Cape Town to Solitaire, Namibia

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The day had finally arrived and it was time to set off on our transcontinental trip through Africa - a 40 day overland camping trip with G-Adventures. Led by our two Zimbabwean tour guides (Darlington and Mr Bombastic) and 22 like minded adventurists, we set off in our lando (souped up bus).

We travelled northwards from Cape Town in anticipation of what the next 6 weeks would hold for us and whether we could hack sleeping in tents!

The hot African sun with the ever changing terrain made for spectacular viewing on our overland journey. Stoney, sandy, rocky and mountainous landscapes were interrupted by massive agricultural production farms of grapes, tea and limes.

Wild animals such as eland, moutain zebra, springbok, flamingos and oryxes as well as more traditional animals like cattle, sheep and goats were no strangers as we cut through the miles from South Africa and across the border to Namibia. Minutes after playing the Lion King theme on the lando we ironically saw a warthog (definitely Pumba!).

We had lots of exciting stops throughout the week. We camped at the Highlanders vineyard in Cederberg and had our first wine tasting session that continued well into the night (no doubt designed to help us sleep better on our first camping night!) We passed through towns and villages but only every 2 or 3 hours due to the barren nature of the surrounding countryside.

Camping in a green and lush area by the Orange River, which separates South Africa from Namibia, provided some brief respite to the dry arid landscape. However the river also brought with it many insects, bugs and bites! Although luckily there were no crocodiles so we could enjoy a swim in the river.

We experienced an amazing sunset at Africa's largest and the world's second canyon - Fish River Canyon. We explored the Namib desert climbing the Sossusvlei Dunes and the breathtaking Dune 45 while also descending into the Sesriem Canyon.

We had been expecting basic cooking during our camping trip but we've been fine dining on bbq'ed T-bone steaks the size of dinner plates amongst other beautiful traditional African meals. We're really looking forward to spending the next week further exploring beautiful Namibia.

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Photos

Orange River
Standing on the South African side.

Sand Dunes
55km of Sand Dunes to the Atlantic Ocean