Solitaire Country Lodges Namib-Naukluft Park

... clear blue Namibian sky.

We stop for a spontaneous picnic lunch. This appears to be a highlight as the group leaps into action with increased efficiency. It’s like recess at elementary school except for using the trees and bushes for latrine purposes (or many not in some cases).

We arrive at the Nubib Nature Camp just after 4 PM. It’s a family owned business which has resided in the family since the 1800s. The camp itself is 8 ...

... shopping spree!). Off to bed in our fluffy duvet!

We have arrived in HEAVEN!

Itinerary:
This morning after your breakfast you are collected by your representative of Ultimate Safaris to the Eros Airport. Where you board your scheduled light aircraft and take to the air. You fly in a south-westerly direction, over Namibia's great escarpment, and land at the Sossusvlei (Mountain) Desert Lodge air strip. Here you are met by a ...

... It was really pretty and we were able to get some really great photos of it. Afterwards, we walked down the dune [well...I walked and Rocko ran down the side of the dune :)] where we had breakfast waiting for us. It was great to come back to a warm meal. After breakfast we headed deeper into the park and took a nature walk across the saltpans and flat valley floors amidst the dunes. We stopped at the tree where Jennifer ...

... beautiful. We then came done the dune and headed to our meeting point to meet "The BushMan" He was this crazy man whos father was a tracker in the army and who also spent a good part of his life with the wild bush men of the Namibian deserts and the Bushman was trained by his father. He was fantastic. He would stop at a certain point and show you what some animal tracks were and as ...

... skills they would have learnt from their parents. Their future is in doubt due to this, as you have to question the priority of reading and writing skills in their society. It was a really long drive to Keetmanshoop and the highlight was a stop for ice-cream. Everyone was so hot,tired and dusty we had a mini mutiny and wouldn't get back on to the truck until we had eaten our ice creams in the shade and had a drink! Ummmm!

... a few feet of his site, following the road through the camp. Suddenly it came abreast of where the three of us were camped, seemed to pause for a moment, and then made a beeline for my tent. It passed within inches of Meg and Liz's tent and then jumped on mine like a fat kid on cake. My tent, with my 30 kilogram backpack and various other items and pegged down, launched up into the air into the tornado's vortex. It then proceeded to roll end over end for ...

... yellow mountains that pop straight out of the desert. The next day we took a day crossing the mountains' rivers and valleys, cooling off in crystal clear rock pools, following zebra trails, and making our up 1000 meters to the top where we had a picnic looking out over the beautiful scenery. The following day, after a quick morning swim, we made our way to the famous Namibian dunes. Words cannot do the place justice, so here are the photos ...

... then the road turns to the normal sandy one. Our next stop was 'Dune 45' probably the most photographed dune as it is so photogenic. The colour of the dunes is remarkable and caused by the iron in the sand that has been oxidised over time. The dunes themselves are incredibly old and incredibly high - supposedly the highest in the world. To miss these on a trip to Namibia would be a crime indeed as they are a spectacular sight to behold. The colours are ...

... hours and then slowly made our way back out of the park as truck after truck of tourists passed us giving us pittied looks from their 4x4 comfort. Back at our campsite we decided to go swimming. Unlike the air, the water was freezing. I jumped in, and promptly climbed back out. Laughing at me was a lady from Seattle. We got to talking. She is city council member in a town that is trying desperately to keep Wal-Mart out. She had a very interesting story and was kind ...

... hours away and storm clouds were fast approaching. We knew that as soon as it started to rain we would be stuck once again. The washed out bridge had miraculously be fixed in the day. We punched our fists in the air in elation knowing that the worst was over. And then we hit the bad patch. It must have rained while we were at the dunes because the ...