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1 DRIVE OUT MARCH 2014

DESTINATION SOUTHERN NAMIBIA

AtlanticFrom the

to the Orange


IN DEcEmbER lAST yEAR, JAcO KIRSTEN DROvE THE bAcK ROADS bETwEEN wAlvIS bAy AND NOORDOEwER IN A NEw TOyOTA PRADO.

DRIVE OUT MARCH 2014 2


I can hear the plane approaching the runway from where I’m standing inside the small airport terminal building of Walvis Bay International

Airport, waiting for photographer Willem van der Berg to land. I’ve just decided to walk to the patio at the back when I hear a very loud explosion that causes a tremor beneath my feet.

A woman screams. Ice spreads through my veins and it makes my hair stand on end. I make my way past people and then I see it: a huge column of smoke and dust rising up in the air a kilometre or two away, beyond the far end of the runway.

Then I realise I can still hear the aero-plane’s engines.

It takes a few moments for the reali-sation to set in that a nearby mine has just detonated a shedload of explosives. People start to giggle with relief. The sick feeling in the pit of my stomach vanishes

as quickly as it appeared.

Refugees In the deseRtIt’s late afternoon. After we’ve said hallo and chuckled about Willem’s miraculous survival, we agree it’s better to stay over and leave in the morning.

We have a quiet night at the Courtyard Hotel Pension and head out early into the vast expanses east of Walvis.

After about 50 km on the C14 we turn off right to Vogelfederberg (German for Bird Feather Mountain). It’s an impres-sive rock formation that towers over the surrounding emptiness. Around the main rock there are three individual camp sites, far apart to ensure privacy. Each one is occupied by a European group in a white rental 4x4 double cab. At one camp site, two naked children are running around, full of exuberance, while the grownups are busy brushing their teeth with mugs

in hand (there is no water supply here).We return to the C14 because we want

to have a look at Karpfenkliff, a WW II hideout of the German geologists Henno Martin and Hermann Korn and their dog Otto. They managed to hide in the Kuiseb Canyon and surrounds for two years to avoid internment. Martin chronicled their experiences in a book titled The Shelter-ing Desert.

From the C14 it’s a 6 km drive to the parking spot and lookout point. The Prado’s temperature gauge shows 34º C and the dry desert air makes it feel like a furnace. How did the two men and their dog survive here for so long? It’s an 800 m hike to the shelter, which is nothing more than a south-facing overhang that offers shade throughout the day. You can still see some walls that the two men made by stacking rocks; you can only imagine the hardship they must have suffered.

Dunti dia dus, sus. Fugit vel intur aperumque arunt, sita-tionse cusciam invelic idebitio volupti onsersp iciissimet es assum acest, temo temporia Henem ide escid eos sum volut



Back on the C14, we begin to descend into the Kuiseb Canyon to cross the Kuiseb River. The road is steep, with a few sharp bends. I’m telling Willem about the number of European tourists involved in accidents on Namibia’s dirt roads when we spot the unmistakable tyre marks of a vehicle that skidded and came to a stand-still centimetres before a sharp drop. The occupants were very lucky sods.

On tO sOlItaIReThe route through the Kuiseb Canyon is a beautiful, rocky spectacle and then a crawl up the steep opposite side. About 32 km further we traverse Gaub Pass, which looks very similar.

The confluence of the Gaub and the Kuiseb rivers is about 13 km to the west.

After Gaub Pass the land opens up, punctuated by flat red dunes dotted with small yellow bossies on either side of the

road to Solitaire.Solitaire’s name conjures up images of

romantic seclusion, but these days it’s a hive of activity. There are a number of places where you can eat and enjoy a cold beer. One gets the impression that British English, European German and Dutch are now heard more than Afrikaans.

While Willem and I order Solitaire burgers at Solitaire Country Lodge, we hear a noise like tyres spinning. We look up and see a rental 4x4 bakkie making a U-turn on the concrete forecourt slab at the filling station across the road. It’s still in four-wheel drive, but the driver completes the manoeuvre before casually getting out.

On the stoep of the Solitaire Gener-al Dealer there’s a blackboard with the annual rainfall figures indicated in white chalk: 2009 – 223 mm; 2010 – 135 mm; 2011 – 479 mm (obviously a monsoon season); and 2012 – 132 mm. In 2013 the rainfall was as follows: January – 17 mm; February to August – 0 mm; September – 22 mm; October to November – 0 mm; December – 6 mm.

