Blog

July 16th – 22nd, 2022

Here, deep in Kaokoland and all the way at the top of Namibia the Okarohombo Community Campsite gazes across the Kunene river to Angola. It is lovely. In ten days we had to be in Maun, Botswana, to meet our friends for a long planned tandem trip into the Moremi Game Reserve. Maun is 2000km away by road, so we had better get cracking.

To preserve our remaining time before the Maun rendezvous we spent the day driving all the way to Purros, a not insignificant effort. This made for an early start, heading out of the Okarohombo. This would buy us enough time after Purros to see the unique Hoarusib and Hoanib riverbeds.

The drive south through the valley was stunning, the flanks of the hills lit up orange in the morning sun. The main roads in the valley are quite corrugated, but after fixing our incessant rattle the other day we were able to just soak in the scene and our lone vehicle traversed south through the valley. 

At the southern end of the valley we took a right, making for Blue Drum. The other logical route to Purros is via Joubert’s Pass and Marble Mine, but we have driven that route in 2019 and we wanted to check out one of the alternatives. 

After rattling over the same territory that we’d gotten a flat tire near Red Drum a few days ago we had almost made it to Blue Drum before getting yet another puncture. Unbelievable. It was the same front right tire, another sidewall failure near the first. Two more plugs and we were sorted, now with five plugs in that tire alone After all that we made it to Blue Drum and turned south into new territory.

The land is stark, vast and bleak. There is a light dusting of sparse yellow grass, and small scrubby trees dotting shallow depressions that must collect what little water comes this way, nurturing the few trees that manage to survive here. The rest of the barren rock and hills look raw and rough, like they might have been formed yesterday, not millions of years ago.

Partway along our route we saw a Namaqua chameleon crossing the road. His (?) coloring was so incredibly like the rocky environment surrounding him that after he was across the road we lost sight of him a few times even when we had our eyes on him. Their camouflage is so good we might have driven by a 100 other chameleons, but if they weren’t on the road we’d never see them. 

The camouflage on a chameleon is unbelievably good. Here is a test, find the chameleon:

A closer look:

Further south we took a ‘shortcut’ to shave some distance off the route and seek relief for the washboarded roads. This turned out to be no better than the main road, but it did have nice scenery and we saw ostrich, springbok and good birdlife along the way. 

Rejoining the D3707 we were stunned to find it had just been graded and was silky smooth. This fantastic relief didn’t last, but we savored every minute of smoothness, zooming through the rocky basalt plains. Eventually the road degraded and we drove hour upon hour of heavy corrugations. We adjusted tire pressure, adjusted our speed, trying to go fast and slow and everything else, but there was so succor to be had. 

Finally we rolled into Purros, the largest village this far north in the Kunene region. There is a modest shop, sometimes fuel available from drums and fleeting mobile signal from a tiny cell tower. The village is well scattered, mostly along the eastern side of the wide sandy Hoarusib riverbed, which is dry most years.

Desert elephants frequent the area and there are several campsites and a few lodges in the area. We managed to get the last available campsite at the Purros Community Camp. The campsites here are excellent, each with their own ablution, well shaded and with lots of space. The staff warned us to shower soon, as the elephants often dig up and break the water lines, leading to a loss of water supply in the showers. 

Originally we were going to spend two nights at this wonderful spot, but having just spent two nights in the civilized Okarohombo Community Camp we thought we’d push on to the riverbeds. After one night we headed into the village to see if we could get some extra fuel and maybe get one of our bad tires repaired.

On the very short drive into Purros from the campsite our front right tire plugs started to leak, I think a consequence of being cool in the morning. We added a plug to each hole, now a total of seven plugs in that single tire.

The tire situation was obviously dire. The front right tire was in sad shape, and one of our spares had an big sidewall tear, unrepairable even with our liberal plugging policy. Our plans for the next few days had us heading into remote territory, so trying to get that second spare back online was a priority. 

Jenny shopping at the Manchester United shop in Purros.

