George & Eli's Namibian Odyssey

Here's the epic tale of a trip around Namibia seen through the eyes of a not-quite first time visitor from Seattle. For those of us who live or have lived in Namibia, it will present an interesting perpective. For those who want to live in Namibia (Jerry) ... keep saving your pennies! Warning - it's a long post ... but interesting reading.


We started our Namibian roadtrip by flying into Windhoek (the Capitol) and picking up our 4x4 Nissan Hardbody and driving about 1 hour outside Windhoek to the Amani Lodge. It was an easy first day of driving giving us a chance to get used to the truck and the gravel roads and the quickly changing landscape. Amani is a nice lodge run by a french man and his shirtless long haired romance novel cover son.

It is also home to a Cheetah rehabilitation center sponsored by the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF). We arrived in time for a late lunch and an afternoon "big cat drive". It was a totally weird Jurassic Park experience. We were loaded into a land rover with a few other folks being driven by a young Namibian version of the guy from the crocodile dundee movies named David and we set out on to the vast property to feed the cheetah, lion and leopard that are living on the property ...either for re-hab or as in the case of the lion and leopard to live out there days in a close approximation of the wild (due to injury or human contact they would not survive in the wild and can not be rehab'd). After cruising down some crazy "roads" we came through several locked gates....and then more locked gates with high fences and there we were in the cheetah's area....I had know idea what to expect...I was looking everywhere for cheetah...and then we came to a clearing and David stops the truck and opens this locked cooler box beside him and pulls out 3 giant steaks....he then proceeds to walk up this big hill with them in his hands....I was expecting he might just throw them on to the hill and jump back in the truck...but no he starts climbing this hill and making "here kitty kitty sounds"...the cheetahs finally come out from hiding and he lures them down the hill towards the truck with these steaks...it was the most insane crazy thing to see....when they finally come close enough he tosses them the steaks one by one...and climbs back in the truck...2 cheetahs took their steaks and got to the business of eating but the 3rd sneered and growled and looked more like he might make us his dinner instead! It was amazing to see and definitely thrilling....but the best part is knowing that these cheetah will be re introduced in the wild in only 5 months...thanks to the CCF Namibia has the largest free roaming cheetah population in the world.

With our hearts pumping we went on to watch the lions and leopards eat.....which you do from far away on big fenced in platforms. We returned to the lodge just in time for some sparkling wine and our first Namibian sunset....which is truly something to behold....you watch as this giant red....(because of all the dust) ball of fire slowly drops below the horizon....it seems like time almost stops....Whew...that was day 1.

The next day we hit the road in earnest driving about 5 hours south on gravel and dirt roads towards the Namib-Naukluft Park and the great dunes of Sossusvlei. It felt like a long way to travel as we were not yet used to driving on those types of roads..but watching the senery change from the low sparse mountains to the very sparse scrub of the Namib dessert was cool....( the most quoted person on our trip has been Will Ameden...we both have said "aww cool" at least 10 times a day)....the other wild thing about driving in Namibia is that you feel like you are the only people here...and this is the high tourist season....you can drive for hours without seeing another vehicle or any signs of human life...at first it is a little errie...but then your mind starts to open up...and you begin to see the dessert...full of a whole new range of soft sun faded colors of green and lavender and orange and of course brown and red. Our day of driving was very exciting..especially when I took the wheel for the first time...first big truck...first gravel/dirt roads....first left hand side....I took to it quickly and I think after a couple hours George started to relax....When we arrived at our destination Le Mirage....it was foggy and crazy windy and I felt like we were truly at the edge of the earth....George took a nap and I went for my first ever massage in Africa....I can't say it was good...or bad really....but it was definitely not relaxing....I believe the bones of my feet were totally re-arranged.....I was a cross between a massage and a procedure....When I came back in the room after what we now refer to as my afro-seugere. By now it was becoming clear that Namibia is like no place else on earth...We went to bed excited because in the morning we were supposed to take a hot air balloon ride over the desert. We woke early and headed out in the dark towards the balloon... but we were turned around because the winds were too high... It was a strange morning in the desert. It felt wet and cold and windy nad the visibility was very low.. It felt a little like the Washington Coast without the ocean. We recovered quickly from our disappointment and packed up and headed toward the park entrance in Sesriem... we decided to drive to the closest dune and have a look around. It was about 50 minutes in the car before we arrived at Elim dune... there were no other people around... we got out of the truck and looked across the desert and saw our first oryx... a big antelope that is grey in color with beautiful long horns... we set out on our trek up the dune... it looked like maybe a 20 minute walk to the top (this dune made Sandy Neck look like an ant hill). The first 100 feet were the hardest... straight up in sand... at some points I had to crawl to make any traction... It was an exhausting hard climb that took about 1 1/2 hours... but it was incredible to be up there along together. It had started to rain a little and the sand was damp and cool... we took pictures of sand bugs and marveled at our progress. The climb up was great and the view was terrific even with the fog, but coming down was a blast... I tried to slide (George has video) but my clothes were not slippery enough! I felt like I was 12 years old... It was a great great morning... by the time we had reached the car the sun was starting to come out... and the sky was clearing and suddenly all around us were these giant red dunes that we didn't know were there... suddenly this veil of fog was lifted and the desert was at our feet... feeling totally exhilarated we drove to the next night's lodging... the Kulala Lodge... we loved it here.

