May 2017

Saturday 27 May 2017

 

Uis - White Lady -Twyfelfontein: 164km, 4 hours

We get up early and have breakfast at 7 o'clock. After breakfast we drive to the White Lady's rocks in the Brandberg massif. We drive to a guide station. There we are coupled to a guide for 140 Namibian dollars, who takes  us on the one-hour walk to the rock drawings. The walk is beautiful and the guide tells everything there is to know about nature, animals and plants. We see lizards, an eagle, beetles, frogs, leopard tracks, snake and a porcupine. Also elephant tracks, who sometimes come here. Fortunately not today, because in that case you can not go to the engravings. At the end of the walk we have to climb a bit to get to the rock paintings. There we catch our breath, because the walk is quite strenuous and the sun is getting very hot fast. The rocks were painted by the San people and are at least 3000 years old. The polychrome drawings are somewhat younger. The central figure was taken  for a Mediterranean woman by the scientist Breuil in 1950, and so the drawings became known as White Lady. Meanwhile, the present interpretation is that it is a man (he has an decorated penis), a shaman or medical practitioner who performs a ritual dance to get into a trans with which he can heal the sick. There are many more figures around him, all of which are explained by the guide. Then we take a look at the Königstein, the highest mountain peak in the country and get on our way back. That goes a bit faster and in 45 minutes we are back at the car. We then drive to Twyfelfontein Country Lodge in around 1.5 hours. On the way we see a large group of baboons trekking through the field.
When we arrive in Twyffelfontein we hear that there is a herd of elephants nearby. We can go and see at once . A hotel clerk joins us in the car and leads us there  in a few minutes. The elephants are resting in the scrub. Still very nice. We now know where they are and can return later in the afternoon.
Later in the afternoon the Elephants get moving. From our room and balcony we can see them with our binoculars. We go down there and see them from a relatively short distance. After a while we go back to the lodge, but a single elephant also comes to the lodge and moves into the hotel grounds. The entire lodge is in turmoil, including the staff, because this is not an every day event. The elephant keeps everyone busy for an hour and slowly retreats.
In the evening we eat from the buffet. The food is mediocre. Not very special, but the setting is beautiful.

Weather: sunny to 27 °.

Sunday 28 May 2017

After breakfast we drive to the Living Museum of the Damara. It is a kind of open-air museum where the traditions of the Damara are kept alive. We are guided by a lady, dressed only in a traditional skirt. We learn everything about their forging, medicine, skin care, fireworks and games. After a fire is ignited in a traditional way - by friction between a stick and a block - the whole company starts to dance and sing. After all that, we also have a bushwalk on which we will see the Damara hunting and gathering skills. There are two toddlers in tow with us who want to be lifted up for a hug at one point. After the tour we inevetibly come through the souvenir shop and we are on our way to the next attraction. These are the so called organ pipes. At the parking lot we have to register, pay N$ 100 and entrust our car to the parking guard. The organ pipes are a rock formation that has solidified about 120 million years ago in angular columns, which resemble organ pipes with some imagination. A little further on is the burnt mountain. It's a bit like a black colossus in the bleeching sun.
Then we drive to the Twyfelfontein itself. Twyfelfontein means doubtful well, as the well gives water only now and then.  On the way we see a group of ostriches who are showing off running. Having arrived at Twyfelfontein, we have to register again and get leave our car with the guard. The obligatory tour takes about 45 minutes. Dion leads us along a large amount of rock paintings by the San people. These again are about 3000 to 6000 years old. Especially many animal are depicted. Some paintings have a religious character, other more educational or informative. There is something that you could call a map of water resources. The sun is now high in the sky and it is very hot. Back at the reception, we drink something and go back to the Lodge.
We are having lunch and afterwards we do not have much more to do. I go swimming in the fresh swimming pool during the afternoon. In the evening we dine at the buffet washed down with a Cape Gewürztraminer (Delheim).

