The Waterberg Plateau towers 400 metres above the surrounding plains, and 1878 metres above sea level, dominating the landscape for miles around. The plateau itself is 48 km at its longest point, and 16 km at its widest.

The history is rich. The oldest rock stratum is 850 million years old and dinosaurs left their tracks here 200 million years ago. The first human inhabitants were San people, who left rock engravings believed to be several thousand years old, and a small band of San were still living their traditional lifestyle on the mountain until the late 1960's.

Waterberg was the site of one of the major turning points in the story of Namibia and its people. It was here, on the foothills, that the Herero people lost their last and greatest battle against the German Colonial forces at the begining of the century.

Waterberg Plateau and 41000 hectares of surrounding land was declared a Nature Reserve in 1972. The plateau is largly inaccessible and several of Namibia's endangered species were soon translocated here to protect them from predators and poaching. The programme was very successful and Waterberg now supplies the other Namibian parks with rare animals.

In 1989 a small tourist resort was built on the lower slopes of the mountain. There is a well situated campsite with good shade trees and an excellent swimming pool. The camp is well maintained and hot showers and flush toilets are provided in clean ablution blocks.

Namibia's largest permanent natural lake, Otjikoto is situated close to the mining town of Tsumeb. Part of an underground river system, the lake was exposed when the roof of what was a large dolomite cave fell in. The lake is small with a diameter of about 102m, but very deep, with a depth estimated to be in excess of 142m in places.

During the first world war the Union of South Africa, still part of the British Empire, was ordered to invade German South West Africa. The German troops were heavily out-numbered by the Union forces, but managed to hold out for nearly a year before finally being forced to surrender. The final hostilities took place in the vicinity of Otjikoto and, rather than surrender their weapons and artillery to the enemy everything, including the heavy guns and ammunition wagons, was dumped into the lake. Many of these relics have since been recovered, but not all. The lake still contains various pieces of artillery and there are rumours that the German troops also disposed of their war chest in the same manner. Stories are told of a large safe, the edges and keyhole sealed with molten lead and containing 6 million goldmarks, being lowered into Lake Otjikoto. The safe has never been seen again.

The first Europeans to see Otjikoto were the Englishman Sir Francis Galton and the Swede Charles Anderson who discovered the lake by accident in 1850.

The name is derived from the Otjiherero language and means deep hole. The San called it "Gaisis" which means very ugly because they were afraid of the deep water. When Galton and Anderson first stumbled on Otjikoto they went for a swim. The local Herero and Owambo people were much surprised because local belief was that nobody could survive the mysterious waters.

Etosha National Park is one of Southern Africa's finest and most important Game Reserves. Declared a National Park in 1907 and covering an area of 22 270 square km, it is home to 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and, surprisingly, one species of fish.

Etosha takes its name from, and is dominated by, a massive mineral pan that stretches about 120 km from east to west and at its widest point is about 70 km across. The total pan area covers 5000 square km. Etosha means "Great White Place" in the Herero language and in the heat of the day the surface of the pan is dazzlingly white.

Etosha pan is part of the Kalahari Basin, the floor of which was formed around 1000 million years ago. Due to volcanic pressures and earth movements over millions of years, pressure developed from the north and south causing a depression in part of the basin. This depression gradually filled with water, forming a large inland lake. The pan has at various times been fed by different rivers. Some still occasionally flow into the pan, some have naturally diverted their course and others have disappeared altogether. Today, Etosha rarely has water. It is supplied mostly by rain and in times of good rain, some areas do flood, but the evaporation rate is so high that any water soon disappears.

There are three rest camps in Etosha National Park. Namutoni, Halali and Okaukuejo. Each has a perimeter fence. This makes it safe to walk around at any time of the day or night. The camps are well maintained and have excellent facilities. There are open air bars and the clean swimming pools with grass and shade trees are very welcome in the long hot afternoons. The campsite ablution blocks are clean and provided with hot showers, flush toilets, toilet paper, mirrors and basins with hot and cold running water. There are also power points for electric shavers (although it is recommended to bring along a wet shaving kit as a back up). In the campsites there are shady trees, drinking water taps, fire places and power points. There are small shops selling basic foodstuffs, beer, wine, spirits and cigarettes, and various souvenirs are available. Public telephones are provided at all the camps and in Okaukuejo there is also a post office.

