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Namibia 2003

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Namibia 2003 Main

Part 1 Etosha

Part 1a Animals

Part 2 Otjitotongwe

Part 3 Highlands

Part 4 Van Zyl's P.

Part 5 Marienfluss

Part 6 Kaokoveld

Part 7 Damaraland

Part 8 Twyfelfontein

Part 9 Namib

Part 10 Wolwedans

Part 11 Gamsberg

Panorama pics

Namibia '03 Gallery

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last updated: 7-Aug-2005

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Our trip to Namibia in April/May 2003

Please also check out this link to my diary of our South Africa/Namibia 2005 trip.
The photo gallery of this trip can be found with this link.

When: 13th April to 4th May 2003

Where: WDH, Otjiwarongo, Etosha NP (Namutoni, Halali, Okaukuejo), Otjitotongwe, Opuwo, Van Zyl's Pass, Marienflusstal, Kunene River, Hartmann's Valley, Purros, Sesfontein, Palmwag, Twyfelfontein, Doros Crater, Swakopmund, Namib Desert (Mirabib), Kuiseb, NamibRand (Wolwedans), Gamsberg Pass (Hakos), WDH

How: We rented a car from Asco Car Hire, a 4x4 Toyota Hilux double cab, fully equipped with 120 l fuel tank, 40 l water tank, roof tent, fridge etc. No accommodation was prebooked. We took malaria prophylaxis (Malarone) for the first part of the trip (until Kunene plus 7 days). We used a Garmin eTrek Summit GPS device (data on request).

Find below more information on books and maps about Namibia.

If you like these pages, or have questions, please let me know, and feel free to link it on your page.

Date	Route	Distance (km)	Overnight	Page
13-Apr	ZRH-WDH (arr. 13:00)
14-Apr	Arrival WDH Int'l, fetch car, shop		Pension Handke	1
15-Apr	Windhoek - Namutoni	533	Namutoni Chalet	1
16-Apr	Namutoni - Halali	80*	Halali Chalet	1, 1a
17-Apr	Halali - Okaukuejo	55*	Okaukuejo Chalet	1, 1a
18-Apr	Okaukuejo - Otjitotongwe	180	Otjitotongwe Chalet	2
19-Apr	Otjitotongwe - Opuwo camp	315	Camping	3
20-Apr	Opuwo Camp - Van Zyl's Camp	107	Camping	4
21-Apr	Van Zyl's Camp - Camp Syncro	68	Camp Syncro, Camping	4, 5
22-Apr	Camp Syncro		Camp Syncro	5
23-Apr	Camp Syncro - Kaoko Camp (Orupembe)	189	Camping	6
24-Apr	Kaoko Camp - Purros	171	Purros Camping	6
25-Apr	Purros - Palmwag	264	Palmwag Camping	7
26-Apr	Palmwag - Damara Camp (Twyelfontein)	217	Camping	7
27-Apr	Damara Camp - Pathfinder Camp (Doros)	223	Camping	8
28-Apr	Pathfinder Camp - Swakopmund	410	Hotel Schweizerhof	9
29-Apr	Swakopmund - Mirabib	245	Mirabib Campsite	9
30-Apr	Mirabib - Wolwedans	328	Wolwedans Dune Camp	9, 10
1-May	Wolwedans		Wolwedans Dune Camp	10
2-May	Wolwedans - Hakos	375	Hakos Guest House	11
3-May	Hakos - WDH - ZRH	150		11
4-May	Home

* shortest possible path

Books and maps about Namibia

Here a list of books and maps we used before and during that trip.

Maps and GPS coordinates

Our own GPS coordinates covering Opuwo to Swakopmund are not yet online, email me if you want them.

GPS coordinates from Wouter Brand covering Van Zyl's Pass to Damaraland - excellent.
The Shell Map of Kaokoland (Kunene Region), 1:625 000 (issued 1996) which proved not 100% accurate but gave enough information.
A good 1:2 000 000 map called The Republic of Namibia, of unknown origin (see it here) which we bought in JNB Airport. It shows most road numbers and distances, again not 100% accurate but okay. I used it to take notes of our distances and coordinates as it is made of plain paper.
The 1:1 250 000 map of Namibia by World Mapping Project was unfortunately left at home..., but it is a better alternative to Nr. 3., showing more details also with road numbers and distances. It is of quite sturdy "plastic-izised" paper, waterproof and quite untearable.
We didn't have the detailled maps: There exists a set of 1:250 000 maps covering all Namibia, obtainable from the Surveyor General in Windhoek (Robert Mugabe Avenue), but now also online from Namibiana.de.

Guide books

Namibia Footprint 2001 3rd ed. There is no newer edition now, August 2005.
Lonely Planet Namibia 2002 1st ed. Lonely Planet doesn't list it anymore on their site, so I assume it is out of print now. Both together gave all the information about sights and accommodation we needed, but today I would use the Iwanowski Guide for Namibia (German only?).

Fiction and non-fiction books

The Place of Stunted Ironwood Trees: A Year in the Lives of the Cattle-Herding Himba of Namibia
by David P. Crandall, who writes about the time he spent in a Himba clan. Written in a very personal and enlightening way, a good preparation to catch a bit more of how Himba live before meeting them. I'd read it again before my next trip to Kunene Region, if I hadn't lost it...
Available from Amazon.com or else in many bookstores in SA and Namibia.

Heat, Dust and Dreams: An Exploration of People and Environment in Namibia's Kaokoland and Damaraland
(Hitze, Staub und Träume)
by Mary Rice and Craig Gibson. Beautiful pictures and background information about the people, landscapes, history, flora and fauna of the Kaokoland. I admit I haven't read everything, but it is nice just because of the pictures.
Also available in German and other languages, from Namibiana.de, Amazon or in bookstores across Namibia.

Herero
by Gerhard Seyfried. Fiction and non-fiction combined, but with a sad historic background. It recalls, out of the perspective of several involved persons, the Herero revolt in 1915 which culminated in the deaths of tens of thousands of Herero in the Omaheke. Based on extensive research of historic data. In English or German.

The Sheltering Desert (Wenn es Krieg gibt, gehen wir in die Wüste)
by Henno Martin. Autobiographic novel recounting the more than two years Martin spent in the Kuiseb Canyon with his friend Hermann and dog Otto, to escape World War II - only just surviving in this unhospitable environment. Beautiful and tragic at the same time - and a must if you travel to the Kuiseb region. Available in several languages online and in bookstores.

Something I found just now - for plant lovers like me:
Wild flowers of the Central Namib, Wild Flowers of the Southern Namib by Antje Burke. Not the latest fashion coffee table plant book, but solid guides to take into the Namib. Antje Burke seems to be a capacity in Namib plants, but the books are very easygoing guides also for laymen/-women. The 3rd book about Wild Flowers in the Northern Namib just appeared. The first two volumes are also available in German (Namibiana.de).

How to get maps and specific books in Europe?

The local Zurich TravelBook Shop has occasionally detail maps and books on stock, but there is also an internet bookstore specializing on Namibia: Namibiana.de. They offer mostly German, but also English books and ship all across Europe; they can also provide detailled maps. They give a curteous, personal service and ship extremely quickly.

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