I can still remember the first time Kees and Marleen came to Namibia. Marleen had a small little digital camera with which she made some decent photographs, but (and I'm sure all the readers would agree once you've had a look at them!) she has gone to a much higher standard over the years. I used mainly her photo's for this blog.
Kees is busy compiling a video and I hope to post this as well as soon as he sends it to me!
Anyway, back to the story...we picked them up in Upington on the 3rd of May and stayed there for 2 nights. The following day we drove along the banks of the Orange river to the Augrabies waterfalls. The river was extremely low for the time of year, but it was still nice to see...
Not to mention the hordes of rock Hyrax (Dassies) sunning themselves all over the place...
Whilst having lunch, we had a small troop of vervet monkeys coming to investigate our picnic site for some leftover scraps of food. It was clear that they are used to being fed by tourist as they were constantly trying to snatch food from our table. They even use diversions to create an opportunity! And if that doesn't work...they resort to begging... It was hard to say 'No' to this face below..., but we stuck to the rules of the park (no feeding of wild animals). People really have no idea what sort of problems they create.
Next on our itinerary was the Kgalagadi Transfrontier park between South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. We stayed 1 night at Twee rivieren, two nights at Nosob and also two nights at the beautiful river front bungalows in Mata Mata.
I have always liked the Kalahari with its big Camel Thorn Acacias, black maned lions, herds of oryx and springbok and loads of birds of prey.
Just after, or even during the rainy season seems most productive for predators as it is the calving season for springbuck and Blue wildebeest and this was certainly again the case... We saw lion, leopard and cheetahs on several occasions.
Most of the time they came VERY close to the car with one subadult male lion even taking serious interest in the Cruisers front left tyre!! I had to start the car to deter him! ...and Kees closed his window...just incase!
It was a real treat as they were in a playful mood...climbing up trees, chasing each other and playing with everything they could lay their paws on...
After a while the big male started slumping towards a shady resting place on a closeby dune. On the way there he started to roar, with the whole pride joining in... These are the sort of experiences that stays with you forever. It is such a raw and prehistoric sound that fills one with awe and wonder. Everything fell silent...even the birds stopped chirping.
During our stay in the park we saw 3 different prides. The first pride we saw was midday...they did not do much (except 'lion' around...) and was also a bit far away. Then we had this pride around the car, and the last was a mating pair. Unfortunately also very far away, although they did put up a bit of a show and got very vocal just before the sun set...a perfect way to end a day!
One morning we arrived at a waterhole and close to the car was a black backed jackal, but he was not looking at us. His eyes was fixed upon something in the bush on the other side of the road. I followed his gaze and saw a young female leopard coming down for a drink. She walked right past the car and on to the waterhole, not scared, or shy. All the smaller animals ran away in a mad stampede to get away from the danger. Only the oryx stayed...at a respectable distance!
After she had her fill, she went back up the dune, pausing for a few seconds to glance back at us with a disdainful look in her eyes... We were just glad she graced us with her presence!
We saw 5 Cheetahs altogether. One female with 3 young ones and a single cheetah that had just killed a steenbok. We were just a few minutes too late to see the actual kill, but the female with the 3 cubs was kind enough to walk for quite a distance next to the car before she crossed and disappeared with her litter over a dune.
The Kgalagadi was great, but we had to go on... We left the park through Mata Mata border post and drove to Kalahari Farmhouse in Stampriet where we stayed 1 night. On this farm they produce most of the products used in the other Gondwana lodges and it is well worth a visit if you are in the area. The rooms are quite 'different' than other lodges with an indoor fireplace! Unfortunately we had to go further west the next day and drove past Mariental and Maltahohe to Weltevrede. Enroute I spotted this magnificent kudu bull on a granite koppie right next to the road... Just posing for us.
As Kees and Marleen has been in Namibia several times before, we did not go to Sossusvlei. Instead we drove to Swakopmund the next morning. We did make a little bit of a detour and went past Bloedkoppie where we had lunch. There are some very nice examples of chemical erosion and no time was wasted to put this on film...
After all that we drove down to Swakopmund and checked into Pebblestone B&B... Unfortunately for me, I caught a nasty flu and spent the next day in bed. Fortunately it went as quick as it came. After 2 nights good rest I was fit once more to drive to Cape Cross lodge. The largest Cape fur seal colony in the world can be found at Cape Cross with +- 200 000 seals, but Kees and Marleen has seen this spectacle before. The plan was to go through an area west and north west of Brandberg, but more specifically through Zebra Canyon. This is my name for this area and it is not because the occasional hartmann's Zebra can be found there, but because of of the magnificent rock formations...
