Swakopmund to Damaraland

11.5.17  Swakopmund to Damaraland

We now board our small planes for our flights to Damaraland - one of Africa's last true wildernesses in northwest Namibia. For the first time, one of our pilots is a woman (yay!) As we pass over Walvis Bay, shortly after take-off, we get a fantastic view of the coastal region, the salt flats and the beginnings of the mountain ranges.

Coast of Walvis Bay.

The salt flats. White sections contain coarse salt after all water has evaporated.

Granite and sedimentary formations.

                                                    Co-pilot Ruby on the left.

 (There are 3 female pilots + 1 in training for Wilderness Air in this part of the country).

Damaraland is one of the most scenic regions of the country with a dramatic landscape of vast sandy plains; rocky, red-hued Etendeka Mountains; mesas, buttes and countless geographic formations. In fact, in many ways we think it resembles Arizona and outback Australia.

 The euphorbia plant in the foreground secretes a deadly liquid latex when touched. 

(Good thing to remember when you are using it for cover 

when you use the outdoor toilet).

We are very lucky in that we are getting a second housing upgrade as we are bumped from the Doro Nawas Camp to the Damaraland Camp - with the major perk being FREE unlimited beer and wine for dinners during our 3-night stay! (sigh...if we must)

Our reserved table for all our meals in camp.

 My "tent" from the back.

  My "tent" from the front porch.

 The spacious bedroom.

Pool and bar area.

 Other tents.

 The BOMA for outside cooking and festivities.

 Inside the BOMA.

 More on-site tents.

 Solar Mason jars collect the sun rays during the day 

so they may light our paths at night.

My spacious bathroom. 

Because water is so very precious in the desert, we are provided with a metal pail 

to collect shower water that can be used to wash the shower floor later.

This is prime elephant country and the desert elephant that thrives here has adapted to the dry, sandy conditions - mainly because they can go several days without water. Their bodies are also slightly different from those African elephants found in other African countries in that they have smaller bodies and longer legs and huge footpads.

Our first game drive will be focused on finding the elephants and we succeed immensely! After some excitement with baboon clans, we manage to see a family unit, consisting of a baby boy, teenage boy, mom, dad and probably mom's sister. We are mesmerized by their every move - shooting lots of photos and videos of their majestic parade and hi jinks near the village water tank - a frequent destination for them.

 Our first and only baboon sighting.

 Our first, but thankfully not last, elephant sighting.

 At the village water hole.

Here are some short videos of this game viewing...

https://youtu.be/AnA5DKetMpA
https://youtu.be/mMZQW1itTpw
https://youtu.be/jUxb0kzChV0


And some short videos of our camp dancers...

https://youtu.be/39U6WBruzc8
https://youtu.be/uxmZmIFoZRs
https://youtu.be/Uf9CG7VFMrs
https://youtu.be/eAdDbvymyQI