It was a Sunday, so not the best day to try to find someone to work on tires. In the village we started at the Manchester United Trading Co., one of two small shops. It was chained shut, closed on Sunday. Unless you wanted to buy something. Jenny was invited into the back when we asked about restocking our beer supply.

There was a crude painted sign for ‘tire repair’ and we asked around. Once they learned that we needed the tire to be taken off the rim and patched on the inside he sent the word out and said they would come. In the meantime we asked about fuel, and again the correct person was summoned. He hopped in the cab with us and directed us to the village fuel store room, where we purchased 20 liters of fuel, at $30 Namibian dollars a liter. Not such a bad markup considering its $23N a liter in the cities, and they had to transport it all the way out here. This extra fuel wasn’t essential, but gave us some extra comfort to not have to worry about our range.

A half an hour later a battered pickup rolled up, the tire repair team. The lead man appeared to be a little drunk but was friendly enough. We agreed to his price of $350N (~$20 USD).

The drunk guy wandered off and the rest of the gang took over. We were directed over to a large shady tree that had a manual bead breaker secured to a cement pad in the shade. After quite a bit of hard effort they got the tire off the rim. and found their last remaining tire patch. 

They worked hard, scraping the interior of the tire smooth for the patch with an old sardine tin, gluing the patch in place, inserting the rim and finally using our compressor to reset the bead on the rim, all the while sweating in the mounting morning heat. Our little compressor reset the bead quite easily. I’d always wondered if it would be up to the task and it managed just fine.

Unfortunately after all that the patch didn’t work. I was worried they were going to charge us anyway, since it’s just as much work to fail to patch as it is to patch it, but I think they were worried that we wouldn’t pay. So they did it again. Break the bead. Take the rim out. Clean the inside of the tire more. Re-glue to patch. Reset the bead. Again…it leaked. 

All this time we were having really nice conversations with all the guys, they were super friendly. One worked at the very fancy Shipwreck Lodge, a $1000 a night type of place, out on the coast and he was on his leave rotation. It seems many people from Purros end up working in the lodges in Kaokoland. 

Third time is a charm? The gang insisted at trying again, though they were in their rhythm now and getting faster. On the third attempt…the patch still failed. This was eye opening for us, as I’d always thought that we should learn how to do this and carry some patches, but if these guys who had done this before couldn’t get it to work it was clear that this is not straightforward. 

Their efforts were so impressive and their attitude so good, and we’d had such a good time chatting with them during the process that we paid them their fee anyway. Jenny even tipped them with a six pack of cold beer that we’d just bought at the Manchester United shop and they were incredibly happy.  

Into the Hoarusib

We said our goodbyes to the tire team and headed for the Hoarusib riverbed, with only one good spare and one dodgy tire in service.  

The Hoarusib runs west from Purros through a canyon and eventually to the Atlantic, a little over 50km away. About half of that is through the Skeleton Coast National Park, which you need a permit and guide to enter. 

Leaving Purros, it is only a couple kilometers away that we pointed the Cruiser down the bank and into the deep sand of the riverbed. We aired down the tires, engaged 4×4 and were off, entering the canyon soon after. 

Unlike most of the other riverbeds we’ve driven in Namibia, which have almost always been dry, this one had a shallow stream of water in it, a product of the good rains received last season. The track is well driven, compacted sand that runs roughly parallel to the watercourse, crossing it frequently. Signs of elephant were everywhere, dung and tracks. Alert for elephant we drove cautiously, not wanting to come around a corner and surprise one. 

It was an absolute pleasure to drive the canyon, spectacularly beautiful and rugged and we were all alone. Eventually the canyon narrows to a highlight of this area, the Purros Poort (“gateway” in Afrikaans). This narrow gap in the rocks allows the river, and for us, to pass through. I got out for the obligatory photos and Jenny made a dramatic passage through the gateway. 

