Namibia
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Peter and Angela from Hertfordshire travelled to Botswana and Namibia
Dear Michele, we had a really great holiday and all went well. Thanks for all the arrangements and accommodation recommendations. Thamakalane River Lodge is a great place for birding in their grounds. Letaka Safaris – Excellent. Olive Grove – Excellent, nice touches and great breakfast. Little Sossus Lodge – Excellent. Great accommodation with fantastic views from our front door. Great food. All very friendly. Enjoyed the sundowner trip with lots of food and wine. The full day excursion to Sossusvlei was excellent and Pierre went out of his way to find the Desert Lark for us. He was very good company and spent a lot of time showing us the area – a memorable day. Cornerstone Guesthouse – Excellent. Very friendly and helpful. Accommodation huge and very clean, great breakfast. One day not long enough. Brandberg White Lady Lodge – Friendly and excellent setting with beautiful desert gardens. Camp Kipwe – Excellent. Our favourite place for its setting and design. Food also excellent and Tafi was a great guide. We were lucky to see the desert elephants on our morning nature drive. Erongo Wilderness Lodge – Excellent. Good accommodation, great setting and views. Good birding and photo opportunities from the dining/terrace areas. Thanks again for everything.
Namibia
Regions
The Skeleton Coast
Whilst you could describe the entire length of Namibia’s Atlantic coastline as ‘Skeleton Coast’, the official Skeleton Coast National Park is made up of the narrow coastal belt which stretches north from the Ugab River to the Angola border. The southern section of the park (up to Terrace Bay) can be visited by the general public, although generally a 4×4 would be required (there is little road infrastructure). North of that, the park is closed to all but one company who operate the exclusive Skeleton Coast Safari Camp. Flying safaris along the coast are possible, but north of Terrace Bay landing options are rather limited!
The flat and open beaches of the coastline, which are often shrouded in mist, are home to numerous Cape fur seal colonies, which in turn provide food for black-backed jackals and the rare brown hyaena. Close to the coast, the landscape is a mix of gravel plains and sand dunes, whilst further inland rocky ridges rise out of the desolate plains. At Terrace Bay, it is possible to drive into the sand dunes and experience the ‘roaring dunes’ where sand particles are so uniformly weathered they resonate deeply like a ‘tuba’ when disturbed.