Travel Diary: Namibia (part 1)

Namibia is a large country and as we covered many miles within it this latest travel diary is quite lengthy, and so for hopefully easier reading we have split it into 2 parts.  Below is part one, the second part will follow shortly.  The usual photo gallery and maintenance log will also follow in part 2.  Happy reading…. 

The Katima Mulilo border post into Namibia while rather chaotic with loads of trucks was really really simple and we were probably through in under 30minutes.  Even the money changing tout seemed to good to be true, giving Stuart a 1:1 exchange rate with the Kwacha and appearing to not make any money from the transaction apart from the tip we offered because we felt bad about the deal.

Five kilometres from the border post is a Protea hotel which offers lovely camp on a grassed terrace above the Zambezi river, with each parking area having an electric plug point and braai area and not for an exorbitant fee. It was very obvious that we were back in Southern Africa and so still feeling the effects of the drive down through western Tanzania and Zambia, we opted to stay an extra day and relax by the hotel pool.  Our rain god/goddess status continued when we were 5 minutes too late in packing up by the pool and got drenched by a huge afternoon thunderstorm.

We have complained about the first and last few hundred kilometres of road in Zambia being horrible whereas in Namibia the roads are just fantastic smooth tar but that in itself does have its dangers as the road westwards through the Caprivi Strip is generally pan flat and dead straight making boredom for the driver a very real threat. Luckily HippySquared’s CEO (Chief Entertainment Officer) is a pretty dab hand on the iPod and keeps us occupied with great tunes.

In the early days Stuart would plan a couple of days of routes in advance using the mapping software on the MacBook and then transfer them to the GPS but since Malawi and discovering iOverlander we have generally not planned more than a day in advance.  On this day our intended overnight stop was Ngepi camp on the Kavango river, as it looked very funky with many artistic touches which appealed to us.  However about 40kms from it we drove past a sign for White Sands and Popa falls, the falls were a spot Stuart had read about previously and so we decided to first go and check them out.  Our arrival at the entry gate had us rather slack jawed given its luxurious look, complete with a guard radioing through to the reception to let them know he had guests at the gate “without a booking”.  We were dubious if it was a spot for us but when they offered to upgrade us to a luxury site (private ablutions and own viewing deck over the falls) for the same price as the normal camping rate, we decided to stay.  

Over the next few days we moved steadily westwards initially along the Caprivi strip and then just across the top of “mainland” Namibia.   For those that aren’t familiar with it, the Caprivi is a little strip of land sandwiched between Angola, Zambia and Botswana but being part of Namibia.  In total we would eventually travel 1200km across the top of Namibia never venturing much more than 50km from its northernmost border.  Valentine’s Day was spent at Kaisosi lodge were again we had the luxury of private ablutions and got to enjoy date night on their deck overlooking the Kavango river with Angola only 100m away. 

In a classic case of “never judge a book” by its cover we pulled into Woodlands campsite on the outskirts of Eenhana and were immediately underwhelmed with what essentially was a fenced off sandy lot with some shacks on the outskirts BUT the security guard/receptionist/manager (whose English was not great) made us feel so welcome that almost instantly our impressions changed. After the long day in the car, Tania made the inevitable dash to the loo and come back beaming with a report that the ablutions were practically brand new with a fresh coat of paint, toilet paper (so often lacking) and even soap at the basins. How wrong our first impressions where!

That night we enjoyed a lovely fire courtesy of the free firewood only to wake the next morning to torrential rain and lightning, by now we are very used to both but even this was a bit much for us and so our early start was delayed until we thought the downpour had subsided a little.  

In Zambia we had picked up a nasty vibration in the steering at any speed above 90km/h which while we generally only drive at 80 made overtaking sometimes rather interesting.  Stuart had found play in the front prop-shaft and we had spent the weekend in Livingstone so that Mr J could be looked at by a Landy mechanic on the Monday.  Foleys had in fact diagnosed the issue as not being the UJ but rather the sliding joint on the front prop-shaft having some play.  As they did not have a replacement and one would have to be couriered in, they applied lots of grease as an interim fix which certainly seemed to do the job. Since then we had been checking for increased play on a daily basis and applying grease.  All was going well and Stuart’s mind was at ease until on our way to Ruacana Falls we come across a stricken Landy on the side of the road, upon stopping to see if we could be of assistance we found out their front prop-shaft had come off/disintegrated and in the process damaged the gearbox.  They were going nowhere without a flat-bed tow truck and many little demons crept into Stuart’s mind for him to dwell on as we drove further.

