Aqua Vitae Adventures

Experience the Beauty of Africa

Faces of the Namib

Namib Desert

Map of Namibia and South Africa

4x4 ROUTE: FACES OF THE NAMIB

Discover the Secret Treasures of the Namib Desert

A world of infinite horizons, dramatic desertscapes and a diverse wonder of unique Namib Desert fauna & flora.

Do you believe that travel should be so much more than just looking – and that every journey should be a life enriching experience? Do you yearn to go off-the-beaten-track and experience nature? If your answer is YES, then you MUST experience the Namib Desert! Why????

THE OLDEST DESERT IN THE WORLD
Reported to be the ‘oldest’ desert on earth, the Namib Desert has existed for at least 80 million years. It is completely devoid of surface water but bisected by several dry riverbeds and characterized by extensive dunes. The Sahara may be larger and the Gobi more isolated, BUT the Namib is the oldest, so you can expect the best desert experience of your life.

THE LIVING DESERT:
At a first glance the‘deep’ Namib might look almost totally devoid of ‘fauna & flora”. However on closer examination one would find that apart from the treasures of diamonds and uranium, currently being mined in the Namib, a bigger ‘treasure’ of very unique animal & plant life could be found. The one outstanding living wonder of the desert is the welwitschia mirabilis. This is a plant that can live for up to five hundred years in the desert.Although its tenacity and longevity are remarkable, the fact that it has the appearance of a heap of garden refuse means that on viewing you should concentrate on the ‘five hundred years’ bit and not expect an earth-shattering visual experience.

THE SHELTERING DESERT:
At the start of the Second World War Henno Martin, along with his colleague and friend Hermann Korn, feared internment in a camp for Nazi’s and escaped into the Namib Desert. For two and a half years the two men eked out a living in the harsh environment. In later years Henno Martin published “The Sheltering Desert”, a gripping account of their years in the desert. Their story where also released on film by the same name.

The Desert of Diamonds:
The discovery of diamonds in 1908 around Kolmanskuppe started an uncontrollable diamond rush forcing the Government to establish the “Sperrgebiet” between 26-degree (Gibraltar) and the southern border stretching 100-kilometres inland. Prospectors were forced to turn northwards beyond the Sperrgebiet. This resulted in the discovery of diamonds at Spencer Bay and between Meob and the Conception Bay area (Diamond area no 2) during December 1908. A total of 5000 diamond claims were registered in 1909 and hopeful prospectors tried their luck at Saddle Hill and Spencer Bay and via Swakopmund and Sandwich Harbour southwards towards Meob Bay. However, the small yields of diamonds from these claims resulted in only a few prospectors in the long term being successful.

Custodians of the Desert - the Topnaar community:
The Nara fruit is unique to the Namib Desert (!Naras, a wild melon that grows in the Kuiseb River bed) and for more than a thousand years the traditional staple food of the Topnaar, one of the oldest communities of Nambia. The Topnaar people belong to the Nama, who for their part belong to the Khoi-Khoi. Traditionally the Topnaars acquired a lot of their food from the sea. They speared fish in the shallow water and hunted seals, birds and turtles. They were also called Beachcombers.

The Desert of Everlasting Impressions: (extracts from our tour diaries):

- “Jy kan nie die Namib verlaat sonder dat dit ‘n indruk op jou gelaat het nie. Dit is ‘n ongelooflike ervaring wat jou ewig sal bybly”
-“If there is somebody who has not been in the Namib, I can only say: DO IT NOW!! It is one of the last opportunities to feel the nature”
- “It was nonetheless than a brilliant experience and certainly one that I would do again.”
- “Ons kom op baie plekke, maar hierdie was die BESTE OOIT!”
- "Ek is 'n 13 jarige dogter wat die Namibtoer saam met my ouers gedoen het. Dit is 'n asemrowende ervaring - jy is weg van alles, en ek kon weer 'n slag asemhaal en myself wees. Dit was my lekkerste vakansie ooit!!! Selfs lekkerder as my besoek aan Disney World in Amerika 2 jaar gelede. Dit is BESLIS een van die "TEN THINGS YOU HAVE TO DO
BEFORE YOU DIE"!!!

If this is going to be your first introduction to the Namib it will really be an exceptional experience. The emphasis is not only on the adrenaline thrill of dune driving, but a huge part of the focus of this tour is a special look at the plants; small creatures and wildlife that made this desert their home. Our guides will capture your imagination with their knowledge on the fauna and flora of the desert. These same guides will display their cooking skills with the preparation of 3-mouth watering meals daily.

