Table of contents for 2017 in go! Namibia

There are many wonderful places in the world, but few of those places dish up the kind of portions that Namibia does. As a destination, it’s generous with open spaces and views, and as a nation the Namibians are quick to give you a second helping of hospitality. This year we tried to capture the country in its entirety, from the waves of the Atlantic in the west to where tiger fish roam the Chobe River in the east. During our travels, we were reminded again that a tour of Namibia never goes as planned. The longer you drive these roads, the more indulgent you get: Why not take this turn-off? Pull over at that viewpoint? Spend another night at your favourite campsite? You can, because you’re here to relax.…

The Bogenfels rock formation, about 120 km south of Lüderitz, is a geological wonder. Deep in the Sperrgebiet, this 55 m arch towers over the landscape with one leg in the Namib Desert and the other in the Atlantic Ocean. Sometimes the Bogenfels is wrapped in mist and wind, which adds to the feeling of isolation, but if you’re lucky you’ll see it at sunset on a clear day. Climb to the top where there’s a hole in the rock. Look down at the crashing waves below. How to get there? You need a special permit to visit the arch. Coastways Tours Lüderitz is the only operator that offers trips to the abandoned mining town of Pomona and to the Bogenfels. Cost: Full-day tour R1 750 per person (minimum four…

Tsumeb is a mining town and a gateway to places further north. It’s often the last stop for supplies if you’re travelling to Angola, Etosha or the Caprivi Strip. But spend a little longer and you’ll soon realise there’s more to Tsumeb than the well-known De Wet mining shaft in President Street. It seems like any other mining town if you stick to the pavements, but what goes on below the tar tells a different story: caves, underground lakes and more than 160 metals and minerals like copper, lead, zinc, silver and other rare metals found nowhere else on earth. Yes, Tsumeb Mine is one of a kind. Dig a hole here and you’ll hit the periodic table. But Tsumeb’s treasures don’t appeal to miners alone – there are many…

MORNING 5.30 am: The Canyon Roadhouse, part of the Gondwana Collection, is a popular attraction in southern Namibia. There are lots of top-end places to stay in the area, but the Roadhouse is a more affordable option. Even if you spent the whole of the previous day driving, you won’t regret getting up early for the Fish River Canyon. To get to the main viewpoint over the canyon, you need to drive 16 km along the C37 to the Hobas gate. From there it’s an 11 km drive to the lip of the canyon itself. The gate opens at 6 am and you want to be at the canyon when the sun rises. Entrance costs around R70 per person and R20 per vehicle. GPS: S27.61899 E17.71510 6.15 am: The road…

DAY 1 We meet at the Ruacana Eha Lodge in the afternoon and head to the Kunene River Lodge. En route (if time allows) we’ll visit Ruacana Falls and the old Ruacana power station. DAYS 2 & 3 An essential safety briefing follows breakfast to ensure everyone is comfortable with the challenges ahead. Today we drive along the Kunene River before arriving at the spectacular Epupa Falls where we’ll spend two days. There will be plenty of time to view the falls and visit a Himba village. DAY 4 After breakfast we head to Okangwati and the heartland of Kaokoland. We spend the night at the foot of Van Zyl’s Pass, enjoying a hearty dinner and preparing for the next day’s rocky ride into the Marienfluss. DAYS 5 & 6…

OKAVANGO RIVER Things to see and do? The Okavango (known as the Kavango River in Namibia) forms the northern border between Namibia and Angola for more than 350 km before it cuts through the Caprivi Strip for 50 km to get to Botswana and the Okavango Delta. Just south of Divundu the river tumbles down Popa Falls in a series of rapids. If you’re a history buff you can explore the ruins of the 32 Battalion base – it’s on the eastern bank of the river. Further downstream there is also an overgrown cemetery. Will I see game? Don’t underestimate Mahango Game Reserve. It might be relatively small and your chance of seeing a lion is slim, but you can bank on elephants, roan antelope and red lechwe. The game-viewing…

Gunsbewys Guest Farm is about 80 km north of Aus on what is known as the most scenic gravel road in Namibia – the D707. Like most of southern Namibia, this region is sparsely populated. It also doesn’t see many tourists as it’s not near one of the main tourist routes. It’s a place where you can truly appreciate open space and isolation. East of the D707, the Tirasberg rises over the scrubland. To the west you can see the first dunes of the Namib Desert. The deep red soil adds an otherworldly quality, as if you might bump into the Mars Rover… My colleague Toast Coetzer spent time at Gunsbewys about four years ago and told me about the owner of the farm, Gertrud Gräbner – an elderly German…

Batis Birding Safaris offers birding tours all over Namibia, but they’re based in Swakopmund and also give tourists the chance to explore the animal life in the dunes. It’s cool and misty when I meet up with guide Colin Araseb and we drive a few kilometres into the desert. Before Colin starts looking for tracks in the sand, he explains the geology of the region and how rivers like the Swakop and Kuiseb contributed to the formation of the dunes. He also sweeps a magnet over the sand to demonstrate how rich it is in iron. I’m already fascinated and we haven’t even seen a single animal! Colin knows exactly what to look for. Within minutes he’s uncovered a Namib web-footed gecko (pictured here). The gecko is almost translucent and…