In the east along the Caprivi strip the Kavango river forms a natural border with Angola and flows into Botswana to ultimately form the Okavango swamps. As you head west you get the Kunene river which also originates in the Angolan highlands, flows south for 600km before turning westwards to create the border with Namibia and continue its journey for another 300km to the Atlantic Ocean.  Ruacana is the point where it turns westwards and also were the river plunges 120m down a cliff face to create the Ruacana Falls.   Most of the year the falls are dry due to a dam just upstream and diversions for Namibia’s main hydropower electricity source but in particularly wet rainy seasons the sluice gates are opened and Ruacana Falls return to the majesty they had before the dam was built.  We had read that at the end of December the falls were still dry but now in mid-February they were in full flow and what a sight it was!  While they don’t have the sheer drop and narrow gorge that gives Victoria falls its splendor they are in our opinion equally spectacular.  The total width of the falls is 700m, with a 120m drop and apparently a flow rate of 2400 cubic metres per second when we were there. 

Video of the falls in flood

The downside of such an impressive spectacle is that the river downstream had burst its banks, flooding many campsites and the dirt road that follows it closely.  Initially we attempted to head downstream but after crossing one flooded section of road and almost immediately coming across another which looked much deeper we decided we had had enough recent adventures with mud and water so turned around to look for an alternative camping spot.  Heading back we flagged down a few other 4×4’s to inform them of the road status and one couple decided to follow us to the alternative camping.  They were driving a new Toyota Landcruiser so Stuart felt it only right to inform them that we drive pretty slowly to which they had replied they were also slow, incredibly they where or rather their Toyota was and Mr J outpaced them on a few of the hills leading out of the valley – GO MR JONES!

iOverlander once again had come to our rescue as the alternative spot was not marked on Tracks4Africa, and while we had read in the reviews that everyone was super impressed with the welcome they received we were still suitably impressed when we drove up with no forward warning and were greeted by a welcome committee carrying wet towels and fresh glasses of orange juice.

Stuart had really wanted to visit Epupa falls and perhaps part of the Marienflus valley (a really remote and rugged section of Namibia’s North West but sadly the combination of the Kunene river flooding and the wonky front prop-shaft just did not make it a realistic option.  In addition the accumulated effect of many long days driving since we left Rwanda was starting to take its toll, a sure indication was when we started snapping at each other over silly and irrelevant things. Thus with Epupa off the cards and needing to get to Windhoek for prop-shaft repairs we began looking for a spot where we could relax for a few days.  

Onguma game lodge was just what the doctor ordered, it is a large game reserve bordering Etosha and has a number of very luxurious accommodation offerings together with two camping areas and even these camping spots have a lodge feel.  The loungers at the pool all have lovely cushions, the restaurant is very tastefully decorated and each campsite is well spaced from each other together with private ablutions.  

Our first day was spent doing nothing more than lounging by the pool and when the weather turned grey on the second, we ventured into Etosha National Park.  Sadly with it being so wet the game viewing in Etosha wasn’t great and neither was the scenery with it being so gloomy, nonetheless it was a worthwhile excursion. The day however did not end well as when we got back to camp we found that the frozen meat we had left in the lodges care while in the park had been put in the fridge and not freezer so was partially defrosted  (CAPTAINS LOG: 19 February), which leaves us with many days of meat to now cook in advance.

As we headed south from Etosha we passed a number of people selling giant mushrooms on the side of the road, Tania had read that they only appear at this time of the year after the rains and inevitably we stopped to check one out.  When the small one (but plenty large enough for us) was offered at a price of only ZAR5, we quickly purchased it with the small change on hand.  That night we overnighted on a tiny wine farm (yes in the middle of Namibia) and the farmer’s wife kindly told us how to cook it. The mushroom is known as Omajowa and is a Namibian delicacy which grows on termite hills and is only available for a few short days after the summer rains. Our small mushroom provided us with three meals and was absolutely delicious, leaving us with only one regret: we should have bought more when we could as further south we did not see them offered again.

