My sincere apologies for not having posted anything as of late. We are all doing well and are back on the European continent. Our five months in Africa have been the most amazing experience and we are still trying to wrap our heads around everything we saw, ate, met, and did. Our lives have changed 180 degrees since we left Africa!
I happily take you, and myself, back to that beautiful continent, to continue our story of our travels:
Our Swiss friends, Sylvia and Friedwart, contacted us as they wanted to go into the wilderness and were looking for companions to join them. We had been thinking about the same trip but knew it was not wise to travel it alone. We gladly accepted their offer and we met up in Palmwag, to prepare for the desert.
We prepared for a trip of four days into the remote, packing mainly food and water. Three liters of water per day per person, plus a bit extra, which meant 60 liters for us!
The first day we drove through the Palmwag Concession, an endless, surreal basalt landscape.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time here. The mirages were magical and the sky seemed endless. It is hard to find a place in the world where you really do not hear anything apart from yourselves and where you do not meet anyone at all.
We really enjoyed learning about the things that grow in the Namib desert, like the wild melon and the welwitschia. Sylvia and Friedwart had once lived in Namibia for a few years and they shared a lot of knowledge with us.
We found such a beautiful place for the night. We shared it with one other traveller, who had been in the wild for a few weeks already. We invited him to join us for "dessert in the desert" and he could appreciate the fresh pineapple we shared.
The next morning we continued our drive, heading toward the Hoanib riverbed. We did not encounter many animals up till now as the land is bare and water is scarce. Seeing the first giraffes was therefor very exciting!
The Hoanib is a seasonal river and it flows only every few years from heavy rainfall in the hinterland of the catchment area. There was no water right now but the riverbed was full of life! We hardly encountered other humans but we did see many animals, who were all enjoying the vegetation growing in this area.
Flash floods are a real danger here, especially in the rainy season, therefore you cannot camp in the riverbed. We found a beautiful spot for the night on the banks of the river.
The time we spent here is hard to describe. There were no distractions, no cell phone reception, no other people, just us and the wilderness around us.
We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our time here. We never felt more in sync with nature than here!
Every day we brought out a table for lunch and we filled it with whatever we could find in our provision. We were always happy with the feast we created and thankful for the time we spent together.
It was time to head back into civilization.... After a night in Purros we drove to Sesfontein and Warmquelle.
Our time in the Hoanib region was very special. It is a memory we will treasure forever.
A huge thank you to Sylvia and Friedwart for joining us into the wild! What a special time we had!
You have become part of our family 🤍
Incredible! I'm glad it was everything you hoped and then some. I'm happy you are all safe and sound!