Best of Namibia

As we're getting ready to depart a port, we always like to give some thought to what we enjoyed the most about our visit. In Lüderitz, the answer is definitely the people … as a group, perhaps, the friendliest, most helpful and hospitable folks we've met. It's the reason we've been dragging our feet  and lingered so long here. Usually, it's boat chores and repairs that keep us. Here it was definitely the people. That aside, however, and remembering that this is our second visit to Namibia, here's our list of the best things that Namibia has to offer.

Etosha National Park

Though we didn't visit Etosha on this trip, we spent several days there during our previous visit and, in our humble opinions, it's nothing short of spectacular. The wide open expanses, the diversity and sheer number of animals roaming free, the uncrowded backroads. It's a gem of a park. We stayed inside the gates for early access to the animals and viewing at the waterholes 24x7.

Sesriem & Sossusvlei

The Namib Desert is an awesome place. It's the oldest desert in the world with the world's tallest sand dunes. Driving midst the red dunes; climbing in the hot sand, struggling one step forward and two steps back; observing the myriad of desert colors and the geologic formations; enjoying the animals and trying to figure out how they survive in such a hostile environment. It's all here and it's fantastic. A must-see.

Petting a leopard and a cheetah

No doubt that the memory of petting these big cats will remain indelibly etched in our memories for a long, long time (at our age … that's all relative). The soft feel of their fur, the smell of the cats, listening to their purr, walking next to the cheetahs in their enclosure. This was an unexpected delight and high on our “wow” list.

Coastal towns, especially Lüderitz

We visited Swakopmund and Walvis Bay on our last trip and enjoyed both. Arriving in the boat, however, and spending time in Lüderitz was special. Again, the people had much to do with it, but despite the fact that it's isolated and off the beaten track, it's worth the trip, we think. There's Diaz Point and Shark Island and Agate Beach to explore, not to mention the colonial town itself. And, of course, you're surrounded by the Sperregebiet. The lure and legends of diamonds in the area is part of the mystique.

Kolmanskop Ghost Town

Though technically it should probably be included with  Lüderitz, we were impressed enough with our visit there that it warrants its own place on our list. It was interesting, fun and a bit eerie trudging though the sand dunes to inspect the old diamond-mining ghost town.

Diversity of wild animals and birdlife

Beyond the game parks, we love the wild animals here, especially the “boks” … springboks, steenboks … and our favorite, the gemsboks (oryx). What a delight to drive the gravel roads and see them grazing. With their contrasting coloration and stately manner, they appear almost majestic. And then, of course, there are the birds … pink flamingos and storks and raptors and industrious weavers. There was something to see at every turn.

There's so much we still haven't seen. We didn't venture up to the Caprivi Strip or down to the Fish River Canyon. There are other parks to visit and we had no time to explore Windhoek, the capital city. All reasons for returning.

From a cruiser's perspective, Lüderitz was an excellent stop. It's a quick hop from Cape Town and  “on the way” to St. Helena, with a good point of sail, prevailing winds and current to help a sailor along.

Lüderitz, in particular, was great. There were no check-in/check-out fees (unless you arrive on a weekend) and no mooring fees. The town seems safe and secure and we had no worries whatsoever. All amenities were close. There's a floating dock for dinghy tie-up. Water, diesel, petrol and propane are within easy walking distance. There are two reasonably well-stocked grocery stores, a hardware store, several ATMs. Though there is no chandlery per se, there are myriad of services and parts available for the fishing fleet. All in all … a great stop.

And once again … it's time to go.

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Felsenkirche - Lüderitz's Iconic Church

Though when we first arrived we'd strolled past Lüderitz's iconic Felsenkirche aka Church on the Rock, we'd never been around for the one hour a day – 4pm-5pm - when the church was actually open for visitors to wander through. This church, high on a natural granite pedestal known as Diamond Hill, is the highest building in town and can be seen from pretty much everywhere. We happened to be in the neighborhood late one afternoon and wanted to take a look inside.

Felsenkirche is an Evangelical Lutheran church in keeping with Luderitz's strong German colonial heritage. Designed and built by German architect, Albert Bause, in a “neo-Gothic style with Victorian elements”, construction of the church began in 1911 and was completed in 1912. For such a small town, it's a pretty impressive piece of architecture, especially considering where and when it was built.

The inside of the church is quite simple with little adornment other than the stained-glass windows, which are magnificent.