If you are a seasoned desert traveller this is the ultimate! The adrenaline rush is unparalleled to any other you might have experienced with previous desert tours. The dunes along this stretch of Namib are higher and more challenging and require technique to manoeuvre from one dune strait to the next. The magnitude of what awaits you is difficult to express in words. Although the emphasis is not on the 4x4 and off-road driving, the adventure is taking place amongst the world's highest sand dunes thus implying that you should be proficient in off-road driving and previous sand driving is a recommendation.

Itinerary

Day 1: Overnight Solitaire
Everybody assembles at Solitaire. It is time to get last minute supplies and filling to the brim on fuel needed for the next 6 days. Since many of the group members might have been to Sossusvlei (one of the highlights of Namibia), it is not included as part of this itinerary. Tonight you will have the opportunity to meet the guides and the tour group. After a detailed briefing of what to expect the next couple of days, you will be treated to a nice meal around the campfire.

Day 2: Solitaire to Kuiseb
We depart Solitaire and enter the Namib Naukluft Park, 35kms north of Solitaire - restricted Namib area. This is the start of a unique adventure offering you aspects of the Namib not generally experienced by the normal ‘tourist’. We cross the Namib plains more or less on the same ‘ox-wagon route’ that was followed by the earlier settlers, German Schutztruppe (on horseback & camels) and ‘transport ryers’ in the late 1800’s.

The route leads to the Kuiseb River and then the area is slowly changing from the typical Namib Plains into a colourful landscape of red sand dunes separated by grassy plains. The Kuiseb Canyon offers unique scenery with the southern bank formed by massive red sand dunes, the northern bank by pitch black rock formations and in the riverbed massive trees and the dry sand bed creates a kaleidoscope of green and white. We proceed westwards along the edge of the canyon until we reach a spot were the dunes falls right into the river near Homeb.

Depending on the status of the river (might be in flood) we will ‘slip’ into the river enjoying its unique eco system of trees and abundance of birds. We will cross over onto the northern bank of the Kuiseb Canyon, enjoying the absolute breathtaking views once again offered by the contrast created by the rock formations edged against the red sand dunes. On the northern side of the Kuiseb we will come across the most southern examples of the Welwitschia mirabilis plant, endemic to the Namib Desert. Although the plant looks as if it has many leaves, it has only two shredded by the wind over years. Their scientific name comes from the first European to describe it, Friedrich Welwitsch, and mirabilis from its marvellous ability to survive in such harsh, apparently waterless conditions. The night is spent under the desert sky!!

Days 3 &4: Desert Crossing!!
The Namib Desert follows the coast of Namibia for approximately 2000 kilometres. It varies in width from 80 to 200 kilometres where it meets the Namib Escarpment. The most important climatic feature of the Namib Desert is its sparse and highly unpredictable annual rainfall. The annual rainfall ranges from 5 mm in the west to about 85 mm along its eastern limits. Our aim with this trip is drive ‘across’ the desert from east to west experiencing the dramatic change in the environment. From Homeb, we head southwest into the “sand sea”. On the way to Conception Bay massive dunes are negotiated and once again ever-changing scenes of beautiful landscapes are experienced. Driver skills are improving as the dunes offer more and more challenges. The dune straits are massive, and the dunes are even more impressive. Most of the dunes are in excess of 150m high!! Once again we will make camp amongst the dunes, enjoying the unique experience of camping amongst massive dunes.

Day 5: Conception Bay and ‘ghost towns’
In the area between Conception Bay and Meob Bay the mining settlements of Holsatia, Charlottenfelder and Grillenberger were established and no form of engine-driven transport was available during the first 15 years of exploration. Transporting of supplies and mining equipment were effected mainly from Swakopmund by ship and the cutter Viking via Sandwich Harbour, Conception Bay and Meob Bay. Various shipping casualties occurred, such as when the Eduard Bohlen intended to off-load mining equipment and was consequently lost at Conception Bay (1909). During 1912/1913 a light railway from Conception Bay to Conception Water and an 80-kilometer pipeline linking the settlements were constructed. It is not totally clear as to how many pre-fabricated buildings were erected at the various settlements, as only the foundations of some of these are today still visible.

