We have done it again! We have just completed another succesful family tour (albeit with a smaller number of tour members) to the Richtersveld and Southern Namibia. I have unilaterally decided to call it the “Kokerboom Tour” (Quiver Tree) in honour of the many majestic succulents we saw along on our way. This follows the highly successful  (if not controversial) Sidney Tour around Botswana in June and July last year.

This year, for some unknown reason we started planning quite late and although we initially wanted to do the Kalahari, we were unable to secure a booking  there and also we  could not all go due to school and other commitments.

Bru Marius suggested the Richtersveld and Southern Namibia and then set about planning and arranging the trip. He also set up the briefing session at Sus Estelle and bru Erik who are Richtersveld veterans and we all assembled (me in awe and horror) listening to the stories of the unique rugged beauty of the Richtersveld, but also heard the bit about the DIFFICULT roads with some trepidation!

We were now only three -(Marius, Wife Sue and me), but with both the Jeep and the Prado. So with schedule developed by Marius we departed on 29 August, slightly late, but on our way.

Day One: All the way to Upington!

This is a tough and long section that took us the best part of ten hours. The going was slow as they are working on the road at the moment. We also were delayed more than an hour at the Wimpy at Vryburg. I ordered a Mixed Grill that could not be mixed. Longest wait ever at a Wimpy. Food not good and cold for most. Wimpy Vryburg will have to brush up their game!

About 30 minutes out of Upington we also had a disaster as Marius had a blown tyre. we had some good practice on how to do it right! all in all a delay of about 30-45 minutes.

We stayed over at the Three Gables the B&B owned by old friends Sonny and Lana Schmidt. Sonny was in Wilgenhof res at Stellenbosch with both Marius and me and we know Lana from when Sonny  worked at Humansdorp and Sue and I lived at Jeffries Bay to many years ago. We had some good ox tail, red wine and opened a new bottle of Sidney. The tour is starting well! (Sidney is very good 12 year brandy  from Fairview Estate for the uninitiated)

Day 2: On the way to the Sendelingsdrift.

Another long day on the road. we drive through Pofadder- a pleasant surprise in overcast weather as a cold front moved on with some unseasonal rain at Upington nogal. We shop at Springbok. I am a bit disappointed with the relative small size of the town and it is  very cold and rainy. We later hear  it even snowed, good one to miss! We take the road to Port Nolloth where we have a brief stop over (decide to give the fish and chips a miss) before we head to Alexander Bay for some brief shopping (seems a bit of a miserable place). We then head up along the Gariep river towards the entry of the Ais-Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier park at Sendelingsdrif. We spend the very cold night having a nice braai and some more good red stuff. I have a bad night as I am visited by an unwelcome  stomach bug. Not pleasant, but (barely) surviving.

Day 3: Into the Ricthtersveld proper

Feeling a bit worse for wear we start on our trip to Tatasberg, our next stop. We first go to Pootjiespram, but on the way Marius is the Good Samaritan and takes some photos at a nice scenic spot of a group of fellow travellers. We travel on in convoy and the next moment Marius makes a hasty U- turn and charges back on the slow road. He shouts worriedly that he left his glasses on the bonnet of one of the other traveller’s  cars. He disappears from sight as we also turn to look if it perhaps  dropped off along the road. We miss PootjiesPram, damn!

We catch up with Marius and he has luckily found his glasses. One of his subjects thought it belonged to one of their friends. Shu, what a relief! We proceed through the rugged stunning scenery of arid rock desert. We first do Halfmenspas  a medium mountain pass with the famous Halfmens succulents in evidence. Then we have another stop at “The Hand of God” a print of a large hand on the granite  rock.

We then do the Akkedis Pass, slowly! We also hit our first kokerboom-quiver tree, magnificent plants. It is getting better and better. The road is winding and the going is slow but doable. No low range required yet. We stop often to take photos.

The road gets worse and I take a wrong turn along a river bed and have to manoeuvre like crazy through huge boulders with Sue needing to get out to direct. We pick up a small scrape on the Jeep from a brute of a boulder, but we make it. We do lose time however and Marius comes back to look for us. We finally arrive after almost 8 eight hours on the road doing only 90km! Tatasberg camp along the Gariep is about as remote as you want to be. There are only 4 huts served by renewable wind and solar energy with some generator backup. We unilaterally decide over the fire enjoying the quiet and scenery that we will take it easy the next day and not do another  long drive. ( Nas mas!)

We have some good chicken and sausage and some more good red stuff. Marius plays a lot of music and notably the theme song of the Sidney Tour, Pavarotti’s famous Fils the Regiment and again striking his 9 wonderful high c’s. Wow it is best heard at Tatasberg am Gariep! I shoot some star trails and the stars they are magnificent, reminding me about my first trip in the Richtersveld in April 2000 when we slept along the Gariep banks at night in sleeping bags during our 4 day family kayak trip, very happy memories.

Day 4: Tatasberg

We wake up late and laze around. We take some early morning photos along the Gariep. We are alone soon as the other visitors leave. We get ready for the day trip. We take a path up a dry river bed, pass a huge boulder and some magnificent views. we end up against the mountains with some lonely, wait for it kokers/quivers. Marius and I climb the mountain to get a better view from the top. Sue gets our throw-away braai ready for our steak rolls. We have a great meal and make our way back to base camp. We have more of the same that night, ie braai, music and star trails. Bliss is near as we fall asleep with opera.

