Namibia

We just spent an amazing two weeks in Namibia doing a great road trip.  Namibia is roughly the same size as Tanzania but only has 2.3 million people (Tanzania has over 49 million).  It's incredible. We drove over 2,600 km / 1,600 miles on amazing roads across the most incredible landscapes while listening to way too much Taylor Swift.  And we're all still speaking to each other!

Blue was our driving route
Red star was where we stayed

Tailgate planning session

After a full day of travel from Tanzania (via 4 countries that day:  TZ, Kenya, South Africa, and finally Namibia) we were excited to get a good night's sleep and get our car in the morning.  We were all very curious what a dual cab pick-up with two tents mounted to the roof actually looked like.  IT WAS AWESOME!  It came fully supplied with all the necessary camping gear...sleeping bags, pillows, cookwear, plates, tables, chairs, and cooler that runs on the battery!  South Africans know how to do this whole car camping thing.

Our bakkie (what they call a pick-up) with the roof tents all folded up.
This is how it was until we pulled into a camp.

Here she is all set-up at one of our campsites

We spent the first day in Windhoek buying groceries and getting settled before we went to Joe's Beerhouse for a game meat dinner feast!  Zebra steaks, springbok, kudu, oryx, and crocodile were tasted (we also had eland later in the week).  A fun start to our full Namibian experience. 

 

We made our way south of Windhoek heading toward Namib Naukluft Park to Sossusvlei to see the famous dunes.  Our first campsite at Little Sossus had amazing views (plus private toilets and a sink with running water not to mention a pool near the check-in) with a giraffe, springbok, and oryx coming to their waterhole to drink.  Typical desert weather with very hot days and very cool nights. 

 

 

Next night we headed to a campsite just outside the gates to Sossusvlei.  Super convenient location.

Sesriam Campsite

Sociable weaver next right over our tents

So great to have dish wash helpers!

 

Then we drove into the park to play on the sand dunes.  I honestly don't know how to select just a few pictures to try and show what an amazing site it was.  We had so much fun just watching the sun set and playing on the dunes.  Really, really spectacular.  We did an early morning drive in the next day to see the other side of the dunes lit up by the sun. 

 

Dune 45

Running down was so fun!

Seriously steep!

Matt was an expert driver in the deep and loose sand

 

The next couple of nights we stayed with friends, John and Ingrid, a little further south on a large private ranch.  So isolated and beautiful.  They were amazing hosts and took us on some great hikes. We had to set off early before the sun got too hot, but that made for lazy afternoons and allowed us to rest up before we headed out for sundowners in the evening. 

 

 

 

Then it was a sunrise drive to Wolwedens lodge where Matt had a meeting.  Roughing it.

Oryx seem to be surviving the drought

Our room for the night

 

If you get the chance, you should ask Ashlyn how far she can spit kudu poop (Blech!)

 

On to the coast (Swakopmund).  Matt tried to warn me about the chill...I was still unprepared.  Our little adrenaline junkies had had so much fun quad-biking through the dunes.

Then we headed north up the skeleton coast to see the Cape Cross seal colony. There were so many pups!  They were so cute. 

 

Noisy, smelly, and so, so cool. 

 

Getting up close
(it's not like you had a choice when they are blocking the walkway) 

Then it was back inland to warm-up and boy did we!  Our favorite campsite on our trip was here in the Twyfelfontein Conservancy. This area is known for the ancient rock carvings.  We were all impressed by seeing something that had been carved thousands of years ago.  We also learned a lot about the geography of the area created when Gondwanaland broke up hundreds of millions of years ago (Organ Pipes, Burnt Mountain, and the Petrified Forest)

Amazing campsite with private bathroom (on left)

Glad the balancing rock decided to stay put through our stay here

Fossilized tree estimated to be over 200 million years old

The Organ Pipe rock formations

Famous Lion Man rock carving. 

We even managed to find some desert adapted elephant

We loved the Twyfelfontein area, but were excited to head up a bit higher where we were hoping for some cooler breezes and respite from the heat.  Not only did we find our cool breeze, but I think we also found a pool with the best view on the planet. 

 

And you can ask the kids how to correctly pronounce the name of the conservancy with the appropriate clicks....when I try everyone just ends up in a fit of giggles (it means "elephants' corner"). 

Ever wonder what a click language looks like when written?

For our 'outing' we decided we wanted to go and learn about the Himba tribe.  They are easily identified by their red ochre decorated hair and bodies. 

I loved her.
(And what I can only assume is her brother photo bombing)

Curious

Hair decorated with ochre and butterfat 

 

Heads decorated with sheepskin

Finally it was back to Windhoek for our long travels back to Tanzania. I think we did a good combination of camping and lodges which worked out really well for us. Considering how hot it was as they moved into the fall season, I can't even imagine how hot it would be in December, but it was all bearable (yay for pools!). I'd recommend Namibia to anyone without hesitation.  Roads were amazing and clearly marked, the people were friendly, and we had no problem buying supplies along the way.  And the landscapes!  Every turn brought a new amazing vista.  You should go.