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Namibia: A Living Desert (Part II)

Our destination was the Hoanib - one of the last true wilderness areas of Africa. An important ephemeral river that forms a corridor for wildlife between the western concessions of Etosha and the Skeleton Coast, the Hoanib stretches more than 250 kilometres to the coast and harnesses rainwater from a catchment area spreading well over 17,000 kilometres.

For those unfamiliar with the term ‘ephemeral’ river, it’s a river that only flows for a few days every few years. For the Hoanib, heavy rain in the hinterland causes a massive flood down its valley. Most of this seeps into the ground, and very rarely does the water actually reach the Atlantic – January 2015 was one of the closest it has been – just a few metres short of the ocean. So, for all but no more than a few days of each year, the Hoanib is as parched as the desert around it; dusty and hot, very windy and extremely dry.

Yet, despite this seeming lack of water, a surprising amount of wildlife ekes out an existence here; classic African plains game such as ostrich, springbok and gemsbok can be viewed with regular occurrence, as can southern giraffe and Hartmann’s mountain zebra. But the wildlife that fascinates everyone who travels to the area, are the relatively small populations of desert adapted lion and elephant.

Our light aircraft flew us directly along Etosha’s southern border before heading over its western perimeter. Flying over the Hobatere and Palmwag concessions, the ground beneath started to buckle. Small mountains rose up, creating deep ravines and gorges at their feet – all empty of water – and complicated river systems with out-stretched tributaries, fanned out for miles in all directions; like the roots of a tree, systematically probing the land for water. Then, the harsh ground seemed to soften - the colour too, softened. Pinks, oranges, yellows and mauves began to emerge - it was sand. Unmistakable. And lots of it. Moments later, our planes were scooting down the gravel landing strip that is positioned between a series of small ‘kopje’s’, and we stepped into a lunar-like landscape of complete bewilderment. 

Gert and Francois – two outstanding guides who were to stay with us for our three nights here – ran over to introduce themselves above the noise of our planes’ propellers winding down. After a brief discussion about our options we decided to take the group on a brief ‘nature’ drive into the river bed, to orientate them to their new surroundings en-route to our accommodation.

As at Etosha, it was extremely hot and I briefed the group to not expect too much from the wildlife – after all, it was approaching noon. Again, as with Etosha, I needn’t have worried, for within 10 minutes (we hadn’t even made it into the river bed itself), our vehicles were being approached by Arnold – one of only two male elephant that reside in the Hoanib – who strolled over a small dune towards my vehicle. Soon after that we were observing a large female with her young. And so, even before arriving at our accommodation, we had seen 20% of Hoanib’s entire population of desert elephant; the good fortune we’d experienced in Etosha was clearly staying with us.

That afternoon, we ventured ‘up-stream’ and observed three desert lion. These were three of the ‘Five Musketeers’ – named by Flip Stander, who has been researching desert lion in the area since 2006. These ‘five musketeers’ are the off-spring of three lioness (a mother and her two daughters) and they, alone, hold the future of their pride. All they have to do is live and procreate, but that’s not easy in such a desolate place, that presents challenges that go beyond ‘mere’ adaptation.

The statistics aren’t good for lion here – Flips excellent website (www.desertlion.info/) provides a very stark and sobering insight into the challenges for these apex predators here. The argument is simple - when the rains fail, the catchment area dries up, and so farmers move their cattle from their dried grazing areas to be near the water holes along the Hoanib, but then shoot or poison the lion to defend their cattle. It is a bitter battle that Flip is resigned to understanding. The situation is desperately sad, but he is a realist and he can only help these beautiful animals so much – instinct, at the end of the day, is instinct and as he says “Nature will not be defeated” – we all hope he is right. The superb 2015 film-documentary Vanishing Kings, which took seven years to film, tells the remarkable story of the ‘five musketeers’ coming-of-age and is well worth watching.

