Northern Namibia (Duster)

040 | SA4x4 January 2015

travel • northern namibia

SA4x4 | 041January 2015

Braving The Beyond

Northern Namibia isn’t a region you’d generally explore solo, much less when driving a soft-roader. Jess Fogarty proves that it’s possible to do both.

WORDS BY JESS FOGARTY PICTURES BY JESS FOGARTY & JACK LANDON


Previous spread Bumping along the

tortuous, corrugated roads near the Purros

Conservancy.Above Our first

encounter with the nomadic Himba people.

These ladies were travelling to town to

stock up on supplies.

W hen travelling the earth’s more inaccessible sectors, it can often be days before you and your party see another person, let alone

someone who speaks the same language. Perhaps this is why overlanders, travellers and outdoorsy people are often friendly and welcoming − they’re simply glad of the chance of someone new to talk to.

That was certainly the case on this trip. We came across a good few saffers en route who were keen to chat, but once they’d learnt more about our trip, the conversation would often peter out. Clearly, our route and our vehicle were cause for pause and concern. Naturally, this simply gave Jack and me more motivation to push ahead. How does that line from the movie “Back to the Future” go? “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads!”

Heading on a circular trip from Windhoek to the Angolan border and back, we were kitted out with all the recovery gear we could squeeze into the Duster. Luckily, there’s rather a lot of space when you fold the rear seats down; plus, we had a roofrack. My

travel companion – Jack Landon – is an Englishman who was bitten by the African travel bug early on and is now a keen explorer (and a helpful handlanger).

Shooting up to the border from Windhoek in a day isn’t much trouble; the tar roads aren’t too bad. It’s where they are working on them that’s the problem. The C35/M76 has been rerouted to a bad gravel road alongside, but that was a small price to pay for the privilege of being up along the Kunene River where the views are definitely worth it.

The river runs south from the Angolan highlands to the Namibian border, and then west along the border until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. The river is flanked by reeds, ancient baobabs, fig trees and mopane shrub; it feels almost like a tropical belt.

Arriving at the Hippo Pools Community Campsite in Ruacana, we found that we had the campsite to ourselves − and what a beautiful setting, right on the river. Plus, the ablutions were surprisingly good.

Though the campsite is immaculate, just remember that Hippo Pools is a community



campsite and there may be subtle language barriers. We chose a sandy campsite right next to the river, beneath a camel thorn tree. When we asked the lady on duty whether we should be concerned about hippos or crocs, she told us not to worry as they were scarce in this stretch of the river.

So, I spent most of the evening on the river’s edge, taking photo after photo of just about the clearest Milky Way I’ve ever seen. The next day, other guests informed us that there are indeed crocs and hippos in these parts, and that a guest had been taken by a croc in almost the same spot a few years before. This was just a reminder never to let one’s guard down, even if the locals deem it safe enough.

Then we headed for Epupa Falls, which lies about 135km downstream from the Ruacana Falls (or Ruacana Dam). There’s a direct route from one to the other − the Cunene 4x4 trail – but, playing it safe, we decided to take the long way round on the C43/D3700 − a seemingly abandoned area of Africa, with nothing but gravel roads and mopane trees. We trundled along without coming across another vehicle (at least, not one that wasn’t a permanent feature of the landscape), but we did meet lots of Himba people scattered across this great emptiness.

Stopping for a comfort break was difficult; it seemed that the minute you dropped your pants, a small tribe would pop out of the bushes. We often saw Himba miles from any village, trekking through the bush rather than along the road; and heading towards nothing we could see.

Their crops and kraals are very distinctive: long stretches of dried Mopane wood and wire. At one point, when we’d stopped for a driver change, I started photographing the rustic and gnarled fences. We hadn’t seen a soul until then, but suddenly an entire family of Himba people popped out, like magic.

Despite the language difficulties, the family was very friendly; and the line between who was more interested in whom quickly became blurred. Using sign language, we established that this was their land, and they were busy harvesting their crops.

Mom handed her youngest a blade; he disappeared back through the fence, reappearing a few moments later with a grain plant twice his height. She offered it to us, but, on seeing our baffled faces, took it back and showed us how to eat it before offering it back to us for another try.