Day 5: Kokerboomkloof and Helskloof

We have a long day ahead as we want to catch the last sites of the Richtersveld. It takes us another sold eight hours on the road. We only have a brief stop for lunch, taking care of the left overs that is. We visit some stunning view points and kokerboomkloof before we tackle Helskloof. This one just goes on and on, but the vistas remain stunning. We run into the first goat herds, at last evidence of the local Namas that are resident in the Richtersveld. ( We also find some Namas in Bakkies). The vegetation is distinctly different now and is more lush and it is clear why the goats and sheep are fat and thriving.

We arrive at Sendelingdrif and we have our last braai and some more of the good stuff. The Richtersveld has been conquered.

Day 6: Fish River Lodge

We leave early clearing immigration and taking the ferry across to Namibia. This is effortless and only a pleasure. Two elderly German speaking couples also stayed at Sendelingsdrif and cross with us. We hit Rosh Pinah for a brief visit, everything nice and clean. The C and even the D roads are better than many tar roads. We arrive just after lunch at the Fish River lodge on the west side of the Fish River Canyon, the second largest canyon on earth.

The German couples also book into the Lodge. They had a puncture on the one car and need a new tyre as the spare is one of these small temporary ones. They eventually find one (telephonically) at Rosh Pinah with the help of the lodge management. They now needed to  find someone to bring it to Fish River Lodge.

We do a walk along the edge of the canyon and a sundowner drive capturing a wonderful sunset gazing over the magnificently eroded gorge. We have a good dinner at the lodge while I do some more, guess what-start trails. Did I mention the wind. The escarpment has a constant strong wind that blows lots of cool air and made us tuck in deeply under the blankets in the rooms with the most spectacular of views.

As we finish dinner we run into one of the German couples, the one that did not have the puncture. We enquire (politely) about progress on the new tyre. It still is a problem and unclear how it will actually arrive at the lodge. We suggest that perhaps the two men  should go and fetch it with their car. We are quite flabbergasted by the response.

” We are not really that good friends”!

Day 7: Wild horses and sand storms

We leave after breakfast the next day and first hit Aus and the Garup spring on the edge of the Namib desert where we visit the wild horses of Garup. Not a happy site as it is very dry and it seems as if the oryx/gemsbok are giving the poor horses a hard time. Horses definitely looking all the worse for wear and definitely not in good shape.

We cross the semi desert that increasingly becomes proper desert. We hit a serious sand storm and arrive in Luderitz in heavy wind where we book into the Nest-good rooms.

We have been savouring some fish and crayfish and quickly decide to hit the Penquin (the Nest restaurant). Sadly, we are bitterly disappointed. The abalone is very tough and inedible and the crayfish was not cleaned properly and too small. We get a credit but still leave disappointed although some ice cream and Crepe Suzette sweetened matters.We hit bed time and listen to the heavy seas beating on the rocks below. Still windy!

Day 8: Kolmanskop and Dias Point

We visit the old and now abandoned diamond capital of the Sperr Gebiet. We relive the wonderful days of August Stauch and other diamond entrepreneurs. We spend about two hours taking photos of antiquity and the buildings contest with the encroaching desert. The spirit of man and the wonders that money can do is clearly in evidence. Oh yes and Sue has a bath in the desert!

We then pay a visit to Diaz point where we meet Aunt Regina Korf who serves us 18 oysters and many stories of her exploits in Namibia and Angola as a nurse. A treasure trove of stories and a good stop altogether.

We then visit the Diaz coffee shop and the carrot and cheese cake is highly recommended. We catch up on emails and then leave for dinner at the Bayview Hotel (Aunt Regina’s Son is the owner). Sadly the crayfish is even  smaller. We finish the day off with more Crepe Suzette at the Penquin. Generally dining out in Luderitz is not highly recommended.

Day 9: Canon Road House

We get up early and Marius and I climb another mountain to photograph the Felsenkirchen and the early morning view of the town. We leave after breakfast, but first visit the site of the proposed Diaz wind farm (arranged by special permit into the diamond area). We see the measuring mast and can report the site has wind. I am involved in the project, hence my interest.

We head east across the desert and stock up in Aus before we end up at the Canon Road House around 2pm. What a delightful stop! The Amarula tart is to die for while you can click away for hours in this time warp.

We arrive at the Canon Lodge around 4 30. It has a wonderful setting amongst the rocky hills. We have a walk up the nearby hill, enjoy another spectacular sunset and dinner and then I do my last star trails. Marius and the last of Sidney keep me company. We work on some new business ideas, life is perfect and solutions abound under the universe of stars.

Day 10:  Back to Three Gables

We wake up early and get underway to Upington. We first visit the East View Point of the Canyon and then the briefly the warm water resort of Ais-Ais. We cross the border and arrive at Three Gables where we are met by Sonny and Lana. Sonny does some nice fillet and we kill the last three bottles of red wine done and dusted. We reminisce about the old days and catch up about old friends and long list times. We watch a rerun of the test where we trounce the Walabies 38-12-good one. Some guys do not make it to the end.

Day 11: The long road back

We drive back the eight hours to Johburg. No incident but we are tired after 4000km. This trip was actually longer than the Sidney tour. Enjoy the pictures and the memories. A trip well made and well recommended.