Of black maned lions and rampaging hippos

[RooFlyer]

Sept should be fine. I personally thought Chobe Nat Park and Okavango River / Delta were more interesting than Etosha National Park. Make sure you do a heli ride over the Delta....we paid US$215 per person for 30 mins whhich I thought was reasonable

Yes I certainly came to that conclusion reading this trip report. Saw all the animals in the Namibia and South African parks, but Chobe is more lush. I’ve done Serengeti and Ngorogoro National Park but that was many years ago and I’m due for a refresh.

Sorry for the interruption @bPeteb - taking advantage for your being in the air, etc

 

[bPeteb]

Well, I'm back in Windhoek and have just e-mailed my Travel Agent to get her looking for Chobe/Okavango tours for Sept next year, tacking on to a planned trip to Madagascar. I think the greener/more watery Chobe will be a new experience compared to the very arid Madikwe and Etosha.

@bPeteb did you hear anything that would suggest early Sept would be a poor time to visit?

Shall plan very closely based on your TR there - many thanks!

I think Chobe would be fine but don't hold me to that. Okavanga water levels are getting lower in Sept but would still be ok. Again, not betting my house on that.

As I've mentioned boat tours from Hakusembe will have stopped now due to low water. I would go to the eastern side - Maun etc - as the delta is actually a delta there, Swamp Stop is still in the lead in to the delta.

Funny you should mention Madagascar. We were looking at that last night for next year. Mozambique also.

 

[bPeteb]

Yes I certainly came to that conclusion reading this trip report. Saw all the animals in the Namibia and South African parks, but Chobe is more lush. I’ve done Serengeti and Ngorogoro National Park but that was many years ago and I’m due for a refresh.

Sorry for the interruption @bPeteb - taking advantage for your being in the air, etc

ask away

 

[drron]

When we went to the O delta we found this a good guide.

Best time to visit Botswana | Month-by-Month Adventure Guide

Embark on an unforgettable safari adventure in Botswana, Africa's most exclusive & wilderness-rich destination with our best time to go, month-by-month guide.

www.andbeyond.com

 

[Flyfrequently]

Thanks for the great photos and the time you put in for the TR @bPeteb
Enjoyed living vicariously through you and @RooFlyer
And happy birthday to Al

 

[bPeteb]

Mon, 12 Aug
324 km of which a lot was yet more terrible corrugated gravel, but the end was on seal. Broken record, I know.
Time on the map is for a car, definitely not for our truck!


6am breakfast. Nice spread.


Told to look out for desert elephants


and lions while travelling along the C35


We stopped at a small Herero village at Ugab (?) where the ladies were all dressed in odd Victorian style dresses and strange hats with three points. We were asked to pay the ladies if we wanted photos. I didn’t even get out of the truck.


Perfect sized mall.

 

[bPeteb]

Accessing clean toilets was clearly a priority for Misheck. I suppose there some in that group would would have complaiuned if it hadn't been.

The ZAR150 kitty at the start was for toilets as well as porterage.

After 119 km we arrived in Uis. Misheck pointed us to a bar so bAlt and I walked in and went straight to the loos withour asking for directions. When the rest of the group came in and did ask, they were told they'd have to pay. Misheck was not happy. Not sure if he did pay, or did not.

Brandburg Mountain, I think. If I'm right, famous for The White Lady rock painting


the geography/geology on this trip has been outstanding




Regarding paying teh ladies of Ugab. This was another thing that Misheck had stressed at the intro meeting. Don’t take pictures of people without permission, especially when driving through towns. A couple of people didn’t get the message and I pulled one of them up when they were pointing their camera at some people who angrily indicated not to.

After travelling alongside a road that Misheck said has been under construction for 10 years we finally got to the part that had been finished and it was like riding on a magic carpet.


Swakopmund is one of the biggest cities in Namibia and is a few ks away from Namibia’s biggest port Walvis Bay.

It is often shrouded in a heavy mist, like Lima


This mist is what provides the moisture required by local flora and fauna. As we approached Swakopmund we drove into the mist. It was/is actually a heavy fog.

The area is known as the Skeleton Coast. The name comes from the ‘skeletons’ of the huge number of shipwrecks, apparently more shipwrecks than anywhere else on the planet. Skeleton Coast National Park - The world’s largest ship cemetary
https://www.info-namibia.com/activities-and-places-of-interest/kaokoveld/skeleton-coast
We stopped briefly at the Zeila wreck, a modern wreck of a steel fishing boat. It was being towed to India and broke its lines during a storm as it was leaving Walvis Bay.


Hetties, I think. No green anywhere to be seen. Such a lunar landscape

 

[bPeteb]

Swakopmund had the longest list of optional tours, even though we were only there overnight. Misheck recommended the Sandwich Bay tour. We had to provide confirmation of the tour back at Swamp Stop so the tour could be booked. We’d set off even earlier than usual from Damara Mopane so that we arrived in Swakopmund in time for the tour. Originally 12 booked but the last minute addition of the two country dames caused problems.

