Blogs from Sossusvlei, Namibia, Africa - page 3

Christmas holidays and I found my self doing a Southern Namibia self drive holiday. Now, I'm used to driving long distances to go on holiday, ask anyone in the family, chirps from the back seat of 'are we nearly there yet' were heard regularly. We drove from Stellenbosch to the border post of Namibia, what an experience. Firstly no one actually explains which room to go to first or what your actually meant to get there. 3 rooms later and several trips back to other rooms and we cross the boarder! Well actually we drive to the next boarder post!! This one is to enter Namibia. We join the long line of tourists wanting to go on adventures and try and find out what we need to fill in and where you get the forms from. ... read more

9.1.2014 etosha-damara land es ist mittlerweile gegen 7 Anja haut souverän der Scheibenwischer rein und biegt rechts von der Schotterpiste ab. Die Ogabu terrace lodge ist zuoberst auf dem Hügel gelegen und bietet einen atemberaubenden Ausblick über die im Tal liegenden Inselberge. Sosakiri empfängt uns herzlich und offenbart uns dass wir die einzigen Gäste in der Lodge seien, so haben wir den geschmackvoll in die natürliche Umgebung eingelassenen "Naturpool" mit Ausblick, sowie die Bar und das Restaurant für uns alleine. 10.1.2014 damara land- spitzkoppe nächstes Ziel ist der skurrile Berg mit dem klingenden Namen Spitzkoppe im Land des Damara-Volkes. Unser Weg führt uns durch das Dorf Khorixas. Wie gewohnt werden wir von vor dem Supermarkt Wartenden bis zum Eingang eskortiert. Für gewöhnlich erkundigt man sich höflich nach dem Befinden und dem Namen und zahlt bei Rückkehr ... read more

Somehow we are ready to do the next leg by 8:00AM. Bit worried by today's briefing, lots of "be careful of the cut up roads", "don't overcook it in the corners", etc. Its a beautiful morning, cool and clear out here in the desert. We are off and into a long stage today. Virtually all gravel tracks and many of them in not good condition. But what does that mean? Well, every three months or so you can expect these gravel superhighways to be graded and when freshly done, they are pretty smooth, easy to ride and allow for rapid progress. But over time cars and trucks follow each others' tyre tracks, building up mounds of loose gravel in between. This soft stuff requires courage and commitment to cross over, as the moment you hit it ... read more

Resumo: USD300 para o tour; diversas caronas; 4 dias; lugar lindo; estou bem. Como comentei no ultimo post, Namibia é bem diferente do que eu imaginava. Acabei mudando os meus planos de voluntariar por 1 mês. Não consegui encontrar um lugar que eu chamei de “home”. Assim, resolvi somente fazer mais uma parada em um lugar mega turístico antes de eu ir a África do Sul: Sossusvlei - Cartão Postal da Namíbia. Pena que não existia transporte público para chegar lá. O tour mais barato custaria USD300. Solução: viajar de carona. =) Um caminhão parou e ofereceu a minha primeira jornada. Como alguns sabem viajei o Leste Europeu assim e sempre fui contra pedir carona a caminhoneiros, pois eu tive alguns “probleminhas” (outra história). O primeiro moço foi muito bacana, pena que durou pouco a jornada: ... read more

Today we wake up early, at what has been previously 5 AM, but unfortunately in Namibia it was the night of the daylight savings change and it is actually 6 AM according to the new time. Luckily both our kayaking guide and the receptionist at the lodge mentioned this else we would have been surprised by the change. We get our breakfast pack and start driving towards Sossusvlei, first on the private road of the lodge and then on the paved road. As a background the road between the gate and the end of the paved road is about 50km long and you are not allowed on it until after sunrise unless you stay inside the park as we did. In that case you can leave early and drive stress free and catch the sunrise over ... read more