On the road again – Rock ‘n rolling through Namibia

After hearing the stories of Twyfelfontein, one of Namibia’s bestsellers, there was more rock ‘n rolling to be done. And in Dr Seuss’s words: ‘You’re off to great places. TODAY is your day, your mountain is waiting so get on your way’.

It began with a visit to the Organ Pipes, so named because of a dolerite sill that has weathered to resemble the vertical columns of organ pipes, and Burnt Mountain - a small mountain with a coating of dolerite and manganese - before heading southwards to Brandberg.

The corrugations in the road were in a league of their own, bypassing any milkshake or martini metaphors I could think of. I had no words to describe them except unprintable expletives, which became increasingly creative as my trusty chariot painfully gulped down the kilometres. At the Ugab River, I gratefully stopped at the striking Herero ladies, clad in their long dresses and selling their well-made Herero dolls. They added splashes of colour to the thirsty landscape.

Back on the road, it wasn’t a cold beer that I was dreaming of, but a stretch of smooth tarmac. Before long, the looming Brandberg (‘Burning Mountain’ or ‘Dâureb’ in Damara) massif appeared on my right, the power and size formidable. There were not enough hours left in the day and the two-hour walk to see the famous White Lady rock painting would have to wait. The sprawling, well-organised Brandberg White Lady campsite provided a welcome overnight stop, punctuated by the calls of pearl-spotted owls.

 

The following day ‘Rock Art, part 2’ was about to begin. I joined a group of German and Namibian visitors for the walk. The granite rock, dotted with scatterings of dark dolerite and Brandberg acacias, is home to the many dassies (rock hyraxes) which scamper about and higher up, the elusive leopards. The walk gave us a chance to chat to our companions. “NATURE IS BIGGER OUT HERE!” a German tourist told me, succinctly putting into words Namibia’s major drawcard. When we reached the Maack’s shelter, our guide pointed to the white painting of a shaman that had been erroneously interpreted as a woman for many years. Around it, springbok and zebra floated through time, remnants of an era where people gathered in the mountains in the dry season and told stories on rock.

My last stop for the day was Uis, the small settlement south-east of the great mountain and home to a tin mine, where the massive image of the Brandberg serves as a backdrop. I made my way to the charming Cactus and Coffee coffee-shop to check in for my Daureb-Isib campsite and savour a meal among the succulents. On the wall was the Dr Seuss quote. As I had already made the pilgrimage to the mountain, the following day I turned towards the coast, watching the temperature on my car’s gauge drop as I got closer. The gravel turned into tar before Henties Bay and I let out a sigh of relief as I glided down to Swakopmund where The Delight Hotel offered a delightful space to unwind. I warmed up next to the fire and snuggled under blankets with a hot water bottle in the cool air of the coast, readying myself for a relaxing day exploring the town before the road called again.

(Join me week after next as I make my way to Solitaire, Namib Desert Lodge and the famed dunes of Sossusvlei.)