DAY BY DAY ACCOUNT OF MY 2011 NAMIBIA TRIP - DAY 8 (2011-05-20)

See the previous installments at http://groblerdupreez.blogspot.com/

Etosha (Halali) - Outapi (Ombulantu Baobab tree)

Up early and off to the Moringa waterhole. No animals, so back to camp for breakfast. Break up camp then off to Ruacana via Namutoni, hoping to see elephants.

Apart from giraffes "necking" and "butting" and a few lions hiding between bushes on route to Namutoni, not much to see.

Except for thousands of flamingoes on the pan in the distance, not many birds either. 

An unidentified plover

A young Impala male

Fort Namutoni, a rest camp in Etosha. For more information on it's rich history see Namutoni

"On 28 January 1904, 500 Ovambos attacked the station.  Seven brave German riders repelled the attack"

The King Nehale waterhole as seen from the top of the wall of Fort Namutoni

Inside Fort Namutoni

From Namutoni, we traveled North. Not many animals - no elephants. Not a good year to visit Etosha - the best rain year in history caused a lot of open water in the veld, resulting in few animals visiting the waterholes. Lots elephant dung. Our companion, Rene, said that she doesn't believe us that there are elephants - "the park rangers pick up elephant dung from elsewhere and dump it all over so that the visitors should think there are many elephants"!

We exited Etosha at the King Nehale Gate in the north and suddenly there were many animals, but not the type I prefer to see. Our companion, however, grew up on a farm and during the next few weeks we would learn that it would be impossible to drive past a herd of cattle without stopping...

At Oshikati, we bought lunch and supplies. The flowing water in this photo is not a river, but an oshana in Oshakati, one of many perennial watercourses (linearly-linked, shallow, parallel lakes), Once every few years, during exceptional rains, the oshanas fill with rainwater and sometimes with floodwater from the perennial Cuvelai River in Angola. Have a look at the area above Etosha on the interactive map further below to see this interesting phenomenon. The fish which breed in the oshanas provides an important source of dietary protein to the local population. Here they are using traps to catch fish.

We were aiming for Ruacana, but realised that we would not reach it before dark. We decided to camp at the Ombalantu Baobab tree at Outapi. Only us in the camp. No staff. The attendant gave us the gate keys before she left and we only realised the following morning that it included the keys to the curios shop and office. The people in Namibia are very trusting... We fell asleep to the sounds of farm animals and indigenous music...

The tree is hollow inside and is currently configured as a small church chapel which could seat approximately 20 people.

Distance traveled for the day:  360 km of which 139 km were gravel road.

The map below is an interactive Google Map showing the actual GPS track we followed imported from a .gpx file. Zoom in to follow our route. Double click on a balloon for more information.

DAY BY DAY ACCOUNT OF MY 2011 NAMIBIA TRIP - DAY 7 (2011-05-19)

See the previous installments at http://groblerdupreez.blogspot.com/

Etosha

Still at Halali. Up early and off to the Moringa waterhole. No animals, so back to camp for breakfast then off for a round trip through Etosha. Due to the exceptionally good rains, we saw very few animals. Even Springbokvlakte, which usually is littered with animals, was without animals.

Springbok lying in the grass

Patches of red and purple plants between the grass fields.

Picnic spot at Olifantsbad. waterhole

An unusual sight - the Etosha Pan full of water. This is the road to the viewpoint on the pan.