One of the main highlights of Etosha are the camp waterholes. These are situated at all three camps, are open 24 hours a day and are within easy walking distance from the campsites. They give you a unique chance to view wild animals at close quarters, without any danger or the need for the protection of a car. Situated on the very edge of the camp area and securely fenced, these waterholes provide a valuable water supply for the game, particularly in the dry season. With a comfortable seating area and floodlights at night, they are a unique way to experience the African wilds and are one of the reasons that Etosha is such a highly rated park in Southern Africa.

Namutoni is on the eastern side of the park and is the first port of call for Crazy Kudu Safaris, arriving in time for lunch on day two of the Namibian Explorer and Northern Highlights safaris. The camp is situated on the site of Fort Namutoni, an old German outpost from colonial days. The fort has been fully restored and there is a small museum inside that gives an interesting account of its history. There is also a viewing platform in one of the old turrets which is a great place to watch the sunset.

The game viewing here is excellent with lots of well situated waterholes and several different types of terrain and habitat within easy reach of the camp. Wildlife such as giraffe, springbok, zebra, impala and kudu (both crazy and sane) is abundant here and there are good chances of seeing lion, elephant and other big game. We spend two nights here, camping under shady trees and taking early morning and late afternoon game drives into the park. During the afternoons we relax in the campsite. The swimming pool is very welcoming during the heat of the day and there are good chances of seeing game at the camp waterhole.

Halali is the camp in the centre of Etosha. The name is taken from a trumpet or bugle call and a "Halali" was sounded to mark the end of the hunt. The camp was so named to signify the permanent end of the hunting of wild animals in Etosha and to celebrate the protection that a National Park offers to wildlife.

We do not sleep here on the safari, but we do make use of the facilities on day four of our trip. We are on our way between Namutoni and Okaukuejo and make a stop in Halali for lunch. It is the ideal place to relax after a game drive. It is necessary to have a fairly long break to rest your eyes after a long morning's game spotting. Again there is the chance to swim and to visit the camp waterhole. The Halali area has a different terrain to Namutoni. Here we are looking for black rhino, red hartebeest and cheetah.

Okaukuejo, situated on the western side of the park, is where we spend our last night in Etosha. Newly renovated and portrayed as the flagship of the Etosha camps, we are here on night four of our safari. Okaukuejo is home to the main Etosha research centre. If you were to continue west from here you would enter the research and breeding areas of the park. Unfortunately this part is off limits to tourists, but it does form a very inportant wildlife study area. Scientsts from all over the world come here to conduct their research. We often see study animals wearing radio collars on our game drive in the Okaukuejo area.

Located in Damaraland on the banks of the dry Aba Huab River bed, this desert camp is situated in one of the most beautifully scenic parts of Namibia. Prehistoric water courses with open plains and grassland, massive granite koppies and distant mountains create the Damaraland landscape. Game species including desert elephant, black rhino, ostrich, springbok and giraffe make this the most beautiful camp on our safari.

Aba Huab Camp was started by the Save the Rhino Trust and the proceeds from the tourists go partly towards community development. The facilities here are "rustic" in comparison to the National Parks. There is a small bar that usually sells cold beer and soft drinks, flush toilets and open roofed showers that sometimes have hot water. Showering at night is fantastic with the moon and stars above and you can often see satellites and shooting stars, especially in the early evening.

Situated in a beautiful valley in Damaraland and about 7 km from our camp at Aba Huab, Twyfelfontein is home to one of the most important archeological sites in Southern Africa. Here there is an extensive collection of pre-historic rock engravings, or pectoglifs, some dated as early as 3000 BC, carved onto the flat surfaces of a petrified sand dune. The engravings are easily accessible on foot and we take a walk for about one hour with a local guide. We make our visit in the late afternoon, avoiding the heat of the day and catching the engravings in the soft light just before sunset.

Twyfelfontein means doubtful spring or doubtful fountain in the Afrikaans language. There is a small natural spring in the area that produces about one cubic metre of water per day. When the site was named it was considered doubtful that one cubic metre of water could have supported man and animals for thousands of years. Evidently however it did.

Organ Pipes

Close to Twyfelfontein there is geological site called the Organ Pipes. Millions of years ago there was a volcanic dolerite intrusion into the overlying rock. The dolerite cooled very quickly and has formed a series of vertical rock columns that have cracked into symmetrical shapes. The site is called the Organ Pipes because the rock columns resemble the pipes on a large church organ.