Further down the river we saw lion tracks, fantastic. Desert adapted lions live in this part of Namibia and are very rare and under threat. Yet here were crisp fresh tracks in the mud by the side of the road. We never saw them, but almost certainly we drove by them while they were easily hidden from view in the thick brush on either side of the river. It is nice to know they are there. Around here Jenny took the opportunity to take a bush shower, using the river water to conserve our water, while I stayed on lion watch. 

While on lion watch I was assaulted by a sneaky but assertive large biting fly. Several other times in the riverbeds we encountered these annoying insects, always near the swampy areas with water.

The track eventually turns south near the boundary of the Skeleton Coast National Park, adjacent to a fancy lodge with a view of the canyon. Following the track south we began to wonder where we’d camp for the night. 

The road would eventually connect us with the western end of the Hoanib river, which we would drive eastwards. We planned to camp somewhere along the ~70kms between the two rivers. It is dry and rocky between these two rivers. Some old tire tracks headed off the road, and we followed them to a lovely bush camp with a panoramic view at the northern edge of the Geinas Plains. 

It was windy that evening, but after repositioning the car it wasn’t so bad. I began to think I need to take more careful notes on when the windy season is, as the frequent evening winds we’d encountered were disruptive to our camp evenings. 

Getting all the way out here is an endeavor, so we made an effort not to rush out in the morning, savoring our remote surroundings. After coffee and breakfast we hit the road again. Later I notice that I forgot my trusty Melita drip coffee cone at this campsite. I have a bad habit of placing it on a nearby rock to drain before throwing away the filter and grounds. This time we’d driven away without it. 

I know what you’re thinking, how will you make coffee?! Not to worry, we have a spare cone. Also we left plastic in that unspoiled wilderness and I feel bad about it. Jenny and I have resolved to go back to that spot as soon as we can to rescue to coffee cone. I’m confident it will be in the same place I left it. 

Disaster stuck twice this morning. First, the coffee cone. Then, another flat tire. Yeah, another one. This time it was the right rear. Two plugs in this hole did the trick, so now we had seven tire plugs employed in total. Not great. We were far out in the bundu now, but we still had one pristine spare, and the next day we’d make it to Sesfontein. While hardly the big city, we’d be able to come up with some sort of plan there if we had to. 

As we neared the Hoanib the road had several side tracks that seemed worth exploring. One in particular extended beyond any map we had. This road’s general trajectory suggested it would intersect with the western edge of the riverbed track.This route was spectacularly scenic, with the dunes cloaking rocky peaks in tan colored sand, it looked like what I imagine the edge of the Sahara Desert to be.

Into the Hoanib

Our Lawrence of Arabia feelings came to an end as the track dropped down into the wonderful Hoanib riverbed. Again we found ourselves in deep sand and we aired down the tires in the shade of one of the big ana trees. 

Driving eastward we wound through the dry riverbed and saw giraffe, oryx, baboons and springbok. The rest of the day we spent working our way up river, passing wonderful geological formations, huge ana trees and occasional wildlife. Signs of desert elephant were common, but we didn’t spot any. 

This riverbed falls within the Palmwag Concession, and camping less than one kilometer from the river is not allowed. After pouring over our maps we made for the Obias river, a dry tributary of the Hoanib that looked on the map like it would have good wild camping options. 

A spot on the map marked “good bush camp” turned out to be already occupied by a mobile safari operator, but we found an excellent spot another kilometer north, tucked up against the cliff and out of the wind. As dusk fell we enjoyed magical twilight while the sound of barking geckos echoed off the cliffs.  

In the morning we drove off, and heard the dreaded short hiss of one of our tires leaking. This was because the plugs are on the bulge of the sidewall and when the tires were cool, resulting in a bigger bulge and more strain on the plugs. At this point a leaking tire hardly even raises our pulse. We took the unconventional approach of airing up the right side tires (both of which were liberally plugged). This meant two of our tires would be firmer than ideal in the soft sand of the riverbed, but what can I say? It worked.

