North to Namibia
After leaving Gecko Creek Lodge (Cederberg Wilderness Area), we took the N7 and headed north to Namibia. After a brief stop to fill up with gas in the scenic town of Springbok, we continued through the Northern Cape’s rugged and desolate landscape until we reached the border about 4 ½ hours later. Luckily, I was able to pick up a CD in Clanwilliam – AC DC’s Black Ice (I should know all the lyrics by now!) and it sure helped with this long stretch as we cruised along at 120 km/hr (the speed limit!).
We had no problems going through customs and actually found the agents, especially on the Namibian side, quite friendly. We took note of the Nomad overland truck tour that was also present, filled with about 12 excited tourists ready to begin their African adventure. Fred and I had contemplated taking this same overland tour, however, decided against being locked into a rigid schedule and possibly potential aggravating fellow travellers.
Once over the border, we drove to Felix Unite in hopes of spending a night in a cabana overlooking the Orange River. Upon arrival, we were advised they were full, but recommended the relatively new Noordoewer Guesthouse B & B back 9 km at the junction from where we had just come. Luckily, they had a spacious room with private bath and air-con, delicious breakfast and a cold beer ($50/night). After settling in, we drove back to Felix Unite to book a ½ day canoe trip for the next morning, as well as to have dinner there. Not surprisingly, the Nomad group were there setting up their tents. We enjoyed our South African red wine ($4/bottle that we had brought with us) while overlooking the Orange River at sunset. The colours of the sky were fantastic and that was the first “double rainbow” I had ever seen.
After having one of the best sleeps of my life, we woke up early (6 a.m.) to get ready for our canoe trip. We ended up canoeing with the same Nomad group for 3 hours down the Orange River. The river’s source is 2250 km away in Lesotho. We saw the great Goliath Heron, some Reed Cormorants, Malachite Kingfishers, and several thrushes, flycatchers, sparrows, and finches (among many others that I am unable to identify). The paddling was easy (Grade 2 or 2.5) but after 3 hours, we were ready to stand up on land. Fortunately, it was a cloudy morning so the temperature was bearable.
We hopped back into the car and headed northwest to our next destination about 3 hours away – the Ai-Ais (Nama for “scalding hot”) hot springs (60 degrees C). Just as I was looking forward to a theraputic soak, a couple of fellow motorists flagged us down just a few kilometres before the entrance and advised us that Ai-Ais was closed. Subsequently, we had to change our plans and accommodation for the evening and after a quick reference to the guide book, found ourselves at Canon Village. This was our biggest budget-buster yet at $140/night but the room, refreshing pool, and gourmet dinner did not disappoint. Once again, we enjoyed a spectacular sunset over the rocky canyon with another double rainbow ( it hadn’t rained where we were). As the sun was setting, crawling quickly on the sand towards us, was the Buthidae Scorpion – dangerously venomous. This was my first siting ever of a scorpion so I quickly activated the telephoto and snapped a photo of it – just before it scurried under our table, narrowly missing Fred’s big toe.
The next morning, we drove to Fish River Canyon which measures 160 km in length and up to 27 km in width, with a depth which reaches 550m. Although there is an extensive network of hikes, it is not allowed during the summer season due to extreme heat and flash floods. So we were only able to admire it from above – maybe next time we will partake in the 5 day, 85 km, mule-assisted hike. This is the second largest canyon in the world – the Grand Canyon in Arizona being the largest.
We left the canyon and continued north along a dirt road before reaching the tar road to turn west to a tiny town called Aus. Our destination is the Klein-Aus Lodge (deluxe room $100) where we plan to go out to see the Wild Horses of the Namib desert. It took some convincing on my part to get Fred to agree to drive to this area to see the feral horses (“I didn’t come all the way to Africa to see horses 🙁 “
Fast Facts about Namibia: (taken from the Lonely Planet: Southern Africa 2007 edition)
– a predominantly arid country and has some of the world’s grandest national parks
– it is the geographical size of Texas
– the Namib Desert is one of the oldest and driest deserts in the world
– population is about 1.83 million
– 1 litre of gas US $0.70
– leading cause of death since 1996 is AIDS
– in 2003, it was estimated that about 21% of the population were HIV positive and by 2021, it is estimated that up to a third of Namibia’s children under the age of 15 could be orphaned
life expectancy has dropped to 54 years of age, however, some other sources report as low as 46
– has one of Africa’s lowest population densities at 2 people per square km
Until next time,
Lisa n Fred
Tags: Travel
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