Swapkomund
The Namibians' coastal resort, but with a distinctly German flavour! We stayed a few miles outside in Eco friendly chalets with a panoramic view over the dunes. A different climate too with mist there most mornings rolling in off the sea though fortunately it cleared for our "Ocean Adventure" cruise which was great fun albeit not politically correct with seals, pelicans and seagulls coming on board to be fed by hand. But they also gave us oysters ( there are vast expanses of oyster beds there ) and fizz and there were dolphins and mala mala (sunfish) to entertain us. Most impressive were the seal colonies, there are an estimated two million seals along the coastline and they certainly generate an odd and very distinctive growling noise and a rather distasteful odour!
We ate well here, first at the Tug Restaurant, built around a beached decommissioned tugboat and a real institution with a lengthy waiting list followed by a supper at The Jetty, built at the end of the long former loading jetty: you feel as if you are out at sea!
ON FROM SWAPKOMUND to Sossusuvei National Park
Back on the road for the last long drive. Decided that Lucinda Williams "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road " was the song of the trip to date.
We stopped for lunch in Solitaire, a truly remote bakery and petrol station. Despite the absence of traffic on the roads the liitle cafe was actually busy as anybody anywhere in the area goes there. We were surprised to find a dozen Porsche Cayennes, apparently the Porsche International Driving Club, with support guides and mechanics in positively gleaming white T shirts. We had to suffer their dust clouds later; after you are overtaken there are about 5 seconds when you can't see a thing!
Sossusuvlei
This national park is famous for its surreal desert dune landscape. It is best seen at dawn so once again up before the sun to pack up the tent and kit. Irritatingly the walk we had planned in the park was so poorly signposted we had to abandon it and then we ran out of time in the best light to try an alternate. The driving in the dunes was also hairy!
Buellesport
Our final night's camping and the wildest, most remote spot yet, literally nobody around for miles apart from some very loud nocturnal animals but at least the baboons which we had been warned about did not visit.
Eningu
A taste of R&R after the camping, in a lovely clay house lodge 2 hours outside Windhoek. A pool, trail walks, archery (?) great food and even a local sculptor to visit. Sadly no sign of the porcupines after which the lodge was named.
The Namibians' coastal resort, but with a distinctly German flavour! We stayed a few miles outside in Eco friendly chalets with a panoramic view over the dunes. A different climate too with mist there most mornings rolling in off the sea though fortunately it cleared for our "Ocean Adventure" cruise which was great fun albeit not politically correct with seals, pelicans and seagulls coming on board to be fed by hand. But they also gave us oysters ( there are vast expanses of oyster beds there ) and fizz and there were dolphins and mala mala (sunfish) to entertain us. Most impressive were the seal colonies, there are an estimated two million seals along the coastline and they certainly generate an odd and very distinctive growling noise and a rather distasteful odour!
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| Spot the seagull stealing lunch straight from the pelican's bill! |
We ate well here, first at the Tug Restaurant, built around a beached decommissioned tugboat and a real institution with a lengthy waiting list followed by a supper at The Jetty, built at the end of the long former loading jetty: you feel as if you are out at sea!
ON FROM SWAPKOMUND to Sossusuvei National Park
Back on the road for the last long drive. Decided that Lucinda Williams "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road " was the song of the trip to date.
We stopped for lunch in Solitaire, a truly remote bakery and petrol station. Despite the absence of traffic on the roads the liitle cafe was actually busy as anybody anywhere in the area goes there. We were surprised to find a dozen Porsche Cayennes, apparently the Porsche International Driving Club, with support guides and mechanics in positively gleaming white T shirts. We had to suffer their dust clouds later; after you are overtaken there are about 5 seconds when you can't see a thing!
Sossusuvlei
This national park is famous for its surreal desert dune landscape. It is best seen at dawn so once again up before the sun to pack up the tent and kit. Irritatingly the walk we had planned in the park was so poorly signposted we had to abandon it and then we ran out of time in the best light to try an alternate. The driving in the dunes was also hairy!
Buellesport
Our final night's camping and the wildest, most remote spot yet, literally nobody around for miles apart from some very loud nocturnal animals but at least the baboons which we had been warned about did not visit.
Eningu
A taste of R&R after the camping, in a lovely clay house lodge 2 hours outside Windhoek. A pool, trail walks, archery (?) great food and even a local sculptor to visit. Sadly no sign of the porcupines after which the lodge was named.
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