Wicked Campers Africa Blog

Camper Collection

On Friday July 10th, we arrived at Windhoek with our young friends Jan and Eva. A short taxi drive brought us to Cameleon Lodge to pick up our Wicked-vans. When making the reservations, the Wicked-staff wrote to Jan and Eva that they thought it was great that there parents (meaning us J, oh dear!) were still so young at heart that they also choose to travel with Wicked. That made us wonder….. Did we make the right choice??

At Cameleon Lodge we met our “Beans”. It is by far the most colorful campervan we ever rented! We are sure we won’t get unnoticed travelling through Nambia. Jan and Eva got the purple van “Alice in Wonderland”. Together we felt like a touristic attraction ourselves.

At our first campsite it took us some time to arrange our stuff and the supplies we bought in a supermarket in the van, but we felt we had plenty of room.

First Gear

Our first real travelling day took us to the south. We made a short stop at Hardap Dam where we had lunch. Just before Hardap Dam, we spotted our first springbokkies. Then we drove to Mariendal, trying to fill our gas bottle (in vain). All the way a tarred road, pretty straight and a bit boring (sorry). Jan and Eva went ahead towards Bruckaros Vulcano. When we also finally reached the side-way, it was our first acquaintance with Nambia’s dirt roads. Unfortunately we took the wrong side-way. This wasn’t a gravel road, this was what we call off road driving. Beans didn’t like it either, so after a few kilometers we decided to go back and try again. It turned out we took one side-way to soon and the real road was indeed a nice gravel road. To bad it was already dark L. But the directions given by Jan and Eva by phone, made us reach Bruckaros Community Campsite safe and in one piece.

Cheetah Feeding

The next morning we see that the campsite is still under construction but it’s a heavenly place. After enjoying the sunrise we make a hike on the volcano. Beautiful. After lunch we leave for Keetmanshoop. Since we still don’t have any gas, we decide to stay in Keetmanshoop for the night and try it again the next morning. Today it’s Sunday, so, besides the supermarket, everything else is closed. Jan and Eva decide to go on towards Fish River Canyon and we agree to stay in contact by sms.

When we reach the campsite, which is also the entrance to the Quiver Tree Forest, the owner tells us that he will be feeding the cheetahs around 4 o’clock. Cheetahs!! That’s a bonus. We rush through the Giant’s Playground, which is also nearby and we are back in time for the feeding. It’s really special to get so close to these beautiful animals. Afterwards there is just enough time to enjoy the sunset in the Quiver Tree Forest and later on we discover it’s quite possible to cook a nice dinner on a campfire. The pots color a bit black, but who cares.

Spectacular Fish River Canyon

Monday gives us finally the opportunity the fill our gas bottle and after a short visit to Keetmanshoop’s Museum we leave for Fish River Canyon. It is a beautiful road (gravel) towards Fish River Canyon and it takes us almost 2,5 hours to reach the roadhouse. The landscape is so beautiful we can’t help but stopping many times to make pictures.  Along the road we see ostriches, springbokkies, zebras and an oryx.  After a coffee break, we move on and it is still early when we reach Hobas, the entrance to Fish River Canyon. In the campsite register we can see that Jan and Eva spent the previous night here. We give an old man (he is 67 years old) a ride to the starting point of the Fish River Hiking Trail. It turns out he is doing this hike with family and friends. So, what’s old! We watch the group descending the canyon and secretly we envy them. But it’s a hike for 6 days and we simply haven’t the time, nor are we prepared for this.

So we have to do with the views only. Beans takes us alongside the entire rim of the canyon and it is spectacular. A few drops of rain cause a rainbow and it matches Beans perfectly. In the evening we make another campfire (who needs a gas bottle?) for our dinner.

Ai-Ais relaxing hot water pools

The next morning we continue our travel towards Ai-Ais, the other end of the canyon. Another beautiful road. On the way we meet Jan and Eva again. They have decided they also want to go to Botswana so they need to travel a bit faster then we do. But we will meet them again in Sesriem.

