Part 3 - Fish River Canyon and Namibia

As we made our return trip through the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and back to our truck to continue our journey, Hannas stopped the vehicle to show us lion tracks in the dirt.  Behind a windmill were the remains of a black maned lion kill; a porcupine.  There are approximately 650 lions in the park and this was the closest we came to seeing one, just a bit too late.  I won't show you what remained of the porcupine however will tell you that Hannas gave each of us some quills to take with us.  As Stefan headed back to the truck, he stepped in another indicator that a lion had been there.  What a stench!  He finally had to remove his boots, tie them tightly in a plastic bag and isolate them in one of the storage compartments under the Kiboko truck until we reached our Fish River Canyon accommodation.  We all had more than one laugh over that mis-step.

Time to say goodbye....thanks for
the wonderful memories!

Along the way to Fish River, we encountered some lovely sights.

I was hoping for meerkats but desert rodents will do

A brand new baby Springbok, taking
it's first steps

That's gotta work!

Leaving the Kalahari region we headed west and entered Namibia. We spent two days visiting the Fish River Canyon, which is one of the largest and most awe inspiring canyons in the world.

Nowhere else in Africa will you find anything quite like Fish River Canyon.  Fish River, which joins the Orange River 70 km south of the canyon, has been gouging out this gorge for aeons.  The canyon measures 160 km in length and up to 27 km in width, and the dramatic inner canyon reaches a depth of 550 m.  (LP)

Within a short period of time
the terrain changes dramatically

Vogelstrausskluft Country Lodge,
Fish River Canyon area

Our suites

Brutally dry with little colour

Water hole below the lodge

Yet it is beautiful

Dennis - our guide

The lounge at the lodge

Lounge

Fish River Canyon

Adam in a pensive moment

Really, really overwhelming

Guess why Bob's happy

Yup...another sundowner!

..and the sun did go down..right over there...

The next morning we left the canyon and drove north through ever changing scenery to our accommodation, Desert Camp, located on the edge of the Namib Desert.

Bob thought you might
be interested in his
nomination for the "Most
Disgusting Urinal" Award

Interesting people in towns we passed
through

Such character 

Very interesting lunch stop

Lovely gardens

Sculpture in the restaurant garden

Our cabin at the Desert Camp

Really unique tented walls

It even had an outdoor kitchen

You think it's a movie backdrop don't you?

The lodge where we ate our meals

Gravel sculpture at the door, always
perfect

Entrance to the lodge

Beautiful sculpture around the fountain

An 'Out of Africa' moment

Another of those moments

We were up early the next morning to hike through the dunes at sunrise, part of the 32,000 sq km sand sea that covers much of western Namibia. The dunes, which reach as high as 325m are part of one of the oldest and driest ecosystems on earth.  The landscape here is constantly changing.  Colours shift with the light, and wind forever alters the dunes' shape.  The ultimate quest was to walk up Dune 45 and in the intense heat of the desert, it was imperative that we do our 5 km hike as early as possible.

Spectacular colours as the sun
makes an appearance

Hard to hike in sand in 30C temperatures

Our very own "Lawrence of Malaysia"!

Desert blooms

Up, up we go!  I led of course, and
it took FOREVER for the rest to
catch up....

..so I observed a dung beetle while
I waited.  I really don't want to know why
a dung beetle is way up here on a dune

Below us - Dead Vlei

Of course, what goes up, must come
down

A bit of a rest before we head back

This was the place that Sam most
wanted to visit.  He was captivated

So was Stefan, returning from a
higher climb than the rest of us