Part 2 : Walvis Bay to Puros – via Erindi, Mowani Mountain lodge and Palmwag
Coming into Walvis Bay from the south the first thing you see is the famous dune 7 where – if you
have some spare energy – you can see how fast you can get to the top with sand rolling away under
your feet all the time. Walvis Bay, now becoming the main import harbour for the African interior,
has literally more than doubled in size since I last visited about ten years ago and has now become a
rather big and busy city. Where there was just a beach – Langstrand – the last time I was there, now
kilometres of beach are lined with luxurious houses.
Swakopmund, which is a much nicer town, has also grown a lot and you can find most of the big
name stores close at hand should you want to go there on holiday. However, pure holiday is not the
main reason people go there every year. Kilometres and kilometres of beach, past Henties and all
the way up to Torra bay is where a lot of fishermen go every year and I understand that as recent as
this year some people caught more cob than what they could personally use. We stayed in the Alte
Brucke camping site and although clean, well-kept with a good kitchen area, a functional bathroom
and close to town, I personally found it too crowded. Just personal taste but come dinner time I felt
that I could change my neighbours meat around on his braai from my site.
Dune 7
A view towards Swakopmund from Jetty 1905
Another older Atlantic victim south of Henties bay
Alte-Brucke campsite
However, neither fishing nor staying too long in any place was our main purpose of this trip but to
see as much of Namibia in a limited time period allowed. From Swakop we took the B2, which is a
rather busy big tar road, through places like Usakos and Karibib and turned onto the C33 towards
Omaruru and our destination for the day – the Erindi Private game reserve. This was by far the most
expensive camp site we stayed in our whole trip. Although the camp site has its own little lawn in
front of the kitchen, a neat kitchen, its own little lapa, bathroom and even a fridge/freezer I felt the
rate was rather excessive. There are two camps in Erindi with Camp Elephant being the only one
with camp sites. The only other camp being an up-market lodge, The Old Traders Lodge.
Maybe because of the bad drought this area has experienced over the past year or so we saw few
animals on our self-drive afternoon through the park which you have to pay an additional amount
for, apart from your entrance and camping fees. The waterhole at the camp changed my view that
there were about no game to talk about in the park because a big variety – in numbers - came to
drink at the waterhole which was a hive of activity. We should have saved ourselves the trouble and
money of driving round in the reserve. We even heard a lion roaring that night but saw no cats.
Apparently, according to local Namibians, this is a completely different reserve with loads of game
all over in a year with good rain.
Omaruru entrance gate to Erindi Game Reserve
Water buck bull relaxing in the shade
One of the many visitors at waterhole - Camp Elephant
Private lapa at our campsite
Kitchen, bathroom and campsite
Beautiful Eagle Owl at waterhole
We had to move on as our next campsite was at the Mowani Mountain Lodge campsite in the
Twyfelfontein area. Over Uis and onto the D2612 through barren rocky mountains and dry river
beds, Mopani tree vegetation standing in red sand and then again in rocky ground. The further
north and west we went the fewer huts and goats we encountered.
The Mowani Mountain campsite is completely separate from the Mowani Mountain Lodge and
campers are not welcome to visit the upmarket lodge. The campsites are simple but sufficient with
an almost open air shower and toilet with a donkey giving hot water to the shower and basin.
Campsites are sometimes just separated by huge rocks, others just a couple of big rocks away. It is
situated with a frontal view of beautiful smaller versions of Table Mountain with barren plains in
between and at the back a very rugged rocky smallish mountain. Despite the barrenness of the area
we saw a whole bunch of different small but beautiful birds as well as some springbuck and zebra.
Campsite at Mowani Mountain Lodge
Colourful and curious lizard
Tall trees growing in between huge boulders
A Bokmakierie singing his morning song
A smaller version of Table Mountain
Ruppel’s or desert Korhaan
Visiting the Twyfelfontein heritage site was a bit of a let-down and the so-called “Burnt mountain” is
as far as I am concerned just a blackish outcrop, maybe not worth driving hundreds of kilo’s to see.
However, the area is still beautiful enough because of the ruggedness of the surrounding desert.
From Twyfelfontein we continued on with the D2612 onto the C39/M126 towards Palmwag which
was our destination for the day. First stop the Palmwag filling station – two pumps next to the road
in the middle of nowhere accepting only cash. What a pleasant relief from the rugged and harsh
surroundings Palmwag Lodge and campsite is. It is a modern lodge with dining room, pub and
chalets. The campsites are situated at the back of the lodge and on the riverbank. If it is not as dry as
it is currently it must be beautiful and should be pleasant to stay at. There is also a swimming pool
with a pub for the campers and a separate dining area for the campers where they offer meals.