When we arrive in Ai-Ais, we can’t believe our eyes. How luxurious. We are not sure we want to stay here. It’s so “not African”. But, we go and explore the campsite and it’s surroundings (and that’s all there is!) and we decide to stay the night. After lunch we do some laundry and we go for a swim in the hot water pools! And that’s really nice. Relaxing, so, it’s a good choice.

Windy Drive

Early next morning we leave for Aus. We would have liked to go by the Orange River Road, but it has been raining and we are advised against taking that road. Even for a 4-wheel drive it would have been difficult. But we are not taking the boring tarred road again. We rather drive the same way we came, which goes through a beautiful landscape and where we have a better chance of seeing wildlife.

At noon we are in Aus, which is not particular interesting and we decide to go to Luderitz. The (tarred) road takes us straight cross the desert. A totally different landscape. But also very nice. The wind is almost stormy when we arrive in Luderitz and although the campsite is gorgeously situated with a view on the ocean and harbor, we cannot find a spot where we are sheltered from the wind. So, after a short visit, we go back to Aus to the campsite, just a few kilometers outside town. Also a beautiful campsite, but still windy and extremely cold. But is has to do.

Early next morning, after a very fast breakfast (it’s still windy and much too cold) we leave for Sesriem. Our first stop is Helmeringshausen where we pamper ourselves with a cappuccino and apple-pie. It’s 9 o’clock in the morning! Further to Betta. A nice route with enormous farms along the road. The final 80 kilometers to Sesriem are under bad road conditions. But we enjoy the landscape and it’s wildlife extremely. We can’t help ourselves stopping again many times to take pictures. Nevertheless, it’s only 2 o’clock when we reach Sesriem. It’s a bit smaller than we expected. We thought it might be a small town, but there is only the campsite, a lodge and the gas station with a supermarket. After filling up with gas and paying (only cash) for the permits, we discover that the only ATM available is for Visa only. Bummer, we have a Mastercard. Fortunately, we can use our Mastercard at the lodge, provided we pay a provision. Which we gladly do, since we ran out of cash.

Sossusvalley

When we arrive at the campsite, we meet up again with Jan and Eva. They have arrived 1 day earlier and already have enthusiastic stories about the Sossusvalley. We share a campsite and stay up late (meaning around 10 o’clock) since we have lots to tell each other.

Early next morning we say our goodbyes again and we leave for the Sossusvalley. It takes us almost 2,5 hours to reach the parking from where on it’s 4 wheel drive only. The sunrise gives an extra dimension to the route, so, once again, we make many stops. From the parking we decide to hike the way towards Dead Valley (5 kilometers). The strong wind gives us a blurry vision but in the Dead Valley it’s not too bad. However, on our way back we take a taxi shuttle. After a coffee break we make another hike to the Hidden Valley. For us this even tops the Dead Valley. There are almost no people and the view is breathtaking. After that we feel tired, not in the least because of the strong wind. So we go back to the campsite for a nice hot and long shower and since we once again have cash, a nice dinner in the campsite restaurant.

Dune 45

Early next morning (we have set the alarm at 4.30 o’clock!) we plan to climb Dune 45. Somewhere around 6 o’clock we arrive at Dune 45 and along with many other people we start the steep climb. It takes some perseverance but it’s so worth it. The colors are spectacular and thank God the wind is not so strong anymore. We spent at least 2 hours on top of the Dune and after that we decide to visit The Hidden Valley once again, this time in the morning light. We are the only ones there and it’s still drop dead gorgeous. After that it’s time for a second breakfast. Beans shelters us from the wind and we bake some eggs and have a nice coffee. We are than fit enough again to walk once again to the Dead Valley. The views are much better now, since there is less wind. Nevertheless we again take the taxi shuttle back to the parking and we call it a day. We even got plenty of time to do some laundry again. Our guidebook however tells us that at sundown there can be hundreds of oryxes to be seen on the plane towards the Sossusvalley, so at 4.30 o’clock we again enter the parc. Around 6 o’clock we have seen 4 of those hundreds of oryxes but at least dozens of springbokkies. At 8 o’clock that night we are so tired we don’t even bother to make a campfire.

