Blogs from Namibia, Africa

A day’s sailing brings us into Walvis Bay, Namibia, a harbour and town surrounded by desert. It is remarkably grey and dreary when we moor, cool enough to require jumpers, especially as we are booked on a pleasure boat to view the dolphins and seals. The boat is a game fishing vessel that is now being put to more eco friendly pursuits with a knowledgeable guide / captain and one other crew member. As we depart the harbour his whistles and two adult pelicans swoop down landing in the water immediately behind the boat. The captain throws fish for them and it is immediately apparent that while they are wild, this is something that they are well used to. One of the pelicans joins us on the boat and is perfectly happy for us to stand ... read more

Here we are, the last entry of a stunning long week in Namibia. We spent a night in Windhoek as we had to do the Covid test. So drop the big car for a smaller one. Next, drove to play the best golf course in Namibia, I name Omeya. Not cheap compare to South Africa, but beautiful place 30kms South of the capital. Not much to write about a crappy hotel. Dinner may have been in the number one spot by tripadvisor...we did eat way better in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. The drive from Walvis Bay from Etosha took us a good 6 hours. Most of the road is actually tar which was not really expected. We crossed very few villages where here you feel really in the middle of nowhere. 10km before reaching Etosha....the Fortuner ... read more

Here it is, one more little trip. This is the first visit to Namibia for Tanya. I have visited once nearly 10 years ago and always wanted to come back. It is also my 7th country visited in 2021, not too bad in regard of the current worldwide situation. PCR test done, here it is a little easier as they do not apply the 72 hours rule, but rather the 7 days rule. The country has also entered their third wave, the same we have in South Africa. But Namibia is pretty easy as there is very little social contact without mask due to the few people living outside of the capital. I will publish three blogs on this little big week trip. We first spent some time for a little of golf and shopping/food in ... read more

Taking Route C14 we commenced our drive towards the remotest point of our Namibia journey, actually of our entire journey in Africa. Sossusvlei is a salt and clay pan surrounded by high red dunes, located in the southern part of the Namib Desert, in the Namib-Naukluft National Park. The name "Sossusvlei" is often used in an extended meaning to refer to the surrounding area, including other neighboring vleis such as Deadvlei and other high dunes, which is one of the major visitor attractions of Namibia. The name Sossusvlei is of mixed origin and roughly means "dead-end marsh". Vlei is the Afrikaans word for "marsh" or "field", while "Sossus" is Khoisan spoken by the nama tribe here, and means "no return" or "dead end". Sossusvlei owes this name to the fact that it is an endorheic drainage ... read more

The drive to Spitzkoppe was another outback spectacle. Passing more Himba villages with yelling children, waving stuff at us they want us to buy and bored looking half clad Himba ladies sitting on the dusty ground next to their wooden artwork and dyed textiles, we arrived to the gate of the Spitzkoppe Lodge property. Spitzkoppe, a German word meaning "pointed dome", is also nicknamed the "Matterhorn of Namibia". It is a group of bald granite peaks located app. 120km inland from the Atlantic coast at the northern end of the Namib desert. The granite is more than 120 million years old and the highest peak, called Grosse Spitzkoppe rises about 1'728 m above sea level. The peaks stand out dramatically from the flat surrounding plains. The Kleine (little) Spitzkoppe lies nearby at 1'584 m. Surrounded by ... read more