|
|
You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Feb 27, 2012 08:00 PM Jackals' night in Okaukuejo Camp
In the world - famous Etosha National Park there are three camps you can stay. But first you must be registered at the park gate and pay the entrance fee - it is 170 NAD per 2 people and car per each day.
High giraffas were greeting us just few kms after the gate. Once at the camp we got our campsite, put our little tent there and went out by car for the game drive.
Western part of Etosha gives many opportunities to see wild animals: it is mostly savanna so the view is wide. We met impalas, springbooks, zebras and a lot of birds.
Unfortunately you cannot go out of the car for pictures.
Great sunny and very hot weather.
Back in the camp we saw few jackals wondering around the tents. In the night they were wowing very close. I did not sleep much. But what a day!
|
Feb 26, 2012 08:00 PM Those painted Himba ladies...
The landscape has changed. Green hills are all around! Driving on the gravel we reached today Kamanjob township in the northern Namibia.
In the afternoon we visited with a local guide the village of Himba tribe. The Himba woman do not use water to wash themselves. They use smoke... and everyday they paint their bodies. They wear little clothing, but the women are famous for covering themselves with otjize, a mixture of butter fat and ochre, possibly to protect themselves from the sun and insects...
Interesting culture! Their huts made of mud are similar to those in the equatorial Africa. They live from the herds of cows.
I took a lot of pictures of woman and kids. Tropical storm forced us to come back to the guesthouse...
|
Feb 25, 2012 08:00 PM Along the Skeleton Coast
Petrol in Swakopmund is the last expensive in Namibia. 9,75 per litre. I bought full tank. Destination: Tarra Bay on the Skeleton Coast. We were driving at the beginning on the salt road - they use salt to improve the surface of the roads here. Not bad - it is better then gravel.
We made a stopover on Cape Cross to see huge fur seals colony. Can you imagine 80000 fur seals in one place? What a experience! I saw them before in Antarctica but not such a mass in one place! It is worth 40 NAD entry fee...
Then we passed the gate of Skeleton Coast NP. They registered us. How is the road to Torra Bay? No problem for 4WD car! But we travel on a small 2WD!
The gravel was bad. From time to time we saw the Atlantic coast, but mostly the gray desert. The landscape changed when we turned inland at Torra Bay. We reached in half an hour the area of unspoiled bauty: Great Table Mountains. Red rocks like giant tables. Savanna with some animals was at the bottom of the mountains. We camped at the first available camp - they charge as usual 110 NAD per person and you have a power, water and shade at your site...
|
Feb 24, 2012 08:00 PM Welwitschia in the desert
Swakopmund - Namibia. In the Namibian desert you can see one of the oldest and biggest plants. It is welwitschia.
First you have to go to the NWR office on the Bismarck street to pay for the visit. 50 NAD per person and 10 per car. They will issue the permit and give you a detailed map, because it is not easy to find this unique plant.
We were driving through the desert road some 40 kms to get to the biggest known welwitschia. It has diameter of some 3 m and they say it is 1500 years old.
I did not see such a plant before!
Moon landscape on the way...
|
Feb 23, 2012 08:00 PM First flat tyre!
So far we were lucky and our brand-new vw polo had new tyres. After some 3000 kms mostly on the gravel roads just 22 kms before Swakopmund we experienced flat tyre. No problem - we have spare one. But to change it in the middle of hot desert is not easy thing... I did already half of the work when a truck stopped by.
I did not ask for that but two nice guys disembarked and helped me. Thanks a lot!
It is very important to make sure that you have the tyres insured on your rented car in Namibia. Most of the roads are gravel roads. It is very common that you will destroy few tyres. It was a little hole to repair - all tyre was destroyed! Thanks God: Yes I have insurance!
Swakopmund has still a colonial German flavor. We have been also to Walvis Bay to see pelicans near salt works (they collect piles of salt from oceanic water) and the highest sand diune in the area - Dune no 7 - 340 m high!
|
Feb 22, 2012 08:00 PM Thunders above Quiver Trees Forest
We camped on the private farm in the Quiver Tree Forest. This unusual trees are one of the Namibian specialities...
You will find them in all southern Namibia, but usually they stay lonely. Here, near Ketmanshoop you have whole forest to take great pictures of this phenomena of the nature. They look especially nice at sunset.
