We wake up early to leave at about 7:15AM and after eating the breakfast we ordered the previous day we pack the car and start the drive to Walvis Bay which is about 1/2h away. Unfortunately it is rush hour on the road between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay which mostly means large trucks behind which we are stuck for long periods of time so we arrive a bit late. On the way we are pleasantly surprised by the palm trees that line the road at the entrance to Walvis Bay and by the nice houses in some neighborhoods. There are however still areas typical of Namibia with unmarked crossings where people cross the busy highway from one (possibly) government built housing area to another. When we arrive at the meeting point we find out that another ... read more

We wake up early so we are able to get to our destination, Twyfelfontein, during daylight as well as exit Etosha before 10 AM after which we have to pay an additional day in fees. Outside the dawn is breaking with only Venus and Jupiter still visible. Whenever we take a break from packing we go to the patio to see the sunrise and examine a close by tree full of guinea fowl and their behavior as they start leaving. After some time we notice the source of the sounds the previous evening, a giraffe, which after examining us for some time finally decides to leave and goes towards the waterhole. We walk to the restaurant for breakfast on the interesting boardwalks that connect our cabin wi... read more

While still adjusting to the time zone change it is actually easy to wake up early in the morning to be almost the first for breakfast. As almost everywhere on our trip there is a cold breakfast buffet with cheese and salami which we use to make sandwiches for the day, coffee and tea, guava and orange juice and choice of eggs prepared as desired as a warm breakfast. There is a nice view of the plains from the restaurant and a few historical photos from the German times. After breakfast we return to our cabin and enjoy the view of the Waterberg mountain under which the camp is built while packing. We have decided to first check out and then to hike the trail as the check out time is 10 AM and we are ... read more

We started thinking about a trip to Africa last year and after deciding on a self drive the number of countries that we could go to was reduced quite a bit and in the end we decided to go to Namibia and South Africa which seemed to encompass most of what we wanted to see or experience. Given the difficulty of booking accomodations especially in Namibia we decided to employ a travel agent and after getting quotes from multiple agents and a few false starts including an agent whose quote quadrupled after we decided to go with him everything is booked. And so after months of planning and preparing we are finally starting our Southern Africa adventure. And it starts with a good omen as the Phoenix airport actually opened an exhibition on African animals so ... read more

We are woken again by the rain in the morning however by the time we go out for breakfast it has stopped but it still is overcast. We decide to explore the area so we drive on muddy roads up to the nearby mesa. On the way we notice two deer and while we try to get a good picture they elude us always moving behind trees or bushes to frustrate us. In the end we only get one acceptable picture before moving on. Stopping on the mesa we are surprised at how quiet and out of the way it seems even though we are only a few miles out from Flagstaff - we don't see another soul during the 3-4h that we hike around. There are lots of meadows with beautiful flowers and we think ... read more