Namibia - Day 10

Kavango River

We will travel to Rundu on the banks of the Kavango River. Our camp is set amongst the lush vegetation overlooking the Kavango River. 

Namibia - Day 9

Etosha National Park

Travelled thru the Park from W to E in the Kiboko vehicle, game driving along the way. Saw a pride of lions - 2 males and 3 females, hartebeest, giraffe, Laughing dove, Vultures, Secretary birds, Spotted hyena, Little green, South African shell duck, giraffe, oryx, impala - male (spiral horns) and female (no horns)

A 4x4 night game drive.  

Stay: Namutoni Restcamp in Park

Namibia - Day 8

Etosha National Park

Day 8-4x4 game drive morning & arvo. The “resort” has a floodlit Waterhole. Where animals come to feed at night if there is no water around - unfortunately there are quite a few puddles around! 

But we’ve seen and have photos of: giraffe, rhino, a pregnant lion, honey badger, jackel, wildebeest, springbok, oryx and zebra and lots of birds. 

Stay: Okaukuejo Restcamp. 

Namibia - day 7

 Etosha Nationa Park.

One of the most important reserves & game sanctuaries in Africa with blue wildebeest, springbok, zebra, kudu, giraffe, cheetah, leopard, lions & elephants. Afternoon game drive. Enjoy the floodlit Waterhole.  

One of the guys, John, bought the words for 29 songs do we had a sing along!  We are not a quiet group! But one guy came up to give us a tip so we must have been good. 

Stay: Okaukuejo Restcamp

Namibia - Day 6

I put a map of the trip on day 2.

Cruise this morning to see whales and dolphins. Really looking for leatherback turtles but, like the internet, they are reported to be elusive! 

There are no hairdryers in Namibia - well none that I’ve seen in our salubrious accomodations - maybe because Namibian women have their hair in dreadlocks or plats or other fabulous styles that don’t require a hairdryer. 

Leaving Swakopmund after lunch to head to our camp among the boulders of the Spitzkoppe Mountains.  

No internet

Namibia - Day 5

Early morning start. 

Heading north to the coast at Walvis Bay. Through the moon valley:

Lunch while viewing flamingos feeding. 

I’m relying on Ellen for some superb flamingo photos. I was the lookout watching for birds taking off and landing! 

On to Swakopmund (pronounced soccer mum?) searched the German colonial town for a book on namibian flora in English. 

Dinner  at “The Tug” at Swakomund on the water.  Fabulous grilled prawns and the best calamari we’ve ever had. Great mocktails and aperol spritz! 

Stay: Dunedin Star Guesthouse. Swapped (!)to a very nice room. Internet intermittent to say the least. This is our room with a fountain outside (stops at 10pm and starts about 9am).

Namibia - Day 4

 An early departure for Sossusvlei

Hiking in the dune belt to see the changing colours of the world’s highest sand dunes. 5km walk to Sossusvlei and Deadvlei.

Dune 45:

Big Daddy Dune: 

Not far into our walk we saw hyena tracks:

Salt bush tree called !Nara. The ! Is a type of click of the tongue. With a # or circle in front of the word (all pronounced the same way but with a different clicking sound) it has a totally different meaning. 

Looking at tracks trying to work out this one. Our guide for the whole trip is Chiara (pronounced Keyara like Chianti) is Italian with an environmental Science degree with Geology and botany. We havevbeen very lucky. 

Anyway she said these were spider tracks. I was thinking 4 little spiders having a conversation but no! This is one spider that puts his body on the sand in the middle and 2 legs in each hole. It must be enormous - that’s Rons foot in the picture for scale. 

Me and Jan at the top of the ridge! 

Rachel leading the charge down the ridge with Don. Ronnie and Paul bringing up the rest. Hopefully this shows how steep and high the sand dune was. 

Death plain: 

Death Plain with 1000 year old trees - not petrified - just turned into solid timber. 

One of the guys in our group, Ian Robinson, whipped up this great sketch of Death plain: 

An afternoon hike thru the Sesriem Canyon.

It’s supposed to have permanent water in the bottom but it’s been dry for a few years now. 

Stay: Stay: Sossus Oasis Camp did I tell you it has two fabulous swimming pools!!! Sunset at Sossulvlei (where we are staying. 

Today we saw: ostrich, oryx, springbok (much smaller than I expected)) but no baboons despite the sign at the canyon saying “beware the baboons”!