Somehow I don’t think rust is a huge problem in these parts.

natuRal spRIngs and wIneWe push on to Tsauchab River Camp,

about 90 km away. To get there, you head south on the C14 towards BüllsPort (a farm yard with guest accommodation and a farm workshop), whereafter you turn right (westwards) on the D854. About 40 km further you’ll see the sign on your left.

At Tsauchab, owned by Johan and Nicky Steyn, there’s a private camp site called Oerwald Camp. It is meant for a group of up to 20 people, but if there is no book-ing anyone is welcome to stay there. It is secluded, and there is a natural spring where you can take a dip.

We spot two vehicles already parked at Oerwald and meet Andrew Turton, who drives a Fortuner towing an off-road cara-van, and Annie and Sean Weir, who drive a Defender. They’re from White River in Mpumalanga. We explain that we’d like to take a few photos and then we’ll leave. They look relieved.

Before long Willem and I are enjoying a cold beer and some droëwors and we’re chatting about road conditions and the scenery. Eventually I look at my watch and tell Willem if we don’t leave now we

Dunti dia dus, sus. Fugit vel intur aperumque arunt, sitationse cusciam invelic idebitio volupti onsersp iciissimet es assum acest, temo temporia Henem ide escid eos sum volut vent laborep

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might have to sleep in the Prado.Back at the farmstead, Nicky suggests

we drop in at the wine farm next door. Lo and behold, a few kilometres further we turn in at the gate to Neuras, a wine and wildlife estate that belongs to the N/a’an ku sê Foundation.

There are no less than five springs at Neuras. The surrounding mountains block warm winds and the soil has a very high limestone content, which is great for wine grapes.

The previous owner planted the first vines in 1997 and produced his first wine in 2001. The new owners, the same people who own the well-known N/a’an ku sê Lodge outside Windhoek, bought the farm in 2012 and have started to invest substantially in its development.

Dawie Minnaar, originally from Paarl, is the cellar master and his wife Christa also works on the farm. She’s originally from Pretoria, but funnily they met in Scotland years ago.

The cellar produces about 3 000 bottles per year of Shiraz and a Shiraz–Merlot blend called Namib Red. Dawie opens a barrel for us to taste some of the wine.

The signs of impending development and expansion are visible – it would be interesting to see what Neuras looks like in a few years’ time.

the aRt Of weldIngAs we enjoy springbok fillet and Tafel

Lager later, I ask the Steyns why they settled here at Tsauchab.

“I was an analyst for the Land Bank of Namibia for a number of years,” Johan tells us, “but I’ve always liked the south more. Here, you have the biggest con-trasts in the seasons and nature. Take a place like Katima Mulilo; all you do there is look at how hippos fart bubbles in the water. Every day is the same.”

He tells us how they’ve toiled over the past few years, establishing the chalets, camp sites, swimming pool, 4x4 trail, walking trails and a restaurant where once there was nothing.

One of the most impressive things on the farm are the scrap metal sculptures Johan creates. He welds pieces together once he recognises certain forms in the metal, including tortoises, elephants, dogs and people. “There where French people

who wanted me to go and exhibit the stuff in France,” Johan says, “but why would I want to do that?”

It is still hot and stuffy when we go to bed, so I open the windows and pull down the gauze insect covers. Before I fall asleep, a huge thunder storm arrives and I smell the fragrance of rain on hungry soil blowing through the open windows, while the noise of billions of rain drops on the corrugated roof lulls me into a deep sleep.

QuIet wItness tO tRagedyThe next morning we enjoy a hearty

breakfast, say goodbye and set off. The Prado’s two fuel tanks give you a combined 150-litre fuel capacity and a 1 000 km+ fuel range, so we’re not worried about the next fuel stop.

From Tsauchab we take the D854 west, head south for 5 km on the C29 and turn right (west) onto the D845. About 14 km farther we turn left (south) onto the C27 gravel road. We see many gemsbok, which appear surprisingly tame, grazing in the road reserve. When they eventually spot the car, they canter to a place where


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the fence is a bit saggy, push their heads underneath and simply go through in one flowing movement before trotting off lazi-ly and coming to a halt about 200 m away.

