Swakopmund January 2006

Swakopmund January 2006

Since I did not officially have a Christmas holiday I jumped at the chance to spend the weekend down in Swakopmund with Barbara, Uli, Heike and Lauren. We took the Friday and Monday off for good measure. What follows are a few pictures from our adventure. (I took over 200 total!)

On the main route to Swakupmond giant anthills line the highway. Our friend Heike from Germany gets a close look. This one was really moderate in size.

This is the main section of Swakopmund. It is a nice costal city and a great getaway from the hustle and bustle of Windhoek. The boat in the centre is the one we took our little day cruise on.

We took a drive in the Namib-Naukluft park. Here a lone Springbok looks for edibles in the middle of the Namib desert.

The desert has a variety of terrain. This lookout is called the ‘Moon Landscape’ and is supposed to most resemble the moon. It sure was barren and hot here. Keep in mind that this is only about half an hour away from the Atlantic Ocean. Amazing contrast!

The remnants of a South African army vehicle lost to the desert.

This is the Welwitschias plant that we came to see. This specimen was located about an hour into the desert. It is said to be over 1500 years old! There were smaller versions of this plant all over the plains. These plants are only found in the northern area of the Namib Desert.

We had dinner at a place called the Raft which was quite nice. Outside these Pink Pelicans frolicked in the low tide.

Nice sunset over the horizon.

Look at all those cameras! Seriously, the dolphins were a pleasure and very playful.

Bird Island lives up to the name. Hitchcock could have made good use of this place.

Feed me…

Seals were everywhere! Some actually jumped into the boat for a feeding.

I have decided I would very much like to live next to a warm ocean.

Just north of Swakopmund we find the little fishing village of Hentes Bay. Here is a golf course that leads through the sand dunes to the ocean…nice!

Took a long walk on this beautiful beach our last evening. This was just moments from our bungalo and 30 minutes or so from the desolation of the desert.

Back at the sand dunes. This time with the proper shoes, hat, bottle of water, sunscreen and sunglasses we made it to the top. It was well worth it! Now I can claim I have climbed the highest sand dune in the world.

The spice…

…

Apprently the sand here blows up from South Africa. It follows the currents and is eventually blown out of the water and hangs out here. It is some of the finest and purest sand I have ever seen.

The ride home is usually lame but it sure was not on this trip! We took the least travelled road which is also the shortest distance between Swakupmond and Windhoek. A 4X4 is a must as the road crosses many river beds and mountain passes. We saw just about every wild animal possible in this section of Namibia. This one horned Gemsbok chased our car from behind this fence. I have video available on request.

This Zebra chased our car in much the same fashion as the Gemsbok. This was my first wild Zebra sighting.

Such a beautiful animal…

On one of the mountain passes. Its a bit hard to tell but we are really high up here. I was getting a bit woozy.

Our last stop was just outside of Windhoek at Hero’s Arc. This momument commerates the heroes of the revolution. The site also provides an excellent view of Windhoek laid out in the background.