What we were eating was pearl millet, known locally as mahangu – a subsistence cereal crop which is pounded into a light-brown flour for porridge. This is a staple food

Left There are some perfect spots to camp alongside the Kunene River at Hippo Pools Community Campsite.Right In the clear, clean air, the Milky Way was a vision, and a wonderful backdrop for a great night around the campfire.



“Epupa is a well-used stopover for many overlanders gearing up to tackle the infamous Van Zyl’s Pass, or for those who have just done

so and need some R&R; it’s a convenient 72 kilometres from the Van Zyl’s turn off. However,

this was definitely not our destination ”

for more than half of Namibia’s population. What did it taste like? Mielie-flavoured couscous best describes it.

The north of the country is very different to the well-travelled southern parts. While many think of Namibia as a place of sand dunes and dry landscapes, the region we were exploring had a surprising amount of water. And I’m not just talking about the Kunene River; there are lots of smaller streams, puddles, and run-offs. Driving into Epupa is what a mirage must look like to someone lost in the desert. Cresting the hill, you’re suddenly welcomed by an oasis of tall Makalani palm trees, a wide, rushing river, a village, campsites, curio markets and a tower of mist blanketing the falls. Epupa is a Herero word for foam, referring to the foam created by the falling water. The river is half-a-kilometre wide and drops off over a series of waterfalls; the greatest single drop is 37m.

The campsites here are glorious and surreally tropical. With sandy ground, and palm trees for shade, you could almost think you were in Mozambique − were it not for the Angolan mountains peeping at you from across the river.

Epupa is a well-used stopover for many overlanders gearing up to tackle the infamous Van Zyl’s Pass, or for those who have just done so and need some R&R; it’s a convenient 72 kilometres from the Van Zyl’s turn off. However, this was definitely not our destination.

We’d decided to take our Duster on the escape route further south (the D3703) – almost twice as far, but presumably easier. The route wasn’t quite as gnarly as the dreaded pass, but it did take us four, long, kidney-battering hours to complete just 50 kilometres. At one point we were overtaken by ostriches; it’s not exactly the smoothest road that Namibia has to offer.

The route is littered with tyre-eating rocks and boulder-hopping sections, so we weren’t entirely surprised to come across some fellow-sufferer’s exhaust pipe. This is, however, not the worst of this cautionary tale… what seems to be a common practice in these parts is that when a section of road becomes too demanding to drive, one merely creates a new one around it. Not only detrimental to the environment, this practice is confusing as hell.

You’ll be travelling along when you

Left Trundling along next to the Kunene

River, it was startling to see so much fresh

water in what I always regarded as a desert

country. Right The Himba’s crop fences

are made from mopane branches. They’re

amazingly sturdy and beautiful to boot.



suddenly come to an unmarked fork in the road. While Tracks4Africa is always the winning choice in these remote areas, these new tracks are really new, and T4A doesn’t have a sentry standing at each crossroad telling you which way to turn.

Normally, best practice would be to stop the vehicle, get out, get some elevation and then make an informed decision; but, when the forks appear every kilometre, that’s not an option. Some of these escape routes can carry on for kilometres before rejoining the original road, so you just push on – hoping you’ve chosen wisely.

Arriving at our next stop in the dark was unexpected, but we were happy just to get there at all. The Marble Community Campsite earns another gold star; with huge individual sites, great ablutions and a braai-place, we didn’t have much to do but fight off the dreaded koringkrieks.

If you have any kind of bug phobia, you’re in for a tough time with these guys. A koringkriek (or Armoured Ground Cricket) looks like a mix of a cricket, a locust, a spider and possibly an alien, too. They travel in herds, and have been known to drag people out of their tents at night! Okay, I made that last bit up, but they look like they could.

The Marble Community Campsite in the Orupembe Conservancy is named after an adjacent marble mine which was in operation from 1996 to 1999. You can see tremendous steps of white marble from quite some distance away; apparently only some of the marble was cut and transported, before it was discovered that the quality was inferior, and the entire project was abandoned. So, these days, you’ll find massive, perfectly-cut blocks scattered across the area; it’s almost unfathomable that this much marble can be worth so little.

