Foto: Rock engravings (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
Namibia - Our next destination is Twijfelfontein. The road is gravel, and the bus shakes quite a bit over the bumps. Thomas keeps up a good speed but (fortunately) brakes in time for the potholes. At Twijfelfontein, Cheryl is somewhat unsure whether this is the White Lady hike. It turns out it is not. Since we’re here anyway, we visit Twijfelfontein. Here too, we walk with a guide through the beautiful surroundings. We see the jagged rock formations and ancient rock paintings by the Bushman tribe. The solidly built guide finds it all rather tiring, especially since we want to do the three-quarter-hour walk in half an hour. After a steep climb, we arrive at Twijfelfontein—a water spring that sometimes has water, and sometimes doesn’t. Hence the name. The spring is somewhat disappointing in its allure. The water is murky and many insects fly around it. The walk there, however, is beautiful. Back on the bus, we drive on towards the Brandberg—the highest mountain range in Namibia with black rocks. This route is longer than expected. At Brandberg, the hike is to the White Lady rock paintings. This walk takes one hour each way through the valley. Thomas does his utmost to arrive at Brandberg on time. As fast as he can (safely), he drives the bus over the bumpy roads. Despite this, we only arrive at Brandberg at half past four. Around six o’clock, the sun sets. Siegfred, the guide, is already on his way home when he sees us arriving. He turns back. The office is already closed, but he is willing to give a tour if we can keep a good pace. We walk briskly through the valley towards the White Lady. Thirty-five minutes later we are at the rock painting. Normally, the guide gives more explanation along the way, but now we choose to walk straight through. Siegfred therefore has plenty of time to explain the origin of the paintings. On the way back, he has more time to give explanations here and there about plants and animals. Meanwhile, it slowly gets darker. The last part we walk in the twilight.
Etosha National Park
Namibia - We get up extra early to spot animals at the waterhole at sunrise. At six o’clock, we are ready with coffee and blankets. Unfortunately, even the early hour does not guarantee success. The big game stays away. The sun slowly rises and lights up the ...
German vibes in Luderitz and Swakopmund
Namibia - We don’t have to get up before nine now. Around half past nine we sit down for breakfast. Afterwards, we walk into the town of Swakopmund. It’s remarkable to see how complete the town is with all its facilities, while just a few hundred meters away ...
Seals at Cape Cross
Namibia - Fortunately, today we can sleep in until seven o’clock. We leave at half past eight. After breakfast and packing, we drive toward Swakopmund. On the way, we visit Cape Cross. At Cape Cross lies a seal colony of about 100,000 seals. Thomas points out ...
Sossusvlei Namib Desert
Namibia - We are woken up at quarter past five. Shortly after, at quarter to six, we stand in front of the entrance to Sossusvlei National Park. We are here to see the exceptionally high red sand dunes at sunrise. It’s actually strange that we are only allowed ...