Every bend in this little canyon reveals a new surprise...and each formation more extravagant than the previous one. The canyon opens up onto a vast plain with great vistas of red ochre coloured hills, the Ugab valei in the distance and the Brandberg massif on the horizon...
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A few kilometers from there is the oasis of Gai Ais. If you are ever so fortunate to be in this area, then please do not spend too much time here. This is the only water for many miles and animals that come there to drink, has already walked a long way, so please keep this in mind and do not camp, or even have lunch there.
On the top of the hill there are a few shelters and in one of them is a coment book. It is interesting to read what other travelers have to say about their experiences...how they are influenced by this seemingly desolate desert landscape...
From here we drove north towards the Huab valley..., but first we had to have lunch! An overhanging rock had to do for shade and we used the bonnet as a table...
We carried on north towards the Huab river (pic above) and then got to a dead end... The river had washed the track away. A huge ditch gaped where there was once a 'road'... From the other side it would have taken us less than 2 hours to get to Twyfelfontein lodge with plenty of daylight to spare, but the angle of the ditch, the mud in the bottom, the length of my (extended) land cruiser and also the time of day forced me to backtrack and find another way. We got to Twyfelfontein at around 19:30...just in time for dinner! All's well that ends well...it would have been a huge risk to try and negate that crossing with no other vehicle to support us!
The next morning started brilliant as we spotted a herd of desert ellies just a few kilometers from the lodge. They were just peacefully browsing in a small riverbed. We spent a few minutes there before pushing on to Palmwag.
Along the road we saw several springbok, oryx and even kudu. We had lunch on the balcony of the permanent tents while a lone elephant bull browsed in the reeds not far from us.
It was time for a midday rest, well deserved after the previous day's ordeal! We went for a sunset drive along the main road. The Palmwag concession is certainly the most successful concession in Namibia. It is not just one of the most scenic areas in Namibia, but also boasts the largest amount of free roaming black rhinos in the world, together with vast number of springbok, oryx, hartmann's zebra, lion, leopard and cheetah...just to mention a few... The cats and rhino are not very often seen of the main road, but it was still nice and with a typical red sunset, covering everything in a red glow...
The following morning we left early and drove north towards Sesfontein. Along the way the landscape changed from 'Damaraland' to 'Kaokoland'... From there we went offroading again. Opting to go the scenic route, rather than the quick (and very corrugated!!) road to Purros. The 'entrance ' to the Hoanib river is at Elephant song campsite...now desolate due to a lack of campers. Soon afterwards we saw 3 elephants digging up and eating the soft roots of the reeds along the bank.
We carried on and spotted another herd, blocking the road and quenching their thirst....
Further on another herd was feasting on the Khori bushes on top of the bank....
We soldiered on... Past a few stretches of Giraffe... and herds of oryx, springbok...etc...
We left the Hoanib just before the border of the Skeleton Coast park and followed the tracks north to Hoarusib river...
This might be a good time to explain 'our' riverbeds... Up to now we have driven down, up and crossed several dry riverbeds (also know as ephemeral rivers (ephemeral meaning that they only flow once enough water has fallen in the catchment areas)), so, it is totally safe to do this in the dry season. Special care has to be taken with muddy and wet areas, as you could get properly stuck. Best option would be to always stay in the tracks (this is not just the safest way of driving, but also has the least amount of impact on the environment). These riverbeds should be avoided in the rain season, except if there is no other choice and only if it is dry. Camping in such a riverbed during the wet season is certainly a very, very bad idea. Not only are you provoking desert elephants, because you are now encroaching on their terrain, but also because you might not even see a cloud, yet might find yourself woken by the thunderous sound of a wall of water several feet high, hurtling towards your 'nice campsite under a shady tree in the middle of the riverbed'!!
Unfortunately this happens nearly every year... Many tourists (mainly South Africans) do not heed the warnings, or simply do not think of the consequences. Most of the time they can save all the people, but the loss of vehicles and camping gear is nearly a certainty.
