Welcome back to my grand Namibian adventure, where Roxane and I, having left Solitaire are about to drive the 230km across the Namib Desert and on to the coastal town of Swakopmund.

Swakopmund

The journey was in itself, I’m pleased to say, uneventful but as usual the Namibian scenery did not disappoint – I just wished that I’d paid more attention in my geology classes, as some of the rock formations we passed were just incredible.

The drive took just under four hours during which time we probably only saw half a dozen other vehicles, except for the last few miles as we approached, with great excitement ‘the satnav roundabout’ on the edge of the Atlantic port town of Walvis Bay. More on Walvis Bay later but the final run in to Swakopmund, and our accommodation for the next two nights, was serenely well tarmacked running the coastal dune belt.

Swakopmund is in many ways an odd town with strong Germanic influences mixed with British, South African and local tribal cultures. Although it is foremost a great little coastal town and the adventure playground of Namibia. Whether you want a spot of sea fishing, ATV (all-terrain vehicle) riding in the dunes, sand boarding or parachuting, Swakopmund offers them all and far more besides. And of course ............. golf. More later.

We’d opted for a small modern 4 star hotel right on the seafront and were not disappointed as we pulled up outside The Strand Hotel.

We checked in and wandered down to the terrace to grab a beer, an ice cold Windhoek Light, brewed locally to an age-old German tradition, and just the right beverage to have in hand watching the world go by.

That night we’d booked a table a short walk down the beach at The Tug, which serves excellent freshly landed seafood in what has surely to be a unique venue; a beached converted tug boat (who’d have guessed from the name!). We ate in what was the wheelhouse and the cuisine was delicious and the Cape chardonnay balanced the meal beautifully; the service though was a little too effusive. We slept well that night.

We had decided in advance to have every other day as a ‘no car’ day and had arranged to be collected by a private guide and taken down to Walvis Bay, Namibia’s main port, for a lagoon cruise on a large catamaran. The guide turned out to be an inspired call as after a welcoming coffee, the Windhoek Lights were broken out. The cruise (from what I can remember!) took us out into the heart of the lagoon, almost to where it meets the Atlantic, to where the famous rope grown oysters are cultivated, with interjections in the form of ‘stare out’ contests with a pelican that landed on the boat (it lost) and a huge cape fur seal who jumped on board (it won). It was a great way to spend a morning with some Namibian marine life and capped off by raw and cooked oysters – and South African fizz – on the way back to the dock.

That afternoon whilst Roxane rested, I hopped into a cab to visit Rossmund Golf Resort & Lodge, just a 15-minute drive from our hotel. The Par 72, 6,000-yard course is one of only five all-grass (tee to green) desert courses in the world and although I did not play the course, it certainly looked like it had some challenging holes. To play an 18 hole round here including club hire, warm up balls and a buggy costs just £65 – less if you stay at their on-site lodge - an absolute bargain.

Swakopmund to Damaraland

The next morning we headed north towards the Skeleton Coast, named after the bones of whales and ship wrecks that litter the shoreline, and within a few miles the reason for the shipwrecks became clear, or rather opaque as we hit one of the famed Namibian coastal fogs caused when the cold Benguella Current hits the hot desert. Since the road that heads north is made of salt and demanding to drive on when damp, we headed inland towards the remote town of Uis and within a few miles the fog cleared totally and the heat haze of the desert returned.

Then a moment of pure wildlife magic; something you usually see in an Attenborough documentary. Out of the haze we caught sight of movement, at first indistinctive, but then we could make out four heads and then necks and then, as if on a mission, four jogging ostriches appeared. They crossed diagonally just in front of our car before heading back into the haze, quickly vanishing as totally as they had appeared. Surreal.

In the distance the Brandberg Mountain, the second largest monolith in the world after Uluru (Ayer’s Rock), came into view and was our point of reference for the next two hours, with it’s sheer size (30 kms long and rising 2,000 metres) becoming ever most impressive. We rounded the eastern side of the mountain heading into the heart of Damaraland to our next lodge, Damaraland Camp.

Leaving the road and parking up at the RV point was a relief from the shale roads but the track down to the camp is best done in a proper 4x4, so the locals called the lodge and after an impromptu kick-about with the local children, our Land Rover appeared.

*Damaraland Camp - image courtesy of Wilderness Safaris*

I’d been to Damaraland Camp before a decade or so before, but I’d forgotten its incredible distant views over the valley of the Huab River. Our accommodation, vastly updated since my last visit, was spacious, wooden framed, en-suite and covered in sand coloured canvas to blend into its surroundings. The communal pool was pleasantly cool, the Windhoek Light crisp and welcomed. One thing that had not changed were the friendliness of the staff as Wilderness Safaris, who manage the camp, partner with local Torra communities, drawing and training their staff from the locals – and they are superb.

The main reason for visiting Damaraland was for its special wildlife, all of whom have adapted over the millennia to survive the harsh drought conditions in this part of Namibia until the rains, such as they are, return. We took a game drive into the then dry Huab River valley and spent a morning up close and personal with desert-adapted elephants, kudu, giraffes and Hartmann’s mountain zebra.

Our two days at Damaraland were relaxing and filled with laughter – we were sad to leave.

Serra Cafema

Our next destination was a little gem called Serra Cafema, the remotest camp in Namibia on the border with Angola; just a crisply struck 8 iron away.

We drove the short distance to a lodge called Doro Nawas, where we left the car and checked-in for the 1¼ hour light aircraft flight north. The lodge’s airstrip acts as the northern hub for Wilderness Air and serves their lodges in northern Namibia including those on the edge of the Etosha National Park; the premier game reserve in the country.

*Doro Nawas Camp - image courtesy of Wilderness Safaris*

I’ll take up the story next time as we arrive into the Hartmann Valley.

Namibia - part 2 - a harsh yet beautiful wilderness

Namibia – a harsh yet beautiful wilderness

Namibia - part 3 - a harsh yet beautiful wilderness