Our mini road trip through Namibia was easily one of the best trips we have ever done, so we were sad for it to be over. But we still had two weeks ahead of us in Namibia and Botswana. Today we would be joining a tour group, which meant no more driving ourselves!! After the terrible gravel roads of the past few days, this was probably the most exciting thing about joining a tour.
We were also meeting our fellow travellers this morning, but any hopes we may have had of them being our age soon evaporated as we stepped into the breakfast room. There were two other people of a similar age to us – two Dutch ladies – but the average age of the rest of the group was probably 70. While we have no problem travelling with people of all ages (you’re only as old as you feel, right?), it makes a difference when you’re travelling with a younger crowd who can walk any distance and climb up anything. It also means the very first conversation you have is not about your double hip replacement…
We specifically booked a small group tour with a maximum of 12 guest, meaning we would have more space in the truck. In the end there were 11 of us: Elles and Cynthia, friends from The Netherlands; Kim and Silka, friends from the US; Gabi and Kim, husband and wife from Australia; Bob, a single traveller from Australia; John and Hannah, husband and wife from Australia; and us.
We had three hosts: Rimson (guide), Taro (driver) and Norman (cook). And of course our truck, Everly. All the trucks from Nomad Tours are named after deceased singers. Ours was in memory of the Everly Brothers.
Everly on the open roads of Namibia
Our amazing guides; Rimson, Taro and Norman.
Our plan for day 1 was to get to Khorixas, which was just over 300km away. We travelled a section of the famous Skeleton Coast road to Henties Bay where various shipwrecks can still be seen today, including the Zeila that got stranded on 25 August 2008.
Interestingly, the Bushmen of the Namibian interior called the region “The Land God Made in Anger” while Portuguese sailors once referred to it as “The Gates of Hell”.
The Zeila
After a quick photo stop we were on our way to Spitzkoppe – massive granite formations that were formed approximately 700 million years ago. There are still rock art visible on some of the rocks, painted by Bushmen who lived here many years ago. A local guide shared some interesting facts about the area, geology, fauna & flora and the rock art.
Some of the rock paintings, dating back 2000 years
After lunch we received the bad news: a large section of the gravel road to our overnight stop was damaged and they were worried we would get stuck in the sand. This meant we had to drive all the way back to Henties Bay to take a different road to Khorixas. The detour added about two hours to the drive and turned our first day into a very long, very hot and very boring one.
Who says Africa doesn’t do malls?!
The rock art was interesting, but the rest of the day was pretty dull. On our way to the lodge we did see a spectacular sunset, which was a nice end to the day.
One of the most incredible sunsets we have seen on this trip
Our second day on the road would take us to Outjo, a short distance from Etosha National Park which we would visit the following day.
Our first stop was at the Petrified Forest. The name is a bit misleading as it is not exactly a forest that turned to stone, but rather an accumulation of enormous fossilised tree trunks about 280 million years old. Scientist found out that these trunks haven’t grown in today’s Namibia but were washed down a river in ancient times when one of the many Ice Ages ended on the Gondwana continent. There must have been a huge flood that carried along the trunks to where they lie today. It was incredibly interesting and strange to see tree trunks that are now essentially rock.
Mid-morning we visited one of the Himba tribes of Kakaoland. This was not a true nomadic tribe, but rather a so-called “buffer” or “educational” tribe to help visitors gain insight into their ways of living. I was initially quite excited to see and learn from these people but unfortunately it all felt a bit strange and uncomfortable. The visit felt choreographed and we were pushed through from hut to hut to see how they make food, perfume, plat their hair, etc. We felt like walking through a zoo staring at strange and exotic animals. What made it worse was the fact that they didn’t seem happy to see us either. Who would be?
These two friends were discussing some serious issues, as if they were solving world problems
During our afternoon drive we saw several journeys of giraffe, which was fantastic. I love watching giraffe; they are such strange but graceful creatures. Seeing these giraffe got us very excited about Etosha tomorrow!