Soon afterwards we see a wreck next to the road. Willem and I get out to have a look. We find it hard to figure out what kind of vehicle it was. We can distinguish a V6 engine. The magnesium wheels have turned to ash. Next to the wreckage we see the burnt remains of a bikini, a pair of men’s denim pants and a small child’s fleece jacket.

We try not to think about what hap-pened to the occupants of the car as we drive away from this haunting scene.

Castle In the mIddle Of nOwheRe

Eventually we pass Wêreldend and shortly afterwards we reach Betta, where we turn left onto the D826 and aim for Duwisib Castle. The story of Duwisib is now fairly well known, but every time I visit it I marvel at two things: firstly, the hard-headed determination of Hans-heinrich von Wolf and his American wife Jayta (née Humphreys) to build it in 1908; and secondly, the tragic story of his death early in WW I during the Battle of the Somme, not long after they left on holiday abroad by ship. She never returned to Africa and died without ever seeing the castle again.

The castle, which belongs to the state, is looking a little neglected but it’s still worth a visit to see the swords, paintings, portraits of German Kaisers and yellowed

photographs of the Von Wolfs. There is also a scenic camp site with ablution facil-ities, and a small shop/restaurant behind the castle. It is managed by the owners of the farm Duwisib.

From here we head back to Betta, where we fill up to be safe and then drive to Spes Bona, about 24 km to the south.

the One-and-Only d707Spes Bona is basically a farm yard span-

ning a T-junction, leading to the D707. On paper, the D707 follows a westward

arc and joins the C13 about 124 km farther, roughly 50 km south of Helmer-inghausen. Ask anyone who’s driven it

and they’ll agree that it’s one of the most breathtakingly deserted and isolated stretches of road on the planet. Every second you swear that this is one of the most beautiful scenes on earth, just to find an even more impressive scene that makes you go: “Wait, I think this one’s much better…”

In the beginning we find a lot of ex-tremely sharp stones pointing skywards, necessitating a lot of frantic evasive manoeuvres. It starts to feel like a video game, trying to avoid damage to the tyres.

We encounter a sheep herder walking to work in the scorching sun. His name is Simon Katjikuru, and he’s a Herero.

“But Nama is my first language,” Simon says.

We say goodbye and continue, think-ing of the huge difference between our air-conditioned, fast-paced lives and his life of hard simplicity.

When we chatted to the travellers from White River at Oerwald Camp they told us how sandy the D707 was. I actually wondered if they weren’t exaggerating, but we find the sand is indeed quite thick, with deep ruts that require concentra-tion. It just shows you, information is like bread – only valuable for as long as its fresh.

We stop every few kilometres to take photographs and immerse ourselves in the scenery. But it’s like drinking sea water: The more you do it, the less it helps. We see only one other vehicle on the road.

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Dunti dia dus, sus. Fugit vel intur aperumque arunt, sitationse cusciam invelic idebitio volupti onsersp iciissimet es assum acest, temo temporia Henem ide escid eos sum volut



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ROllIng tOwaRds ROsh pInah

From where you join the C13 it’s 57 km to Aus. It’s late in the afternoon, but be-cause it gets dark very late at this time of year we have time on our side. When we get onto the tar at Aus, we inflate the tyres and drive 167 km on perfectly tarred road to Rosh Pinah. It’s the first opportunity I get to test the Prado on a proper long and open road. I set the speed control and we start to quibble about who brought along the best music for the trip.

We’ve been winging it the whole trip and have not booked any accommodation in advance. A quick glance at my Garmin Montana shows a number of accommo-dation options in Rosh Pinah.

Let no one try to convince you that Rosh Pinah can give Sun City a go.

The first place we turn into is the Four Seasons Lodge. It ain’t the type of place that will be offered as a price for any bride of the year competition, but it’s neat and has a swimming pool, lots of shade, a big bar, air-conditioned rooms and a menu full of delightfully unhealthy dishes.

In one corner a group of people wait for a chubby young man in a Bulls jersey to

braai them something. At the opposite end two guys sit drinking with the de-meanour of guys working far from home and making the best of the situation.

pOlICemen and RIveRsWe wolf down breakfast. It isn’t 9 am yet

and the temperature is already hovering around the 30 ºC mark. A short distance outside Rosh Pinah on the C13, in the di-rection of Noordoewer, we stop to deflate the tyres to 1,8 bar again.