Weather: Sun and 28ºC

Monday 29 May 2017

Twyfelfontein - Etosha: 343km, 4 hours

We drive via Khorixas to the Toshari Lodge just outside the Etosha National Park. In Khorixas we fill up and do some shopping. On the way we encounter springboks that cross the road. We also see groups of baboons trekking through the plains along the road. We make out a lost Oryx  in the distance. Drive to Khorixas on folows the gravel roads we are growing used to. This time, however, with the a number of hills and sharp bends. From Khorixas, the road is well paved and we can speed up. Our car has a GPS tracker, which gives a beep when driving too fast. 60 km h for the city and in NParks, 80 on dirt roads and 120 on paved roads. If we drive too fast we are not insured. Now we can finally step on it.

We reach the Toshari Lodge around 12 o'clock. We have lunch here in the restaurant. The rooms are in small cottages on lodge's the grounds. We have a nice room. After lunch, we drive to Etosha National Park. The entrance is 40 minutes drive from the lodge. We pay N$ 80 for a day permit and N$ 10 for the car. Soon we see herds of zebra and springboks. Here and there another oryx. We visit a few waterholes, but that does not yield much in the way of game spotting. Etosha National Park is relatively dry. There are, however, a large number of wells. Some of them are artificially filled with solar powered water pumps, feeding groundwater in the ponds. Animals have to drink, so usually you can sit at a waterhole and wait for what is coming by, usually in the early morning or late afternoon. After sunset you are not allowed to drive in the park. The zebras and springboks are very well represented in Etosha based on what we can see today. At 4 o'clock we drive back to the exit of the park. Tomorrow we will return and stay here too.
At the Toshari Lodge we drink a cocktail at the bar and dine from the buffet. This are lots better than the one at Twyfelfontein. The meat is also freshly prepared to order. I'm taking Kudu and Oryx.

Weather: Sun, 28 degrees

Tuesday 30 May 2017

Toshari Lodge - Okaukuejo Camp (Etosha): 45km, 35 minutes

In Toshari we have a nice breakfast buffet. We walk all the way back to our cottage, get packed and leave for Etosha at 8 o'clock. At the entrance ask for a permit for 2 nights in Etosha and continue to the MET office in Okaukuejo camp. There we pay the permit. Check-in for the resort is only available at 11 am. We drive to Okadengo water hole north of Okaukuejo. We see a very large herd of zebras there. Some minutes later we see cars stopping and people gesture us to get closer. Not without reason: four lions are here taking a rest. We make beautiful pictures of the three ladies and a gentleman. We drive further and see giraffes, gnoes (wildebeest) and of course many zebras and springboks. We drive further to Waterhole Adamax, but there is little to see there. Then back to Okaukuejo, where we arrive at 12 o'clock. We check in and have lunch at the buffet restaurant. After lunch we write some postcards and put them in the mail. Then we get the key of our room. It's a room in a block of seven. Far away from the reception, adjacent to the campsite - that's a minus.
We rest, because we have been chasing wild animals for quite a long time this morning. In the afternoon we go to the waterhole Salvadorana. That is a nicely situated next to the Etosha pan, but there is nothing to see in the way of game. On the way we have seen boks and giraffes. On the way back we see a striped jackal at Waterhole Nebrownie.
Back in Okaukuejo we go to the waterhole of the camp around 17 o'clock. It is still very quiet. The lights are slowly ignited. Two jackals appear, who try to catch some birds, which they are not very good at. Then it is quiet. We are going to eat at the buffet restaurant. The food is better than this afternoon, but not as good as in Toshari. The organization is not very good either. After dinner we walk back to the waterhole. We see a rhino taking a bath. He relaxes bathing and then slowly returns into the darkness. We hear lion roars in the distance, but they do not come to the water. A little later, another rhino appears with a young one. Careful, they drink a bit, but do not enter the water. Then they walk away and after a while they try it again. Again, they do not go into the water and walk away. We have already seen three of the big five.