Sesriem Canyon

The next day we have planned to visit Sesriem Canyon. It turns out that there’s no way we can spent an entire day in the canyon, but it’s still nice. The rest of the day, we spent on doing absolutely nothing.

It’s time to move on and we take the road to Solitaire. Off course there is another apple pie waiting for us and we don’t care that it’s only 08.30 o’clock. Driving towards de Spreetshoogte Pass since our guidebook learns us that we should not want to miss that pass. What we missed, reading about this pass, was the percentage: 23%! At one point we thought we ought to help Beans a bit by pushing him up. Fortunately that was not necessary. Although slowly, he made it to the top. We made it even more difficult for our Beans because we had to stop several times to take in the spectacular views. After Spreetshoogte Pass there came another one, the Gamsberg Pass, which is only going down, so no pushing required, followed by the Kuiseb Pass which takes us back to the desert. After that there is only a long boring road through a desolate landscape towards Walvisbay. In Walvisbay we visit the flamingos and we find a almost deserted campsite with a beautiful sunset above the ocean.

Cape Cross

Swakopmund is our first stop the next day. At the tourist agency we are told that, after Cape Cross, the road alongside the Skeletoncoast is also boring. The interesting part starts there, where it is closed for the public. So we decide to visist the fur seals at Cape Cross, get back to Henties Bay and from there on take the road inland to Uis. Thankfully the desolated landscape changes when Brandberg comes nearer. In Uis we find a most wonderful campsite and we make ourselves a luxurious dinner with lamb chops. The evening is nice and warm, we don’t even need a sweater.

White Lady

Visiting the White Lady is our first goal but instead of driving straight to the mountain (which would have been logical) we get confused and take the road towards the White Lady Lodge. Stupid and unfortunately for Beans. The road towards the lodge is horrible and Beans hits a rock very hard. The result, a flat tire. Bummer. We change the tire and take that same damned road back again, very very slowly. When we finally reach the starting point for the walk to the White Lady we are accompanied by a guide who has all the time in the world and who tells us her complete life story. The 1,5 hours walk takes us over 2,5 hours! But, it’s a nice walk with beautiful landscape, flowers, views and of course the paintings. But today is the day we made reservations in Palmwag and that is still a long way to go. But first we have to get back to Uis to repair our flat tire. We then decide to take the road to Koraxis because on the map it looks like a better (therefore faster) way to drive. But even the way to Koraxis is bad with many ribs. After Koraxis the road gets even worse. In the final 40 kilometers we, at least 3 times, have to make an emergency stop because of the rocks on the road. Later on we hear that in summertime there have been many floods which have caused considerable damage to the road. The sunset is not helping either, since it is right in front of us and we therefore have a minimal view. We are dead tired when we arrive in Palmwag at 5.30 o’clock. And no time for a gamedrive left!

Fortunately it is possible to book an extra night and the service and kind people make us feel like royalty. At 7 o’clock the next morning we set our for our full day gamedrive. The roads in the park are not suitable for Beans, so we have to go on a guided tour. Which turns out to be a tour just for the two of us. Daniel, our guide knows a lot about nature and it’s animals and we really make the most of it. He is also a good tracker and around noon, we spot a group of 16 elephants. We are the first ones in weeks to spot this many elephants. After lunch he takes us to the rim of the small canyon where the elephants walk alongside the river. We walk with them for over an hour and it’s a gigantic experience. Of course, besides these elephants, we have seen many other animals, all greatly appreciated by us, much to the surprise of our guide. He tells us most of the people only want to see elephants and rhinos. They often forget that we are dealing with wild animals in an area which is not fended, it’s not a zoo! Therefore when arriving at the campsite at 4 o’clock, we are completely satisfied and happy and so is our guide.

Since we have the best time ever in Palmwag we try to book one more night and once again it’s not a problem. The next day we start out by doing our laundry, washing the windows of Beans, doing some reading and then it’s time for another gamedrive with Daniel and about 7 Italian people. After the small introduction talk it’s clear. The Italian people only want to see Elephants and Rhinos. Unfortunately for them, they are not to be found. We spot a lot of other animals however and we are again satisfied when we arrive back at the campsite. It’s completely dark by then.