Soon afterwards we arrive at a seem-ingly innocent blind corner; around it we’re rewarded with one of the most striking scenes imaginable: a valley about 9 km wide with reptilian-looking cliffs on either side, with a dirt road running through the valley to where it disappears out of sight in the distance. This very road brings you to an entrance gate to the |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, and this is where we find a few policemen manning a roadblock.

We greet the Nampol members with friendly smiles. It’s hot and no one wants to waste time.

Willem gets out of the car and starts to take photos of the police members,

the control gate, the Namibian flag and everything else…. I grit my teeth, drive through the gate and keep quiet, waiting while he continues to snap away.

I’m starting to perspire slightly. A bored policeman comes up to the car as I wait for Willem to finish.

“Please show me your receipt for road tax.” Okay, here we go. I didn’t tell Willem that it’s not a good idea to take photos of uniformed people and control points in most African countries.

“Hmm, we have a problem, Sir,” he says. Ag, I’m not going to worry, all my docu-ments are in order. Right?

“The registration number on your road tax receipt doesn’t correspond with that of your vehicle.”

I take a look myself. He’s right. The people who gave me the vehicle must’ve mixed up receipts.

Eventually, after lots of nervous smiles and apologies, they allow us to continue.

A kilometre or two further we marvel at the winding road on the Namibian side of the Orange River. Here you drive parallel to the river for about 50 km before turn-ing slightly inland.

Along this road we see two motor-cyclists parked. We stop to find out



whether they’re okay – it turns out they’re just taking a breather.

Dirk Willemen and Christiane Kamps are from Düsseldorf in Germany and have been travelling through Africa for a few months.

We don’t chat for long, as they are starting to sweat in their riding gear. We exchange e-mail addresses and promise to send them a photo.

After 73 km we turn into the Gamkab River bed. It isn’t a technical drive, as the damp sand is firm. The cliffs on either side are something to behold.

We have a choice: We can either con-tinue straight ahead along the Gamkab and join the C37/D207 to Ai-Ais 12 km to the north, or we can turn right earlier and return to the road running parallel to the Orange, past Aussenkehr to Noord-oewer Border Post – which is the route we choose.

To my surprise I discover that the road from Aussenkehr onwards has been tarred during the past few years. Rats!

Our Namibian road trip is over. But hey, at least the police let us go, dodgy docu-mentation notwithstanding.

More importantly, Willem’s plane didn’t crash.

Best time of year to go? Namibian sum-mers can be scorching and in winter the mercury can plummet to below freezing. Camping could be extremely uncomfor- table.

accommodation• The accommodation at the Courtyard Hotel Pension in Walvis Bay is within walking distance of popular hangout The Raft restaurant and bar ( www.theraftres-taurant.com) and has neat self-catering units with safe parking. Contact 00264 64 213600 or 00264 81 127 3378; [email protected] • Tsauchab River Camp near Sesriem has 13 camp sites, each with private ablution facilities. There are six chalets, and a big group may pitch tents next to them. There are five hiking trails on the farm and a laid-back 4x4 trail. Contact 00264 63 293416, [email protected]; www.tsauchab.com• In Rosh Pinah we stayed at the Four Seasons Lodge. Contact 00264 63 274 416; [email protected]. Look at pho-tos of the lodge at www.roshpinahinfo.co.za/rp_fourseasons.htm

fuel? • In Namibia you should always fill up

I want tO gO tOO!

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when you see a pump because you might not see another one soon. • From Walvis Bay to Solitaire it’s 234 km and then another 253 km to Betta, with nothing in-between.

what are the roads like? • The C-routes are the main gravel roads and their condition differs from excellent to deep, loose gravel with tracks, depend-ing on when last they’ve been graded. • Deflate your vehicle’s tyre pressure by at least 20 % when you’re driving on dirt roads, and don’t drive faster than 80 km/h.

The paperwork? • Apart from a passport that’s still valid for six months after your arrival and a driving licence, you need a certified copy of your vehicle’s registration papers. If the vehicle belongs to another party (like the bank if it’s financed), you will need a letter of permission stating the dates of your journey. • You need to pay a Namibian road tax of R220 at the border and keep it in the vehicle at all times – they check it at road blocks. • It is important to remember that ZA stickers are compulsory.

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