From here, it’s pretty much a straight reach up north via Rooidrom (the well known landmark) to the Marienflüss, the next valley inland from Hartmann’s Valley. Marienflüss is greener and sandier than Hartmann’s, and is host to the so-called ‘fairy circles’. These are circular patches of ground, barren of any plant life, and often encircled by a peculiarly lush growth of grass. They vary between two and 15 metres in diameter, and are widely believed to be the product of a specific sand termite.

Proceeding down the D3707, we headed towards Purros − an area renowned for its desert elephants. There have been a few reports of these elephants being particularly

Sunset above the falls. The Epupa Falls Lodge is the perfect place to take in the view while listening to the rolling thunder down below.





aggressive; but it is said that if you keep a respectful distance, you can watch these graceful animals at length. Sadly, we weren’t to see any on our trip.

The entrance roads in the Purros Conservancy and surrounds are horrrendousssssly corrruggggggated. Once again, we found alternative routes running alongside the road to avoid the corrugations; when these become corrugated themselves, yet another road is created.

One great way to avoid these sections is to travel to Purros along the dry riverbeds. Be warned that there are sections with deep sand, but it’s pretty much smooth sailing the whole way, and you have a greater chance of doing great game viewing.

The Purros campsite is cleverly designed to protect its facilities from the local elephants. For instance, the ablutions are hidden in the ancient willow trees, so take a closer look and you’ll find a flushing toilet, and a shower with its very own donkey boiler.

When travelling these sorts of routes, you often end up meeting the same travellers at different campsites along the way; probably because accommodation choices are limited. Marlene and Lulof Doyer became familiar faces in this way: we’d met at Epupa, and at the Marble Community Campsite, before again meeting up at Purros.

While swapping stories and discussing our day’s travels, we mentioned that we were keen to travel to our next stop via the Hoarusib riverbed. We’d been deliberating this decision for a few days. A number of other travellers

had cautioned against it, but a few had given the idea the green light. We wanted to attempt it, at least, but with a back-up vehicle − and fortune smiled on us and gave us the Doyers.

They willingly offered to accompany us on the first stretch to see if we would need any assistance along the way, and bring us back if we couldn’t quite make it. As they were driving a Hilux, we were very happy to let them lead the charge. Sadly, we soon discovered that the sand was just too deep and soft in some parts, and with standard suspension on our Duster, we didn’t have the ground clearance.

The river would have added a good few hours to our day’s travel, so we decided to head straight through to our next destination a day early, which would give us a rest day. We headed down south to the Brandberg White Lady Lodge, situated at the foot of Namibia’s highest mountain, the Brandberg.

In these parts, fuel starts becoming hard to find. With petrol stations a few hundred kilometres apart, jerrycans are a must; but, thanks to the incredible fuel efficiency of our Duster, we didn’t have to use ours once. There were a few close calls, but even with its 50-litre tank, the Duster never gave us cause to worry.

The White Lady Lodge is the perfect stop-over for all things touristy. From here, we drove a loop: visiting the Petrified Forest, the Organ Pipes, Twyfelfontein rock engravings, and the lodge’s namesake, the Brandberg White Lady rock painting; all of which lie within 180km of the lodge.

The Petrified Forest is a national monument protected by the Namibian Parks Board, and

This Page: The amazing thing about living off the land is that most of this abandoned house will once more return to the earth.Opposite Page (clockwise from top left): The Duster lived up to its name in Namibia; it was covered from head to toe in the stuff (as were we). • The sun-baked sands of the Hoarusib riverbed were deceptive, hiding the truly dry, soft menace beneath.• The iconic baobab offers the only pool of shade for kilometres. • The winding desert road which leads to the wonderful oasis that is Epupa Falls. • You’re never too old to sit on a farm gate.



“We never found the confounded elephants, but had a ball trying to find them: traversing the road less-travelled, or not travelled at all”

a must-see for any travellers in the area. It’s not a forest that has been turned into stone, as the name suggests, but rather an accumulation of enormous fossilised tree trunks around 280 million years old. The most amazing part is that the trees didn’t grow in Namibia; they were carried down from central Africa in a colossal flood and deposited here in the sand and mud carried down by the flood. Sounds odd to think that Namibia ever had that much water, but the proof is there.

These trees remained under the sand, and the enormous pressure and lack of any air for so many millennia petrified them into quartz, with no trace of wood remaining. The largest log uncovered is a staggering 35 m long! Now, I ask you, how did that manage to float all the way down here from central Africa?