The weekend was approaching and as we weren’t sure how long it would take to repair the prop-shaft we decided the most pragmatic plan would be to be in Windhoek for Sunday evening/Monday morning and that way leave plenty of time for any repairs that may require parts brought in etc.  With this in mind we chose to spend a few nights 50km west of the main road at a spot called Ovita Wildlife camp, which while nothing spectacular was lovely and isolated but incredibly had decent 3G reception which allowed us to just relax but at the sometime sort out a few admin topics back home.  Naturally the farmer was very happy to host us as we brought much needed rain, something they had not had since 2013!

After a leisurely start on the Sunday morning we enjoyed a lovely drive into Windhoek along little district roads, occasionally stopping to make sure a flooded drift was drivable or to just marvel at the carpet of wild flowers that had sprung up with the rains.  Thank goodness we changed Mr J’s bull bar flowers from red to yellow a few weeks back as he now matched the summer theme.

Monday morning saw us up bright and early to traverse across Windhoek (all 5km as the crow flies) to the industrial side in order to get the prop-shaft seen too.  Stuart had enquired on the “overland forum”, an email community he has belonged to for many years, for recommendations and Propshaft Master was the general consensus as the go-to guys.  They did not disappoint and within a couple of hours we had a “newly” (part the old one and part new pieces) made up and installed on Mr J. At least now a certain someone can stop stressing at each vibration Mr J gives off as we travel! 

With 3/4 of the day still in front of us, the next item on the list was a haircut and color for Tania, the receptionist at Propshaft Master had given us a recommendation for “BE Hair academy”, so off across town we went.  Pulling into the spot google maps had taken us too we immediately had doubts as it was a very swanky boutique hotel with accompanying restaurants, cafes and conference rooms, added to which Mr J would not fit into any parking areas as he is 2,6m high with the roof box on so well above the general height restriction of must undercover garages of 2,2m.   While trying to figure out what to do the hotels concierge appeared at the window and when we told him we were looking for the hair place he offered us the VIP parking spot and showed us the way to the hairdresser.

As an added bonus Stuart got a haircut too, the first in 9 months but even then it only took a half hour whereas Tania was going to be a while…  So once done he headed out to tick off a few more errands.  We have not bumped into them but have observed on social media that Land Rover have a fleet of the new very larney Defenders running around Namibia doing all sorts of camel trophy stuff and proving their worth for the motoring media.  When returning to collect Tania after a few hours Stuart observed that one of the conference rooms was being setup for Land Rover which we surmise was to welcome back the now bush worthy vehicles and their contingent, what a pity we were probably only a day too earlier to have witnessed this and to have parked MR J amongst them. Perhaps the #MrJonesFanclub could have gained a few more members?

From Windhoek we headed west towards the coast and Swakopmund via the exceptionally scenic C28 dirt road which crosses the Khomas Hochland.  It probably looks quite different for most of the year but given the recent rains we were treated to spectacular mountains and valleys covered in yellow flowers with green bushes interspersing this but then as we descended over the Bosun Pass it dramatically changed to initially a dry and barren scrubland and then finally a total moonscape.  Naturally many stops were made for photos, although it is very difficult to capture the grandeur and starkness in a photo, and each time we stopped all you could hear was silence.  In nearly 300km we saw only 6 other vehicles.  

About 100km from Swakopmund a small diversion (provided you have arranged a permit from the MET office in Windhoek) from the C28 takes you past the Tinklas and Bloedkoppie camp areas which are basically just allocated spots in the desert where you can camp.  The silence is once again all-encompassing and it is quite possible to hear yourself think.  Our chosen overnight spot was Bloedkoppie which is so named because the very large granite koppie often glows pink/red in the setting sun.   Having learnt a thing or two from Jocelyn (Tania’s gorilla trekking porter) in terms of how to haul a not so keen hiker/climber up or down hills, Stuart managed to get Tania up one of the smaller granite domes for sunset drinks and back down again without even a whimper from the latter party. The coming down part may have been aided by a glass of wine on top and the impending dusk….

The day ended perfectly with a visit to our campfire by two tiny little Bat Eared foxes, clearly used to humans but still very skittish they kept us amused for quite a while before we turned in for the night.

Link to: Namibia Travel Diary: Part 2