Namibia: The Skeleton Coast, Sand Dunes, and Safari
Highlights
• Fish River Canyon.
• Sesriem Canyon & Namib-Naukluft Desert.
• Dune 45, Sossusvlei & Deadvlei.
• Swakopmund.
• The Skeleton Coast.
• Khorixas.
• The Himba Tribe.
• Etosha National Park.
• Windhoek.
We left Cape Town stopping for a look back at Table Mountain from across Table Bay, and headed North toward the Namibian border. We stopped for a wine and beer tasting at one of the local winery on the way in the town of Paarl. Driving through the Cedarberg region we were treated to views of the spectacular mountain ranges and orange farms. We spent our first evening hiking to a viewpoint for sunset and then camping on an orange farm.
The following day, as we headed further North into Namaqualand, the scenery changed dramatically, and we were presented with our first experience of the Desert vistas that this part of Africa is famous for. We continued to our camp on the banks of the Orange River which forms the border between South Africa and Namibia. We had the option to kayak on the river, which we didn’t take but later regretted – so if you can, take the time to do this.
Fish River Canyon
On the third morning we crossed the border into Namibia and travelled on towards the Fish River Canyon, one of the largest in the world. Wow! What an incredible place to see, the views from the canyon ridge were amazing; and the sunset was spectacular! Just be sure to take some cold beers or wine with you, there’s no better way to view the sunset, especially after the walk along the ridge in the late afternoon sun.
Sesriem Canyon & Namib-Naukluft Desert
Our fourth day was a very long travelling day as we ventured deeper into the Namib Desert toward the dune fields that cover the western side of the desert. The long dusty roads and sparsely populated farms set the scene for the vastness of rural Namibia. The landscape changed from grasslands to red sand dunes.
In the late afternoon we had a bush walk through the Sesriem Canyon. Although the canyon itself is smaller than Fish River; it still has some amazing formations to see, and if you look closely there are many insect and reptile residents for you to peek at.
We camped in the red dust listening to barking geckos as we fell asleep exhausted.
Sossusvlei, Dune 45 & Deadvlei
We rose very early to climb the very high and steep dune 45, to take our seats for the sunrise, it was absolutely worth the effort and early start in every way. You have not seen a sunrise until you have seen one from a sand dune, in the desert. Ok that probably sounds a little pretentious, but take a look at the pictures and you will get an idea of what I mean. The colours, textures, how the light spreads out across the land in front of you and brings those lines to life is simply other-worldly. Add the fact that you get to run down the seemingly too-steep dune at the end, the experience will leave you dazzled for hours afterwards. I cannot put into words how the whole experience made me feel, just that sense of wonder, the feeling of being an insignificant part of the incredible world we live in for that moment; it was really life changing. If you are afraid of heights (like one of us) then prepare yourself mentally as you will regret not taking part in every part of this experience.
After Dune 45, we took a 4×4 transfer (which was an adventure in itself) into Sossusvlei where we spent time on foot visiting the pans at Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. The contrasting colours of the bright blue sky, the intense red sand and the ghostly white of the petrified trees makes for amazing photos.
A little anecdote – the previous night at camp we had all been a bit shocked to witness a Canadian couple having a very loud row with their guide, local security guards and park rangers. I hate to stereotype but they looked like the trophy hunting types, they were both dressed top to toe in army camouflage gear, army boots, and were carrying all manner of huge knives …. why were they dressed like this in the desert? I have no idea. They were swearing and shouting and causing a scene. We all wondered what on earth was going on. Fast forward to the following day at Sossusvlei and we saw the same couple (still dressed the same) both armed with rakes – raking sand. Apparently, the previous day they had ignored the park rules and driven their 4×4 into the sand dunes and gone off road, making tyre tracks all around the pristine national park. They then got stuck in the sand and had to be rescued. When the park rangers asked them to pay the expenses for the rescue – they offered $10 and then became very animated when they were told that this was not enough. At that stage they were also told they would have to pay a fine for breaking park rules OR go back the following day to rake over all the tyre tracks they had left, which is exactly what we found them doing – with their heads held low. I guess you had to be there, but it was quite funny.
In the afternoon we reached our camp, which is run by a family of San Bushmen. We were treated to a guided desert excursion with a local expert. This was a highlight of the entire trip. The guide was extremely entertaining and taught about the local languages, where you speak with clicks. As we explored the desert, some huge dark clouds started to loom. Those of us from Europe all observed that it was about to rain. Our guide, as well as our overland team all laughed at this suggestion, telling us that it NEVER rains in the desert. They were adamant that there was no possible way that it could rain, so we continued with our excursion. The wind started to pick up and we were treated to a full-on sand storm. A few moments later the heavens opened, and it poured with rain. It rained all evening and all night ….. much to the amazement of all!
