Camping in a Ghost Town - Lüderitz - Namibia

Wed-Thu 6-7:

We stayed for 2 nights at Point Diaz close to Lüderitz watching seals, organizing our gear, Judith was working hard applying for jobs for the time when we return while I set up this blog. Scattered around our campsite were abandoned houses. They were left by the German settlers after the diamond rush in the early 19^th century. At dawn a spooky place.

We left Lüderitz in the late Thursday afternoon.

Unfortunately we only saw Kolmanskop the ghost town from outside the fences because we arrived after the official visiting hours. 

Crossing deserts and the Fish River Canyon in the boling heat - Namibia

Tuesday 5.02:

We filled up our Petrol tanks in a small desert town called Aus. In 1915 the German Schutztruppe was defeated by the South African Army. Aus became the prisoner camp for the German soldiers.
10 km after Aus we saw wild horses, oryxs and ostriches at a little pont in the desert.
Finally we arrived in Lüderitz at the Atlantic ocean. It looks a bit like a German small town. We had a milkshake and a beer at the waterfront. Our final stop for the day was Diaz Point. Hundreds of seals were lying on a rock close to the shore. I ate some oysters at the small cafe. We stayed overnight directly at the ocean on a small camp ground.

 Monday 4.02: 

 We were woken up by a park ranger who told us we should pack our tent together. Camping is only allowed in the designated camp areas. In Ai Ais there are 60°C  hot springs . We did not feel like going inside because it was already 40°C outside in the morning. Instead we hiked for 2 hours into the fish river canyon. In the winter time it is possible to do a 5 days hike. Now it was forbidden because of the heat and the lack of water.
The next stop 40 km north via a dirt road was Hobas. The lookout into the 500 m deep Fish River Canyon. A breath taking view. 
Our plan was to reach Lüderitz at the Atlantic Coast by night time but we stopped earlier at road side rest area to stay overnight.

Sunday 3.02:

 
We slept in Steinkop in front of a motel in the middle of nowhere in rock desert. The next morning we drove to the next petrol station and were invited for lunch by Manuel. He is the owner of the place and also of a 50 meter long diamond search boat at the coast.  We continued our journey and crossed the border to Namibia without any problem. The next stop for the night was close to Ai Ais in the rock desert.

Magical Rock Formations in the Wolfsberg Cracks - South Africa

To get to the Wolfberg Cracks we drove 40 kilometers through the Cederberg mountain range on a dirt road. We then hiked for 8 hours in the heat (up to 40 degrees). it was worth it! We climbed through the Wolfberg cracks up to a huge natural arc. A highlight for each geologist.

West Coast and Cederberg National Park - South Africa

 The first night in the rooftop tent was like sleeping in a 5 star  only better. Instead
of the swimming pool we hiked to the atlantic ocean for a swim.

After that we drove for 2 hours to the cederberg national park. we found a beautiful campsite at a small river. We also had a small barbeque.

Table Mountain & Robben Island - Cape Town - South Africa

Tuesday 29th:

We already managed to lose the car registration sticker. therefore I had to go 1 more time to the city hall to get the new. on the way I got the last needed spare parts (oil filter, fuel filter etc. ...) at the nissan dealer.
I went to the closest surf shop to get some tips from the local surf dudes. They told me the surf is not worth the effort at the moment, but their adviced me to find the longest lefts in the world in Namibia.
I went up Table Mountain after 6 pm because it was half price and because I was to lazy with the cable car. A lot of people had the same idea but once I was on top and hiked a few minutes I was all on my own and rewarded with breath taking sunset views.
 
Monday 28th:

We met Sabine and Eckhart the uncle of judith in the morning to take the ferry to robben island. There political prisoners were locked away during the apartheid years. The most famous prisoner was of course Nelson Mandela. In the evening we ate the most delicious meat in the restaurant carne one of the best in town. After they say we even went for a bit of dancing in long street.

Preparations for the Road Trip in Cape Town - South Africa

Friday 25th:

We bought all the outdoor gear we still needed at the waterfront and met up with Josephine and Rodney from the schlumberger office in cape town.

We pitched up or tent at the ashanti lodge 

And climbed up the lions head in the early evening to see the sun set.

Thursday 24th:

We spent registering the car in the cape town city hall and getting a proper insurance. Everything went suprisingly smooth and everyone we talked to was extremly helpful.


Wednesday 23rd:

We bought a huge 4&4 car from Kobus in Gordons Bay. It has all the extras you need: winch, cooler, water tanks...
Kobus was very helpful and spent the whole day explaining every detail to us 4&4 dummies.He also gave us valuable advice from his experience from many trips he made. Thanks again Kobus! Let' s hope the car runs well.

Thuesday 22nd:

I arrived on the 22nd in cape town where Ju picked me up. She already arrived a month earlier and travelled through South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho.
The first two nights we spend in the cosy Ambertree lodge at the foot of table mountain.

We (Judith & Florian) plan to travel through Africa for 4 months from January until the end of May. We start in South Africa and plan to cross Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Lesotho and then back to South Africa.

We will try to update this blog as often as possible.