The Etosha National Park is a 22 750km² wildlife sanctuary. Etosha, meaning ‘place of dry water’, gets it's name from a large, flat calcrete pan of about 110 km x 45 km. The pan is subject to periodic, partial flooding during the rainy season. Direct rainfall accounts for only a small proportion of the pan’s water; three rivers supply the majority: the Ekuma, Oshigambo, and Omuramba Ovambo. The Ekuma River flows seasonally from the southern shores of Lake Oponono, situated about 70 km north of the pan. This lake receives input from numerous perennial watercourses and oshanas (linearly-linked, shallow, parallel lakes), the Cuvelai River being the most important (Berry et al. 1973). The Oshigambo River draws its water from southern Angola. The Ekuma and Oshigambo Rivers form deltas in the northwestern corner of the pan, about 13 km apart. The Omuamba Ovambo River receives its water from a catchment to the northeast of Etosha, and it flows into the pan through Fisher’s Pan, a small eastern extension of the main pan body. All three rivers flow erratically during the rainy season and, depending on their levels, flood the pan to varying degrees. In unusually dry years, the rivers may not flow at all, forming a series of disconnected pools. During these dry years, the pan holds direct rainfall only. The pan does, however, usually hold some water for a few months between January and April. Once in about 7-10 years, during exceptional rains, the oshonas and rivers fill with rainwater and sometimes with floodwater from the perennial Cuvelai River in Angola. This water reaches the pan, transforming it into a shallow lake holding large sheets of water, usually not exceeding one meter in depth. The water in the pan is, however, unfit for animal consumption as the salt content is often double that of sea water (Source of information). Have a look at the area above the pan on the interactive map further below to see this interesting phenomenon.

Waiting for the golden hour at Halali.

Lions at the lit Moringa waterhole at Halali.

Waiting at the waterhole til late - but no elephants visited. Dropped my Nikon SB800 flash in the dark on the rocky floor - not working any more...

Total distance covered today: 190 km, all gravel roads.

More to follow...

The map below is an interactive Google Map showing the actual GPS track we followed, imported from a .gpx file. Zoom in to follow our route. Click on a balloon for more information.

DAY BY DAY ACCOUNT OF MY 2011 NAMIBIA TRIP - DAY 6 (2011-05-18)

See the previous installments at http://groblerdupreez.blogspot.com/

Windhoek to Etosha

Breakfast, breaking up camp and then on to Morua Mall to sort out our mobile internet connection. Then we hit the road to Etosha.

Not much to see en route. The only landmarks were the Omatakos in the distance, rising between 700 and 800m above the surrounding plains. Apparently, the Omatakos are so-named in Otjiherero for their resemblance to a woman’s buttocks, but it rather resembles another body part - the peaks are too sharp...

A quick stop in Otjiwarongo for fuel and something to eat and then a short detour through town to see two of the houses where Marlene lived with her parents before our marriage as well as the Otjiwarongo High School where Marlene finished high school.

Then off to Outjo where we also visited two of the houses where Marlene lived with her parents before moving to Otjiwarongo. Then a big mistake - visiting a gemstone shop where I could not get my two partners away from... The result - we are going to be late at Halali in the Etosha national Park.

Stretching our speed through the warthog infested road to Etosha, we reached Okaukeujo in time to pay our daily conservation fee of N$ 65.00 per person, but without sufficient time to reach Halali where our camping site is booked before gate closing time.

On our way to Halali we saw this semi-white elephant, but could only snap a few photos before speeding on...

We reached Halali approximately 20 minutes late, but the irritated receptionist did not give us a fine. Setting camp, a quick supper and then on to the lit Moringa waterhole a few 100 m away where several animals visited. Then off to sleep...

Total distance traveled: approximately 530 km, of which 70 km were gravel road.

More to follow...

The map below is an interactive Google Map showing the actual GPS track we followed imported from a .gpx file. Zoom in to follow our route. Click on a balloon for more information.

DAY BY DAY ACCOUNT OF MY 2011 NAMIBIA TRIP - DAY 5 (2011-05-17)

See the previous installments at http://groblerdupreez.blogspot.com/

Windhoek

Breakfast and then off to find a launderette to wash our clothes and to do some shopping at Morua Mall. Then off to find spares for the inverter - fortunately, I only had to replace the 12-v plug that fits into the cigarette lighter socket - the one I fitted to the inverter cable back in Bloemfontein couldn't handle the current. Just to make double sure we won't again have to do mouth to mouth resuscitation to the inflatable mattresses, we bought a 12v pump.

