Drakensberg

We spent a few days relaxing up at a beautiful spot in the Drakensburg. It gave me an opportunity to get my rock shoes back on. This was not a pleasant experience. Six months sitting in a car have transferred what little uppper body strength I used to have into an expanded waistline. Also the bouldering was made more interesting by a pack of babboons which got upset when I strayed a little too close to them.

After 24,000km we have made it from London to Cape Town

Southern Namibia and Namaqualand

After our hot air balloon ride we headed south to camp one night near the Quivertree Forest and a Mesosaurus fossil site. The night camping was perfect as it was so clear you could see tons and tons of stars. After Rob cooked his famous pasta out of the back of the truck we pulled out some chairs and just marvelled at the sky. The next morning we took a quick walk thru the Quivertrees, which actually aren't trees at all but overgrown aloe plants. We learned about their adaptive structures used to deal with such a dry climate. They store so much water in their branches that they can live through a drought up to 4 years long.Then we went to see the Mesosaurus fossils which I was overly excited about. I always wanted to see dinosaur footprints and I had every expectation that they would look exactly like the ones you see in cartoons. The Mesosaurus lived approx 280 milliion years ago and looked a bit like a small crocodile. The longest one grew up to 3 feet long. The fossils are still in the rocks on a local man's farm and they continue to find new ones all the time. Definitely amazing to see! We crossed over into South Africa and timed things perfectly to capture the spring wild flowers which cover the hills of Namaqualand in spring. Unfortunately this year was not one of the best but it is still a beautiful display.

Hot air balloon over Namib-Naukluft Park

Up at 5am for my birthday present! I must say I wasn't exactly thrilled when the alarm clock went off, but as soon as we got going I couldn't wait to get up on top of the dunes and check out the views at sunrise. As you can see, it was incredible. Later on in the day, I felt like the whole experience was so surreal (and so early in the morning...) that I almost wasn't sure if I had dreamed it or not. I am quite the lucky gal to be getting married to such a romantic. Best birthday gift ever!!!

Sossusvlei

After Etosha we drove down through Swakopmund on the coast and then to Sossusvlei where you can find the highest and most beautiful red sand dunes in the world. Chances are if you have seen any photos of large red dunes, they were taken here. And man are they incredible! I have been looking forward to Sossusvlei so much because fo my (Wendy's) birthday Rob promised me a sunrise hot air balloon over the dunes followed by a champagne breakfast. Trust me, after trekking thru Angola and DC, this was a much anticipated stay. We hiked the tallest sand dune in the world named Big Daddy which is 1,000 feet tall, yet doing it in the sand and the heat made it feel like about twice that. But the views from the top were extraordinary and we got to run straigh down the side at top speed which was SOOOO much fun! Definitely my favorite part of the day. At the bottom of the dunes is Deadvlei where the once flowing riverbed lays cracked and completely dry and the few trees that remain stand eerily still in what will soon become thier graveyard.

Skeleton Coast

The skeleton coast is known for its desolate nature, fogs, shipwrecks and not much else. It is where the desert hits the Atlantic. A few plants struggle through by extracting water from the fog.

The area is home to Welwitschia mirabilis, a very strange plant with a short trunk, two leaves and no living relatives that lives in the middle of nowhere. Not a bad life. More detail on why it is interesting by clicking here.

Etosha National Park

We have made it down to Namibia which is a truly stunning country. For starters, they speak English. Secondly, rather than badly potholed roads with burnt out trucks littering the side, the roads here are either tarred or very well maintained gravel. Finally it is just a beautiful place with a mix of desert, plains and rugged mountains.

We made it over the border from Angola with a sense of relief. While nothing went seriously wrong during our time in Central Africa, it was always the hardest and most dangerous part of our trip so we are both happy to have it behind us.

Our first stop in Namibia was Etosha, a park that is so rich in wildlife that at one waterhole we saw more game than in all the other parks we have visited put together. It was beautiful.