Our room also features a mosquito net. We are in a malaria area, we started taking the prophylaxis and use repellant in the evening.

Weather: Sun, 27 ° C

Wednesday 31 May 2017

Okaukuejo Camp - Onkoshi Camp: 176km

After breakfast we check out at the MET office and drive east through Etosha. Etosha is huge in size: over 22 thousand square kilometers. That's 2/3 of the Netherlands! We are heading towards Numotoni. A camp on the east side of Etosha. That is 130 km drive on dirt roads. Sometimes reasonably good, sometimes littered with "washboards" and holes. Just before Numotomi there is a waterhole where many wildlife hangs out: Chadup. We drive there and are not be disappointed. Two giraffes drinking,  a group of zebras and impalas. To see the giraffes see drinking is a special sight.
Then we continue to Namutoni. That is a fake castle set up by the Germans here in the late 19th century. According to a plaquette, it was stormed in 1904 by 500 Ovambo's, but the 9 (!) Heroic Germans held their stand. They are commemorated with their names on the plaque. We have lunch here before we start the last 45km to Onkoshi Camp. These take us along the banks of the Etosha Pan, a huge dried salt plot in the middle of the NP. It is over 6000 km² in size. The road to Onkoshi feels like driving to the end of the world. Endlessly we drive, without meeting anything or anyone, towards the camp at the edge of the pan. Onkoshi consists of 17 canvas bungalows on poles overlooking the pan. The view is very spectacular. Our bed is oriented towards the sliding doors, so from bed we have this breathtaking view. There is also a restaurant, bar and ice-cold swimming pool. We rest, take a dip in the pool and laze by the poolside. At 5pm we drink a cocktail at sunset. At 6pm it's dinner time. The food is nice but not exceptional. At 7 we go on evening game drive. Our guide Barnabas warns that the success of a game drive has all to do with a lot of luck. Nature does deliver on command. We drive first some miles in the pitch darkness. On the way we encounter "bat ear foxes". These are very small foxes that live from termites. They have big ears to hear these insects walk. We drive to a waterhole and after a few minutes we discover a spotted hyena. After that, four black rhinoceros. That's spectacular because this rhino species is seriously threatened in its existence. The rhinos drink and swim in the pool. Then we see an elephant. It drinks a lot. Per nose full about 8 liters and 125 liters per day. The rhinoceros are busy and then there is another elephant. Barnabas lights them with a  coloured floodlight. Making photos is very difficult in these circumstances. It is getting cooler in the evening. From 28 degrees during the day to 14 degrees in the evening. On the way back we see a spring hare.
Back at our room we drink a beer and go under the warm blankets. At night it gets very cold.

Weather: day 28 °, but at night it cools to 9 °

Thursday 1 juni 2017

Onkoshi Camp - Rundu: 426km 5 hours

We wake up to a beautiful view of the pan. It's cold. Fortunately, the shower water is hot.
After breakfast we head on to Rundu. It's a long drive of over 400km. Fortunately, almost the entire route is tarred and we can drive 120km/h outside the park. We make a first stop in Tsumeb. Here we drink coffee at the Wimpy. Coffee culture has not yet been spent on the Namibians yet. It is a busy town with many shops and gas stations. After the coffee and using the ATM we drive on. The next place is Grootfontein. We want some lunch here, but that's not an easy thing. Grootfontein is not blessed with a lively restaurant scene. We end up with a sandwich at the Total gas station. Then the last leg to Rundu. Along the way are two checkpoints. One for FMD control and a second by the ordinary police. After some questions about origin and destination we can continue. At half past three we get near Rundu. That too is a busy place with many shops, a hospital and even traffic lights and roundabouts. Our lodge, the Tambutih, is on the Okavango River, which is the border with Angola here. We can see the neighboring country from our hotel.
The Tambutih Lodge consists of cottages. We have a relatively large one with three beds and a huge bathroom. Later in the afternoon we make a small walk to the river bank and look out to Angola. Back, we drink coffee and put the tires on normal pressure .
We drink an aperitif in the bar and dine at the hotel restaurant. The kitchen is completely local. I'm taking a crocodile and Erik an Oryx. Then I have a lemon pie and Erik a Mutili ice cream. Delicious.

