The rest of Namibia… Sunday, 23/02/2025
The visit to the ancient Bushmen’s paintings at Brandberg went well – an interesting guided hike up the base of the mountain, and there they were, under an overhanging rock. It makes sense that you must have a guide, partly to find the paintings, but mostly to stop the sort of idiot who will wish to carve his name on the rock next to them. (In the past, people threw water – or even worse, Coca Cola – on the paintings to make them more distinct). My guide was a middle-aged local man and was good at pointing out different things – plants and lizards – en route.
Last Monday, the 10th, I proceeded north on a fairly rough road. What was extraordinary was that after perhaps an hour, there were signs of the desert coming to an end – small bits of green grass on the side of the road. Over about 20 kilometres the landscape became surprisingly green, making it a pretty drive northwards. I entered the huge Etosha National Park at the western Galton Gate. The park is one of the largest in Africa, spanning almost 22,300 square kilometres (8,600 square miles) – a little larger than the area of Wales. About 23% of the park is the Etosha Pan, a vast salt pan. My first stop was at Olifantsrus (Elephants Rest) campsite in the extreme west of the park – a simple campsite with about 15 places. The following day, headed east, I drove across roughly half of the park, about 200 km, but making several detours off the main road. I saw several elephants, giraffes, ostriches, wildebeests, large herds of zebra and springboks. I stayed at Okaukuejo Camp, the largest in the park, for two nights, giving me a free day to drive around and investigate more of the park. On leaving there, headed east, I was very fortunate to see two cheetahs, who were walking on the road when I rounded a corner. They are difficult to see, because they are shy but also because they are largely nocturnal.
One thing that stood out was how green everything was in Etosha. There had been heavy rain, and there was some more at night when I was there. In contrast, the park is brown in winter, when most tourists visit. The relative lack of vegetation in winter does make it easier to see animals, not least because they head to waterholes at dawn and dusk. But I was perfectly happy: I saw plenty of animals close to whatever road I happened to be on, and the landscape was lovely, as green as England!
From the eastern end of the park, I headed south, stopping for one night at a simple campsite deep in the bush, and then down a very long and very rough dirt road to the Waterberg, which was flooded in many parts thanks to heavy rain. That’s where having a 4×4 makes all the difference – the fact that I struggled regardless at some points made it very clear that a 2-wheel drive vehicle simply wouldn’t have made it through.
The Waterberg is an extraordinary place. It is a huge mountain plateau, edged by a table mountain. I stayed in the National Park campsite at its base and walked up twice – the first time I lost the path (with all the rain, it must have got completely overgrown). I ended up pretty high, but with a sheer sandstone wall towering 4 or 5 floors above me. The following day, Sunday, I made another attempt, taking a different route. Although I made one wrong turn, and again ended at a point just below the summit with no way up, I retraced my footsteps and tried another way. This time I was successful, and there were great views south and eastwards over the plain below. This was a beautiful area – I was happy to spend three nights there.
On Monday I left for Windhoek, an easy drive south, mostly on tar roads. Spent a final night at a beautifully designed campsite in an upmarket suburb to the north of the city centre, and then returned the vehicle on Tuesday morning. The car hire place transported me to the airport. Given that one of the aims of the trip was to get my stay in South Africa extended, this all worked fine: the woman at passport control at OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg looked over all the weird stamps in my passport, selected a free spot and stamp! She then wrote over the stamp: valid until 19/05/2025. Job done – I was back in!
This 16-day trip to Namibia was outstanding. Up until now, I’d have said that Costa Rica ranked number 1 for its beautiful natural environment. Namibia beats it. It’s my new number 1. I’m pleased I visited in the rainy season, because it heightened the contrast between the desert and non-desert regions. Thanks to a very small population and a relatively small number of tourists, even in the winter high season, Namibia’s natural environment is pristine. There are a large number of (pretty expensive) chalet-style hotels, but the actual destinations are relatively basic – and that’s excellent. The country has not been Disneyfied and made all very easy. If you spend two or three hours driving along a sometimes poor road, you get a feeling of achievement when you reach your destination. The country is superb for camping – wonderfully wild campsites, but with decent facilities (electricity so you can keep your fridge running, spotlessly clean bathrooms and washing up/laundry sinks…). I thought that after 15 nights, I might be tired of camping. But I wasn’t – the roof tent on the truck was comfortable (and proved to be waterproof), and it was wonderful to be in the nature 24 hours a day. Altogether, it amounted to an extremely successful trip – possibly the best I’ve made in my life. I shall certainly return one day.
