A great side trip and short hike down Sesriem Canyon.
SESRIEM CANYON - SOSSUSVLEI - A NAMIBIA ROAD TRIP - (www.AfricanSafaris.travel)
This is a series of highlights from our recent road trip in Namibia.
The Itinerary:
Windhoek - House on Olof Palme
Namib Desert - Sossusvlei - Le Mirage Desert Lodge
Swakopmund/Walvis Bay - Swakopmund Luxury Suites
Damaraland - Damaraland Camp
Etosha National Park - Onguma The Fort
Namibia has been called the Land God Made in Anger, it is vast and wild...few countries in Africa can match Namibia's sheer natural beauty. Louis and I have been there many times and we continue to return, it is still one of our favourite safari destinations. This trip was a road trip. A way to maximise your time in Namibia is to take a plane for some of the long distances. Plenty of visitors opt for a combination of flying and driving to pack in as much as possible if you don’t have the kind of time we had... But have to say there is something special about a road trip! We had fun, easy going travelling companions and that does make all the difference!
Another thing that we think is very special about Namibia it is the first country in the world to enshrine environmental protection in its national constitution, ensuring that roughly 40 percent of the territory is designated for conservation.
We started out in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. Had a great time at the lively Joe’s Beer House with the wonderful owners of House on Olof Palme.
We headed out in the morning to Sossusvlei, the giant red sand dunes, rising from the arid salt pans, are an amazing sight. We also had a couple of nice side trips to the Seriem Canyon and Solitaire...which had it’s own kind of funky charm!
We stayed at the Mirage Desert Lodge which we really enjoyed. We all agreed that was some of the best food on the trip, the dining room had lots of ambience and the stay was really fantastic!
Swakopmund, known as Swakop in Namibia is the country's biggest coastal town and a resort for Namibians on holiday. The city's German origins are quite pronounced in beautiful old German colonial buildings throughout the city, making an even starker contrast for this town sitting at the edge of the Namib Desert. Swakopmund is like a German North Sea town with an African flair.
Swakopmund isn’t boring. In fact it’s Namibia’s most popular holiday destination, and there are myriad attractions for enjoying the great climate including surfing, fishing, lolling around on the beach and finding ways to terrify yourself – it’s the adventure sports capital of Namibia. We stayed at Swakopmund Luxury Suites Bed/Breakfast in the town centre, it was an ideal base from which to explore this delightful town and a couple of blocks from the beach. Restaurants and cafés abound and there are galleries, museums and craft markets to explore. We stayed pretty low-key wandering the streets and listening to music and the dramatic waves of the sea. The restaurant at the end of the pier was wonderful as was the music at the entrance of the pier! And the beach kitchen in a giant tent at sunset was a great place to end our stay.
A more adventurous drive was includes, in the north-west, the bleakly beautiful, fog-bound Skeleton Coast, and the mountainous desert scapes of Damaraland. This area boasts magnificent desert scenery, fascinating geological formations, archaeological sites and a unique variety of desert fauna and flora. We climbed among the fabulous Twyfelfontein rock engravings. And we were lucky in our fortune to see the famous Desert elephants. They are adapted to living under the particular conditions of the desert. They routinely move great distances between feeding grounds and the scattered waterholes where they drink during the dry season.
Etosha National Park is really unique in Africa. The park’s salt pan so large it can be seen from space. Abundant wildlife that congregates around the waterholes, giving you incredible game sightings like the rhinoceros, lion, elephant and large numbers of antelope. Must see, must do! Have to say Onguma – The Fort was a beyond fabulous stay in every way!
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