As the sun streams through the windows in the late afternoon, it makes the whole visit, including climbing the steep hill to get there, all worthwhile. Over the altar is a window that portrays “Jesus calming the storm” … most appropriate for a harbor town. The window was donated by Kaiser Wilhelm II.

A triptych (3-paneled-window) portraying Martin Luther, founder of the Lutheran church, was donated by Duke Johann Abrecht of Mecklenberg, Germany. Albrecht's German Colonial Society had also donated the property upon which the church was built.

I noticed that the Duke couldn't resist having his name and coat of arms included in the window's fine art.

At the height of the diamond rush in Luderitz, the congregation grew to 800 members. Following WWI and the ceding of the territory to South Africa, the German population diminished significantly. The church was ransacked at one point, but today has been restored to pristine condition. It was declared a Namibian National Monument in 1978. Nowadays, the congregation is just 50 members and church services are only held once a month.

As we were leaving the church, I glanced up at the bell tower where two pigeons were perched. I recognized one pigeon as a common feral rock pigeon, but his neighbor, a beefy, all-black fellow with a white cere, was a bit unusual. I later identified it as a carneau pigeon, originally bred in northern France and used for food ... “squab”. I think this guy hangs around the church to thank God that he wasn't anyone's dinner.

The D707 - Namibia's Dream Road

… and home to Nine of Cups

We've heard it called the Dream Road, the Garden Route and the most scenic road in all of Namibia. It was highly recommended by all of our Namibian friends as a “must-drive” on our return trip to Lüderitz. How could we ignore the beckoning call of the D707? We couldn't.

From Duwisib Castle, we continued on to the tiny roadhouse at Betta. Beyond dusty and dry, the best word to describe the road was “undulating”. There were more dips in this road than a carnival ride and it hugged the terrain exactly … up and down, up and down, up, way up, way down.

We stopped in Betta … another small dot on our road map and filled up with petrol. It would be the only stop until Aus. It's not so much the actual mileage in Namibia, it's the condition of the roads and the fact that there's absolutely nothing in the way of services for such long stretches. We rarely met another car on this entire leg of the trip. It's appealing, but somewhat eerie … not unlike sailing alone across an ocean. We got a cup of coffee at the cute little cafe in Betta, checked out the barren campsite and we were on our way.

The landscape changed rapidly as we headed off the “main” road onto the D707. The signpost seemed to indicate lots of activity on this road, but we saw nary a car nor a structure. The  mountains were striated in geologic, colorful splendor and the bush was replaced by rocks and gravel. Miles and miles of fence bordered each side of the road and every once in awhile we'd pass over a cattle guard grate, but we never saw any cattle.

A road grader had been by sometime in the recent past and a long, deep furrow of sand was left in the center of the road awaiting his return trip to smooth it all away. The wind was already whipping it up and blowing it back into place. A solitary quiver tree jutted out of the hillside at an impossible angle and we wondered how it held its ground in such a dry, rocky place.

The Tiras Mountains edged closer and closer on our left and huge red dunes appeared on our right. A stiff east wind was blowing now … hot and dry off the desert and we watched the temperature rise into the 30s (high 80s). Oryx dotted the red dunes in the distance and a springbok stood by a lone camelthorn tree.

The myriad of desert colors were surreal … blue sky, red earth, browns and yellows and greys … greens, lavenders and pinks.

We saw some odd-looking korhaans on the side of the road … just pecking around at the dry sand, rocks and nothingness that seemed to abound here.

Spread at great distances apart, there were farms that also accommodated guests to augment their income. We saw the entrance to the farms, but never the farms themselves. They were always 10-15 km off the road … much too long a detour for weary, dry travelers who wanted to make it back to their boat by the end of the day. We saw a rusty, old, green tin box mounted on a stand by the side of the road and stopped to see what it was. Apparently, folks leave messages in it for others to find. “Johann … meet you at Mooifontein.”  Hope Johann found it!

The D707 is only 123 km long (~76 miles) … it just seemed longer. Scenic? Absolutely! Rough, dry, dusty, isolated … you betcha!  We joined the C13 heading back to Aus and on to Lüderitz. When we saw the horses, we knew we were on the homestretch. Doris had told us that the local custom for Luderitz folks was to pour out the last of their water at a couple of trees that had been planted near a roadside stop. We complied with local custom.

We were elated when we saw the Welcome to Luderitz sign. It's great to go and always great to get back.

Our total trip … about 2000 km (1240 miles) including all our little side trips. Not bad for a couple of old salty sailors. But it's good to be home.