The first part of our travel report can be found under 'Namibia's South'.
Sossusvlei
After hiking through the dunes and driving through sandy terrain, we briefly stopped at the Sesriem Canyon and explored the gorge at the entrance of Sossusvlei.
Sesriem Canyon
We continued our drive to the hotel 'Rostock Ritz Desert Lodge', where we were greeted by German hosts. We also found out that the majority of our hotel reservations had been accidentally canceled by another travel company, so we had to move into the 'Honey Moon Suite' because no other rooms were available.
But our travel company (Karawane Reisen) took care of the bill and quickly resolved all other lost reservations.
Meerkats at Rostock Ritz Desert Lodge
Together with a German tour group, we went on a 4x4 excursion offered by the hotel. The drive took us through rough terrain and we were grateful that we didn't have to drive ourselves, but could focus on the beautiful and varied landscape with oases and rock formations.
Shepherd's Tree
The drive finally took us to a cave with rock paintings that were about 1000 years old.
As a conclusion, we enjoyed another sundowner at sunset with a view over the farmland.
Our drive continued through the Gaub Pass and the desert landscape to the Gobabeb Research Station, which we could explore during a small guided tour.
Gaub Pass
We then headed to the coast to Walvis Bay, where we could admire flamingos during a walk along the promenade.
Walvis Bay
In our hotel in Swakopmund, we were eagerly awaited as we arrived after sunset.
The next morning, we were picked up for a desert tour (living desert tour), where we could discover the small animals of Namibia ('The Little Five').
We saw an otter, a gecko, the venomous spider White Lady, a sand diving lizard, a chameleon, a blind snake, and a desert hare.The tour ended with the 'dune roller coaster': driving over the sand dunes in a 4x4. Swakopmund Before we set off the next day, we wanted to have our tire changed because it was losing air. At the gas station, one of the staff assured us that it would not be a problem and that he could change the tire. Unfortunately, those were just empty words and no action followed. In the end, we even feared that our car would not come down from the jack. After managing to do so, we drove (still with the old tire) to the next workshop... So we were able to drive to Cape Cross, where we could admire a huge seal colony. Initially, we planned to have our picnic on the beach overlooking the seals. However, as soon as we got out of the car, we immediately abandoned this plan. Seals (especially in large numbers) emit a very unpleasant smell... Twyfelfontein We then stayed near Twyfelfontein to explore the famous rock engravings the next morning. We were able to admire them during a guided tour. Organ Pipes We also made a stop at the burnt mountain and hiked through the landscape of the 'organ pipes'. Welwitschia On the way, we spontaneously stopped at a 'petrified forest', where we could also admire some specimens of the endemic plant 'Welwitschia', which can live for several hundred years with little water. Ugap Terraces Our next hotel was near the Ugap Terraces and the Vingerklip rock formation. We had originally planned to hike to the Vingerklip, but because a leopard was roaming the area, tourists were forbidden to go on their own exploration tour. So we drove to the rock (and, as instructed, did not get out of the car). Vingerklip We were able to enjoy our dinner at the restaurant 'Eagle's Nest' on top of a mountain. Although the ascent was a bit strenuous, we were rewarded with a splendid view. Termite Mounds The highlight of our journey was approaching: the Etosha National Park. We spent one night in the park at 'Okaukuejo' and spotted many animals, including an elephant family at the waterhole in the evening. Some animal impressions: Black-backed Jackal Elephant Family at the Okaukuejo Waterhole Spotted Hyena Kudu and Lion Impalas and Blesbok Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill We then continued to Okonjima, where we stayed within a cheetah and leopard reserve of the Wild Cat Foundation. During a cheetah tracking excursion, we joined our guides in search of cheetahs, which we found thanks to a tracking chip - shortly after their meal. Our trip was slowly coming to an end. We went for a hike at the Waterberg Plateau. There were baboons that liked to throw sticks at tourists. Our last hotel was 'The Elegant Farmstead', which was very friendly and personally managed. We even met the ostrich 'Miss Sophie', who was roaming the hotel grounds and wanted to take a look into our backpack in search of food. Miss Sophie A wonderful three-week round trip through Namibia came to an end. We returned to Germany from Windhoek, but we were able to take away many impressions.
