s/v Nine of Cups Namibia

February 2007

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Republic of Namibia Capital Cities:   Windhoek Land area:          382, 261 sq miles...about 1/2 Alaska Population:         ~2.04 million Language:           English, but German, Afrikaans and native languages spoken Currency:           Namibian dollar  (~N$7 = $1 US) Highest Point:     Konigstein, 2,606M Government:       Parliamentary republic headed by a President Political Units:   13 Regions Chief products:    Copper, diamonds, uranium, lead, zinc Previously known as German Southwest Africa, Namibia only became independent from South Africa in 1990. It is the first country ever to incorporate environmental protection into its Constitution.

We originally planned to sail to Namibia and then we ran out of time...as usual, but didn't want to miss the opportunity to visit this interesting country of deserts ...Kalihari on one side and the Namib Desert on the other. So we rented a car and drove from Cape Town with the primary intent of seeing Etosha National Park, the finest in Namibia and one of the best in South Africa. It was an 1,800+ km drive but we weren't disappointed for our efforts. We had the opportunity to spend 4 days in the park and slept in park rest camps (very comfortable and very affordable) each night affording us the chance to view floodlit waterholes during the night. Though it was considered the off-season for animal viewing, it was prime season for the birds. We were delighted with what we did see and experience. We saw something new each day on the many gravel road trails throughout the park.  We couldn't drive a kilometer down the road without seeing animals...sometimes in great numbers...herds of springboks and zebras. It was fantastic!

We saw lions every day, but this encounter on the second day was the most exciting. This male was lying on the side of the road under a tree about 10 feet away from us.

We were thrilled to see our first giraffes in the wild and there were lots of them. They crossed in front of us, behind us and munched on trees beside us. It was a thrill watching their long necks and heads peek out from between and above trees.

The birdlife was most impressive. We purchased a park map which offered a good identification guide to animals and birds and we used it constantly. Above, a colorful European bee eater.

There were several very large birds in residence including the Kori bustard above.

We saw lots of raptors including the kestrel (above) and                                                       Black Shouldered Kite several eagles.

Blue wildebeest and calves

We saw literally thousands of springboks.

We would typically head out of the camp at sunrise when the gates opened since it seemed the best time for game viewing. Once it got hot in the afternoon, the animals hunted for shade and we headed back to the camp for rest. We had breakfast with zebras one morning as they gathered in great numbers at a waterhole. We sipped our tea, ate our yogurt and just watched them for an hour as they socialized with each other. What an unforgettable experience. We find ourselves humming "Whim a way" quite often. As we write this update, we are still in Namibia at a hotel with Wi-Fi, no less. We have still to see the great dunes at Sossuslvei in the Namib Desert, but will probably be back aboard Cups within the week in hopes of heading back to sea by mid-February. We'll update further when we arrive in the States sometime in May/June timeframe.

Well, it took awhile, but we finally managed to finish the photo-journal of our trip to Namibia. (October instead of May/June, but who's counting!)  We regretfully left Etosha and headed west towards the inhospitable Skeleton Coast, infamous graveyard of ships. It was named "skeleton", we're told, because if you managed to survive the wreck and made it to land, you would probably die of exposure in the desert or be eaten by the local animal population. There are few stops along the coast and the gravel road seemed to stretch forever. Even today, wrecks are not uncommon as evidenced by the ship below which had gone aground just months before and was left to break up.

Down the coast to Swakopmund, simply "Swakop" to the locals. A mix of German and bohemian, the city, though lovely,  smacked heavily of tourism and Euro influence. We wandered a bit, stayed a night and moved on.

Above, view of the beachfront in Swakop. To the left, cormorants line the beach drying their wings.

We drove the coast road to Walvis Bay (right). Lined with palm trees, it was beautiful, but the constantly blowing sand reminded us that the Namib Desert was always in contest with the ocean. The Walvis Yacht Club (below) was small, but most friendly. Made us wish we had brought the boat...maybe next time?

Walvis Bay was more to our liking. Though still a bit touristy, it was smaller and less hectic than Swakop. We stayed a couple of days and enjoyed walks along the beach and a hotel with A/C and wi-fi...absolute luxury! Walvis is also a large salt harvesting facility. Some areas appeared to be ice packed with snow and others gleamed like the mirror surface of a skating pond. Watching bulldozers plow the salt into large rows for harvesting and later into 30-meter high mountains was fascinating.

The salt marshes were part of a large bird conservation area and we happily identified avocets (above) and white flamingos (right) midst the usual shore birds including ducks and sanderlings.

Stretching 1200 miles and averaging only about 70 miles wide, the Namib Desert is home to the tallest sand dunes in the world... obviously a must-see. In the Nama languague, Namib means "vast" and this proverbial dune sea lived up to expectation. The Namib-Naukluft National Park (50,000 sq km) is the largest conservation area in Namibia and one of the largest in the world.

We were fascinated by the herds of gemsbok (above) and springbok which managed to survive in this dry, harsh climate.

Dune 45, so named because it is located 45 km from the entrance is an easier climb than most. But trying to climb a mountain of soft sand, the wind howling, taking one step, sinking in, sliding back two, proved to be a challenge nonetheless. I had grit and sand in my camera for days after.

David climbing Dune 45...Marcie lagging behind with camera.

Though sparse, some vegetation like the naramelon blossoming above, manages to survive.

The orange sand dunes of Sossuvlei are the highest in the world at 300M.

The unusual quiver tree above is so-named because the indigenous people used the branches as quivers for their arrows.

It was time to head back to South Africa and we knew it, but there was still so much to see. We stopped for a day at the Hardap Dam Reserve not too far out of the way. This dam, the largest in Namibia, retains the largest lake in the country and is surrounded by a game park.

Wildlife and birds were plentiful although we never did get to see the elusive rhinos that supposedly roam the park. Above a springbok with baby.

There were hundreds of Maribou storks near the shore of the lake. We also saw osprey, sacred ibis and grey herons.

Finally, we couldn't put off the inevitable. It was time to return to South Africa. "Cups" was waiting for us and so was Jelly (some cruiser friends were cat-sitting). As usual, we could have toured about for months instead of a mere three weeks and as we recounted all we had seen, we also noted what we had missed. Sounds like an opportunity for a return visit.

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