Our second day in the Hoanib was spent following the entire river system to the coast. What a journey! – and I’m talking about the water, now. It almost defies logic that the flow of rain water can push so far, and through such seemingly impenetrable barriers. The journey took us about 4 hours, using 4x4 vehicles that wallowed through soft milky sand and over the sides of gigantic dunes. Nature remained our ally throughout – the flora and fauna continued to enthral us – the adaptations of plants and the continued sightings of wildlife. At one point we were lucky enough to encounter two lionesses – one extremely pregnant – so pregnant, in fact that she could not fully sit down. They rested under a nearby tree, and then slowly walked in front of our vehicles – stopping to observe us – before continuing over the crest of a dune and into the vast desert sand-sea that lay beyond.

We drove through the heart of the Hoanib Delta’s vast ‘pan’ - surrounded by rocky hills and full of green shrubs; evidence of the underground water supply that helps sustain the elephant population here. Only a few kilometres from the coast, even seeing it with our own eyes we struggled to believe it possible for the enormous area that lay before us, to fill entirely with water - until it could hold no more - and for the flood to then break through the dunes and make a final ‘push’ for the ocean, and…freedom!

Upon our arrival to Mowe Bay, an isolated settlement over 300 kilometres north of the nearest coastal town, the majesty of the great South Atlantic and all of its raw power was sudden, shocking and enthralling. Having driven through such stillness and calm, to then crest a single dune and be presented with so much colour, noise and energy, was a real awakening.  The cacophony that rose from the colony of cape fur seals (whose first official sightings were recorded in the log book of the German Cruise ship The Mowe – after which the bay is named – in 1884) was clearly audible above the thundering Atlantic waves that hammered onto the beach and ate further into the remnants of the 1977 wreck of The Suiderkus - a modern fishing vessel fitted with ‘a highly sophisticated navigational system’….that ran aground on her maiden voyage. And so, we sat at our white clothed table and enjoyed a fine lunch on that remote beach, and we were only meters from it all, surrounded by it, in fact. In it, actually. And it was completely fantastic.

The following day, after another magical day exploring the ‘other end’ of the Hoanib – the President’s Waterhole and the catchment area - I asked Gert and Francois to take us somewhere truly special for our final sun-downer. Gert said he knew of a place, and he didn’t let us down. For half an hour, the vehicles swayed their way through shifting soft sands, taking us higher and higher over the most aesthetically pleasing curves and slopes of the most perfect dunes until, at the point of the day when the sunset was at its most vibrant, we reached the top of a desert escarpment and were rewarded with the most breathtaking display of ‘land’ and ‘scape’ I have ever witnessed. The group were stunned into silence, for a short while no-one wanted to talk or do anything except absorb as much as they could for as long as they could. We regrouped, most with dampened eyes – even Charles (96 countries and counting!) remarked that it was “probably” the most beautiful place he had ever stood

Drama? Spectacle? Beauty? Believe me, the Skeleton Coastline has it all, and it will crack even the hardest of hearts. . And all too soon after we had first arrived, we were exchanging emotional farewells with the staff who had looked after us so well for the last three days. No-one wanted leave. Just as no-one wanted to leave Mowe Bay. Just as no-one wanted to leave the previous nights sundowner. And just as no-one wanted to leave the rocky outcrop a few of us had climbed this final morning, to watch the sunrise from behind the silhouettes of desolate mountain peaks on the distant horizon.

But there would to be no staying, despite everyone’s reluctance to leave this Heavenly place, our journey continued, to the epic Namib Desert…

The trip visited Etosha National Park, Ongava Reserve, Skeleton Coast, Walvis Bay, Gobabeb and The Namib Desert. Nick will be leading this very special luxury trip again, in October 2018 (fully booked) and 2019. Places are strictly limited to a maximum of 12 clients and will be confirmed on a first come first served basis. You can telephone us to register your interest in joining the trip, or use our enquiry form.

Read Part I of Nick's blog to learn more.