Namibia

Erindi Private Game Resereve

On Monday, June 11 I left Windhoek to visit Erindi Game Reserve, 1571 meters of altitude, where I arrived at the beginning of afternoon. I settled camp n°30 with private toilets and hot showers as well as a stove and a kettle, the luxury but with the full price. Then I was going to see, on foot in the end of the afternoon with the setting sun, the wild life in Waterhole surrounded by an electric fence.

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The following day I bought the Self-Drive in the park in search of animals. The trip that I made represents 88km in 9:00, all stops included. The landscape is splendid and very varied. The track is without difficulty and no-corrugated. Two tracks are for the 4x4 only. I practiced them partially. Riverine Drive on which I met the butt of two elephants occupying all the width of the track. They fled in front of me with the noise of the engine; they were as afraid as me, fortunately. Then the Canyon Drive whose access is very sloping. During the nine hours of my way, alone, I met any kind of animals whose majority are very difficult to photograph because very timorous. My regret was not to have seen the large deer, lion, cheetah, panther. I spent a pleasant day to be made more than two hundred photographs.

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Pamphlet	GPS tracklog

Okonjima Nature Reserve

On Wednesday, June 13 after having returned the key of the building toilets, showers, kitchen of the camp n°30 I passed through the Erindi gate to go to Okonjima Nature Reserve where I arrived at the beginning of afternoon at The Plains Camp Reception after having crossed several closed gates. The reception was very attentive by the hostess who was dedicated to me and who offered to me the Welcome fruit cocktail. After the presentations of use I expressed my desire to take part in the Leopard Tracking the following day afternoon. The hostess took note of it. Then I asked her for the plans of the hiking in the park. There are three, according to the explanations given of them I choose Dik Dik trail of 6 km return along an at present drained river. Finally I went to the Kendi camp, 1617 meters of altitude, which was affected, for me only, with a building toilets, showers, kitchen and electric connection. The employee, Manuel, for the four camps expected me to direct me.

On Thursday, June 14 at 8:30 I started to traverse Dik Dik Trail along the edge of a dry river bed up to the fence. The way does not present any difficulty, it is almost flat, but at nearly 1600 meters of altitude. I traversed the 6 km announced in 1:50, certainly not an exploit. Of course one has to expect to see wild animals, but birds and, odor of plants and trees, neither pollution nor noise, only nature.

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Pamphlet	GPS tracklog

This same day the appointment for the Leopard Tracking was at 15:30. The especially fitted body vehicle can transport 9 customers. The tour traversed approximately 38 km GPS in 3:00 of Bush-roads as well as cross-country in search of the leopard. Okonjima Nature Reserve is a park of lodging of the wildlife having suffered damage of the human cohabitation. They carry a transmitting collar which makes it possible to locate them with a portable antenna. The guide-driver used it on several occasions. On the way we saw endemic animals of the bush, antelopes, giraffes, zebras, rhinoceroses and wild boars. During the tracking we saw a cheetah and finally at fallen the day the leopard. After the final pot we returned to the reception building little before 19:00. I returned to my bivouac into the black night.

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Pamphlet	GPS tracklog

Dry river bed

On Friday, June 15 on the way towards the Atlantic Ocean I stopped on D2414 gravel road to see “Dinosaur Footprints” which is in a farm. After approximately 300 meters of walking I saw on the rock on ground the traces identified by the scientists as being the footprints of dinosaurs dating back from 190 million years. They were left in the sand formed a deposit by the arid climatic conditions. At approximately 14 km away from Usakos I bivouacked in a dry river bed given by Ioverlander.

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Between road and beach

On Saturday, June 16 while arriving on The Skeleton Coast at Henties Bay in the fog until 12:00 I forked on the tarred road to go to Cape Cross Seal Reserve where is a colony of approximately 100,000 seals wallowed on the edge of the ocean rich in food. The spectacle is rare of such a density releasing a sui generis odor. I continued on the road to find a bivouac at the edge of the ocean. Many tracks leave towards the beach used by fishermen in vehicle. I took one of them but alas I noted, too late, that I was on soft sand. My truck was planted; to seek the error? The devil, of course long before, had envisaged this event and had rusted the locks of the sand removal plates hung in the back truck. I could not absolutely free them to be useful. I was alone on the beach. But divine Providence sent a vehicle which emerges from the fog. The driver understood the situation at once. I asked him for his assistance. With my language he realized that I was a foreigner. They were South-African fishermen on vacation. With his two companions he was put at work: initially by ramming with his vehicle, in several operations, the sand in front of my truck while the two others gave off sand in front of the wheels. But the first test was without success. He asked me to use the sand removal plates. I explained to him that I could not open the locks. With two fork wrenches as lever he extracted the rusted ring from the lock, I was amazed! The continuation was fast after the installation of the four plates in front of the wheels. My truck had left its stagnation. This episode ended by embraces, by traditional picture and by exchange of business cards. Mow, I bivouacked on the spot.

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Henties Bay

On Sunday, I paid homage to the Lord for his assistance. I prepared the publication of my website before returning to Henties Bay, hoping to profit from a WiFi connection while bivouacking there.