Anyway...back to our trip... It is such a nice surprise for guest to enter this riverbed. After seemingly endless kilometers of driving on a dusty track that seems to lead nowhere, one suddenly arrives in the Hoarusib river. A small stream trickles along its course and this attracts all kinds of animals and birds. Egyptian geese, moorhens, hammerkop, tree banded plovers and wagtails (to mention a few) are just as pleased to make use of ample food and water supplies as the oryx, springbok, ostrich and elephants that frequently roam this riverbed.
The next day we drove up river and came across this huge bull elephant. It looked like he had a serious thirst in him...
...soon after we saw him, he started digging for water. We call these diggs 'gorras'. It is mainly desert elephants and oryx that dig like this, but all the other animals also use these 'animal made' waterholes to quench their thirst.
Although the sand was quite wet where he was digging, it was not enough, so he lumbered on...
Which gave us the opportunity to photograph him from all sides...even with palmtrees and all!!
Finally!! He found a spot with enough water!
This springbok made use of one of his earlier attempts at finding water...enough for a little springbok to make it through another hot and dusty day!
We carried on... Sometimes driving in the dry bed...and sometimes onto small hills next to the bed to enjoy the view!
Not everybody is enjoying the view...This deserted village seems like it has been empty for a long time. Rain is scarce in these parts and the nomadic Himba trek great distances with their livestock to find 'greener' pastures.
Midday. Even the giraffe was looking for a shady spot to stay out of the unrelenting sun. We were already on our way to camp...where lunch and cold beer was waiting!
From Puros we drove back towards Sesfontein. First on the main road and then I took a shortcut back to the Hoanib... Just before Elephant Song campsite a herd of Elephants blocked our progress.
Mother makes sure the little one understands how to get to the juiciest roots...
Once back on the main road we caught up with lost time and soon passed Palmwag on our way to Kamanjab. I was probably more surprised than anyone else when we saw big clouds forming in the distance with the odd lightning flash. It was raining quite hard for a few minutes, but then it cleared up and the rain dissipated. It was probably the first time it rained there this year!
We stayed at Alpec bush camp for one night before entering Etosha National Park from the west. It did rain there, and it was obvious that we might not see too many animals as small water puddles were visible everywhere. Fortunately the elephants did show up...
We stayed at Dolomite camp (on top of the dolomite hill in the background).
The view from the room was stunning... Herds of elephant could be seen in the vast plain below. In the afternoon we went on a game drive and, although we did not see much, the elephants did their best to entertain us. A bachelor herd (all males) were pushing and shoving each other around... This made for some great photo opportunities...
Even the zebras got excited...
It was time to get back to camp and we were just in time to see the sun set...once more a brilliant day in Africa!
After a hearty (but early) breakfast, we headed east, towards Okaukuejo. Unfortunately we did not see much...just the usual... oryx, zebra, giraffe, kudu, springbok, red hartebeest, black backed jackal, hyena, elephant and a couple of wildebeest at one of the waterholes....
The sightings were not very good, so I decided to head to Okondeka, one of my favorite waterholes, and was rewarded with a whole pride of lions on the hunt!
Although it seems close, it was still too far away for the lions, who, one by one started to retreat to shade.
After this we also headed for Okaukuejo... At waterhole next to Okaukuejo it was quite busy... First a herd of zebra came to drink, followed by a single elephant bull. Then there was some other stuff as well...
In the afternoon we went back to Okondeka to see what the pride was up to. As I stopped the car, the first female got up and started to move closer to the water. Most of the pride followed her and we counted about 18 altogether.
Even the giraffe thought it might be safe to put some distance between him and the pride. The lions were doing their usual thing...just 'lion' around, so we also headed home...
After dinner we went to the floodlit waterhole to see if there was rhino drinking. At first it was empty, then one rhino 'appeared' out of the surrounding darkness, then another one and another...until we had about 8 adults and 1 calf. Unfortunately a gremlin crept into our system and 'deleted' all these photo's... a real pity..
Fortunately Joyce took a couple of nice pictures of 2 bull elephants drinking...
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The next morning we had another early breakfast and left towards Onguma on the eastern side of Etosha... Undoubtedly the best sighting of the day was soon after we left the lodge. A terribly upset black rhino came at us in a full gallop. Fortunately I saw him in time and (I think!) he also realized that the vehicle is a bit bigger than he had thought... He changed his (crash) course and ran parallel with us for quite some distance before crossing the road and blundering off into the distance.
The rest of the day was pretty ordinary...with huge herds of Zebra...
