Swakopmund to Cape Town

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Wrapping up our stay in Swakopmund we revisited our favourite German pub before heading south along the coast past Walvis Bay and headed for Sesriem and the dunes. We drove through some fantastic scenery before our lunch break next to a dry river bed. A very common scene in Namibia as the only rivers in the whole country that run year round are the Orange River on the border with South Africa and the river on the border with Angola to the north. On the way we stopped at Solitaire aptly named as it consists of one house, a lodge, a gas station and a Scotsman who makes the best apple pies in Namibia. Needless to say I had to try some.

Heading on we arrived at Sesriem in the rain. It was the first rain of the year. Must be Ev's luck following us around the world! Rain in the desert!

We were now in Namib Naukluft Park which stretches along the coast of Namibia. We headed for Sesriem Canyon for a evening walk. The Canyon is formed of what looks like pebbles in cement. Formed as water rushing through the canyon it is now a spectacular sight and lucky for us the river was dry so we had a walk in the canyon itself. Headed back to camp and relaxed for the evening as we were up before day break the next morning to climb Dune 45 for sunrise.

Forty five kilometers later we began the climb up the dune. Dune 45 is not the highest in the world or even close. It only stands 150 meters tall but boy did it take a long time and a lot of wheezing to get to the top. We finally got to the peak to find the sun had risen without us! Oh well. It was still a beautiful sights and wicked fun walking down. With each step the sands pulls your foot down a good 10 inches so there is no risk of falling and hurting yourself. Definitely a great experience.

From Dune 45 we drove to Sossusvlei which means "where the river ends". The waters run down from the Angola Highlands through the mountains and ends in the desert. We disembarked our overland truck and piled into the back of a pickup truck- all 23 of us standing up. Definitely a health and safety risk! Our guide then took us into the Sossusvlei for a nature walk and a bit of a lesson on how to survive if you ever get lost in the desert.

He proceeded to find a trap door (tiny) in the sand that was home to a baboon spider and poured sand in until the spider made an appearance to shut the door. He also pulled two lizards out of the sand. Amazing when we had no clue they were there in the first place. We walked into the Dead vlei which is basically the old Sossusvlei. When the dunes close in around the river end they eventually cut it off. All the plants in this region die and simply wait for the sands to swallow them. There are still trees standing that are over 900 years old.

After our like desert adventure we ran down another dune and piled back into the truck. From Sesriem we headed south on some very slippery roads for a nights stay on our way to Fish River Canyon. Arriving at the canyon we had a walk around the rim and caught sunset. Fish River Canyon is the second biggest canyon in the world. A beautiful sight and a 5 day hike for anyone who is up for it.

From Fish River we headed to the border of South Africa and Orange River. We camped on the river and enjoyed our last camp meal of the trip. From the border we proceeded to Redbush country (Ev's favorite tea!) and the only place in the world this medicinal tea grows naturally. We drove past the plantations on our way to Cape Town. As we approached the city all we could see was cloud.

With no view of Table Mountain we took a township tour into Lange. Our driver told us a bit about the history of Cape Town, apartheid and the townships themselves. Lange is an African township. During apartheid the population of the country was divided into four groups: African, Coloured, Indian and White. All colors had their own section of the city to live in. At the start of apartheid in 1948 all peoples were physically displaced and put in these townships to keep the country separated. Apartheid continued until 1990. However the separation still continues.

We visited mens dorms, shacks and saw the better houses within the township. Definitely an eye opener. We got to taste the local brew made from Maize and Sorghum and fermented for 7 days. We also had lunch in the township at a hopping restaurant famous for it's meat! It was a fantastic experience and one I could talk about for days.

We checked into our hostel and said goodbye to the group after 43 days and 12000 kilometers!

We have since enjoyed Table Mountain through the clouds, visited Robben Island and learned about the political struggles and prisoners of South Africa, gone to the Castle of Good Hope to learn about the Dutch East India Company, have seen the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront and had hot showers and a lovely comfortable bed. Cape Town is a beautiful city, highly recommended and we have really enjoyed our time here.

Have had an amazing time in Africa next stop South East Asia.

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Photos

Crossing the tropic
with the whole group!

The truck
one of our health and safety violations on the trip so far.