Cheetah Farm

The next day, we decide that Twijfelfontein is not that big of an issue that it is worth going back that same bad road again, so we head north to Kamanjab where we hope to find an ATM since we ran out of cash again. Kamanjab consists only of a gas station and a very large supermarket. The supermarket has an ATM for Visa only. Damn. We need our last Namibian dollars for gas, so we hope we can pay with our credit card once we reach the Cheetah farm. The Cheetah farm is not too far from Kamanjab. The last 15 kilometers, once we entered the entrance gate, are not really suited for Beans, but we have learned to take it slowly and we arrive in one peace at the campsite, situated nearby the Cheetahs. Unfortunately there is no possibility for paying by creditcard and “the boss” is not there. We have to drive back the 15 kilometers, meanwhile hoping to meet “the boss” along side the road so we can try to work something out. At the entrance gate, our luck changes. The boss comes home and he agrees to us paying on account. We promise to pay the bill through the internet. Beans must give us a trustworthy appearance. So once again we drive the 15 kilometers and spent the rest of the day at the campsite, visiting the almost “tame” cheetahs at the house, we even get to pet them, and the wild ones in a fenced area. We know we are not supposed to touch wild animals, but the temptation is too much. Try to stop me getting a chance to pet a 3 months old cheetah!

Just 10 meters away from our spot on the campsite is the fence where behind a mother cheetah with 3 pups live. When we awake the next morning, it is the first thing we see. Cheetahs before breakfast, what a treat! After breakfast we leave for Outjo, where we finally can get some cash again. And although it is Sunday there are several supermarkets open, so we do some serious shopping, because our next stop is Etosha. The internet café is not open on a Sunday, so we have to wait until we reach Windhoek, before we can make a payment to the cheetah farm. We made reservations for Etosha, but we are 1 day early. We decide to try it anyway and fortunately there is a spot for us at the very first campsite, Okaukujejo. Already directly after entering the park, we spot an elephant and all the way to the campsite, we keep seeing animals. Okaukujejo has a beautiful waterhole and after checking out the campsite we start by going to that waterhole. We can’t believe our eyes. So many animals. After 1 hour we decide to start our own first gamedrive in the park and it is really full of all kinds of animals. Filled with too much impressions we finally go back to the campsite and as it hasn’t been enough we again go the waterhole. We are in luck. Giraffes are arriving to drink, which is a really funny sight. Later that night, when we just have finished our dinner, we hear people talk of rhinos by the waterhole. That could be our first sighting of rhinos! And indeed, there are 5 rhinos and there are also 2 elephants. We are completely happy, again!

Etosha

The coming 5 days (!) we spent in Etosha. Driving all day long from one waterhole to the other. Each day we spot an animal we haven’t seen before. Amazing. We are extremely lucky with the amount of elephants we see. There is one waterhole, Kalkheuvel, which we visit 3 days in a row during lunchtime. Each time there are many elephants. Reaching Kalkheuvel means driving a really bad road, not really suited for vehicles with 2 wheel drive, but our Beans manages well as long as we take our time getting there. On our last day in Etosha we decided to visit Kalkheuvel one last time. We have to get in line with 2 other cars and….several elephants walking on the same road. When we reach the waterhole, we can’t believe our eyes. There must be at least 45 elephants there. Also a lot of cars, more then we have ever seen before at this waterhole, but we find a nice spot with a good view. After a which the matriarch of the herd decides it’s to crowded and she moves towards de cars. One by one she forces them to pull back. We are in trouble. Our way back is blocked by a tree and several cars which already had to retreat. We cannot do anything but keeping real quit and trying not to move. For a while this seems to work, but after warning of all the other cars, she comes back for us. We get a bit worried but fortunately some of the other cars notice our awkward position and they make room for us by leaving the waterhole. Beans however, makes a peeping sound driving backwards. We hope this won’t upset the matriarch. It doesn’t. But we are not leaving the waterhole at once, we try to linger a bit more. After a while the matriarch decides it has been long enough and she makes another move towards us. We then decide to no longer put ourselves and our Beans in any more danger and we drive back. We have to consider that we cannot go any faster then 20 kilometers an hour or less, having to take the same way we came in.