We stayed in this tented chalet nestled at the feet of the dunes. We had a great porch for viewing the sunset and a roof to climb on for seeing the starts... best of all we would be here for 2 nights!We spent the afternoon playing cribbage and relaxing before our next days journey deeper into the dunes. We set out before sunrise with a guide from the lodge... Kulala has its own entrance to the park which makes it easy to get in early when the light is magic... after only a few minutes we were in the middle of the biggest reddest dunes in the world... It seemed unreal... like a fantasy of what the desert would like like. We stopped and took pictures of the dunes at sunrise... have I mentioned that Namibia is the quietest place I have ever been... remarkable silence... almost scary at first... I had begun to understand the comparisons to the moon... it is so totally otherworldly that you feel like you could not possibly be on the same planet.

When we arrived at dune 45... the most famous dune and one that people are allowed to climb... it was bizarre. It was crawling with people... I could not figure out where they had come from... it was a bit jarring but it didn't detract from the experience... I climbed to the top of dune 45... along the spine and then ran down the side... it was thrilling... George stayed down below and took some great pictures.Our guide Aloysius took us further in to see Dead Vlei and Sossusvlei... areas that millions of years ago had water but now are fields of dead trees (total moon feeling). In the afternoon we went to Sesriem Candyon... the day ended with a spectacular treat... we stopped on the way back for "sundowners"... which are cocktails by your truck while the sun sets... and we watched the sun set and the full moon rise at the same time... the moon was bright and full which made it hard to see the stars of the Southern sky... but certainly worth the once in a lifetime chance to see the red sun go down as the pink moon rises... I had the best night's sleep I've had in years that night... Kulala Lodge is great... because it gets so cold at night and there is no heat... they put hot water bottles in your bed! One of the great traditions I hope to bring home... (also note to Meg... thanks for suggesting we bring hats and gloves... they were essential to enjoying the desert at night)

We got an early start the next day as we had our longest drive ahead of us... we were driving through the desert to the Atlantic coast and straight north to the Skeleton Coast... it was incredible to watch the landscape change again from sparse to desolate... The NY Times is right, Namibia is filled with a "terrible beauty". The drive was about 8 hours on gravel and salt roads. George and I split the driving and decided to mostly listen to whole albums along the way... I think I will look back on this driving day as one of my all time favorite days... just sitting with George in the truck driving through explosive nothingness listening to great music and watching the world strip itself away to just flat salt pans and massive sand dunes and pounding seas... remarkable.

Arriving at the Cape Cross Lodge was bizarre... you drive and drive and it seems less and less likely that anything or anyone could possibly be at the end of the road... and suddenly right at the door step of the Atlantic next to the world's largest fur seal colony is a little hotel... It was a haunting respite... we relaxed a little before heading down to dinner... This part of Namibia defines the word desolate... I'm so glad we experienced this kind of emptiness... but it definitely left us both a little unsettled on that first night... It felt very possible we were about to be in a seaside version of "The Shining".We relaxed into it the next day... and after a very leisurely morning we set out exploring on our own... we looked for crystals and lichen and salt and just walked around on the flat unending sands along the coast... we ended our day with a trip to the seal colony... more seals than you could believe exist... the sound and the smell were a little much for me... George enjoyed that bit a little more than me. The warm breezy air of the coast provided some nice relief from the battering wind and sand of the desert... it was a nice relaxing few nights before we headed inland... toward the animals.

