Our dash cam of part of the journey. Around 13 minutes.
Khorixas as a town did not offer much, so we drove out 50 k west, along a very dusty gravel road, over the mountains to explore a tourist attraction the Petrified Forest. The Petrified Forest was declared a National Monument in 1950 after being discovered by two farmers in 1940. The Petrified Forest consists of a number of trees washed down from the rivers in the Ice Age, which are now fossilised. We had a great local guide who walked us through the site and was very knowledgeable, it was good to know that local people were being trained and encouraged in this way. We also saw the Welwitschia Mirabillis, the national plant of Namibia ( on the back of its coinage) they live for hundreds of years on very little water. It looks very unspectacular, looks can be deceptive.
The poison produced from this thorn tree was used by local tribesmen for poisoned arrows.
The famous Welwitschia, 500 years old, it doesn't look much! Called a "living fossil" it was named after Fredrich Welwitsch a botanist who discovered the plant in the mid - 19th century in Angola. Some Welwitschia are said to be 1500 years old and are endemic to the Namib desert.
From the Petrified Forest we continued over the mountains to see the Organ Pipes and Burnt Mountain. The Organ Pipes are a geological rock formation near Twyfelfontein, so called because the rocks look just like organ pipes.
The colours in the desert of the rock formations were fabulous, we thought the Organ Pipes were slightly over rated. We persevered and moved on to view the Burnt Mountain a short drive up the track. I expect at sunrise and sundown the mountain looked spectacular, in the middle of a hot afternoon it looked, well like a mountain. More interesting was the fact that the ladies selling the tickets to view these two tourist attractions were avidly reading an Avon catalogue. Bizarre, to find that in the middle of nowhere. I asked how long the stuff took to come they said it was very expensive but worth it and it arrived pretty quickly in about three to four months!
The track leading up to the organ pipes.
Parked up near the Burnt Mountain.
It had been a long busy day driving through the mountains, though dusty it had been worth the bumping around. We were quite relieved to be leaving Igowati Lodge, our next stop was near the Brandberg Mountains at the White Lady Campsite. Not a long drive so we arrived early. A bit disappointed with this site. We were greeted by the friendly owner, who told us there was no restaurant or bar but that we could drive out to the town if we wanted to eat out. We decided to cook our own food and have a relaxing stay. It was very hot and there was only limited shade we found a spot on some very uncomfortable chairs by the pool. Sadly, this site too had seen better days, one of the two pools was unusable and the other pool looked like it needed a clean. Worst were the toilet facilities which were cleanish but had shower curtains for doors even on the toilets. Fortunately there was only one other couple on the site camping.
Through the mist of the Namib Desert you can just make out the Brandburg Mountain. The Brandberg in Damaraland is the highest point in Namibia above sea level. Brandburg means "fire mountain" because of it's colour.
A stopping point in the desert. Complete with bins and picnic table. We wondered how often the bins were emptied.
A hard life for people living in this harsh environment miles from anywhere.
We were looking forward to our next stay of three nights on the coast at Swakopmund. We had a call from Bobo Campers on the way, asking us to take the van into a garage in Swakopmund for a new wiper motor to be fitted. The drive through the desert and along the coast to Swakopmund was fabulous and very refreshing after the heat of the desert.
The wreck of the Zeila, an Angolian fishing vessel which came to its end in 2008. Now a roosting spot for sea birds.
Great to be out of the desert. Still dusty but with a cooling sea breeze.
A dangerous bit of coast, the Atlantic breakers have done much damage over the years to many boats.
We meandered along the C35 coast road to our next stop Alte Brucke Campsite. Right in the middle of the town within walking distance of shops and restaurants. Each stand had its own well equipped toilet block and outside kitchen.
We had a very restful and enjoyable break here.Time for washing and getting rid of the desert dust. The restaurant was an interesting experience and done out like a ship. It was essential to book a table which we did for our last night.We had a very entertaining meal the restaurant was very popular. Loads of other places near by for food including The Atlantic Hotel and a Beach Bar. We mentally made a note for our next visit. I really fancied a visit here but sadly the beach bar was closed.
We visited the Crystal Centre where we saw the worlds largest crystal and some stunning jewellery.
We wandered about the very safe town had coffee in the cafes. We did some window shopping I was amused at the Christmas decorations in the shops, especially the snowmen on the windows. Odd when the temperature is in the high 30's. The Christmas "musik" in the shopping malls was bizarre but I guess normal for November.
We explored the beaches. Had breakfast in a posh hotel and spent a few hours exploring the local museum. A highlight of the trip! The town was full of well-heeled Germans and other tourists, so lots of craft stalls and shops.
Swakopmund is very compact and ideal for strolling around. We also went to the aquarium and had a drink in a beach bar watching the boats in the harbour.
Definitely a return trip here called for. We left Alte Brucke after a lovely three days. Even better, we now had working windscreen wipers as the motor had finally been changed by a local garage. The next morning we were on the road back to the desert.
Dash cam. Short 5 minutes drive through the desert.
Normally we are very careful driving in Africa however we were stopped on the coast road for driving without lights ! "You have infringed the laws of Namibia" we were told by the burly official who stopped us. It wasn't foggy or misty but we obviously looked ripe for a fine. We thought it best not to argue. We waited with all the other foreign registered cars that had "infringed the law", eventually we got our summons for driving without lights. A stressful couple of hours later, we had finally paid it at the court office in Walvis Bay a few miles down the road. We went to the police station first as the official who had fined us didn't take money. We were then sent to the court office. Fortunately it was a week day and the court office was open. Den remained very calm.
Once again rescued by Madam Satnag, who found her way through the back streets of Walvis Bay. We paid our 700 Namibian dollars to the court office, a lot of money for a local ( around £40.) The moral of the story, leave your lights on in Namibia.
Travelling through the Namib Desert. Not much traffic about.
Travelling through the Namib desert through even more beautiful landscapes and some very scary mountain passes. The Namib desert stretches from Angola in the North to the Orange River with ever changing environments. This area is very underpopulated and we met hardly any traffic, it is also so silent. We headed back inland to our next stop Solitaire Desert Farm.
Another beautiful spot. The campsite was just like a little oasis in the desert. Again we had our own ablutions block and a very large pitch all to ourselves. We were too late to book a meal so we cooked for ourselves.
Our massive pitch, kitchen and toilet block.
Communal areas and restaurant.
Night fall at Solitaire.
As the sun went down, like Simon & Garfunkel we listened to the sounds of silence.
Tomorrow we were off to the sand dunes at Sesreim.
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