Petrified Forest

Swakopmund first came into existence in 1884. Namibia was then German South West Africa, but the British had annexed the country’s only practical natural harbour at Walvis Bay. Needing a port of their own the Germans established Swakopmund 35 km north of the British enclave. The town was never very successful as a harbour because it continuously silted up. Cargo was unloaded into tiny boats and passengers arriving on ships had to be winched ashore in a basket. In 1915 German control of the territory ended and all shipping returned to the established harbour in Walvis Bay leaving Swakopmund to fend for itself as a holiday town. This it did very successfully and Swakopmund is now Namibia’s number one seaside playground. The climate here is mostly cool and the mornings are often damp and misty, thanks to the cold Atlantic Ocean and the hot Namib Desert. Not the weather usually associated with seaside towns but very popular with Namibians. It provides a very welcome break from the scorching desert sun for Namibians and tourists on safari alike.

Swakopmund still very much has a colonial feel. The streets are wide and often lined with date palms originally planted by the Germans and there are some excellent examples of early colonial architecture. The beer is brewed locally by German trained brewers according to the 1516 law of purity and eisbien, schnitzel and sauerkraut are still favourite dishes among the locals. The German language has survived largely intact and although English is fully spoken throughout Namibia, and is in fact the official language, German speakers will, particularly in Swakopmund, be able to converse with the locals in German.

There are plenty of things to do here and the town is small enough to be explored easily on foot. All the main services you would expect from a town are here, for example banks, a main post office, camera sales and repair shops, doctors rooms and lots of excellent cafes and restaurants.

Swakopmund is the adventure centre of Namibia and there are various extra activities and excursions (not all adventurous) that can be arranged on your behalf. Your guide will brief you on all the options and prices before you arrive and bookings can be made in advance.

Sesriem.

Sesriem is the gateway to the sand dune desert and is the location of the National Park campsite for this area. Set in a beautiful landscape with mountains to the east and dunes to the west, the sunset colours are unbeatable and the stars at night are almost unbelievable. We camp under the shade of massive, ancient Camelthorn trees, some said to be in excess of 500 years old and in the evenings we are serenaded by the music of the Namib’s gekko lizards. Sesriem is the campsite closest to Sossusvlei, it is inside the National Park and the only place from where you are allowed to drive out for sunrise in the dunes. We spend two nights here on both the ten day Namibian Explorer and the three day Sossusvlei Desert Express safaris.

The campsite facilities here are good. Public telephones are provided and there is a small shop selling beer, soft drinks and basic foodstuffs. In the campsite there are ablution blocks that provide showers, toilets and basins with a mirror. The water is usually hot, but not always. Campsites all have their own drinking water tap and fireplace. There is also a swimming pool and a small thatched bar that has an excellent selection of ice cold soft and alcoholic drinks. Situated about 65 km from Sossusvlei.

Sossusvlei.

Vlei is the Afrikaans word for pan. In this context a pan is a place where water collects. Sossusvlei is the end of a river, the Tschaub, which flows out of the Naukluft Mountains to the east of Sesriem. Millions of years ago the Tschaub used to flow all the way to the Atlantic but, not being a permanent river and relying purely on seasonal rainfall to make it flow, the "walking" dunes eventually cut the Tschaub off from its natural course, and it now floods into Sossusvlei about once every 10 to 15 years. It is normal for Sossusvlei to be dry. It is a major national event in Namibia when the Tschaub reaches waters end.

The Dune Fields.

Sand dunes are the main feature of the Sesriem landscape. Formed over countless millennia, Namibia’s red sand dunes (red because of a high iron oxide content) are reputed to be the highest in the world. The sand is ocean sand that has been blown inland by the wind. The ocean is very cold because of the Benguela current, an on-shore stream of freezing water straight out of the Antarctic that pushes up against the west coast of Africa, carrying with it tonnes of sand and silt that gets dumped on to Namibia’s beaches. The average temperature of the water on the Namibian coast is between 10*c and 14*c. This creates a very high air pressure over the ocean, and on a summers day the inland desert temperature can easily rise up above 40*c, creating a very low air pressure over the desert. The air pressure difference causes a regular and sometimes very strong inland breeze. This wind has been blowing for billions of years and has carried with it the ocean sand that today forms the sand dunes of the Namib Desert.

Sesriem Canyon