Our next stop was Damaraland... specifically Twyfelfontein, home of the desert-adapted elephant. We left Cape Cross early so we would make it in time to take an afternoon drive with a guide to go searching for the elephants... it was an interesting 4-5 hour drive away from the flat unending coast back inland to the low mountains and canyons of Damaraland... Namibia's population is only about 2 million and the country is twice the size of California, but much of the environment is difficult to live in. Most of the population is in the north near the Angloa border... Damaraland is still far from there but you begin to see more very small villages and signs of human life as you enter it. The Twyfelfontein Country Lodge was by far the largest place we stayed... we spent the night with busloads of tourists who like it when the staff sing their "tribal songs"... deifinitely a strange dinner... but our drive to see the elephants was incredible. We found them near the Huab river (which like all the other Namibian rivers we saw was dry and dusty). These elephants were so beautiful and graceful and our guide Sigi had much to teach us about the flora...George and I both were getting excited to hear further north to Etosha National park where we would spend our last 3 nights before returning the car.
It was another 4 1/2 hour drive to Etosha... we loved the drive again moving from sparse to less sparse into more savannah type lands with acacia and mopane trees. We arrived at our lodge for the next 2 nights... the Epacha Lodge and thought we had landed in heaven... it was beautiful... with a lovely pool and spa and our room felt like a palace... we decided to spend the afternoon relaxing... I got a pedicure and George an afro-seugere... then great showers... and a nap... and when we wok up... our room... walls, floor, ceiling were literally covered with these little green bugs called stink bugs... I discovered them when I stepped on the floor and killed about 20. It was crazy! So much for honeymoon heaven and first impressions.

The bug problem only got worse at dinner when they were climbing all over the table, on the plates, up your chair, it really got wild when they started falling from the ceiling onto my head and into my soup... at that point you have to laugh and order another drink (George comments: actually, what she said was "OK, we need to get the %!*# out of here")... it was an adventure of a totally different kind clearing the bed of stink bugs before going to sleep.The next day we drove into the park with a guide from the Lodge... it was incredible to see the variety of game across the saltpans of the park but our guide was more of a driver... he didn't share so much knowledge and we were in a truck with 2 Italian families with you kids for 9 hours... it was great to get an introduction to the park and the elephants and giraffe and the many different antelope were amazing but the drive back to the lodge with the punishing wind and dust was hard not to mention darkness was coming which meant another night of stink bug city... ahh, so romantic.We were happy to leave Epacha behind... not only because of the bugs, but the management was utterly unhelpful and rude. We drove back to Etosha in our truck the next day... and had a great morning just sitting at one of the waterholes watching the animals come and go. It was a great combination of peaceful and exciting...

We would spend our last night closer to the park at the Ongava Game Reserve... this place was incredible... no stink bugs! instead we went on a guided drive in the afternoon through the reserve with Abner... this had the same excitement and adrenaline that I remembered from Botswana. We were in the truck with 4 other people... very nice... and driving through the mopane forest... my first glimpses of the giraffe took my breath away... not long into our drive we came across three lions and I thought my heart would stop... I started weeping... they were so beautiful and powerful and awe inspiring... we sat watching them for a long time - and when the last one stood up to leave... we saw that he was terribly thin... his leg was broken and he hadn't been able to hunt... our guide felt that he probably would not last longer than another week... it was heartbreaking.After leaving the lions just before dark we came across three white rhino... they are definitely the strangest most beautifully bizarre animal I have ever seen... It was the perfect last day... made even more so by the great bottle of wine we had at dinner (we brought from South Africa) and getting to see a rare black rhino mother and baby at the waterhole while we were eating dinner... our night ended back at our room and from our deck we saw a lone giraffe bending down to take a drink at the waterhole in the moonlight!The next day we had another short drive with Abner on the reserve and then we left for the drive back to Windhoek... another 5 hours but this time all on tar.

We drove well over 1000 miles in all and saw some of the strangest most beautiful places we'll ever be lucky enough to see...