The Organ Pipes, on the other hand, were a remarkable disappointment. Apparently once

majestic, they have weathered badly and been defaced by pesky humans. So, while still a unique formation, the pipes are now a sad few columns of geometric-puzzle rocks.

Our next stop – Twyfelfontein – was probably the most interesting of all. Not because of the rock engravings, but thanks to our personal tour guide, whom we picked up along the way.

All across northern Namibia, people had been soliciting lifts, and we hadn’t been able to help out as our Duster had been packed to the rafters. But as we left the rock engravings, we were asked by one of the locals for a lift to somewhere nearby our lodge. As we had unpacked our gear at the lodge, we were able to help, and to our great fortune as John turned out to be a working tour guide for the entire area. He takes out overnight hikes up to the Brandberg Mountain and even does a three-week hike to the coast. He is also a National Heritage guide, tracker and nature guide, and has been since 1998.

So, it worked out very well for us – we were finally able to get answers to all the questions we’d been debating. We told him that we didn’t believe the desert elephants actually existed, so John decided to find some for us. Eschewing our destinations and the GPS,

John followed his nose, and we followed his lead. We headed off onto roads that we didn’t think were roads, across local farms and between herds of cattle. With John on our side, everyone was more than willing to help. He asked all those that we came across if the herds had come past, and when and where; and off we went on our tracking adventure.

The truth of the matter is that we never found the confounded elephants, but had a ball trying to find them: traversing the road less-travelled, or not travelled at all, and going through local communities and schools, meeting the locals − and all with a personal tour guide. Even T4A showed a blank where we travelled. Finally, we were completely off the map.

Though we did not see any elephant, the number of giraffe around was astounding. I’m not sure if this was because they’re so easy to spot over the low shrub, or if there just are that many of them.

We finally made our way south to the coast. While the C35/M76 to Henties Bay was a decent gravel road, we got caught in a colossal dust storm. With visibility down to almost zero, we took a slow dawdle to Swakopmund.

When passing the wrecked fishing trawler Zeila, we stopped for a closer look, but the wind stung every bare centimetre of our flesh and chased us back inside the Renault. Happily, the dust storm had subsided by the time we reached Swakopmund and our destination − Alte Brücke Holiday Resort. What a surprise − Alte Brücke has to be one of the nicest campsites I’ve ever come across. I’m not talking about aesthetics and location, but the facilities, which are first-class. Each site has a wall on two sides to protect you from the offshore wind, and a soft grass lawn to pitch your tent on. In your own private corner, you have a braai / fire place, prep and wash-up area, stoep, shade, bench, bathroom, and lockable safe. This is a place where camping doesn’t feel like camping at all!

This final campsite seemed like a pretty fitting metaphor for our journey. Though camping, it was easy camping; just like our soft-roader, which had easily handled the route we’d tackled while providing us with car-like comfort. This definitely proves to me that you don’t need a hardcore 4x4 to be able to access and enjoy Africa’s wilder places. All you need is the will to do it and you’ll find a way...



ROuTE GUIDEWHERE WE STAYED

Hippo Pools Community CampA top-notch community camp in Ruacana – but bear in mind that you won’t reach them on the phone number (probably ever). Book through Spitzkoppe reservations and info centre on +264 81 211 6291, or visit www.spitzkoppereservations.com. Camping costs N$60 pppn.

Epupa Falls Lodge and CampsiteThe closest accommodation to the falls, this magical spot right on the river is complete with restaurant and bar. Contact them on +264 65 695 106/8 or visit www.epupafalls.com for more info. Camping costs N$110 pppn.

Purros Community CampsiteThe perfect place to find the desert elephants, or the perfect stop-over before or after completing the Hoarusib River drive. Make your booking through Spitzkoppe reservations and info centre on +264 81 211 6291, or visit www.

spitzkoppereservations.com. Camping costs N$40 pppn.

Marble Community CampsiteWith huge individual sites, you can really kick back and relax here, and go and explore the marble mines. Make your booking through Spitzkoppe reservations and info centre on +264 81 211 6291, or visit www.spitzkoppereservations.com. Camping costs N$60 pppn.

