Dolomite Camp,West Etosha,Namibia

Friday 5 March and Saturday 6 March

Lockdown Day 344 and 345

We travelled back to Opuwo from Epupa and then southeast on the C35  to the Galton Gate in the West of Etosha. ( There is a veterinary gate just north of the Galton Gate and no meat can be transported South from here.) Dolomite Camp is an NWR run lodge perched on a rocky hill in West Etosha. ( Camping is available at Olifantsrus) You are transported by a buggy up to the lodge from the car park below. Each unit is perched up on the hill. This makes for quite a lot of walking but the views over the plains are great.

On Saturday we drove out to explore this area of the park. We saw lots of the usual game from elephants to giraffes, springbok, oryx, hartebees, zebra and wildebees. And huge flocks of vultures and Abdim's stork.

Epupa Falls and the Kunene River, Namibia

Wednesday 3 March and Thursday 4 March

Lockdown Day 342 and 343

                   Kunene River

Our journey North on the C43 took us through the Palmwag Consession. We saw quite a lot of springbok and then amazingly about 7 desert giraffe. The river at Khowanib was actually flowing and the landscape got quite green as we progressed into the Kaokaland.

This area in the North West corner of Namibia is home to the nomadic Himba people; one of very few tribes whose lifestyle and culture remains largely unaltered by the modern world. It's popular for foreign visitors to do a Himba tour but I am uncomfortable with these paid-for "cultural experiences". We have been reading a lot about their unique culture instead. We saw many Himba on our journey and in the town of Opuwo. In town we also saw Herero women, who dress in colourful Victorian skirts and headdresses but I didn't try and take any photos.

Epupa Falls is on the Kunene River on the border with Angola. The Umarangu Lodge ( Gondwana Collection ) is a wonderful spot and our bungalow is literally 2 metres from the water. The campsite is awesome too, with 3 riverfront sites.

There hasn't been a lot of rain here like further South, so the falls are still pretty tame.

Birding is good in the area and we saw one of the few endemics, the Rufous-tailed Palmthrush in the lodge garden while enjoying our evening GnTs. On Thursday we took a drive East along the river to Cornie's Camp, another good place to overnight if you are camping. Nice birding here too. We are loving this unique little corner of Africa.

Palmwag, Namibia

Monday 1 March and Tuesday 2 March

Lockdown Day 340 and 341

Driving east away from the coast and into the Palmwag Consession the terrain became more mountainous and a little greener but we didn't see more than a few springbok.

We did see lots of Welwitchia plants. These plants are weirdly adapted to live in the desert and can grow to be 1000 to 2000 years old. The plants are either male or female and are fertilised by flies and bugs.

We checked into the Gondwana Palmwag Lodge and are staying in the "Camping2go" self catering safari tents. The tents are very well designed and well appointed. This place is a little oasis in the vast Northern Damaraland.

On Tuesday afternoon we took drive into the park but we didn't see any game at all. This is where you can usually see the desert elephants as well as lions, black rhino, giraffe and zebra all adapted to living in these harsh conditions. The game has all dispersed since the recent rains though. The roads are very stony and very bumpy so that did put us off trekking too far in search of these elusive species.

The Skeleton Coast Namibia

Monday 1 March

Lockdown Day 340

The infamous and inhospitable Skeleton Coast is so named because of all the shipwrecks along the coastline. The desert meets the ocean for hundreds of kilometres of nothing. We love coastal drives and this one is pretty awesome and unique. It's barren and deserted and often shrouded in sea mist or battered by heavy wind.

North of Henties Bay the first one hundred kilometres is actually through the Dorob National Park.

Contrary to what we expected the salt road was in excellent condition and driving was easy. We passed quite a few fishermen parked along the shore.

Entry to the Skelton Coast NP is free for transit only. From Ugab Gate in the South to Torra Bay is 150kms. It's another 125kms up to Mowe Bay and from there on to the Angolan border the area is restricted.

One vehicle had entered the park ahead of us but we didn't see another vehicle for the whole trip. Neil did casually ask me how much drinking water we have. 12 litres.  And loads of food and wine..

The driving wasn't treacherous at all though. The road is in very good condition and the weather was great. We stopped to look at a wreck or two and at one point we found this eerie, old rusty oil rig; abandoned by 2 unsuccessful prospectors in the 1960s. Are we in a Mad Max movie?

At Torra Bay we took the C39 eastwards to the Springbokwasser Gate and into the Palmwag Consession, but more of this tomorrow.