Go! Drive & Camp ROUTES THAT ROCK 2 2023

EDITOR’S LETTER ROUTES THAT ROCK 2023 In this second edition of Routes that Rock 2023, we take lengthy trips through regions such as the Kunene, the Khomas Highland, the Central Kalahari, Bushmanland, Namaqualand and the Great Karoo. Our GPS software indicates a distance of 8 128 km through these arid regions, but our journalists have certainly travelled far beyond that to compile these travel tales for you. After our previous issue appeared, a reader lamented that he didn’t have enough money to embark on such epic trips, but he becomes so engrossed when reading the stories that it feels like he’s joining us on a trip. As an editor, I can wholly relate to that. I was fortunate enough to personally drive one of the delightful routes in this collection,…

Amother and two toddlers paddle by on an orange kayak on the blue waters of the brimming Oanob Dam. Coming from the opposite direction is a motorboat… and when the kayak and boat pass each other, friendly waves are exchanged. Other visitors – mostly locals, if the chatter is anything to go by – lounge on the deck of the restaurant with a beer or a milkshake, perusing the menu (hmm, the Wiener schnitzel for R130 looks good…). The Oanob Dam, named after the river it stems from, was completed in 1990 and provides water to the nearby Rehoboth. When the dam is full to the brim, you can paddle or drive a boat for almost 10 km. Namibians enjoy their time here with their fishing rods – there’s carp,…

Lake Oanob Resort Contact 00 264 62 52 2370 oanob.com.na Price Camping from R110 pp for a stand without shade to R180 pp if you’re by the water with shade and grass (off-season price). Power points are available. Self-catering chalets from R2 070 pn for two. Kalahari Farmhouse Contact 00 264 61 42 7200 gondwana-collection.com Price Camping R259 pp and cottages from R1 769 pp sharing (breakfast included). DuneSong Breathers Contact 00 264 81 777 6333 (Marianne) dunesong.net Price A minimum of two nights’stay is required here. Camping costs R175 pp with your own tent (maximum 12 people and three vehicles; you book the dune camp exclusively) or R275 pp in their tents (you sleep on a bed). Hot water, power points (solar) and firewood are available. The cottages cost…

Solitaire is a small but pivotal place in the Namib Desert’s tourism infrastructure. If you’re limping in here with a flat tyre, Patat Katamelo and his colleagues will sort you out in no time. Tank running on empty? Johannes Swartbooi will top it up, with a smile. Haven’t seen a good coffee since Swakop? Nico Mangudu will brew you one to put the hair back on your chest. And if you’re hungry, head straight for Café van der Lee where a slice of apfelstrudel awaits. Most visitors who have driven the long desert road between Walvis Bay and Sesriem will be familiar with Solitaire. In a way, Solitaire is just like Doha’s international airport: there is a constant movement of people arriving and departing, only they don’t hop into Boeings…

Bushman's Desert Camp Contact 00 264 81 294 3755 (Boesman) sossusft@afol.com.na Price R180 pp for camping, and from R900 pp in the spacious chalets. Donkerhuk West Contact 00 264 81 217 5757 (Christiaan) donkerhuk.com.na Price From R180 pp for camping, and from R500 pp sharing in the tented camp (breakfast available). Omandumba Guestfarm Contact 00 264 81 217 0879 (Harald/ Deike) omandumba.de Price R200 pp for camping, and from R1 535 pp sharing in the bungalows (breakfast and dinner included).…

The story of the Rally for Rangers project began a decade ago in Mongolia, near the Russian border, when American Robert “Mac” McIntosh, a former national park ranger, volunteered with the Mongol Eco Center. The centre was conducting a workshop in the Hovsgolmeer National Park and Mac was there to assist with planning. While the session was underway, the park’s chief ranger, Enkhtaivan (try pronouncing that name after a few beers!), received a call. An illegal camp had been discovered in the park, and he had to rush to investigate. They suspected it was a poacher’s camp. Enkhtaivan hopped on his motorcycle but barely moved a metre before it spluttered to a halt. It was kaput, and Mac realised Enkhtaivan and his team of wildlife rangers struggled to do their…