Farewell and Namibia Highlights

My previous post covered the last full day of sightseeing I had in Namibia. The next day I woke early to see the rising sun casting long shadows over my lodge.

Next, I revisited Fish River Canyon briefly in the morning….

…before making a rather boring six hour drive north,  to a lodge near a town called Mariental. This was not a destination in itself, but a convenient place to spend the night on the long, long way back to Windhoek. Now I know why Fish River Canyon is so little visited – it is so far away from anywhere else. Namibia’s B1 is surfaced, flat and fast, but must be one of the most boring roads on the planet. The “highlight” of these six hours was finding a Wimpy restaurant at a service station – I though they had died out, but apparently they still thrive in Africa. The décor was wonderfully sixties kitsch.

I finally arrived at around five, having driven all day (or so it seemed). I had originally intended to go on the lodge’s “sundowner” game drive, but since I was tired, I decided instead to spend my last night in Namibia sitting  on the big swinging chair on my balcony, and watch the sunset with a good glass of wine.

The next morning, I got up early and continued the road to the north – another 3 ½ hours – to Windhoek airport, to catch my early afternoon flight to Cape Town, where my adventure will continue. On returning my hire car, I found out that in 20 days I had driven over 5,000km – at an average speed often limited to 70km/h by Namibia’s gravel roads. Namibia has many world class attractions, but getting to them requires a big investment in time.

So that was the end of my Namibia trip – now I am off to South Africa for more adventures. It’s time to share a few photos of the highlights. First, there was the wonderful park of Etosha and its wildlife…..

Namibia’s next world class attraction are the dunes of Sossusvlei

I will also always remember Kolmanskop, as a symbol of the power of nature over man……

….and my solo drive down to Eagle’s Rock in Fish River Canyon. It is not often you get a view this like all to yourself.

I was keen to see if South Africa can match Namibia as a travel experience. Keep reading my blog to find out!

Next Post: South Africa, Franschhoek Wine Country

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