Namibia's exploration by Europeans commenced from this coastline as early as 1485, although the inhospitable Namib Desert barred access to the interior. Probably the first European to set foot on Namibian soil was the Portuguese Diogo Cao or Diogo Cam, followed by Bartholomeu Diaz two years later, on 8 December 1487. This date represented the holiday of "Maria's Conception". Therefore the bay received the name" Santa Maria da Conceicao" (Conception Bay). Today you will most likely see vast flocks of birds, drive past Cape Fur seal colonies, visit the wreck of the E Bohlen near Conception Bay (1909) and see various ‘relics’ dating back to the diamond mining era. In November 1914 all the people in this area were requested to stop operations and to proceed to Swakopmund up country. This order came as a result of an expected invasion of allied troops.

Tonight you will be camping in the Conception Bay area. (“Leeukoppie” or “Conception Water” – depending on progress and/or weather)

Day 6: “Langewand” to Sandwich Harbour
The dune belt opens up between Meob Bay and Conception Bay, but immediately after Conception the dune belt stretches right onto the beach. From Conception Bay you will be driving on the beach with magnificent scenery. You will experience freedom – BIG TIME!! We are heading northwards towards Sandwich Bay passing the wreck of the Shawnee and negotiating ‘Langewand’ where massive dunes end in the sea. There is only a very limited time span to negotiate this stretch of beach. After Langewand the trail once again leads into the dunes, circumnavigating the Salt Pan ‘extensions’ of Sandwich Harbour. The dunes are still getting progressively larger to offer an ever-changing new experience of ultimate dune driving.

From Sandwich the trail enters the ‘Roller Coaster’, a series of massive ‘roaring’ slip faces, not only giving you a new thrilling experience but also offering breathtaking views of Sandwich Harbour and a panorama of sandscapes on the way to Walvis where the trip will be concluded over dinner. Accommodation in Walvis Bay is included for this night. It is time to say your good-byes to the new friends made during an adventure of a lifetime.

OPTIONAL: Before returning home, make use of a unique opportunity to view the Namib you have just discovered and appreciate it from the air with a scenic flight over the Desert!!

**Please note: Although some experience of dune driving and previous ‘wild camping’ (no formal facilities at camp) are recommended this does not mean that this will be a “Dakar Rally”. The emphasis is definitely on what the Namib has to offer but crossing massive dunes and doing a lot of off-road driving forms a large part of this experience. Participants must definitely have off-road endurance and a taste of adventure.

Essentials

The following items is mandatory for each participation vehicle:

- Spade
- Space for one stacker box with food that you will receive the day of departure.
- 60 liters water for showering and use by the kitchen
- bottled water for drinking
- Tyre pressure gauge
- Toilet paper & matches
- Plastic bags to carry waste (e.g. empty cool drink tins, etc)
- Brake fluid
- Gear oil
- Engine oil
- Fuses
- Spare V- Belt set
- Sufficient Petrol/Diesel to cover the distance – 550KM. Heavy sand driving conditions (+/- 3 km/liter and +/- 5 km/liter consumption for larger petrol and diesel engines respectively) will be experienced.
-Vehicle to be fitted with points to attach tow ropes both in front and at the rear. NB!!
- Empty/Available lighter plug socket– to be used with Communication radio
- All equipment and luggage must be strapped in and securely fastened
- Vehicle must be loaded in such a way to ensure that the vehicle is not “Top Heavy” – e.g. only light items, camping gear on roof carriers
- 2 Large bags of firewood per vehicle and only 4 bags of charcoal in the group.
-The trail passes through heavy dune area, which requires high flotation tyres ("fat takkies").

Optionally:

- Hi lift Jack & Q20 Spray
- Small broom & Small spade
- Extra Spare wheel (no 6)

We supply:

- Communication radios for all participating vehicles
- Meals (Only Tea/Coffee and fruit juices supplied with meals)
- Communal” camping equipment (e.g. braai grid, cooking facilities & equipment, tables, wash-up facilities, shower, toilet etc.)

We supply:

- Tent, folding chair & sleepwear (bedroll, tent etc.)
- Eating utensils (cutlery, plate, bowl, glass & mug)
- Communal” camping equipment (e.g. braai grid, cooking facilities & equipment, tables, wash-up facilities, shower, toilet etc.)
- Own snacks & refreshments (alcoholic beverages, cool drinks etc.)
- Torch & batteries
- Camera (extra films & battery)
- Sunglasses & sun tan lotion
- Clothing (very hot and very cold), toiletries & towels.
- Prescribed medicine
- Small bowl or collapsible wash basin

Now you can say that you have seen more of this beautiful country!

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