Treasure Trove

The road from Swakopmund to Uis was gloriously free of corrugations and ruts. Relatively speaking, it was like being in a hovercraft. We watched the landscape change as we drove deeper into Kaokoland: instead of the red sand dunes of the Kalahari and Namib-Naukluft, rocky koppies dotted the landscape. Volcanic activity aeons ago makes the region rich in gemstones, and hawkers try to eke out an existence selling these to travellers passing through. The closure of the tin mines has left many people living on the bread line.

Kaokoland is also rich in ancient San rock art, so much so that Twyfelfontein was declared Namibia’s first World Heritage Site in recognition of the proliferation and quality of the paintings and petroglyphs found there.

We also went to see the famous ‘White Lady’ painting near Brandberg.

It is compulsory to go on a guided tour – you cannot view the art on your own. The tour is worthwhile, though, and the tour guides are good. On one of the tours, we had the dubious fortune of having fellow visitor, Oscar the Omniscient, from the UK, with us. He was a font of information and generously and confidently shared his knowledge, often second guessing the guide (in a polite but slightly patronising way) saying things like, “Well, my understanding is that…” and “Well, actually, it’s…”

He made me think of one of my favourite poems D.H Lawrence poems, The English are So Nice.

The English are so nice
so awfully nice
they are the nicest people in the world.

And what’s more, they’re very nice about being nice
about your being nice as well!
If you’re not nice they soon make you feel it.

Americans and French and Germans and so on
they’re all very well
but they’re not really nice, you know.
They’re not nice in our sense of the word, are they now?

That’s why one doesn’t have to take them seriously.
We must be nice to them, of course,
of course, naturally.
But it doesn’t really matter what you say to them,
they don’t really understand
you can just say anything to them:
be nice, you know, just nice
but you must never take them seriously, they wouldn’t understand,
just be nice, you know! Oh, fairly nice,
not too nice of course, they take advantage
but nice enough, just nice enough
to let them feel they’re not quite as nice as they might be.

This part of Namibia is also the home of the desert elephant. We have not yet seen these elusive giants, but fingers crossed! ( I suggested calling them on an elliephone. Anton thought a trunk call would be better.)

Once again, the campsites did not disappoint.

And on to Madisa Lodge campsite:

Tonight we stay at the Palmwag lodge and then on to Sesfontein tomorrow.

Travel Info:

1.Sesriem to Swakopmund

Road: Very corrugated with a good chance of a puncture. We also passed an accident where foreigners lost control of their car.

Anticipated time: 6 hours

Actual time: 8 hours (including the puncture)

Stopover in Swakopmund: Alte Brucke

Convenience and facilities: 10/10

Ambience: 2/10

2.Swakopmund to Uis

Road: Beautiful dirt road. Smooth as silk.

Stopover: Dareb Isib campsite

Comfort and facilities: 9/10

Ambience: 7.5/10

Tour to see White Lady rock art:

• 50km NW of Uis

• Last tour leaves at 4pm

• N$ 80 pp

• Cash only – no credit card facilities

• Worthwhile

3.Uis to Madisa Lodge

Road: corrugated

Time: 2.5hours

Camping facilities:

Facilities and comfort: 8/10 (stunning pool!)

Ambience: 9/10

4.Madisa Lodge to Palmwag Lodge via Twyfelfontein

Time: 2.5 hours excluding tour at Twyfelfontein

Tour of petroglyphs at World Heritage Site in Twyfelfontein

• Cash only

• N$ 80 pp

• Highly recommended

Tip: Fill up with petrol as you enter the conservancy – there is no fuel available for quite a distance after that.

Stopover: Palmwag Lodge campsite

Camping facilities: 7/10

Ambience: 6/10

Rhino tracking and game drives available – at a price. (N$ 2300 and N$800, respectively.)