Brandberg White Lady LodgeA great stop for when you want to explore all the tourist points that this area has to offer. Contact +264 64 684 004, or [email protected]; or visit www.brandbergwllodge.com. Camping costs N$90 pppn.

Alte Brücke Holiday ResortA beautiful campsite right near the beach − and some of Swakopmund’s best restaurants. Contact them on +264 64 404 918, or [email protected]; or visit www.altebrucke.com. Camping costs N$180 pppn.

PLACES OF INTERESTOn your way north, you pass along the border of Etosha National Park. Spanning 20 000km², it is Namibia’s second-largest game park. Along the northern border is the Kunene River, with great fishing spots and waterfalls like Ruacana and Epupa. Just inland from Torra Bay is Khorixas – here you can find the Petrified Forest, the Organ Pipes, Twyfelfontein Rock Engravings and the White Lady cave paintings. Swakopmund is the best place for adventure companies in Namibia. You can sand-board, quad-bike, wreck-dive, go on camel rides, and much more.

FuELRefuelling points are few and far-between in some of these regions. If you plan your routes with T4A, you shouldn’t have a problem – but always travel with extra fuel in jerrycans, just in case. If you can’t find a petrol station, ask the locals, as there’s often someone selling container fuel; it’s much more expensive, and more often petrol than diesel, but beggars can’t be choosers.

WHERE TO BuY PROVISIONSMost towns have large shops with almost everything you need. Windhoek is a great provisioning point; the relatively new Maerua Mall is a large shopping complex that has anything you could need. Most petrol stations have small convenience stores, but the smaller villages will have only stale NikNaks and maize meal in stock.

Khorixas is the first fully-stocked town you’ll come across for a while when heading back down south; it has a petrol station, grocery store, bottle store and an opportunity to buy ice again! There’s a fantastic little butcher in Otavi where you can get the freshest meat around

Alte Brücke campsite, Swakopmund



– conveniently vacuum-sealed to bring it through the vet fences.

ESSENTIAL GEARWith the terrain changing from deep sand to sharp rock to gravel, a tyre compressor and pressure gauge are compulsory. Otherwise, your basic recovery gear should include a spade, puncture-repair kit, tow rope etc. All of our recovery gear, as well as all

of our camping equipment, was generously lent to us by LA Sport Windhoek. Contact them on +264 61 303 709, or visit www.lasport.co.za for your nearest retailer.

Satellite PhoneNever consider heading into remote places like this without a satellite phone. You may find yourself in serious trouble, and,

when water is scarce, there’s no point in taking the risk. Our phone was supplied by Zippisat, who specialise in providing affordable and reliable satellite-communication solutions for personal or business use, locally or internationally.

They offer various prepaid options, providing flexibility for both low- and high-usage scenarios, and have satellite-phone rental options as well. Contact them on 072 767 6578, or [email protected], or visit www.zippisat.com for more info.

Convoy or SoloWhen going to such remote regions, I would always suggest travelling in convoy; but, if you have a capable 4x4, and are kitted out with recovery gear and equipment, then you should be able to travel solo. The roads are not too bad – but you may want to reconsider driving Van Zyl’s Pass alone.

Road ConditionsThe road conditions vary a great deal, but each road is rated according to Namibia’s own system, which is extremely helpful when planning your route.

The B roads (B1, B2 etc) are the National tar roads, the C roads; (C34, C35 etc) are the higher-grade gravel roads – usually in very good condition. The D roads (D2612, D3700 etc) are the lower-grade gravel roads, often narrower or potholed. From there, they are marked only as tracks, roads or tweespoors.

Vehicle RequirementsClearance is a definite advantage, but off-road or all-terrain tyres are a must. You need the thicker side-wall to protect the tyres from being sliced on a rock, and you need to be able to deflate your tyres to create a larger contact-profile for sand driving.

RisksMany people warn of aggressive elephants in the areas around Purros; but, if you keep your distance, they should do the same.

National Heritage GuideIf you’re keen to do some hiking in the area, go on a nature walk or organise a tour guide. You can contact John Taniseb from Dâureb Mountain Guides on +264 81 657 9701, or +264 81 203 0537.

Purros Community Camp, Purros Conservancy


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Northern Namibia (Duster)