Campers share communal showers with nice hot water and all campsites have electricity.
From Palmwag you can do day trips into the Palmwag reserve which gives you some exposure to the
harsh but beautiful surroundings of the area without venturing too deep into the desert where few
people go – permits are available from the Palmwag lodge or at the gate to the reserve.
Entrance to Palmwag Lodge & campsite
View of the lodge from the main road
The little kitchen and campsite
- on the “river” bank
Swimming pool with green lawns at campsite
Giraffe in the Palmwag reserve
When planning the trip I wanted to see the most rugged areas and therefor did not take the more
travelled route over Sesfontein to Puros. Instead, we left the “main” road C39/M126 just outside
Palmwag and into the Palmwag reserve area and onto the so-called Palmwag Crowther’s 4x4 trail.
Now, if you are really into going to wild and wonderful places and not just driving onto a pavement
with your 4x4 this is a track you should try at least once in your lifetime. What you should have with
you is strong and new tyres, patience, a fair share of off-roading driving ability and be in no hurry at
all. I also suggest you do not do this trip by yourself unless you have more than just a little off-road
experience.
Steenbok and zebra in the Palmwag reserve
The track runs over rocky areas consisting of only stones under your wheels, then every once in a
while the stones make way for sand and back onto stones again. Over rocky outcrops, through dry
river beds, absolutely flat desert surroundings with severe corrugated tracks and back into more
mountainous surroundings and eventually into the Hoanib River and Hoanib riverbed 4x4 trail. The
Hoanib riverbed looks like the Limpopo riverbed just bigger and more beautiful at some places and
then you are boxed in again between the two mountains running parallel to the riverbed.
Some of the tracks on the Crowther’s trail on your way to the Hoanib river
You cannot and sometimes will not even be allowed to do this trail if the river has any running water
in it – just too muddy, sandy and remote.
According to the T4A it is a distance of 160km from Palmwag to the Amspoort gorge and should take
you 7 hours to complete. To be safe allow another hour or so and hope that the river has not run for
a while. It took us 9 hours to get to a safe enough camp site on the river bank without getting stuck
once but going just so slow at some places because of the road surface - and to replace a tyre
completely written off by a hidden sharp-edged stone.
Camping on the river bank of the Hoanib river with your closest neighbours – if any, nowhere in sight
was a real treat.
The Hoanib River 4x4 trail is really something special and we should have stayed there for at least
another day and maybe drove up the trail towards Sesfontein and back again to really take in the
scenery and get more of the feel of the place. People we met the next day at Puros saw some lion
and elephant just higher up the river the same day we were there but we missed it.
From Amspoort gorge you once again take the trail north-west which is much easier to travel on
than the track from Palmwag to Amspoort. Although still sandy and rocky with its fair share of
corrugation you can actually enjoy more of the scenery because you don’t have to concentrate on
driving that much. The first 65 odd kilometres of the 91km to Puros takes you through vast open
desert plains with the odd rocky outcrop every so often with a variety of sparse vegetation and
sometimes the total lack thereof. The closer you get to the Hoarusib River the more mountainous it
becomes again until all of a sudden you cross a small little dune and you find yourself in the Hoarusib
river bed.
Driving up the Hoarusib river bed in the Puros canyon
We were fortunate because although there was water running in the river we could safely drive up
the Hoarusib riverbed 4x4 trail and through the Puros canyon to Puros. Some people we met a
couple of days later in Olifantsrus in Etosha told us that when they attempted to do the Hoarusib
riverbed 4x4 trail north of Puros a flash flood came down the river and they had to turn around and
take a huge detour. Probably the same flood that prevented us from doing that same trail.
Anyway, the Hoarusib riverbed 4x4 trail south of Puros is something rather special – completely
different to the Hoanib riverbed trail. Here you literally drive for 20 odd kilometres between
mountains on both sides and you have to cross the river many times up the trail with very little, if
any, space between the two mountains on either side at some places. At one specific – often
photographed spot – you literally have to drive in the river between the two cliffs coming into the
river – awesome.
Coming around a bend the gorge suddenly opens up and you find yourself once again in open desert
with a few huts and a shebeen (local pub and grocery vendor) – this is Puros. After having a slow
puncture fixed at the local tyre merchant – two locals with two tyre levers under a small tree – with
lots of thorns lying round, the locals directed us to the Puros community campsite. Because we were
the first arrivals of the day we got campsite 2 – with its only little kitchen, “private” toilet and open
air hot water shower (donkey).
The Puros canyon
Tyre repair shop in Puros
Open air shower at campsite 2
Campsite 2 at Puros community campsite
When we were there in December it was really dry throughout most of the trip up to Puros which
made dry riverbed crossings rather easy but I would love to see this area after a good raining season.