The Obias Rock Arch, an improbably hole in some not very stable looking rock.

After re-entering the Hoanib riverbed heading east it wasn’t long before the character of the river changed. We began to see stands of tall dense tamarisk and bright green grass. Soon shallow runs of water, this part of the river wasn’t dry. 

As we crossed one of these parts of the river, only a couple inches deep of crystal clear water, we saw lion tracks. Jenny got out to inspect them and found numerous crisp tracks. As we tried to interpret what we were seeing a game drive vehicle came from the nearby Elephant Song Lodge and we showed the guide. He said they hadn’t seen the lions for some time, he thought they were down river, and he was quite excited to see these fresh tracks. 

There is enough shrubbery here that it would be easy to hide a huge pride of lions, but we ventured on optimistically anyway, eyes peeled wide. It wasn’t to be though and we arrived at the eastern end of the riverbed track having seen the signs of lions and elephant, but no actual sightings. 

There is a gate across the track, this being the entrance that most people use to drive the Hoanib. Here we paid for our permit, a bargain at $100 Namibian dollars. Also here was a sign with the rules for driving and camping in this area. There are three other entrances to this route, none with signs, but I suppose it’s a start. Notes on rules/routes in the Nitty Gritty section.

From the gate it wasn’t long before we’d be back on Namibia’s excellent network of graded gravel roads. To get to the D3707 we drove another 15 kilometers through huge swaths of incredibly deep and powdery dust, aka fesh fesh. This heavy dust lies docilely on the ground even if there is some wind, but driving into it is like driving into water. 

The route shattered into dozens of braids, each line weaving in and out of washouts and some with short steep banks. The whole stretch is peppered with pools of fesh fesh, and plunging into some of these threw dust up over the windshield, completely obscuring our view out the cab. We wove back and forth looking for the least dusty route and hoping to not get stuck, for digging out of this would be a miserable affair. 

Thankfully it was short lived and in not long we were onto a recently graded D3707. Back on the good gravel and anticipating higher speeds we finally retired our front tire that had seven tire plugs in it, putting on the BFG KO2. Given that we still had thousands of kilometers to go before the end of our trip we’d finally conceded that we had to get new tires. 

Our plan was to find a nice campsite to relax for a couple days and then make it to Windhoek before the weekend, to get new tires fitted. Since we’d be in civilization we also put a couple more tasks on the list, namely to try once again to get our front diff seal fixed and also to find a replacement window regulator. 

The passenger side window goes down fine, but only goes up under protest, if at all. Sometimes we have to grab the top of the glass and push it aft, to get the mechanism to unjam. This isn’t such a hardship, unless you forgot and rolled the window all the way down and it jammed when you could no longer grab the glass. On more than one occasion this necessitated taking the door apart to lift the glass from the bottom. 

Though there are thousands of this model Land Cruiser plying the tracks of southern Africa, the ones sold outside South Africa are not sold stock with power windows and use a different regulator. We’d had a hard time finding one in stock. 

As we zoomed south one of us drove while the other worked the phone, and via WhatsApp messaging we managed to organize a new set of BFG KO2 tires at 15% off, found a regulator in stock and a reputable mechanic that said that even though the shop was booked four weeks out that they’d try to fix the diff if we brought them the car on Friday. 

Unfortunately the very luxurious Mowani Campsite was fully booked, so we instead stayed at Hais-Ra Campsite, scenically set amongst some huge rocks. This spot was lovely and we had a huge campsite with private ablutions. The rocks towered over the campsite and a little trail allowed us to hike up to the top to watch the sunset, it was really nice. 

Two nights of lounging around was great. We always long for the wild camps and the wilderness but I can’t deny that it is nice to have a designated place for camping. A campsite that provides the basics means no need to occupy any brain space with thoughts of security, safety, where to go to the toilet or wondering is this an appropriate place to camp.

On the way to Windhoek we hit the tar again, the first time in 12 days. We’d driven over 1500 km on dirt, dust, rocks and gravel to the remotest part of Namibia and it really felt like a success. 