We arrived at The Delight Hotel Swakopmund
THE DELIGHT SWAKOPMUND and had time to go up to our rooms to use the loo, before going out on the trip. Our room was huge, again. Also really nice. It had a mezzanine with two more beds. We keep scoring what seems to be the best room.

 

[bPeteb]

To the Sandwich Harbour tour. Usually it is one or more large 4WD wagons with four people in each, but the dames fomo meant one car would have six.

A Landcruiser might be big, but its third row is not meant for adults. Sadly for this long afternoon two adults were stuck back there. The operators (two brothers Morney and Reynold), and Misheck, should have refused the request to add the extra two people and they are soon going to get a scathing review from the two who were sat back there for a large part of the trip (the two smallest people).

We were lucky and picked a car with four in it, driven by Gareth, and we had a great afternoon.

First stop was Walvis Bay to see the flamingos. So many! Loved them. bAlt hadn’t been keen on making an effort to see them but he changed his mind when he saw how many there were and how weird and wonderful they were.



Then we drove around the salt works, up into the closest dunes and then down onto the beach.

 

[bPeteb]

Then we drove around the salt works and onto the beach. The tide was just low enough to allow us to travel the whole way along the water’s edge, and have our picnic lunch, bubbles and/or beer included.



So far Colin had been behaving well and I’d had access to toilets when needed. Weirdly an ostomy bag is a good thing when we can be hours between bushy bushy stops. No loos on the beach so despite the constant traffic I found a moment to duck behind one of our wagons and look after ‘things’. For any concerned, no paper/wipes etc were left behind. Sadly in too many pristine places on this trip people did leave tissues etc on the ground. People are disgusting.

I can't remember if we were told this was a jackal or a hyena. Hyenea is way more dramatic so I'm going with that


After our picnic it was up into the dunes for some dune bashing. I’ve not ever done this before and loved every minute but for bAlt it was something he had, and for him it went on too long.


Lots of stops on top of dunes to capture the amazing views.

 

[kpc]

We did the Sandwich Harbour Tour with Morney. The Delight hotel was a delight! They serve oysters for bfast which I should have avoided before The Living Desert Tour! We had dinner at The Tug as recommended by our guide.

 

[bPeteb]

Our return was delayed by the impending arrival of a squadron of pelicans. It was cool to watch them rise up and over the huge dunes.



During the afternoon Gareth explained that he and his wife had moved from Jburg after one too many violent incidents. Gareth had been carjacked more than once and even kidnapped! It was no place for their five year old twins. How sad that some parts of SA have become such a dangerous place.

Gareth was on the hunt for shovel snouted lizards Shovel-snouted lizard - Wikipedia and eventually caught one. This little lizard was made famous after appearing in one of David Attenborough’s documentaries.


down off the dunes and back along the beach


No time to stop at the salt works as we would have been late for the dinner. The mist had descended and it was super thick as we got to Walvis Bay and right through to Swakopmund.



The Gondwana hotels and lodges have lots of quirky details. Love the laundry bag

 

[bPeteb]

Dinner at The Tug The Tug Restaurant - Swakopmund. Highly recommended by both Misheck and Gareth. Booked earlier in the week as it was apparently very hard to get a big table.

In hindsight we would have given this a miss and eaten at Afrofusion, just around the corner from The Delight. The Tug was nice, but it could have been anywhere. It was pitch black and misty when we got there so no opportunity to look out at the ocean. It is built around the wheelhouse of a 1950s tugboat. Extensive menu and very long wine list.


The food and service was good but the restaurant was noisy and crowded.

bAlt and I were the only ones who didn't head straight back to their rooms. We decided on some Namibian gin. It was only after they cleared it away that we realised that we could have had a free port or six

 

[bPeteb]

Tue, 13 Aug

Our first sleep in and free morning.

Apparently our verandah was a thing of envy. It was freezing and damp so not sure why!


Breakfast at The Delight includes sparkling wine and oysters! Al tried an oyster but I was a big no and just stuck with the bubbles.



We wandered down to the beachfront


and then visited the small but quite interesting museum. Loved the taxidermied animals. This was as close as we got to an aardvark, porcupine or brown hyena.


343 km today and surprise, surprise some even worse gravel roads.


Stopped again in Walvis Bay for flamingos and toilets before heading out through the mist towards the Namib Desert

 

[bPeteb]

Some amazing landscapes as we went deep into the Namib Desert.



Across a couple of passes.




Crossed the Tropic of Capricorn which for Aussies is no big deal but was for our Italians


more amazing landscape



Saw a rental 4WD twin cab on its side off to one side of the road. Euro tourists just drive way too fast on these terrible roads. It’s why they are chewed up so badly.