...a pack of hyenas dragging a long rotten carcass of some unidentifiable beast around...
...the ever prim-and-proper secretary bird scouring the grassy plains for a morsel to devour...
...a couple of bull giraffes trying their best to intimidate the opponent into submission (to determine the rank in their herd). These fights can last up to 3 days, so we left them to settle the dispute in their own time!
... a small bachelor herd of black faced impala circling the waterhole...
We left the park a bit early as everyone was tired from early mornings. Tomorrow was a new day and we had high hopes...
Once more we had an early breakfast and left soon afterwards. Minutes later we saw this beautiful cheetah with a cub right next to the road...We were not even in the park yet. This was still on Onguma territory.
I opted to go straight to N'Gobib drive ( I have been very lucky here in the past, but it was not to be. We saw 3 white elephants...
...even though they came very close to the car, I was still a bit disappointed.
We slowly started making our way back to Onguma, visiting all the waterholes on the way, when we saw this liones hiding behind a rock. She was obviously hunting and probably had her little ones hidden somewhere in the bush, waiting for her to return with food...
First up was a small herd of Zebra...
She did not move a muscle...and even though the zebra knew something was wrong, they could not see her lying right under their noses. She had the wind in her favor... I was sure she would catch something as animals seemed to pile into the waterhole from all directions. At one stage there was about 15 zebra, 4 kudu, about 18 impala, 20 plus springbok and 5 giraffe...
Unfortunately for her she was seen before she could make a move...
She was very desperate as she made a last minute dash for a zebra that was too far away...
The springbok came back.., but the 2 at the righthand side of the photo already smelled a 'rat'...
Once more she charged blindly at them, but still no luck...
This time she did not return to the rock she was hiding behind, but laid down in the shade of a small mopane tree. This was by far her best position as the wind was perfect and the waters edge close by, forcing the animals to pass very close to her, but again she made a wild attempt at an impala that was too far away.
Afterwards she went back to the rock and a few minutes later it was business as usual... first a curious giraffe had a look, but he was a bit too much for a lone lioness, so she let him pass, but then I saw a warthog coming out of the bush. This was her best chance as warthogs are pretty much...mmm, how can I put it? Stupid? Not really, lets rather say 'unafraid', until they stare death in the eyes!
He came straight to the water, had his fill, then had a bit of a roll in the mud and this is when she attacked. First with a low, crouching run, and then, once the warthog had seen her, she piled on the pace. In the next couple of photo's it is quite clear she gained on him. Unfortunately they both disappeared in the bushes before she got close to him.
In no time the waterhole was busy with all sorts of animals...like nothing had happened...
It was time for us to head home, have a nice dinner and catch up on lost sleep...
The next morning we had a bit of a sleep in. After breakfast we drove via Tsumeb towards Grootfontein with a short lunch stop at the worlds largest meteorite. The Hoba meteorite weighs about 60 tons...and is really old... Not only does Namibia have the largest meteorite on earth, but we also have the largest meteorite shower to ever have hit the earth (close to Gideon in the south of the country)
We stayed at Waterberg Plateau lodge for 2 nights...Each room has its own fireplace for the chilly evenings and a small plunge pool for the warm summer days!
A beautiful, blood red, full moon greeted us just before we left for dinner.
Marleen went 'birding' the next morning and made a few very nice photo's of birds...Like this colorful melba finch.
The 'alarm clock'...Red billed spurfowl always goes berserk as the sun rises in the east...It's brilliant if you have to get up early..., but not so great if you are able to have bit of a sleep in!
Cape bunting...
Acacia pied barbet...
Rockrunner...one of many endemics found around the waterberg.
And last, but not least, this beautiful butterfly...
The second last day we drove via Okahandja to Windhoek and checked into Terra Africa guest house. In the afternoon I took them to the city for some last minute shopping. That evening we dined at NICE Restaurant (Namibian Institute for Culinary Excellence) and it certainly was 'nice'. A brilliant end to a great adventure, covering more than 5500 kilometers.
Unfortunately this trip came to an end and it was very quiet in the car the next day on the way to the airport...Everybody deep in thought about what they had experienced the past month.
Kees and Marleen have already got plans to come back next year in September/October and we are really looking forward to their return!
Fortunately for me and Joyce the next trip starts in 3 days with Fred en Evelyne...this time we go east... to the Caprivi...
