Spitzkoppe

We packed up early this morning and headed off to the see the Welwischias. Part of the drive there takes you through the moon landscape which is probably where the Americans filmed their first landing by Neil Armstrong :p

The permit we aquired highlighted points of interest which were mostly plant life and lookout points. There is also the remains of a army campsite dating back to 1915.

Our original plan was to go and see some of the Welwischias and skip the oldest one on the advice from some freelance tourguides we met in Swakopmund because it involved crossing a tricky bit of river. The permit listed some interesting rock formations in that direction so we decided to drive as far as the river and turn back. On the way there we spotted a Citi Golf with a CY number plate coming towards us and flagged him down. After a hearty greeting in Afrikaans we receieved the following response: “I am tooreest”. So we asked about the river “no problem”. There are however two types of cars that can cover that kind of terrain: a 4×4 or a rental. We all know what he was driving.

So we carried on driving to find that the raging river was very much a sand patch with some nice trees. So onward to the largest Welwischia in the world. It’s quite an amazing plant they estimate the largest one is 1500 years old!

Once back on the tar we made good time to Spitzkoppe. They really are amazing, the largest thing for miles. The camping was cheap too N$100 for the night. Things are very basic. The only shower is at reception and the facilities empower gravity. The sense of peace and awe here is amazing and worth one night without running water. It is run by the community which sounds like a noble venture.

The camp sites are far apart and a bit tough to find. We drove around a bit looking for one with a bit of shade and eventually settled on No. 2. The attendent suggested No. 10 as one with a lot of shade, but we could not find it. All for the best anyway as the large rock formation behind our camp turned out to be reasonably easy to climb and provided a spectacular view and sunset vantage point.

We also took a walk around in the afternoon and got some nice pictures of the mountains and vegetation. Andre found a tree that had grown up through a crack in the side of a rock.

Tomorrow we hit the road to Windhoek. The 3 days in Swakopmund were great fun and I will go visit there again.