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Despite some heavy rainfall we had 3 wonderful weeks in Namibia,
underway with a 4x4 during the Namibian summer.
A large part of our visit was in areas with only gravel and dirt roads,
where a 4x4 is highly recommended, especially in the summer with its rainfall.
In general the gravel and dirt roads were well-maintained.
But there was road flooding after rain,
with normally dry river bed crossings temporarily impassable shortly after we passed through.
There were damaged spots on roads, like sections that were washed out and not yet repaired.
And of course animals suddenly appeared or crossed the road.
At certain locations a 4x4 is required, and depending on road conditions
some roads may not be passable with a normal car due to sand, mud, or flooding.
We took an extra spare wheel (2), but luckliy we had no flats.
We made sure to fill the fuel tank early and had a 20 liter reserve canister,
a good thing in the Sesriem area.
One Saturday the very few stations in that area were out of fuel in the early afternoon,
and had no fuel on Sunday.
But we had enough fuel to reach the next station in Solitaire,
about an hour away from where we were. If you stay on the paved "B" main roads connecting cities you don't need a 4x4, but you would miss the spectacular Namibia found on the "C" and "D" roads. |
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Aside from a few well-known cities Namibia is very sparsely populated.
We met very friendly and helpful people throughout the trip and enjoyed great food.
We spent our nights in some very special places we will never forget.
Power was often from solar energy or a generator,
so the luxury of a higher price was not the appliances or gimmicks, but the location itself.
A small collection of images from the photos and movie is on the right side of this page. The locations are grouped chronologically, in the order they were visited. The name on the right of the map is where we spent the nights. All thumbnails and pictures here are scaled and in reduced resolution. Date of trip: February 2009 I originally created the 3D sand dune font and dune image for the titles and maps in the movie, inspired by the huge red dunes at Sossusvlei. Do not publish any of these images without permission. |
| Part of a Namibian song recorded live at the Desert Homestead near Sesriem, sung by the staff and their family while dancing and stomping. |
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The "lake" in the far background of the picture with our vehicle is not an illusion...
that is really the Etosha Pan after heavy rainfall.
We had a cabin at the waterhole that animals visited, even though there was rain water everywhere.
In some areas the heavy growth of vegetation made it hard to find the animals.
We spotted a rhino, but it was about 200 meters away and disappeared into the shrubs. |
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The skies cleared so we decided to take a scenic detour to visit the Ugab terrace
and Vingerklip rock formation, on our way to Swakopmund on the coast.
There were countless termite mounds in different colors on this route. |
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We had a nice room at the Swakopmund Beach Hotel in the upper level,
with one of those big round windows in the bedroom, a kitchen, and sunny balcony.
We came from Etosha and the lower parts of our vehicle were still packed with mud.
I hardly recognized our 4x4 after breakfast... the attendant had cleaned it completely.
Gave him a generous tip. |
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Spectacular scenery and colors.
My material may be different than expected because of the rain,
which deepens and darkens the otherwise pale colors.
When we reached the red dunes of Sossusvlei it rained heavily...
one of the driest places on earth and it rains when I get there.
Later it cleared and the hot noon sun on the endless wet sand made this normally arid area uncomfortably humid.
Great staff at the Desert Homestead, and of course cute little Mary (bottom right). |
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We had "The Rock" chalet in Klein Aus Vista, which is 7km from the lodge
on a private road along the perimeter of the restricted diamond area.
It is built onto a large boulder formation and was fantastic.
One evening we picked up a grill pack from the lodge for the grill on the terrace,
wind-protected by the boulders. Highly recommended!
Cell phone reception is possible on the road to the lodge, right after the water reservoir. |
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The "Cañon Lodge" cabins are spread on a large property among big round boulders,
and there is a nice new pool to be found.
Our cabin was hidden behind boulders at the very end of the property,
with a view into the countryside, but the room itself was somewhat disappointing.
Watch out for poisonous scorpions on the paths.
We ate at the "Cañon Roadhouse" a few tmes (the 2 bottom right pictures)
because of good food and conversation. |
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The first picture is from the Kalahari, on our way from Fish River to Windhoek.
The Kalahari was very green due to rain.
The family run Onganga Pension is friendly,
inexpensive and conveniently located between Windhoek and the airport. |
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