Day 11 – Namibia/Botswana Safari 2015. Marienfluss.

A well deserved rest day. Time to wash the undies, do some car repairs and view the photos.  Our car has more rattles than a rattle snake. Running boards hang on a couple of bolts not to talk of the numerous scratches and damage to the plastic undercarriage, Salama otherwise in good order.

What was surprising is that there is no cultivation of any sort alongside the Kunene river. The Himba are nomadic and move where there is grazing. Some of the farmers in our group said it would be ideal for farming grapes, but routes to market are tricky.

The Marienfluss is in the Hartman Valley between the Hartmann and Baynes Mountain ranges. The camp site is right on the river and is good.

The river in flood is huge and we see the signs of piled up trees 2 metres above the current water level and the camp site which was flooded during the 2011 heavy rains. We have brunch and then depart to the Jacuzzi pools situated in the rapids. Rather tricky getting to them we are climbing like mountain goats, but the water is refreshing.

We than head up the mountain for well deserved sundowners. We seem to be getting to bed very early (21h00 SA time) 20h00 Namibian time.

Not exactly Pick and Pay

Looking across into Southern Angola

Rugged landscapes are the order of the day.

This area in the North West of Namibia is very rugged, isolated but for the odd camp

Jaccuzi time in the Kunene

Up at 5 tomorrow leaving the Kunene River heading south for more trips up and down the river beds looking for the elusive desert elephants.