Our first night in Namibia was at a very nice "campsite" with sites for tents as well as air-conditioned rooms. It was a relief to arrive after having spent several very hot hours at the border crossing. One woman from the Czech Republic needed a visa to enter and that delayed us. The rest of us, from the US, Korea, Brazil, Belgium, Lithuania, Zimbabwe did not need a Namibian visa.
We cooked and ate meals here. You can see our Nomad truck in the background.
The pool was beautiful and very refreshing. Most of the pools at our accommodations were not heated.
The next morning we kayaked in the Orange River which forms the border between South Africa and Namibia. The longest river in South Africa, its source is in the mountains of Lesotho to the east.
Chris took the opportunity to swim between the two countries.
The drive north through the desert was quiet, hardly any traffic, surrounded by sand, rocks, cliffs, and plains.
Along the river, we passed huge farms irrigated with Orange River water.
These were grapes but not for wine.
More desert
We reached an oasis called Ai Ais with campsites and rooms. In our group of 12 with 2 guides, 5 people had paid in advance for rooms while the rest of us camped. Most nights the camping was very comfortable with temperatures cooling off accompanied by a desert breeze.
The oasis is a hot springs, with geothermal waters welling up to the surface. That's what we're looking at here. The nearby swimming pool is filled with warm water and felt very sticky when we first got in. We had shade, a breeze, and the water wasn't too hot, just very relaxing.
Dinner at Ai Ais
Even though some slept in tents and others in rooms, we all ate meals together. Standing at the end of the table is our guide and driver, Doctor T (a nickname from someone on a previous trip because of his extensive knowledge of natural history and culture.) He always reported the plan for the next day, along with the departure time, whereby we'd all know what was ahead. (He loved to use "whereby.") Meals were always delicious with more than we could eat. Our other guide and cook would give leftovers to night security guards or cleaners.
We were up before dawn the next day and drove about an hour to the Fish River Canyon for a sunrise walk along the rim.
This is the second largest canyon in the world, behind the Grand Canyon in Arizona. There is a hiking trail from the north to the south end inside the canyon. We read some comments from hikers about the hottest backpacking they had ever experienced. A couple we met told us about their sons who had been caught by a flash flood in the canyon. They were fine, but the parents were terrified waiting to hear from them.
We really were here!
At the end of the walk, we arrived at a lookout with information about the canyon, tables, and bathrooms. Mama (one of our guides and the cook) had breakfast waiting for us - a very sweet spot for breakfast.
This is the national park map. We were in the area on the upper right-hand side at the View Point. Ai Ais Hot Springs is just south.
Driving north from the canyon, our driver spotted a Cape Cobra on the side of the road. We stopped and watched. Another vehicle drove up while we were watching, almost hitting it. The snake turned from watching our truck to flaring its hood toward the other vehicle. It was quite a show.
Outside of Keetmanshoop we walked inside the Giant's Playground. The stacked rocks created a maze as well as a fun place to climb.
A warning sign at the beginning of the trail!
Our next stop was to watch leopards being fed. These were two rescues. They had access to a large area during the day.
The "No Photos Please" is to appease the government because you're not supposed to keep animals like this.
On to the Quiver Tree Forest
The trees get their name because they look like a quiver full of arrows.
Plants are amazing, growing in dry, rocky environments! We also so rock dassies or hyrax scampering amongst the rocks.
A fun place to stay in the desert, no town, beautiful night skies, and green grass! The building behind the tents was where we cooked and ate dinner.
A cool dip in the pool always felt good after the bumps and dust on the road.
Some beautiful touches around the camp
Chris and I went for a hike just before sunset, making it back in time for dinner. It would have been too hot to go any earlier.
The next morning, we packed up camp early and left in the dark, before breakfast. We arrived at the entrance to the Namib-Naukluft National Park at 6:45, 15 minutes before the gates opened and we weren't the first in line.
The big attraction here are the sand dunes, and they are big, beautiful, and very red from lots of rusted iron. These are the tallest dunes in the world with some rising 300 meters above the desert floor. Winds from the Atlantic coast created the dunes.
Some dunes are open for people to climb up and slide down. Going up is surprisingly hard work!
On the top!
Sliding down is very fun!
After the dunes, we drove further into the park to get 4x4 vehicles. These are flush toilets at the parking lot.
One of the 4x4 options
We rode the 4x4s to Deadvlei, a forest of dead trees, 1000 years old. An ancient river once flowed through this area but was cut off by sand blowing in from the west. Without the water, the trees died but did not decompose.
1000 year old dead trees
The view of Deadvlei from the top of the dune
Breakfast was waiting for us after our 4x4 ride back to the bus. We passed a couple vehicles stuck in the sand. We said good-bye to the Namib desert and drove north to Swakopmund, a port city on the Atlantic coast.
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