Day 9 – Namibia/Botswana Safari 2015. Epupa Falls to Okangwati at foot of Van Zyl’s Pass

Scenic Namibia and the mountains we have to cross

We set of today early leaving at 07h00 to do 142kms and it took us all day to reach the base of Van Zyl's Pass. I managed to get stuck on some boulders when I changed direction a fraction early I could not go forward or backwards, with a lot of input from fellow members of our group our tour leader finally took the decision as to what rocks to put where, which direction I should go in reverse and what direction I should go forwards and voila I was out of the rock jam, but I did manage to destroy the running boards on both sides of the car bumping out of the rocks and hitting the side of the cliffs and get this we have not even reached Van Zyl’s. It was a long day with tyres to be changed on other vehicles and a couple of other minor repairs..

What was notable is the lack of wildlife in this area, it is as though they have all been killed off we did not spot one critter all day long, actually it is amazing that anything survives this very harsh environment with temperatures getting over 40 degrees centigrade and a distinct lack of water.

As long as the rocks were stable and you picked the right line
you were OK 

Convoy in motion

We all had radios which were well used with early warnings of the dangers ahead and we had a knowledgeable Namibian in the group who would often give us a running commentary on everything from Desert Elephants to mountain formations, the geology of the areas we were passing through to the flora and fauna

Another rocky incline to negotiate.

The stars were always clear and Roger had an app on his phone
 that told you exactly what you were looking at

Yours truly stuck on the rocks & we have not even reached Van Zyl's Pass

I managed to get stuck on some boulders when I changed direction a fraction early I could not go forward or backwards, with a lot of input from fellow members of our group our tour leader finally took the decision as to what rocks to put where, which direction I should go in reverse and what direction I should go forwards and voila I was out of the rock jam, but I did manage to destroy the running boards on both sides of the car bumping out of the rocks and hitting the side of the cliffs and get this we have not even reached Van Zyl’s.