□Abdim’s stork □African cuckoo □African fish-eagle □African grey hornbill □African harrier-hawk □African hawk-eagle □African palm swift □African quailfinch □African scops-owl □Ant-eating chat □Augur buzzard □• Bare-cheeked babbler □Barn owl □Bateleur □Black crake □Black cuckoo □Black kite □Black-chested snake-eagle □• Black-faced babbler □Black-faced waxbill □Black-headed heron □Black-shouldered kite □Blacksmith lapwing □Black-winged pratincole □Black-winged stilt □• Blue crane □• Bronze-winged courser □Brown-crowned tchagra □Brown snake-eagle □Brown-throated martin □Burchell’s courser □Burchell’s sandgrouse □• Burchell’s starling □Cape shoveler □Cardinal woodpecker □• Carp’s tit □• Chestnut weaver □Cinnamon-breasted bunting □Comb duck □Common buzzard □Common cuckoo □Common fiscal □Common scimitarbill □Crested francolin □Crimson-breasted shrike □• Damara hornbill □Double-banded courser □Double-banded sandgrouse □Dusky sunbird □• Dwarf bittern □Eurasian hobby □European bee-eater □European nightjar □European roller □Fiery-necked nightjar □Freckled nightjar □Fulvous duck □Gabar goshawk □Golden-tailed woodpecker □• Great…

Whether you’re travelling from the Skeleton Coast to the interior, from Outjo to the seaside, from Spitzkoppe north to Etosha, or from Kaokoveld to central Namibia, sooner or later you’ll have to decide: Do I take the C39 or the C40? These two roads connect the towns of Khorixas, Kamanjab and Palmwag, with many lodges and campsites in-between. The C39 is the busy tourist route. Every few metres there’s a sign advertising a Damaraland activity or place to stay. The C40, on the other hand, is a bit of a detour, although it does offer the quiet beauty of the Grootberg Pass. Maybe you’ll decide to explore both of these routes and spend more than one night in the area. There’s something for everyone in the hills of Damaraland, whether…

COMPULSORY STUFF Passport. It needs to be valid for six months or more from the date you plan to leave Namibia, and it should have at least two blank pages. Birth certificates. All children under 18 need an unabridged birth certificate to cross the border. Driving licence. Your South African licence is valid in Namibia – keep it at hand. Vehicle registration documents. Copies of these documents will do. Remember the papers for the trailer or caravan. Letter of authorisation. If you’re still paying off your car, you need a letter of authorisation from the bank. If the car you’re travelling in doesn’t belong to you, you need a letter written by the owner giving you permission to take it across the border. The letter should include the vehicle registration…

The Germans call them “inselbergs” – small mountains (or big koppies) that rise like islands from the otherwise flat plains of Namibia. The Waterberg, east of Otjiwarongo, is one such inselberg. On Google Earth it looks like someone carefully unmoulded the chiselled escarpment around the plateau. The mountain is not very tall (only 200 m higher than the adjacent Omaheke Plain), but it has some girth (16 km at its widest) and it stretches along the western border of the Kalahari for a substantial 50 km. With the exception of a few smaller reserves and guest farms around the Waterberg, the mountain is divided into two conservation areas: the Waterberg Resort in the west, managed by Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR), and the neighbouring Waterberg Wilderness Private Nature Reserve in the…

MORNING 7 am: Wake up at Sophia Dale Base Camp, about 11 km from Swakopmund on the banks of the dry Swakop River. There might not be a lot of grass to camp on – you’re in the middle of the desert after all – but there’s good shade and clean ablution facilities. Have a cup of coffee, buy some of the salami made by owners Michaela and Manfred Lütz and head into town. 8.30 am: Sit down at Die Muschel Books & Fine Art in the Brauhaus Arcade between Hendrik Witbooi and Tobias Hainyeko streets, and order a fresh bread roll with smoked salmon, sour cream and horseradish (R50). Also order coffee (R16) – or ice coffee (R35) if the day is already heating up. The bookshop has been…

The C14 gravel road links Solitaire with Walvis Bay, cutting through parts of the Namib-Naukluft Park for 234 km. The last time I drove this road was in December 2003 in my Nissan 1400 bakkie – with no water, air conditioning or radio. I was on my way to Swakop to attend a New Year’s concert featuring Valiant Swart and Karen Zoid. For 234 km I didn’t see another person or vehicle, only a few wild horses, springbok and gemsbok. Today I’m on the C14 again, but I’ll only be doing a short stretch. It’s June but it’s still hot outside – the desert doesn’t pay much attention to seasons. Toast Coetzer and I are filming our 2016 TV series Weg Agterpaaie and we have an appointment with Boesman Davids…