On one of the other days we have an encounter with 4 elephants blocking the road. There is nothing much we can do but wait until they move on. We cannot resist the opportunity so, against all regulations, we get out of the car to be able to make pictures of Beans with the elephants. Thankfully there were no hungry lions in the neighborhood.

We also meet Jan and Eva again. Since they already visited Botswana with Chobe and the Okavango Delta, they are easier pleased with just a few days Etosha. So after a few days the already leave for Waterberg Plateau.

And that’s where we meet again on Saturday August 1st. Another beautiful park where we are not allowed to drive by ourselves. The day we arrive however, the gamedrives are fully booked, since there are only 2 cars to do the gamedrives, so we spent the afternoon catching up with Jan and Eva and spoil Beans with a thoroughly wash.

The next day, Jan and Eva sleep in while we climb Waterberg Plateau. In the afternoon we go on a gamedrive. And again we spot 3 animals we haven’t seen before. Namibia succeeds in amazing us every single day.

Minor Hicups

The next day, we find out that the battery of “Alice in Wonderland” is completely dead. The vans only have 1 battery which is also being used for the lights inside. Beans is not strong enough to give them enough energy to start again so we call in the help of one of the guides. He has a really big Ford Ranger and after a few minutes, hurray, it’s starting again. We split up for the final time. Jan and Eva still want to visit a cheetah farm and we decide head for Windhoek. We make a stop in Okahandja where we leave two hitch-hikers and do some serious souvenir shopping. Since we broke our pottery we also go shopping for new ones but we don’t succeed so we just have to pay the penalty. We spent the night at the same campsite as our first night. A campsite with access to the internet, so we can pay the bill of the cheetah farm. It turns out it’s not that simple. We need a bic-code which we don’t have. A phonecall to the farm brings the solution. The daughter of the owner lives only 3 minutes away from our campsite and she is willing to pick up the money we own. Not only trusting but also helpful. We would have felt really bad if we would have left Namibia without paying.

On our last day, we do some final cleaning up in Beans, and then we leave for the Cameleon lodge where we have to return our colorful home and where we spent the night before leaving Namibia. Within 15 minutes we have found the address, Voight Street. But somehow we do not recognize anything and there is no Cameleon lodge in sight. Besides, we can’t remember the name of the lodge right away, which makes the search more difficult obviously. Finally, the owner of a Opel garage helps us out. One of his assistants mentions the name, which does ring a bell and he takes his car to guide us to the right spot. Voightstreet Nord. Where as our papers only say Voightstreet! But there is plenty of time to wonder about in Windhoek, for more souvenir shopping and trying to find some new pottery. The souvenirs are no problem, pottery we don’t find, at least not any similar ones.

Last Gear

We spent a final night in Beans on the parking lot of the lodge and early next morning the taxi arrives to bring us to the airport for our flight to Cape Town where we will spent another 5 days. We are very sorry to leave Namibia and Beans. We have gotten very attached to the both of them. Namibia surprised us by the variety of the landscapes, the enormous amounts of various animals and by the extremely kind people who live there. There hasn’t been a single moment where we did not feel save, besides the incident with the matriarch. The weather, being wintertime, was during daytime perfect. In the south a bit colder than we expected sometimes, but, who cares. We only had rain for about 10 minutes! The nights were a bit cold too, but Beans and our sleeping bags kept us warm. It took some time getting used to the early sunset and the darkness following right behind, but as it turned out, we went to sleep about 8 or 9 o’clock anyhow. Beans has been a perfect home, with no trouble what so ever. Only 1 flat tire, no engine trouble, and able for driving the many gravel roads in Namibia. Since it was wintertime, meaning no rainy season, we hardly missed a 4 wheel drive. There were plenty of other routes to take and if you really want to go on 4 wheel drive routes, you probably need more time then we had, simply because those routes just take more time.

We really think Namibia is worth going back for and, when we do during wintertime, we will expect Beans waiting for us.

PS: simply the fact that Jan & Eva are young enough to be our children (we have adopted them by now) doesn’t mean we are old.