The Lambregts family adventures: A trip through Namibia

Piet has been working on projects in Namibia since 2013, and visited the capital Windhoek 10 times for meetings with the Ministry and other Namibian stakeholders. During his last visit in June he finally hatched the plan to bring Mary along, and visit the country properly. A reason was easily found as our 25th wedding anniversary was in July.
Piet did some extensive planning and arranged a counterclockwise trip from Windhoek, to the north, and back via the coast, with as main highlights Etosha National Park and Sossusvlei. In November Piet went to Windhoek for several meetings, and Mary arrived a week later on Saturday morning.
We rented a large 4WD, and made a first test ride to Daan Viljoen Game Reserve, just outside town. It was very dry and hot, and we saw a few animals only. After a braai with Piet's colleague Dennis we left the next morning to Waterberg Plateau National Park, an isolated mountain range in central Namibia. This set the stage for the whole trip, where we combined a few hours' drive, mainly on graded roads, with activities early in the morning or late afternoon. At Waterberg we joined a rhino drive, and did two short walks. We continued north to Etosha, where we spend two nights in a lodge just outside, and a third night inside the Park. Etosha is half the size of The Netherlands; most animals come to the numerous waterholes in the Park, where you can see and photograph them. The first day we joined a guide to get a feel for the place, and the second day we drove around ourselves. We saw many, many animals, with as highlights an afternoon bath of a large group of elephants, and a nighttime visit of three rhino's to a waterhole close to our accommodation.

The next day we did a long drive west towards Brandberg, to the White Lady Lodge. This is a pleasant oasis in the middle of nowhere, and here it was possible for Mary to go horse riding. We continued to the coast, and via the Cape Cross Seal Reserve, Hentiesbaai and Swakopmund ended up in Walvis Bay. At Cape Cross there are some 100,000 seals, and you can image the noise and smell! It was a tough visit as it was pupping season, and with a high natural mortality rate there were many dead pups lying around, mostly abandoned by their mothers. In Walvis Bay the abundance of flamingos, promised by Piet based on a previous visit, proved to be false; there was too much wind, and we only saw a few. The trip continued further south, with a stop in Solitaire, which is a true outback locality, with a petrol station and many abandoned classic cars. After a night in Sesriem we visited Sossusvlei, with some of the highest sand dunes in the world. We climbed Dune 45 and Big Daddy, and enjoyed the famous scenery of Deadvlei, with dead, black trees sticking out of a white pan, in between red dunes. The day ended in Buellsport Guest Farm, with a horse riding tour on the farm for Mary.
The next morning we did a long hike in the Naukluft mountains, and after a relaxing afternoon Mary joined another horseback ride, whilst Piet did a drive around the farm, which is more than 100 km2. After a second morning hike we drove back to Windhoek, with a visit to Joe's Beerhouse, a real classic. We handed in the car the next morning, and after dropping by the small Shell office for a few hours, returned to the airport. In summary: a fantastic trip, and not our last holiday in Namibia!