On our way shopping, we passed by two of the houses I lived in with my parents during the 1960's and 70's. This one we lived in from 1965-1968. The tree to the left at the back of the house is a silver oak planted by my father in 1965. 

We lived in this house from 1968 to 1973

A quick visit to the Namibian Wildlife Resources office to book a camping site in Etosha, then down memory lane for more sightseeing.

My primary school, Orban Primary, then an Afrikaans/German double medium school, now state offices.

The Christuskirche, a well-known landmark in Windhoek. Scheduled tours to see the inside are available.

The Tintenpalast (German for "Ink Palace"), the Namibian parliamentary buildings

The Reiterdenkmal (Equestrian Statue) in front of the Alte Feste, the oldest building in Windhoek, now a museum. On 25 December 2013, the area in front of Alte Feste was cordoned off to prevent public and press from getting close and the statue was lifted off its plinth and transported into the yard of Alte Feste for storage and possible "repatriation" to Germany. To the local black population this statue represents oppression.

My secondary school, Windhoek High School next to the Alte Feste

Windhoek offers many interesting curio shops, coffee shops and old, German buildings. Worth spending several days exploring the city.

After visiting distant family of Marlene, we had an early supper and then hit the bed. Tomorrow it's off to Etosha...

Distance traveled for the day: 171km

More to follow...

The map below is an interactive Google Map showing the actual GPS track we followed imported from a .gpx file. Zoom in to follow our route. Double click on a balloon for more information.

DAY BY DAY ACCOUNT OF MY 2011 NAMIBIA TRIP - DAY 4 (2011-05-16)

See the previous installments at http://groblerdupreez.blogspot.com/

Brukkaros crater to Windhoek

A not so early rise after a cold night... Breakfast and then a cup of coffee with rusks, waiting for the sun to appear... Is it my imagination or do I see a smurf?

A dassie (rock hyrax) thawing in the sun :)...

The inside of the Brukkaros crater, as seen from the camp site through a break in the crater wall.

The slippery, rocky road down the mountain with the town of Berseba just visible top left

After paying our entrance and camping fees on our way out, we made a quick visit to the predominantly Nama town of Berseba

Then a quick detour to try and find the waterfall in the Fish River near Tses, but it wasn't visible due to the low level of the river. On with the B1 to Mariental for a fuel stop and then via Rehoboth to Windhoek, setting camp at the Arebbusch camping site next to the Eros Airport and then off to a supermarket for some meat and other stuff and then back to camp for a braai and an early night...

Total distance traveled: 460 km of which 75 km was gravel road.

The map below is an interactive Google Map showing the actual GPS track we followed (imported from a .gpx file). Zoom in to follow our route. Click on a balloon for more information.

DAY BY DAY ACCOUNT OF MY 2011 NAMIBIA TRIP - DAY 3 (2011-05-15)

See the previous installments at http://groblerdupreez.blogspot.com/

The Quiver Tree Forest, Giant's Playground and Brukkaros crater

Early rise at the Quiver tree Forest near Keetmanshoop to share sunrise with the Rock Hyraxes between the quiver trees (there's one against the trunk just below the branches of the big quiver tree).

Then breakfast and breaking up camp. More information on quiver trees here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_dichotoma

Driving a few km's north-east on the C11, we visited the "Giant's Playground", consisting of thousands of black or brown rocks piled onto another to form interesting formations.

After Rene finished a small oil painting colour study, we traveled back to Keetmanshoop for fuel, wood and food and then North on the B1 to Tses where we turned off on a gravel road towards the small town of Berseba, nearest town to our next destination, the crater of the extinct volcano, Brukkaros. A few km's before Berseba we turned North to Brukkaros. At the entrance gate, the attendant told us that we won't make it to the camping site on the rim of the crater - we needed a 4x4. We decided to push on. The attendant told us to pay when we come back, expecting us back within a few minutes. We made it, but only just - with a lot of grace... 

