TRAVEL SOUTHERN AFRICA A LETTER FROM AFRICA NAMIBIA part 1

My Dearest Friends,

I’m back from Namibia, having clocked 6,600 kilometres on the speedometer and captured over 800 images on my Canon. Namibia—a vast country spanning 318,259 square miles—is home to just 1.771 million people. It’s bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Botswana and Zimbabwe to the east, Angola to the north, and the South Atlantic Ocean to the west. You can drive for hours on end without encountering a single building, car, or person—just endless landscapes and wildlife. And I absolutely loved it.

Namaqualand Flowers Image Noleen Kutash ©

Namaqualand Flowers Image: Noleen Kutash ©

Let me start from the beginning. I departed Somerset West in my trusty Jetta, following my friend Elzette and her husband Ronnie in their 4x4. We were in no rush, so we decided to spend the first night on the South African side of the border. Our stop was in a town called Springbok, located in the Namaqualand district—an area world-renowned for the wildflowers that blanket the landscape as far as the eye can see.

I’ve learned a lot from my previous road trips with the Nells (Elzette and Ronnie) about how to properly prepare for such a journey. This time, I made sure to have a flask of coffee and a stash of dry rusks—a typical South African biscuit, perfect for dipping in coffee. We often pulled off to the side of the road for a break, stretched our legs, found a bush for a quick wee, enjoyed our coffee, snapped a few pictures, and then got back behind the wheel.

We set off from Springbok well before sunrise and reached the border crossing by 10:00 AM, heading toward Keetmanshoop. This is where Ronnie would leave Elzette and me—Keetmanshoop being the closest town to their ranch—while he continued on to their farm, “Gocharus,” another 150-mile drive on a very rough dirt road.

Elzette and I checked into the Bird’s Nest Hotel, took a nap, and then set out for the Quiver Tree Forest before sunset. These 300-year-old trees are indigenous to Namibia and are truly a sight to behold.

Quiver Tree Forest Namibia Image: Noleen Kutash ©

Quiver Forest Namibia Image: Noleen Kutash ©

Right next to the Quiver Tree Forest was the “Giant’s Playground,” where we saw rock formations that looked as though they had been carefully assembled by gigantic hands. We wandered around until after dark, marvelling at the surreal landscape, before stopping by a friend of the Nells on our way back to town.

There, we watched in utter amazement as our host ordered his pet warthog to bed. This cute, chubby creature obediently trotted off and was even tucked in under a warm blanket for the night. It was an unforgettable sight!

Pet Warthog Image Noleen Kutash ©

Giants Playground Namibia Image: Noleen Kutash ©

Giants Playground Namibia Image: Noleen Kutash ©

We had a delightful dinner that evening and turned in early. The next morning, we stocked up on supplies, knowing they’d have to last us for quite some time—after all, who would volunteer to drive back to town when it’s 150 miles away on a terrible dirt road? Certainly not me!

I had a wonderfully peaceful time at Gocharus. Every morning, Elzette and I power-walked in the bitter cold under clear blue skies, breathing in mouthfuls of the freshest air. The days warmed up nicely, but the nights and mornings were oh... so cold. Elzette baked fresh bread, and we feasted on farm-fresh produce, barbecued meat from Gocharus’s livestock, and milk that was still warm in the mornings—straight from the cow, as fresh as it gets.

Gocharus spans 33,000 hectares and stretches into the Kalahari Desert, with its stunning red dunes. We took many drives up and down those dunes, soaking in the beauty of the landscape. Of course, no game farm experience is complete without a bit of hunting. Here, it's frowned upon to shoot at game from less than 200 meters away—hence the need for telescopes.

The following images were taken at Gocharus the day before Elzette and I departed on our road trip to the West Coast of Namibia. 

Quiver Tree Namibia Image: Noleen Kutash ©

Sunset Namiba Image: Noleen Kutash ©

Sunset Namibia Image: Noleen Kutash ©