Day 17 – Namibia/Botswana Safari 2015. Etosha to Rundu

We decided to go into the Etosha Game Park at Anderson Gate and exit at Von Lindquist gate in the East continuing east on secondary roads to meet up with the B8 from Grootfontein to Rundu which is right on the Angola border.

We see a lot of game between Okaukuejo and Namatoni and but for a couple of minutes we would have seen a leopard, but other than a tail and an ear it was well hidden in a tree, lots of Elephant, Springbok, Wildebeest, Hartebeest, Zebra, Oryx, Jackal, Duiker, Blesbok and others in a 120kms that took us 4 hours. We had to see the Etosha pan dry as the last time we were here in 2011 it was full of water, needless to say we took a lot of photos.

I have mapped out our trip for the day and all was going well until the Garmin lady decided she did not know what road we were on, we had prior notice that the road does not go as straight forward as shown on maps and the cross roads on the map were not always cross roads and one has to go down another road to pick up the road you should be on. However with Garmin, Map and gut feel and a lot of the latter we managed to get to our destination.

On my map it showed a giant Baobab Tree on the left, it turned out to be on a different road and on the left and to get to it we had a walk of 1.4kms, which was good for us.

Giant Baobab

Sunset from Etosha Safari Lodge

The individual rooms at Etosha Safari Lodge

Denise enjoying early morning cuppa

Day 16 – Namibia/Botswana Safari 2015. Khorwarib to Etosha

We get an early start after breakfast and head of via Palmwag, Kamanjab, Outjo to the Etosha Safari Lodge it is another long and dusty drive of 413kms until meet up with the C38 tar road between Windhoek and Etosha.

At Kamanjab we fill up our tanks get the tyre fixed so have two spares again and Denise finds ice cream served in a cone it is probably the nicest ice cream I have had and it cost R5 each the same in Sandton would have cost at least R25.

We see more game on this road than we have in the whole 12 days on tour, but that was not what the tour was about, so what was it about? Well it was extreme 4x4 driving, seeing a part of Africa we have never seen and if we were lucky see some desert elephants, which by the way are no different to other African Elephants they have just adapted to the desert and harsh conditions of northern Namibia and someone told me that they are slightly smaller. 

Etosha Safari Lodge is like heaven, comfortable bed, a convenient toilet, a big shower and a lovely setting, a just reward after 12 days of camping. We are exhausted and crash early as we have another long day tomorrow.

Lovely specimen of a Kori Bustard

Loan Oryx

"Come on get a move on"

Day 15 – Namibia/Botswana Safari 2015. Puros to Khowarib

We continue today down the Hoarasib river through Puros Canyon, which is magnificent, we experience our first tyre problem with some small stones getting between the Tyre and Tyre rim as we go through the slow running water, it is decided to change the tyre and there are so many helpers we are back on the road in under 15 minutes we stay in the river until we get to the road to Amspoort where we enter the Hoanib River and head upstream to Sesfontein where we hope we will find fuel although we do have 20 litres in a jerry can and as luck would have it they got fuel the day before.

We see a fair amount of game in the river bed, but our elephant expert Andreas tells us that the elephants are getting harassed as the river beds have become a highway with the only restriction is that you need a 4x4 vehicle, in addition the locals are moving their cattle into the river, which they are not supposed to and he predicts that in the next 4 years the elephant will move across the Kunene river into Angola and they already have evidence to support this migration. As in the rest of Africa the elephant cannot win what with poaching and human encroachment, what a shame.

We exit the river only to have to negotiate corrugated roads and huge dust holes, which reduces visibility to a couple of metres. After a long and dusty day covering 206kms we arrive at our last camp site at Khowarib.

Farewells are said and people relate their highlights and we get to bed quite late at 23h00.

Dust, dust and more dust

Less dust 

Rock formations were also a feature of the Namibian landscape

Puros Canyon

Day 14 – Namibia/Botswana Safari 2015. Rest day at Puros

We travel down the river towards Puros and see the first grass since entering Namibia discounting the lodges .
The river is running its source is a underground spring and other than the Kunene and Orange the first river/stream with running water. We are all relaxing…….washing etc. before going on a drive down the Hoarusib river bed to look for the Desert Elephants once again.

After an hour or so down the river bed with Roger and Julia we see the elephant tracks heading the way we have come, now with our new found tracking knowledge identifying;what is new elephant dung, tracks that are fresh, elephant urine that has recently been passed we decide to return to camp in the hope that we see the elephants on our way back and as luck would have it we see the small herd sucking up water from a hole they have made in the river bed and throwing sand all over themselves, mission accomplished.

I am stronger than you.

We see quite a lot of giraffe near the rivers

They were not joking

One of the canyons along the Hoarasib

The sand in this section was deep and you often entered a
 dust bowl

The Desert Elephants of Namibia

Day 13 – Namibia/Botswana Safari 2015. Marble Camp to Puros

We are up and down, in and out of river beds looking for the elephant’s lots of evidence, but none to be seen. Me thinks someone is leaving poo trails. Got lost on one occassion as the guys in front did not wait for us at a junction and we chose the wrong road, but not serious as we are in radio contact all the time.

The scenery in this part of Namibia is stunning and around each bend or over each mountain you are faced with a new vista.

The temperature is at 41 degrees today.

My better half

Vast empty spaces

Our convoy en route to Puros

Massive white marble blocks there for the taking

Ah! a riverbed with water flowing.

The riverbeds in Namibia have become highways.

Down into another river bed

Desolation Valley

Day 12 - Namibia/Botswana Safari 2015. Marianfluss to Marble Camp

Very little signs of game in the area. Rugged mountains this area must really be beautiful after the rains, but it  has not rained much here over the last 3 years.

The Himba have added to the problem as they graze the area’s clean and move on.

Ostrich on the run but wildlife was scarce 

Convoy in motion

The great wide open spaces

A great view

Add captionMarble blocks cut out of the mountain closed due to flaws in the marble

At Marble Camp someone was very creative with these rocks in shaped wire frames

Himba woman with child and in transit

Giraffe in the barren land with only the odd tree and they survive.
  The distances over the next 2 days are not long, but it still takes us the whole day. We stop at the famous Shop No 1 in Opupembe, which serves the coldest beer in Africa.. So we start the morning of with an ice cold Windhoek Lager (9 o’clock).

The Himba have added to the problem as they graze the area’s clean and move on.

You would be surprised at what you could buy from thongs to ice cold beer

Closed down Marble Mine

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.