Driving at modest speeds, still having a rear tire with sidewall plugs, brought us to Windhoek and straight to the tire shop. We needed to get the tires fitted today so that the workshop could have the vehicle all day the following day for the diff gasket project.

Supertyres did a great job, fitting new BFGs and doing the alignment properly. We’d had the alignment done previously in the trip twice, and both times is wasn’t really correct. That night we looked at the weather forecast for Windhoek, just a few degrees above freezing, and decided to abort to a guesthouse instead of camp in the cold. 

On Friday we dropped the car at Auto Repairs Etzold, a very nice shop that we’d been to before to help solve a minor battery mystery a couple years ago. This well run and organized place specializes in Toyotas and on arrival you are greeted to a sea of Land Cruisers fitted out in every conceivable way, our vehicle looking a little shabby compared to some of the examples on display. 

By the end of the day they had finished the repair. They told us that the previous shops had tightened the bolts, thinking they were fixing the problem, but had instead sheared off the studs. They had a heck of a time getting the sheared fasteners out, but had managed it and replaced the gasket. Quite a job to replace a $10 part. Mr. Etzold also warned us our main drive shaft slip joint was worn and needed to be rebuilt. We described our ambitions for the next six weeks and he thought that as long as we didn’t do any heavy rock crawling that we’d be fine. 

The guesthouse turned out to be not all that great. On top of this the weather wasn’t nearly as cold as forecast, our fear of the cold unfounded. For the second night we moved to Urbancamp, our old stand by, and we were much happier.

The next morning we set out early, headed for Botswana to meet up with our friends in Maun and head into the Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park.

The Nitty Gritty

Marienfluss Camping

Camping options at the top of the Marienfluss Valley are Camp Syncro and the Okarohombo Community Campsite. The price is the same, or nearly so. Both are good and it’s hard to pick between them. I think when we return we might try Syncro again, to help us make up our minds which we prefer. How fantastic is it that this far out in the boonies there are two great campsites to pick from? 

The community campsite has much more room and would be better for big groups or big rigs, but it also has quite a bit less shade, though it does have some if you get your pick of spots. The ablutions here are top notch, hot water from solar showers and good flush toilets, all open air. The view of the river isn’t as good from most of the campsites, but a few have a perfect vista and I imagine that usually you can have your pick of spots.

Camp Syncro – We haven’t been there since 2019. On our visit there had been flooding and the pool was full of sand and the common area was also still suffering from the flooding. The campsite was in perfect condition though. There is a lot less room here, and the campsites are quite close together. The ablutions are also nice here, though darker. The whole campsite is well shaded, but also this muffles light breezes and when we visited (admittedly it was November) it was incredibly hot. 

Between those campsites and Purros there is the very good Marble Mine campsite, but our route took us west of this. In Purros there are several campsites, but we have only used the Purros Community Campsite, which we found excellent. The campsites don’t have much of a view, though the setting is very private and pleasant. 

The water at the community campsite is good borehole water, we filled up our tank and suffered no ill effects. 

Purros

There isn’t much going on in Purros, but there is fuel from drums, just ask around and you’ll be directed accordingly. There are two very modest shops, boasting a huge store of alcohol and hair products but much less in the way of food or other useful sundries. You wouldn’t starve, but do not count on this for provisioning beyond maybe pasta, rice, oil and maize meal. We bought some canned meat (species unspecified) just for fun.

As described, there is tire repair available in Purros, and the world’s most modest cell tower. If you’re standing within 100m you can send/receive WhatsApps and SMS, but that is about it. 

Hoarusib River

The riverbed track is 4×4 only, but is not really a strenuous or technical drive. There is some deep sand, but aired down it is no trouble at all. There are not many, or any, places to camp along the river, but there are a few side tracks that might lead off to appropriate bush camps. Regardless the riverbed track is not that long. We left late, due to our failed tire repair, and still had plenty of time to drive the riverbed and find a place to camp further south.

