Southern Namibia (Windhoek-Sesriem/ Sossusvlei-Klein Aus-Luderitz-Keetmanshoop-Windhoek)

We entered Namibia through the Mamuno border post easily and quickly, and after organising sim cards and data we headed straight to Windhoek. We stayed at the Elisenheim Guestfarm on one of their campsites. I immediately felt like I had been transported back to Germany. Seriously, there’s even a German radio station! We stayed there for a few nights and got the chance to double check for water tank leaks and got an extra set of shocks as back-up.

Sesriem and Sossusvlei: After a scenic drive,we arrived at a lovely camp called “Sossus on foot”, run by a couple who are very knowledgeable of the area and were very interesting to talk to. There was a small pool, which Gemma made her mission of the day to get into, although the water was pretty chilly. At night we heard the Zebras gallop to the watering hole that has been provided.

One of my luxuries that I allowed myself on this trip, was taking a ceramic coffee cup with. It just tastes better than out of a tin cup, but the baboons at Elisenheim knocked my cup over and it broke (it lasted 6 months), so here I found one in the curio shop yay!!! I won’t mention that I also have an actual wine GLASS 😉

We only stayed at Sossus on Foot for one night and stopped in Solitaire the next day to fill up and check out the deserted cars. We had a snack at the Solitaire bakery and then headed to Weltevrede farm, which we used as our base to do day trips to Sossusvlei and Deadvlei.

We walked up dune 45, which was quite cold at 8:30am but we were nicely warmed up by the time we got down! We decided to give the “Big Daddy” dune a miss though! It’s crazy high! Deadvlei was interesting with the ancient dead trees, which are somehow still standing in what is now a dried out pan. I enjoyed taking photos here, because the textures and colours were so interesting.

Klein Aus and Luderitz: We left Sesriem and headed to Klein Aus Vista Camp via the very corrugated C27. Top tip: If you have a baby for example that has a wind stuck, just drive along this road with it! 😉

Klein Aus is an area known for wild horses from generations ago. One of the theories is that some of the WW1 horses were released and started their own wild herd here. The exact census of the herd is unknown as it differs often with the older ones dying and new ones joining or even through humans taking the horses for themselves. The word “Aus” means “Snake Fountain”, which was the last reliable water source the nomads used before heading into the desert. We stayed at Klein Aus Vista for 3 nights which gave us opportunity to also go exploring Luderitz which is 100 Kms away.

Luderitz is a very old town, with a fully functioning harbour, a German school, shops and vehicle repair places and of course the Ghost town at Kolmannskop diamond area. We went on a guided tour here which happen at 9am and 11am. It was really interesting to hear about the history and of the diamond discovery. Kolmannskop was later abandoned because the diamond mining at Oranjemund was more lucrative, and once family accommodation was set up, the women and children joined their husbands and fathers at Oranjemund and left Kolmannskop as is, only taking what they could carry.

Looking down the long passage of the abandoned hospital felt quite creepy I will admit. The signs on the houses indicate who lived where, all written in German, like “Lehrer” was the teachers house and “Arzt” where the doctor lived.

 

Mesosaurus Fossil Camp: Is situated past Keetmanshoop and is a geologists dream I imagine! We went here after leaving Klein Aus and were greeted warmly by Hendrik and his family. We went on a fossil tour with the owner “Giel” that afternoon near a quiver tree forest on the farm. We were told about and shown the 300 million year old fossils from the Mesosauric era that are still clearly imprinted in the shale stones today. It was also explained how the dolomite rocks are formed in such a way that it looks like they had been placed like that deliberately. In fact it was magma that had cooled over many years over and over again. The Quiver trees are also very interesting as they need very little water, and seem to grow out of the rocks. When the seeds fall, they land between the rocks which protect them from the wind and almost act as a water storage for the seeds to use and grow from. The trees have hollow fiber inside, which the bushmen cleared out to make a tube of the branches to use as quivers for their spears and sticks. That’s how the Quiver trees got their name!

We had a wonderful time here and learnt so much! It’s definitely a recommendation. We had to head back to Windhoek, where we stayed with the lovely Xenia who made us feel so welcome and at home. Next up is northern Namibia, so looking forward to some more adventure!