Not far to go

 

[bPeteb]

Lodge disappointment two. Originally Desert Quiver Camp Stay at Desert Quiver Camp, Namibia - Self-catering Accommodation only 5km from the entrance to Sossusvlei, Deadvlei & the Namib Desert! but changed to Desert Camp Stay at Desert Camp, Namibia - Self-Catering accommodation only 5km from the entrance to Sossusvlei, Deadvlei & the Namib Desert! They are actually on the same land, just either side of a small rocky outcrop. They are operated/owned by Taleni who run Etosha Village. These are self catering lodges, with just a small bar, and cold pool. Breakfast and dinner are at Stay at Sossusvlei Lodge, Namibia - Luxury accommodation at the gate to Sossusvlei, Deadvlei and the Namib Naukluft Park five minutes up the road, right at the entrance to the national park.

Desert Quiver Camp


Desert Camp



The cottages were actually quite nice. Spread out along a long sandy road with the bar/pool in the centre. We were at the far end. Stressed that we must keep the windows and doors closed and aircon on to keep the sand out. Two night stay to enable a full day in the park. Room like an oven we walked in but we eventually got the aircon going.

Couple of drinks up at the bar then we were driven to the main lodge for dinner.


It was hugely busy with lots of rude French, German and Italian groups jostling for the food at the buffet stations. Do none of them understand how a queue works?

The food was good, better the second night once we understood that to get medium rare anything you have to force the chef to get that meat off the grill when you say ‘now’. Clearly medium well is the norm for everything, game or beef/pork. Yuk!


The Milky Way was on full display when we got back to Desert Camp. Truly amazing.

 

[bPeteb]

Tue, 13 Aug - full day Namib-Naukluft National Park

On the itinerary this is literally the only day that mentions walking, of any distance. A 5 km walk is suggested. When asked about this the day before Misheck had said it was not going to happen. Just not enough time. We could walk up dune 45 but that would be it. So we did. But back to the start of the day.

bAlt discovered the ability to create 'stickers' on his S24 then went about adding them to photos, This is the brown hyena. One of the group described it as looking like a mangey (mangy?) west highland white
here he/she is at Desert camp


Of course an early pick up but at least no bags to pack and put out. Back to Stay at Sossusvlei Lodge, Namibia - Luxury accommodation at the gate to Sossusvlei, Deadvlei and the Namib Naukluft Park for breakfast. If the night before had been busy this was literally like a rumble. So many incredibly rude Germans and Italians literally pushing you out of the way to get things off the buffet. Wtaf?

I think we were all glad to get out of there. It is a beautiful lodge and the food is good but at the very least they need to find a better place to put that breakfast buffet. They also need to keep on top of crockery and cutlery. Both mornings they ran out of coffee cups, at 6:30am!


We joined the queue of cars, safari trucks and buses at the Sesrium entrance to the np and at 7:30 in we went. Namib Naukluft Park - A park of contrasts and extremes


Wow!! Just wow. The morning sun and the shadows it threw made this amazing place look even more magnificent.


We made a few stops for pictures


then the truck joined the hyena

 

[bPeteb]

these rocks looked like brains


Dune 45


then drove to the car park where the shuttle runs to Big Daddy and Deadvlei. Misheck was paying for the shuttle to the drop off and we would pay for the return.

It was already quite hot and the wind was forecast to pick up by 11. These were why Misheck had said no to the 5 km walk.


The shuttle ride was hilarious. Like being on a bucking horse. Two options when we got to the dunes - walk up Big Daddy and be back in 90 minutes, or wander round to Deadvlei. We of course chose Big Daddy, all 325m high of him.

bAlt is away


It was bloody hard and ultimately I pulled up short after an hour.

here I am plodding along


I got this close

 

[bPeteb]

10 started the climb, three made it including bAlt (of course). Taken by bAlt, our two Italian truck mates front and centre


the view from the top


and I got within about 200m of where I could see bAlt and our Italian trip mates up in front of me. The two minute run down the dune side (face?) was heaps of fun


The wind was starting to come up as we walked across Deadvlei and by the time we got to the carpark it was a full blown sandstorm. Quite scary to be honest. Somehow we managed to score the only safari vehicle with canvas sides rolled down!


We had lunch at Sossus Dune Lodge Sossus Dune Lodge Namibia,. Magnificent place. Lunch was a very strange experience. They had expected the 16 of us to arrive and devour an entire buffet of salad and a couple of hot choices and were not happy when some chose not to eat at all. Some terse words between Misheck and who I presumed to be the manager.


We then went to the canyon at Sesriem. I had my second go at someone as we pulled up here. When asked how long we wanted to stop, the majority said 30 minutes. One couple asked why that long and I turned around and said because we might not ever come back here. If you don’t want to see these amazing places, don’t bloody come here.

Cool, literally much cooler, little canton. It reminded me of a little Echidna Chasm. bAlt of course found the tiny little pool of water by scrambling up to the end of the chasm.

 

[RooFlyer]

Its amazing how experiences differ with different tour groups. Mine at Sandwich Harbour was quite different, but equally amazing. Some things they can't stuff up!

We had lunch at Sossusvlei Lodge, and it was very pleasant, although I made the comment in my TR that I wouldn't want to stay there - it services the 3 lodges in the area, total 300 guests possible. And yes, mainly pushy Italian and Germans! Something about larger groups that changes the dynamic, or maybe its a greater chance of including the real w*ankers.