped over, tummy to the sky, paws in the air, the tuft of hair on his tail visible above the grass. There he lay exhausted for a while, only his curled front paws sticking out of the grass, giving any indication of his majestic presence. The lioness after a few minutes seemed to be more in the mood, walking over to him and seating herself in front, clearly asking for more. After a while, the pair got up and loped further into the grasses behind. As they flopped down, it was clear that lion needed more time to recoup.
For the next three hours or so, we winded through the gravel and tarmac roads of Etosha, from one water hole to the next. We drove through bushy areas where game could be hiding. We marvelled at the landscape, beautiful in its flatness, glowing gold and waving softly in the wind. The trees with their variety of weaver bird nests, the tall termite hills.
The number of animals is definitely less than in Tanzania and Kenya but somehow, we are seeing more interaction.
We watched two jackals trotting out amongst springbuck, the lone secretary bird making its rounds. We watched oryx munching on leaves and later crossing the road. We watched a pair of falcons chase another bird away. We watched a group of mongooses, jump and play, look out and guard, extremely cute in their antics. At one point they grouped together and decided to chase a young lonely springbuck. Just for fun. Ground squirrels played amongst them. In another place two ground squirrels stared at us completely frozen in their positions. As if by not moving they would be invisible to us.
They would look like varied communities. In one frame there were mongooses, squirrels, the springbuck, and five kori bustards made their way in a line behind the trees.
In the midst somewhere there would be the lone elephant, the lone distant rhino, the lone springbuck. All being intently photographed by enthusiastic tourists in their open-air vehicles. The mark of a first day safari in Etosha.
No predators other than the three lions and two jackals but the herbivores can sometimes be surprisingly aggressive. The springbucks are in a season where the bachelors are locking horns in playfight. Near the waterholes, the zebras can rear up, raising the dry dust, knocking each other with the hooves of their forelegs, in a fight to capture each other’s females.
I am not much for birds but have seen some graceful big ones. A pair of circling eagles in black and white colours. A pair of yellow-legged, black and white striped, black curran.
Have read about the patience needed by a wildlife photographer, but the more I see, I can appreciate it. Hours can pass by with no action, just for fifteen minutes of wild drama.
We will leave in an hour for an evening game drive. We have had the customary post lunch visit to the Okaukuejo waterhole. The herbivores are looking relaxed and content. Loads of splashing zebras, gnu, springbok, a few impalas, the usual Egyptian geese and Malibu storks. From a distance there are three giraffes approaching the waterhole.
Evening game drive and night at the waterhole
Not long into the drive past the usual waterholes, Debashis noticed a beautiful Battlear eagle sitting on a dead tree, its outline clear against the sky. We found grey herons, more springbok, zebra. We found a group of five impala quite up close. We found two black backed jackals at different spots, trotting away and digging up food, eating what they had found. Ring-necked doves sang ‘work harder’ during the day, gradually turning to ‘have lager’ as the sun raced to the west. Two inquisitive crowned lapwings seemed to be more curious than wary about us.
Someone then told us about a large elephant 3 km away. He was fairly accurate in his estimate. We had a great sighting, the large bull passing close to our car. He was pulling up grasses with yellow flowers with his trunk and stuffing them into his mouth. After some time, he started on small tree branches.
An hour later we found another large elephant bull. We wondered if he was heading to a waterhole, and we headed back there. Sure enough, after around 15 minutes he burst through a line of green trees lining the ridge and headed down to the waterhole for a drink.
We had to be back at Okaukuejo by 6:20 pm. So, Delano started in earnest, passing herds of springbok silhouetted by the setting sun on the horizon. We made it in by 6:17 pm and headed to the white tower which gave us a magnificent 360-degree view of the Etosha around us. We could see a large herd of giraffes in a distance. The sun set on the horizon in a glowing mass leaving back a horizon painted from crimson to coral.
After dinner we made it to Okaukuejo waterhole around 8 pm and stayed till around 10:45. There had been giraffes heading towards the waterhole, but the YouTube channel opined that lions had spooked them off. There were definitely lions nearby, their low rhythmic rumble giving them away. But they did not head to the waterhole. As darkness descended, the rhinos started emerging. This night there were three mother-cub pairs. Each came in at separate times, lumbering across the rocks. Two of the cubs were much smaller than the ones we had seen the evening before, one about the same size. They did not seem to be hanging around much. They came to the edge, drank water and left. The first pair were alone at the waterhole. While the second pair were drinking, a large male rhino came in. The mother withdrew from the waterhole with her cub, watched the male for a while before returning to the water edge to quench their thirst and then head away. The male stayed for a long time. He suddenly got up, alert and vigilant, looking at the third mother-cub pair which was coming in. For a while the adults seemed to size up each other and then warily make their way to the water edge to continue drinking.