Weather: Ice cold in the morning, but in the morning it warms up to 27 ° C. In the evening it cools down to 17 ° C

Friday 2 juni 2017

Rundu - Divundu: 207km, 2 hours

We have breakfast overlooking the river. Breakfast also has an African slant. Erik has a local muesli kind and I have a Namibian pancake. For the rest, breakfast is traditional. We are heading for Divundu. It is a straight road of almost 200km. Along the way, we come across miniscule hamlets, where people live in huts. We see the children walking to school and the women get water and groceries. Men are standing by the road to lift to somewhere else. After about 2.5 hours we are in Divundu and leave the B8 towards the Nunda River Lodge. We are stopped for a police check and then on to the Lodge on the banks of the Okavango. We are welcomed with a welcome drink. Lodge's facilities are explained. There are game drives, river cruises, village visits and fishing-trips. We sleep in a bungalow with a view on the river. The bungalow can not be closed off, but there is a safe. We have lunch at 12 o'clock. It's an hour later here  (Caprivi time). After lunch, we laze about until 4 o'clock. From our balcony we see about five hippos in the river. Then we take a wine on the terrace and before starting on a sunset river cruise. We first go downstream and see crocodiles, varans, cormorants, kingfishers, egrets, herons and much more.
Then we turn around and go upstream. We see even more crocodiles, but also the hippos we could see from our balcony. We continue to Popa Falls, a waterfall, or rapids rahter in the Okavango. On an island in the rapids, we can go on land to have a better view and photograph the rapids. Back on board we go back to the lodge and see the hippos at a closer range.
We are back at 6.15 and at 7pm dinner is served. The food is good quality. We start with a potato / blue cheese soup, then Kudu with potato croquettes and finally ice cream.
After dinner we go back to our room.

Weather: Cold start of 16 degrees, but it warms up to 24 degrees.

Saturday 3 June 2017

After breakfast, we drive by car to the Mahango Core area of ​​Bwabwata National Park. The reserve is located along the river and many animals trek through to drink and bathe in the river. We see the Sable Antelope, a fairly rare antelope species, which feels right at home here. In addition, we see many springbok and impalas. Then we suddenly see a large group of buffalo. They look at us with suspicion. The buffalo also belongs to the big five. We have seen 4 out of 5 on this trip now. There are some calves among them. In the distance we see even more buffalo in the water. White birds are sitting on their backs. Further on, we see groups of warthogs looking for food. It looks like a family group with two adults and some piglets. On their knees, they search for food. There are also Kudu's around here, recognizable by the white stripes. These are more shy than the other herbaceans. We drive to the huge Baobab tree from which we have a nice view. Baobab trees are huge. They can reach a circumference of 34 meter . We see ostriches and vultures, eagles and falcons. For a while we have the reserve to ourselves. Only by the time we are leaving we see other visitors.
We then take the second route through the park, which is only suitable for 4WD. This route takes about 10km to a waterhole. Here we see a lot less animals, but again the necessary hogs, kudu and boar.
Then it's time for lunch. We drive back to the Lodge, after a brief visit to the village to refuel. The refueling takes a lot of time, because the diesel does not flow well into the tanks. It has to do with the double tanks we have.
In the lodge we have lunch (it takes like forever before it's on the table) and after that we take a rest. Around 3pm we go to the Buffalo Core area of ​​the Bwabwata NP on the other side of the Okavango River. This is much less developed. It is one long road, which is getting smaller and the potholes are getting deeper and the road surface sandier. After about half an hour we turn around. The first animals we see only after twenty minutes. A couple of buffalo skoot in front of our car . Also kudu's, hogs, boks and squirrels.
We return to the lodge.
Weather: Cloudy. Maximum 25 ° C

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