Here is my first part to my adventure with Acacia Africa on the Cape Desert Safari – NCDS11 tour as we left Cape Town and made our way across the border to Namibia:
I was all packed and ready for my first experience of overlanding with the company I love and work for Acacia Africa!
With an early morning start I arrived at Ashanti Lodge, Green Point (our pre/post tour accommodation), picked a locker in our Overland Truck and said hello to the group that I would be travelling with for the next 11 days. Cape Desert Safari bound we left the truck behind us, the group and I boarding a sprinter (minivan), and started our adventure with a Cape Town Township tour. Here we gained a huge amount of insight as to how the townships came about and met with members of the community. An eye opener when it came to culture. We also had lunch at ‘Mzoli’s,’ a well known local restaurant situated in the heart of the Langa Township. Thankfully Smiley’s, (the local name for sheep heads, and an acquired taste) wasn’t a first choice, but we tucked into a traditional local South African meal consisting of PAP (made from corn), braaied (BBQ) pork and chicken and Chakalaka (spicy sauce).
Meeting back up with our truck, we headed out of the Mother City to our first stop of the tour – Highlanders Camp. Complete with breathtaking views the campsite is nestled in midst the Cedeberg Mountains and a quant wineland area of Trawal, in the Western Cape. On arrival we had a quick demonstration on how to put up a tent from our legendary driver Fortune. Once we mastered the art of tent pitching (which was much easier than I thought) we went up to the main house to sample some of the local wines of the area. An optional activity not to be missed! After the tasting, our camp manager cooked the group a Snoek (fish) Braai (BBQ) – the best I have ever had, and I am a South African! Whilst we enjoyed our meal, Darlington our amazing tour leader led a fun meet and greets introduction game – a great ice-breaker to kick off the tour.
Rising early we packed up camp and boarded our truck ‘Tati’ – named after a river in Botswana. The scenery today was stunning as we drove through the famous Namaqualand to Gariep (Orange) River and our campsite Umkulu, which is located on the river’s edge. Some opted to take a swim in the river once camp was set up, while others including myself found the cold beverages by the bar more refreshing. As the sun set, the cool desert air set in, and dinner, a traditional South African Braai (BBQ) and Darlington’s amazing butternut soup (enjoyed by all) was served around the open fire.
Today was an exciting day as we crossed the border into Namibia – Good bye South Africa, hello Namibia! The border crossing was quick and stress free and to my surprise we were in Namibia before we knew it. Right before the point of travelling on the dry desolate roads, we stopped at a local supermarket to stock up on some beverages and snacks – mainly Hunters Dry lemon, the flavour of choice (we actually bought just about the whole shop out of stock) for our evening activity at the ‘Fish River Canyon’.
Arriving at the Canon Roadhouse located outside the gates of the Fish River Canyon, we set up camp for the night and ate a much needed lunch – hot dogs with salads and fruit. With a chance to kick back we had a swim in the pool and a walk around the area amongst the rocky outcrops, the landscape dotted with quiver trees.
After a relaxing few hours, we boarded the truck to enter The Fish River Canyon gates – a 20 minute drive. With its endless ravines and mountains in sight, I was in awe of its beauty and size. Fortune dropped us off at the furthest point – a 2km walk along the rim of this magnificent canyon for breathtaking views and photo opportunities before meeting up at the central view point for our sunset snacks and glasses of cold Hunters lemon. Truly amazing!
The perfect end to a perfect day, we drove back to our campsite and enjoyed a dinner of spaghetti bolognaise, (Tati) our Truck blurting out a few tunes as we chatted around the evening campfire.
With an early morning start, we were up, tents packed and on the truck ready for our long day of driving to Sesriem – a small canyon bordering the Namib Naukluft National Park. So far this was the hottest day of the tour, but everyone managed to brace the soaring temperatures so that we could get to our next campsite. We pitched our tents for the evening (the cause of quite a few jokes with the desert wind blowing our tents around), had a few cold beers at the bar, a swim, a bit of a bongo drum playing session before dinner, and my favorite meal of the whole tour – Chicken curry, Rice, Coleslaw. Wow! Aside from the obvious jaw dropping vistas, so far the food has been a huge highlight!
Today was an exceptional early morning with a wakeup call of 4am – a quick shower, an un-expected run in with a herd springboks which gave me a fright. I managed to get a bit lost returning to my tent, but finally, I made my way back to hear that I was not alone. One of our fellow travellers had come face to face with a Gemsbok (Namibia’s National animal) and we both laughed!
Boarding the truck, we entered the Namib Naukluft gates and made our way to Dune 45 – a famous dune to hike if you want the best views. Darlington warned that it’s not for the faint hearted and boy was he right. Walking up this dune at over 100 metres high was a challenge but a rewarding one. As the sun rose over the horizon, the everlasting change of colours moving over the sea of red sand was a sight not to be missed. Stunning!
Returning to our truck, a hot breakfast was served and we headed further into the dunes to the car park where some of the group boarded 4X4 vehicles to Deadvlei – an area covered with a lime stone base floor, fossilized Acacia trees set in the back drop of 350 meter sized dunes – the largest of the area and a spectacle to see.
Stay tuned for the next post as we leave the stunning area of the Namib Naukluft National Park and make our way to Swakopmund, Spitzkoppe, a visit to the Cheetah farm and the famous Etosha National park before finishing in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia.
Written and images by: Samantha MacMahon