The lions did not come, neither did the hyenas. But we heard them both. The hyenas howling. The lions roared in bursts. At one point the sound of rushing hooves on stone reached us, followed by growls in the dark. In the grasslands which extended beyond the waterhole, the lions had possibly made a kill.
We returned under a beautiful stretch of the Milky Way and the familiar Southern Cross. Last night in Etosha.
26 June, Waterberg Resort, Waterberg Plateau National Park, east of Otjiwarongo
We were awakened by the rumble of lions. Our Etosha alarm clock.
A quick check at the waterhole, nothing spectacular happening. So, we headed for breakfast at 8 am and left for one last game drive through the waterholes. Debashis spotted a Martial Eagle on a tree. Then it turned out to be the day of the jackal. We saw six altogether. Two of them at separate spots and then two pairs. Jackals mate for life. They never walk. They stand still, large ears pricking up, catching sounds and then they trot busily, passing through the golden grass and vast plains. Their black patterns clear on the back, underbelly beige and golden with speckled bands across both.
We spotted ostriches- two male and two females; a large group of malibu storks. Several Kori bustards, one of them in flight showing off the impressive wing length.
Ground squirrel, oryx, large herds of zebra with young- their backs covered with a fluffy brown lining. We saw a pair of secretary birds near a herd of oryx, one of them starts trotting like a jackal.
We see herds of gnu, young ones being suckled by mums. We see male gnus chasing each other in a battle for territory and females.
The crown sighting has to be a spotted hyena. Large, furry, a scar on her back, looking old and wise. She lopes along the side of the road, parallel to our car, giving us occasional glimpses, slightly curious but not fazed. She crosses the road and continues into the plains on to the other side, a seemingly lonely soul.
A final toilet stop at Okaukuejo, with that last glimpse of the waterhole and its herbivore regulars. We were out of the Etosha gates by mid-day.
Low beige hills speckled with green dotted the horizon again. Large termite mounds in red and grey, trees growing out of them dotted farms and roadsides. We made our way back to Outjo, where we stopped for some curio shopping, a cup of coffee and chicken schnitzels for lunch. Then we headed towards Waterberg plateau.
We crossed the Herero town of Otjiwarongo, pretty and well-manicured, cubical clocks at roundabouts and crossing, very ‘Blantyre’ like in my mind’s eye. Then we turned into a gravel road which said 92 km to Waterberg, which gave us the first view of the plateau stretched across the horizon, another Namibian road landscape as the car rose up the road and descended a slight ridge.
We reached Waterberg resort around 3 pm. The first glimpses were black baboons and warthogs near the reception. The family of three warthogs looked unperturbed by cars or human presence. The baboons were active, and our rooms have strict instructions not to feed them and keep doors and windows closed at all times.
Our cottages are spectacularly placed, around a spiral smooth road that winds up from reception, past the restaurant. The rooms are spacious, mosquito netted beds, tiled floors. A small kitchenette with coffee and tea amenities and a clean bathroom with toiletries and a sun shaped shower. The water is hot, the bed is soft. The verandah has metal chairs and a table. There is a clay stove for a barbecue. The views are tantalising but covered by tall grasses and trees. On one end the windows look out over vast plains and on the other end looms the Waterberg plateau.
Close up, the rocks of Waterberg are as red as Brandberg but covered with forests over most of its slopes barring the topmost bit which is above the tree line. The rocks arise like an organ pipe and the red is splashed with green and yellow. Brave sparse trees hang on the edge.
We decide to rest, reminisce and set off for a 7 pm dinner. The restaurant from the pictures on its walls turns out to be an old police station. The wood here was also brought from Europe at great expense.
Dinner is a buffet of oryx, lamb and pork served with maize, rice, potatoes, salad and boiled vegetables. There is vegetable soup which remains mostly untouched. The unassuming looking cake with sugar sprinkles turns out to be surprisingly good carrot cake.