Bukkaros mountain, an extinct volcano with the bridge over the Fish River to the right. The name "Brukkaros" was derived from the Afrikaans words "Broek" (Trousers) and "karos" (leather apron)

Rene and myself walked to the inside of the crater through a break in the wall - an hour and a half hike - not a level walk, strenuous at places. It was the best rain year in Namibia's history - beautiful grass plumes covering the crater and slopes - normally only rock and sand. The crater is approximately 5 km x 3 km in diameter. Zoom in to see the crater on the interactive map further down below.

Camping on the rim of the crater - no water available and only very basic facilities. Disaster struck - the 12v to 240v inverter refused to work - our pump for the air mattresses works from 240v - we had apply mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the two mattresses... Only us tonight - nobody for km's, only silence, except for the  fat from the meat of our braai (barbeque) dripping on the coals... 

Total distance traveled today: approximately 150 km, of which 70 km was gravel road, the last few km a very bad mountain pass.

The map below is an interactive Google Map showing the actual GPS track we followed (imported from a .gpx file). Zoom in to follow our route. Click on a balloon for more information.

DAY BY DAY ACCOUNT OF MY 2011 NAMIBIA TRIP - DAY 2 (2011-05-14)

See part 1 of this series here: http://groblerdupreez.blogspot.com/2014/06/day-by-day-account-of-my-2011-namibia.html

Into Namibia, down memory lane in Keetmanshoop and the Quiver Tree Forest

Early rise for breakfast and then further North to the quaint little town of Askham, deep in the Kalahari, for a quick fuel stop and a few refreshments. Then on to the Namibian border at Rietfontein (RSA) / Klein Manasse (Namibia), passing the turn-off to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (no time to visit this time). Still tarred road. Through large salt pans with funny names like "Koo Pan" and "Hakskeen Pan" (Heel Pan), past small towns with even funnier names like "Groot Mier" (Big Ant) and "Klein Mier" (Small Ant). Past the small town of Rietfontein to the border post. No hassles with the trans-border formalities on both the South African and Namibian sides of this very small border post. Friendly people - I don't think they see many travelers per day.

Start of 200 km of excellent gravel road to Keetmanshoop via Aroab and moving one hour back in time - Namibia uses daylight saving time during the cooler months...

Marlene and Rene with the Klein Manasse (Namibia) / Rietfontein (South Africa) border post in the background where the road ends.

Our first lunch in Namibia

Namibian Kalahari dunes

At the one-horse town, Aroab, we payed the Namibian road tax of N$240.00 - normally payable at the border posts, but due to it's small size, our border post didn't handle money matters and then on to Keetmanshoop.

Moving back in memory lane...

Both myself and Marlene grew up in Namibia where we finished school. After marrying Marlene in 1976, we moved from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop. On this trip, we planned to drive past all places in our past of sentimental value. The first house we lived in after getting married was a one bed-roomed house in Keetmanshoop for which we payed R50.00 per month. The house is situated next to a huge Camel-thorn Tree.

Our second house in Keetmanshoop was an official state owned house for which we paid the astronomical amount of R8.50 per month and received a water subsidy of R11.50 per month to maintain the garden...

We stayed in this house until 1981 when we moved to Olifantsfontein near Pretoria in South Africa.

Back from memory lane, we bought food and wood for a cozy fire and drove to the Quiver Tree Forest on the C11 road 14 km North-East of Keetmanshoop where we grabbed our cameras and ran to catch the sunset between the quiver trees. 

Only after our photography hunger was stilled, we pitched tent, made a fire and prepared dinner...

Total distance traveled today: approximately 430 km of which 220 km was gravel road.

The map below is an interactive Google Map showing the actual GPS track we followed (imported from a .gpx file). Zoom in to follow our route. Click on a balloon for more information.