Today’s 330km drive took us to Damaraland. We broke the 5 hour drive with a stop en route at the Coffee and Cactus tea rooms in Uis, where we had been advised the apple pie was better than McGregor’s Bakery. Happy to test the challenge, the half-way stop was a welcome break, but sadly they had no apple pie so unable to report back on this occassion, but we had a piece of cake and a milkshake which were both delicious.
tea room gardens
Desert-adapted Elephants
Damaraland is famed for its herds of desert-adapted elephants, and since elephants are my favourite African animal, a trip to this region was a ‘must-do’ part of our itinerary. These elephants have adapted to survive the harsh dry conditions of the desert regions. They have longer legs, larger feet, and a smaller body mass than their cousins, which allows them to last several days without water. There are only around 1,000 of them in existence so to spend a few hours following a couple of families, as they wandered along the dried Huab River valley was a highlight of our trip and an absolute privilege.
Organ Pipes
The area is also known for its various rock formations, so we took a drive out to a couple of sites close to our lodge.
We drove by the Burnt Mountain – a 12km long volcanic ridge with an 80million year old solid lava flow at its base. The changes in colour as the sun caught the lava were pretty spectacular and no pictures could do it justice.
Next visit was the ‘Organ Pipes’ – a small gorge with 100m stretch of basalt rock formations resembling organ pipes (if you squint a bit!). A bit pricey to visit with no guide, but it filled some time, and we spotted a dassie rat along the way.
Petrified Forest
Another area of interest in Damaraland was the Petrified Forest – an area with 50ish tree trunks thought to be 260 million years old, deposited by an ice age flood. The trunks are not standing, and were only discovered by local farmers in the 1940’s as a result of the shifting sands. The area has been declared a national monument and whilst geological studies have taken place no formal excavation of the site has been allowed, so the exposed elements are all natural.
Welwitschia
Whilst visiting the Petrified foredt, we were introduced the National plant of Namibia.
At first glance, this rather ugly plant is a bit uninspiring, but its relevance as a national emblem tells another story. The plant consists of just two leaves, and can live for thousands of years, making it one of the longest living plants on the earth, with the leaves splitting, protecting the plant from wind erosion, as they continue to grow in the extreme conditions of the Namib desert. So its story of resilience and endurance through adversity mirrors the story of Namibia and its people.
Twyfelfontain Adventure Camp
We stayed 3 nights in a premium tent at Twfelfontein Adventure Camp, in the middle of the arid Damaraland, and the accommodation was fantastic, a lovely refreshing pool and good choices of food, including daily barbecued options.
What made this place ectra special were the dark night skies – we spent several hours watching shooting stars and attempting to photograph the milky way.
TheWanderingWains 