The Milky Way is one of the best I have seen so far. Near the restaurant, a dark spot gives a magnificent unobstructed view across the sky. Back in our cottage there are spots which might give a good photograph, but I insist on going indoors soon. It is cold and reportedly leopards live in these areas.
27 June, 13:00. Waterberg Resort, Waterberg Plateau National Park, east of Otjiwarongo
We have done two hikes since breakfast this morning and are having a well-deserved rest beside an eight-shaped swimming pool with a covered thatched platform near it which promises bird-watching. It is our last full day in Namibia. We will be doing our online check-in in a some hours. Time has gone by so fast. I’m trying to remember each day since we landed and I’m glad I have notes to back up our memories.
We had breakfast in the restaurant with its heavy wooden colonial décor, high-backed chairs and crooked historical photographs. The menu was the usual. The hot muffins stood out in their golden crustiness with soft moist interiors. I took two. Good that I did, the energy was well needed. Baboons tried to get in and were chased away.
We visited the reception for some Wi-Fi and quick catch-up with home. The taxidermized lion is impressive. Outside spear fowl parents are herding their chicks.
We set off for the ‘mountain walk’ which was marked ’40 minutes up, 40 minutes down’ on a very simple looking map. It was 9:25 when I took a picture of the ‘start of the trail’ tablet. It was 10:40 when we were finally standing on the red rocks of Waterberg Plateau looking down on vast plains full of trees, criss-crossed by dusty roads. The trail is advertised as easy. There was a stretch during the walk which I did mention looked ‘easy’ and Debashis asked ‘in what language did that rocky stretch look easy?’ Overall, moderate to difficult in parts is fair evaluation. It is not for all. And I would definitely not suggest doing it in flip-flops or trainers. I was pretty glad that I had sturdy hiking boots on.
The start of the trail was a 10-minute walk from our cottage and began fairly well. Sandy, soft under the feet, with a few stones, until the stones became bigger and bigger and the slight stretching of the legs became a scramble. The seemingly flat edge of the plateau was coming encouragingly closer. Then there came a Y where a clear trail seemed to go downhill, and another overgrown one went over big boulders. The trail was marked at places with white arrows or footprints similar to Canyon Village. There seemed to be a white marking over the big boulders, so we decided to go uphill. After around 15 minutes of hair raising scrambles over loose rocks, tall grass and round boulders, we decided to give up and try our luck with the clear looking trail. As it turned out, the clear trail circled around the mass of boulders and then started uphill gradually. We had simply done a 30-minute detour for fun.
The trail did start getting more bouldery and steep but the vegetation grew sparse and the way to the plateau top was clear. The markings were more frequent and clearer. We reached the base of the tall, longitudinal rocky formations, like organ pipes. On the fiery orange base there were splashes of yellow, lime green and deep green- brought about by good rainfall. We emerged from the tree line and the trail turned left to bring us up to a cleft in the platform which led to the top. At one point a wooden fence proclaimed the end of the unguided hike area and sternly turned us further left with bold white arrows. We came to rounded rock surfaces where hundreds had left their etched signatures. ‘Leo was here’ said someone, messages were etched with lot of effort. Maybe hundreds of years later this will not just be a scenic trek but a historic one like Twyfelfontein. Hikers will try and decipher the pictures and words, wonder what messages ancient travellers left behind.
Once we found a flat expanse of rock to look down over the plains, it made the scramble worth it. What was even better was the sight of a Verreaux’s eagle. It soared, perhaps 10 metres away from the rock edge, almost at eye level with us. Black wings tinged with white, spread out at impressive length. Yellow curved beak, glowing beady eyes. It glided straight out towards the left edge of the plateau. Its partner followed in a few metres. The two circled around each other in the blue sky at a distance. We would see it fly back and forth a few times, the starlings scattering in panic around the pair.
We took our time taking in the views. The top of the plateau is not one big stretch of rock like it might seem from the base. It stretches in an undulating spread of corrugated red. At the bottom, we could see the forest we had walked through, the cottages in a distance, even our own cottages with the car parked in front of it. Vast plains stretched to the horizon. Cars and trucks raised dust on the criss-cross of roads. Baboons called out in challenging howls and bird calls surrounded us.
We started descending around 11:15 and by 12 we were back on the road which winds through the resort campus. On the way down we had followed signs better and the trail suddenly spat us out on the road hardly 5 minutes from our cottages. There was a white arrow at this end pointing into the trail but a sign saying that this road led to mountain view would have been very helpful!