Swakopmund
As we awoke to a desert blooming with wildflowers, after a very, very rare rainstorm – we passed the Tropic of Capricorn and the flamingo filled Walvis Bay Lagoon en route for Swakopmund, which is the largest town on the West coast of Namibia, and the jumping off point for the Skeleton Coast. The town has quite a lot to offer in terms of activities, restaurants, bars, and the ever-so important laundry facilities! The main activities are quad biking, helicopter rides, sandboarding, safaris, skeleton coast tours, sky-diving, fishing; there is something for everyone. Swakopmund itself is heavily influenced by Afrikaans and German culture, so expect a couple of German-style beer houses serving some traditional beer house fare; and some bars you walk into and feel like a piano-player would stop playing as the locals turn around to greet you. It’s generally a safe town, good for a meal out and a few beers, or wines.
While we were there, we took a 6-hour Skeleton Coast tour with Jay from Openspace Tours, and it was fantastic. We headed North up the coastal road, with our guide Jay, calling out the sights and giving us some great insights into the area and its environment. He has a great passion for nature and geology and you cannot help to be engaged by the way he talks about the area making sure that everyone gets a chance to be involved with what he is sharing. We saw shipwrecks, developing towns, mothballed mining projects, townships, the huge (and nasally challenging – NOTHING can prepare you for the stench) Cape Cross seal colony, dunes, lichens, and the impact of previous night’s rare showing of rain on the salt roads of the area. To top it all off we were given beers, and sparkling wines for our journey back to Swakopmund. It was a great introduction to the Skeleton coast, and was a fantastic way to spend our afternoon, if you are in the area then take my advice and look up Openspace tours, and spend the afternoon with Jay.
Khorixas
After 2 nights exploring the Swakopmund area, we headed toward Khorixas and the massive granite formations of Spitzkoppe, which tower 700 meters above the desert plains. The views are incredible and landscapes very photogenic. We enjoyed a walk with a local guide who also showed us some ancient San rock art, and we saw our first elephant shrew!
Himba Tribe
In Northern Namibia you will see two main tribal groups named the Himba and Herero. The Himba and Herero people are closely related to each other and share similar customs and ways of life. There are, however, some striking differences; the Herero people moved South during the 1800s during the time in which this was a German colony. The influence of the German missionaries on the Herero people is visible in the way they dress, which is Victorian in style in contrast to the Himba people who predominantly wear just loincloths. In addition, the Himba women cover their skin in a mixture of ochre and butter fat which gives them a red tinge and protects them from the desert sun, and the age and status of people in the tribe is shown through their hairstyles. For example, married women wear headdresses with multiple braids, married men wear a turban consisting of multiple plaits and single men wear a single plait at the back of their head.
Visiting a Himba tribe is a controversial topic and we were therefore very wary. Our tour operator assured us that the income that the tribe generates from the visits goes towards the education of Himba children and assists the tribe in giving them a chance to learn about their own culture and heritage. We therefore headed North toward the border with Angola to discover more. The scenery was beautiful, and we stopped at various craft markets where Herero women were selling beautiful souvenirs, which allowed us to give a bit back to the local communities. As we headed further North we saw more and more Himba people going about their daily business. It is somewhat surreal to walk around a supermarket surrounded by a mixture of people wearing clothing that is like what you or I would wear, ladies wearing huge Victorian style dresses, with glamorous hats and then Himba tribeswomen who are wearing very little – other than an animal skin loin cloth.
The visit to the Himba village itself was interesting and they explained how they live and their elaborate beauty and skin routines, but we just couldn’t shake the feeling that we had been brought to a human zoo and didn’t feel like we wanted to take photos. We can show you a couple of photos that were taken by our fellow travellers and would leave each person to decide how they feel about this type of tourism.
The accommodation in this area, was the best we had in our time in Namibia and the views of the mountains, over the border in Angola, were stunning.
Etosha National Park:
Our next stop was the incredible Etosha National Park which was to be our second safari adventure on this trip. We were lucky to have two days in the park, which allowed us to go on self-drive safaris with our truck as well as a night time game drive, with a park ranger. We saw a rhino cross the road in front of our 4×4, a leopard playing under a tree and a huge group of giraffes running in the wind amongst an incredible array of other wildlife, many photos will follow. We highly recommend Etosha as a safari destination if you are in this part of the world.
Windhoek
Our final stop was Windhoek, the capital city of Namibia. To be honest this is a pleasant but rather unremarkable city with some unusual landmarks e.g. a huge monument donated to them by North Korea and a monument to the genocide of the Herero people, at the hands of Germany; we were also confronted by the identity of the original creators of concentration camps, another proud moment…
We took a brief walking tour through the city to cover the main landmarks, but this only took 1-2 hours, certainly not a location to dwell in.