The track between the Hoarusib and the Hoanib is scenic, desolate and often very very corrugated. In spite of it being kilometer after kilometer of seemingly empty wilderness there are not a tremendous number of places to camp without driving offroad. There are a few good spots right along the road, and traffic is not a problem, or a few side tracks to campsites tucked around a corner. Seasonal winds are a thing here, so be mentally prepared for a stiff evening breeze. 

We found the southern end of this track, just before you reach the Hoanib, to be particularly interesting, and that part has a number of side tracks to explore. One road on T4A had been washed away entirely in last season’s rains. 

Hoanib River

The Hoanib river I think is the most beautiful and hansom of all the Namibian riverbed tracks that we have driven. That there are two high-end lodges along this route tells you something. My understanding is this area is managed by the holders of the Palmwag concession, so it is not a free for all, nor should it be. 

As shown on the rules below, you shouldn’t camp within a kilometer of the river itself. There are still a number of wonderful places that one can camp responsibly even with this rule in place. You can also camp at the Elephant Song Campsite at the eastern end, near the gate.

This track has much more deep sand than the Hoarusib, airing down tires is a must. 

Fuel

From Opuwo to Khorixas we drove 1273 kilometers and used 231 liters of diesel. This made consumption a disappointing 5.5km/liter (or 18.2 liters/100km or 13 mpg (US)). However this did include a lot of deep sand, low range and slow going, not when we shine. I wished we had filled all the way up in Sesfontein to get more accurate numbers, but I think going forward I’ll use 5km/liter for planning for this type of driving. This contrasts quite a bit with our consumption in more mixed conditions, where we average more around 7-7.5km/liter. 

Windhoek Notes

Lodging

We continue to be happy staying at Urbancamp. This time around the forecast was so cold we tried a guesthouse that wasn’t great, and the weather wasn’t even close to as cold as forecast. In the future we will stay at Urbancamp even in the winter. And they have a winter specials menu at the restaurant that is great.

Workshop

Auto Repairs Etzold (ARE) is now our preferred shop. They are always booked out for weeks and they’re not cheap. However, we have been told by every Toyota shop on our entire trip (Mbeya, Nakuru, Kigali and…?) that they have fixed our front diff seal or that it’s not a problem and none of them have actually fixed it. When I called ARE and told them our problem, the front diff gasket was leaking, they said they were booked out for weeks, but that their workshop manager would ‘make a plan.’ And he did! They have our loyalty. They also deal in genuine Toyota parts. They told us they had such a hard time getting reliable supply from Johannesburg that they now deal directly with Japan. They were able to supply the window regulator, and at a lower markup than Toyota, and they had it in stock.

Taxis

If you need a taxi in Windhoek (say, if you’re car is at the shop) I recommend downloading the “Lefa” app. Namibia doesn’t have Uber, but Lefa is more or less the same thing. Only better, because you don’t need a credit card linked to it. You can use it to request a taxi, or if there are no taxis available (as happened to us) when you find a non Lefa taxi you can show them the Lefa price for the route and they’ll accept it, no haggling required. We found the pricing very competitive.

Provisioning 

We used to go to the Grove Mall in southeast Windhoek. This has an Outdoor Warehouse for any 4×4 needs, and a well stocked Super Spar. An unappreciated problem with provisioning in these big cities is where the heck to park a vehicle that is ~2.4 or 2.5 meters high, a critical threshold. Almost all parking garages are 2.4 meters clearance, but how well did the contractors really measure that out? The Grove has outdoor parking and still makes you drive under a 2.4m boom, which we clear by millimeters. 

Now we go to the Spar in Klien Windhoek, which involves much less driving across town. It is right near Deluxe Coffeworks, which sells excellent coffee. On Nelson Mandela Rd between the Spar and Urbancamp is an outdoor produce market that also sells firewood and charcoal, all your provisioning needs right near the campsite.