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Feel the icy spray of
the cold Atlantic Ocean on your face, while the desert sun warms your back,
or lay your head on a pillow of soft sand with a blanket of stars overhead,
or snuggle up and listen to the powerful roar of lions close by - this is
Namibia!
I was recently
privileged to visit Namibia on a two week holiday. Gabriella and I flew via
Johannesburg to Windhoek with SAA, which I am happy to report were on
schedule and service both on the ground and in the air was impeccable. From
Windhoek we travelled by Intercape Bus to Swakopmund, a 4˝ hour journey.
Mostly uneventful, with expert driving, very good on board service and a
pleasant trip all in all. (Notwithstanding the fact that we were at the Bus
Stop at 05h20!) Swakopmund is where we spent 5 leisure days enjoying the old
colonial charms and all this delightful town has to offer. The feeling of
being in Germany was not strange - the architecture of most of the centre
town is of German design and concept. The delightful coffee shops and many
“backerai” added to one’s confusion: Where am I? Germany? Or Namibia?
In Swakopmund, the
tourist infrastructure is up and running, with many hotels, and
pensions, together with municipal accommodation.
There are
excursions for everyone - quad biking in the desert, dolphin and seal
cruises, scenic flights over the Skeleton Coast, camel and horse safaris
into the desert, tandem sky diving, deep sea fishing, desert golf in
nearby Walvis Bay, or just relaxing and enjoying the peacefulness and
freshness of Swakop.
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We then joined
Chameleon Safaris for a 7 day camping expedition! Travelled from Swakop
to Spitzkoppe - for the most amazing sunset and sunrise, and straight
into Bush Camp! No electricity, no water, no formal campsite, no toilet
- just the bush. And what an experience! The quietness, the incredible
skies, the isolation - was so very much enjoyed. Then off to Abu Huab,
another remote camp site with visits to Bushman’s Paradise and
Twyfelfontein where the Bushman paintings are traced back to 2000 years
ago. A visit to The Burnt Mountains, which resemble a small range of
hills that have been through a really bad fire - but in actuality are
“burnt” from the mineral deposits in the soil. Then off to the Petrified
Forest, where trees have petrified into rock over millions of years -
really hard to believe! Also able to view the ancient Welwitchia Desert
Flower that can live for up to 2000 years. The ones we saw were babies -
only 300 years old!
Then off to Etosha
Game Reserve for 2 nights where we saw many antelope, especially the
graceful oryx aka gemsbok, herds of elephant, giraffe, zebra, springbok
(even lucky to see one “pronking” - a delightful sight), many gnu aka
wildebeest, rhino and a small pride of lions. I had previously been on
safari to Botswana and the game viewed there was “WOW”. |
Our last night was
spent at Waterberg Plateau - a plateau stretching in length of 48 kilometres
and then back to Windhoek.
I was interested to
learn that of the 9 visitors on Safari, Gaby and I were the only 2 South
Africans, and that the others - from Wales, Brazil, Holland, Belgium,
Australia and Slovakia had come just to visit Namibia.
My visit to Namibia is
fondly remembered. The cleanness of Namibia - Windhoek, Outjo, Otjiwarongo,
Swakopmund almost spotless, and a pleasant change from the rubbish dumps
that prevail in our inner cities. The wide open spaces, the total
desolation, the bright starry skies, the incredible sunrises and sunsets,
the warmth of the local people, the tastiest “backerais” south of the
border, the hospitality shared by Chameleon Safaris, and the relaxed and
warm ambience.
Tessa
Hattingh |