Back at the cottage, we had a short break and started off on a forest trail towards the swimming pool which promised bird watching. We found none but caught glimpse of a startled dik-dik.
15:34
We left the poolside after around half an hour when there did not appear to be much birding to be had. We took another trail back which turned out to be more promising. We glimpsed a kingfisher, shrikes and spear fowls. Near the cottage we found a pair of grazing dik-diks.
Spear fowl with chicks, baboons, dik-diks, eagle, shrikes, kingfisher- not bad for a hiking morning.
The plan is to head to reception again around 6 pm. Use the Wi-Fi to check into our flights. Then it is our last dinner in Namibia. I am beginning to feel that sweet sadness which comes with the end of a trip.
21:45
Checked in. Packing mostly done. We’ve had a last dinner of rump steaks with pepper sauce and Namibian pudding with custard (Malva). Debashis caught some last few pictures of the Milky Way near the restaurant as planned. The skies in Namibia have been amazing. The Milky Way here is undoubtedly one of the best we’ve seen.
28 June- journey back home
As we set off after breakfast around 9 am, our first sighting was a delicate crimson breasted shrike, bright red against the foliage. A group of guinea fowls, clustered in a group scuttled out of our way as the car hit the gravel road. Groups of blue starlings and a toucan like Kingfisher made their appearance. Finally, a martial eagle on a post would be our big bird sighting.
Waterburg is larger than it seems from one perspective. It is not just one longitudinal platform but curves on itself. The red layered rock accompanied the road on its right for a long time before we hit the tarmac and drove towards Okhajana.
It was a beautiful day; sunny, mellow as most of our journey had been. Hirero families were gathered at the neat blue and white striped picnic benches which dot the roadsides in Namibia. Their flowing skirts and characteristic horn shaped headdresses, bright and flamboyant. Somewhere on the road a young woman posed for a photograph which would possibly go on Instagram. It was Sunday and holiday mood was in the air.
The landscape was golden soft grass and extended farms with their red or ash coloured termite mounds, trees sticking out of them at all angles. Within the game fences we still had a few more sightings- impala, a lonely ostrich, springbok. The occasional broken car still appears like a piece of artwork.
73 km from Windhoek on the A1, on the great wall of Okhajana, children played balance on the wall, running nimbly on the edge. The brick wall ultimately ended in a game fence.
Cyclists in full gear made the occasional appearance, bent intently on their bars, helmeted and shaded faces staring hard ahead, sharing the road with cars and demanding their space.
Just before mid-day we entered Windhoek. On our right rose the SWAPO headquarter building with its helipad and gold lettering against a reddish background. Nearby stood a hospital which looked a lot less glamorous.
Out of Nambia’s 3 million population, half a million live in Windhoek.
We had plenty of time. So, Delano drove us through the neat streets, the block cubical clocks at the intersections and roundabouts. We passed Independence Avenue, Robert Mugabe Avenue and Nelson Mandela Avenue and then parked near the Lutheran church across the Windhoek city museum, with its distinctive statue of Sam Nujoma. Himba women, sat on the stairs of the museum with handicrafts. Their chests were bare and adorned with numerous beads.
We walked down to a mall to use the toilets, and I bought my last set of earrings. Then we strolled through the roadside markets with their tribal sellers both Himba and Oshewambo.
Then we drove to another mall to have a chicken and chip lunch at Hungry Lion.
Finally, Delano drove us to Springbok Street which led to Sable Street and then Oryx Street in a middle-class residential neighbourhood.
We drove through the affluential areas, which rose Brazilian favela like into the hills. The rugby, cricket and football stadiums. They have a more successful female cricket team.
22 km from the airport near the checkpoint there are taxidermy farms. One sports a musicians of Bremen type of statue where a buffalo holds a big cat, which holds a warthog, above which sits a monkey.
Finally, around 4 pm Delano dropped us off at the airport.
So, the overarching memories:
The dead trees of Deadvlei against red sand dunes, the candelabra like quiver trees, the soft golden grass in waving in the wind, whirls of Fish Canyon, the golden dunes meeting the blue ocean, hordes of springbok, the rhinos nuzzling in the dark their feet crunching the stone, the eagle flying past at eye level on Waterberg plateau, red rock against green bushes. Desert horses, desert elephants and ancient maps. Manicured pretty pastel-coloured towns, coffee and cake in postcard perfect cafés. #Namibia.