Just after sunset we experienced tropical storm. Do you know what you fill in the little tent in such circumstances?
After stormy night we had a hard day - driving more then 900 kms in our non-a/c car to Swakopmund on the Atlantic coast. It was rather logistic day, but we still saw some wild animals and great African landscapes along the road... Two drivers... Well done!
|
Feb 21, 2012 08:00 PM The second Canyon of the world?
Fish River Canyon. Yes, they say that this Canyon in Namibia is the second in the world after Colorado. 90-160 kms long, up to 550 m deep...
I saw it for the first time 21 years ago and I was impressed. Now I have more time to explore... It is 10 kms distance from Hobas camp to the main view point. Very bad road! They charge 80 NAD per person entry fee but do not care much about this road...
Driving slovly we reached the rim - view is still great an still the same, but they offer also some exhibitions about the history and nature here... At the main view point canyon is 440 m deep and few kms wide. Can you imagine? The river down there is full of water (it was dry when I was here 21 years ago). Fantastic!
From the main point you can drive by bad road right 2,5 kms to the Hikers' Point or left 3,5 kms to the Edge. River goes like a snake, so every point offers a new perspective - I saw all of them...
|
Feb 20, 2012 08:00 PM Oranje River Road - we did it!
Fish River Canyon is our next destination. It is accessible by gravel roads only. From my knowledge the nicest option regarding the landscapes is to take the paved road to Rosh Pinah mine, and then... nobody in the capital or here knows about the road condition along the Oranje river. Nobody in my country had experience to travel in this area...
We took the risk... Our little 2WD car was very brave and we passed through driving carefully on the outback road.
Oranje River is a border between Namibia and RSA. There was a lot of lovely green color along the water. We passed fords and one low bridge of Fish. Views were just great!
We reached the oasis of Ai Ais on the bottom of Fish River Canyon at 3 pm. Too hot place to stay! They say it is the hottest place in Namibia. I decided to drive onward to the Hobas Camp on the rim of the canyon. Birds were talking there all night around our tent!
|
Feb 19, 2012 08:00 PM Kolmanskop - The Ghost Town
We had the great breakfast with the panoramic view of the Tiras Mountains and the rising African sun. After 60 kms on gravel road we reahed paved road B4. Since it is almost completly empty I was able to speed up to 140 kms per hour. They built a new railway track along. For some reason African ostriches likes this unused track - we saw them in many places - more of 50 animals.
There were also a lot of oryx and springbok antelopes...
At 9.00 am we reached the ghost town - Kolmanskop was famous during the diamond boom 1928 till 1956. Then it was abondoned and now is like a museum in the desert - partly destroyed and covered by sand.
They charge 55 NAD of entry fee per person bu it is worth to pay and walk trhough with a local guide.
Luderitz - little town on the coast with a strong German taste is just 20 kms away. Some nice German colonial architecture remained there. We drove in the afternoon to Diaz Point where Bartolomeo Diaz established his cross on 25 July 1488. High lighthouse stays now there.
For the budget travellers the best accommodation is town is family-run Villelodge - at the fuel station on entry to the town - you can get the room with bath and fridge for just 240 NAD. Internet is free! Friendly and highly recommended!
|
Feb 18, 2012 08:00 PM The great dunes of Namibia
We started from the camp at 5.45 am by car. Surprise: the national park road to the best-known dunes is paved! After 45 kms we park the car at the bottom of so called Dune 45. The sky was already grey when we started to climb it.
Did you climb Ayers Rock? The dune 45 is also red and looking at the row of the people climbing red dune reminded me climbing Ayers Rock. Same image!
We reached the top before the sunrise. It was really great moment when the red color of the sunshine covered the landscape!
Going onward by park road we went close to Sosuvlei. 4WD tourist safari buses took us closer to the new, impressing dunes - some of them are 300 m high!
Deadvlei is the picturesque dry lake with dead trees inside - very dramatic lanscape...
Hot, hot, hot... Shower in the camp and again some 400 kms on the gravel roads to Tiras, where we found great and empty Tiras farm. They have a little camp. No electric power but great mountain view. And silence... What a day!
|
Page:
195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205
|
|
|
