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JOHAN SNYMAN’S KAOKOLAND TRIP : 10 to 25 AUGUST 2018

BACKGROUND I stopped undertaking serious overland trips in 2015 and sold my fully kitted Land Rover Defender Hardtop in January 2016. Although I still undertook a few trips to the remote north-eastern region of Namibia to complete the research for a book I was writing, my overlanding days were over ……….. Since then, my personal circumstances have changed significantly. After settling into the solitary life of a widower, I had an unplanned/unanticipated encounter with my high school sweetheart of 39 years ago in September 2016. We got married in January 2017. Since then I have started to introduce Esmia to the different regions of the country. Apart from a 10-day trip to Damaraland in August 2017, none of our trips in Namibia have exceeded 5 days in duration. I was busy planning a trip to the Kaokoland for us when some friends asked whether I would not take them along, and this is how this trip came about. The trip would be 16 days in duration and cover a distance of approximately 3000km. Unfortunately, everything did not work out as planned ……. In the beginning of July Esmia suffered from a slipped disk in her lower back and went for a small operation on 10 July. Although the operation was a success, the wound did not heal properly, and the day before our departure the doctor refused to give permission for her to go on the trip. By this time all the participants for the tour were assembled in Windhoek and I had no option other than to undertake the trip on my own. As a number of the small airlines in Windhoek have daily flights to the small airfields scattered across the Kaokoland, we started making arrangements for Esmia and our 2 miniature dachshund “children” to fly to us if the doctor cleared her while we were away. Unfortunately this did not pan out either. PARTICIPANTS The participants on the tour were the following : Danie and Marietjie Visagie from Kuilsrivier, South Africa, in a Ford Ranger.

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Dennis and Jane Mc Donald from Windhoek, Namibia, in a Toyota Land Cruiser.

Malcolm and Margaret Jackson from Cape Town, South Africa, in a Land Rover Defender.

Otto and Sonia Scholtz from Gansbaai, South Africa, in a Toyota Hilux.

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Me, from Windhoek, Namibia, in an Isuzu.

STATISTICS OF THE PARTICIPATING VEHICLES Danie and Marietjie Visagie’s 2.5TD Ford Ranger : 2007 model with 110 000km on its odometer at the onset of the trip. BF Goodridge KO2 AT tyres. Modified suspension and airbags on rear axle. Burnco aluminium canopy. Gomad roofrack. Outback drawer system. Aux battery sytem with solar panel. Custom Side awning. Krow rooftop tent. 100ℓ Auxiliary diesel tank. 45ℓ Water Tank. 40ℓ Engel fridge/freezer. 50ℓ Dometic fridge/freezer. Ironman bull bar. GME 29 MHz radio. ICOM VHF Radio (tuned to my private frequency). Garmin Nüvi 3590 GPS. Dennis and Jane McDonald’s 4.2 D Toyota Land Cruiser 76 Station wagon 2007 model with 170 000km on its odometer at the onset of the trip. Firestone Destination front tyres and Bridgestone Deuler D697 AT rear tyres. Standard suspension. Outback roofrack. Custom-built drawer system. Outback rooftop tent. 90ℓ National Luna fridge/freezer. Garmin Nuvi 1410 GPS. Kenwood VHF radio (one of my radio’s) with magnetic base antenna. Malcolm and Margaret Jackson’s 300Tdi Land Rover Defender Station wagon 1994 model with 374 000km on its odometer at the onset of the trip. Dunlop SP Road Gripper. Custom built pop-up roof and tent.

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40ℓ auxiliary diesel tank. 35ℓ water tank. 2 x 40 ℓ Engel fridge/freezers. Outback drawer system. Custom built bull bar. Garmin 276c GPS. Kenwood VHF radio (one of my radio’s) with magnetic base antenna. Otto and Sonia Scholtz’s 3.0 D-4D Toyota Hilux Double Cab 2011 model with 225 000km on its odometer at the onset of the trip. Cooper Discoverer AT3 tyres. Modified suspension. Howling Moon awning. Hannnibal rooftop tent. 68ℓ auxiliary diesel tank. 40ℓ Engel fridge/freezer. 50 L Waeco fridge/freezer. Custom built spare wheel carrier on towbar. Custom-built drawer system. Garmin Nuvi GPS. Kenwood VHF radio (one of my radio’s) with magnetic base antenna. My Isuzu KB 300 D-Teq Extended cab : 2016 model with 105 600km on its odometer at the onset of the trip. Bridgestone Dueler 694 AT tyres. Stofpad rock sliders. African Outback aluminium canopy. African Outback Penthouse rooftop tent. Eezy Awn side awning. Custom designed drawer and packing system built by Burnco. 60ℓ Auxiliary diesel tank. 40ℓ Water tank National Luna Dual battery system 52ℓ National Luna Weekender fridge/freezer 17ℓ Engel fridge/freezer Kenwood VHF radio Garmin 276C GPS PREPARATIONS Preparation is the key to the success of a trip of this nature. On a personal level you have to be prepared to endure long hours within the confines of your vehicle and you need to be at peace with your travelling companions and especially with the other person(s) travelling in your vehicle. As we would be travelling in a very remote area, a considerable amount of time was spent in preparing the vehicles and our equipment for this trip. This in itself presents a major problem as very few vehicle owners have the technical skills to undertake the work themselves and most mechanical workshops do not have the inclination, or ability, to do so properly either. We carried a comprehensive set of tools, recovery equipment and some basic spare parts for the vehicles. Packing and camping systems had to be as organised as possible. We had to carry enough food and water as shops would be few and far in between, as well as enough fuel to be able to travel a distance of 1300km on the leg between Ruacana and Palmwag. I carried a comprehensive 1st Aid kit with enough supplies to treat emergencies for a number of days, if needed, as well as a satellite phone.

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LEGALITIES We would be using my VHF radio’s and private Namibian frequency on this trip. Danie’s vehicle had a VHF radio in it, and I gave him written permission to have his radio tuned to my frequency. All the South African registered vehicles displayed “ZA” stickers on their rear as it is a legal requirement to display the vehicle’s country of origin when it crosses international borders. Although the rule is hardly ever enforced the fine for transgressing it is N$300. They also had to pay Namibian Road Tax of N$295 upon entry into the country. THE TOUR The participants from South Africa arrived in Windhoek during the course of the week and stayed over at our house. Day 1 : Friday 10 August Danie, Dennis and Malcolm and co drove up individually to Kamanjab, while Otto and Sonia followed me on the B1 to Otjiwarongo, C38 to Outjo and the C40 to Kamanjab. Apart from an encounter with a very reckless driver in a vehicle belonging to the NBC, undertaking extremely dangerous overtaking manoeuvres on blind rises, across barrier lines and into the face of oncoming traffic, we had an uneventful drive to Kamanjab. We camped at the Oppi-Koppie Rest Camp and had dinner in their restaurant. A group of very noisy overlanders camped near us and they carried on partying late into the night and also started breaking camp in the dark the next morning.

Total distance for the day was 469km (all of it on tar) and our travelling time was 5 hours. (Moving time and average = 4h37min and 101.6km/h)

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Day 2 : Saturday 11 August We drove north on the C35 until we turned west on the track to Kamdescha, and from there we followed the Khowareb Schlucht route to the D3706 to Ongongo. From there we followed the track to our overnight campsite at the Warmquelle.

This route is on the “bucket list” of many travellers. You will experience thick dust, that flows like water, marshy areas, beautiful rock formations and some trees with interesting trunks. Otto had a very hard time negotiating the thick sand in the Ombonde River, until he discovered that his vehicle’s 4-wheel drive system was not engaging. After some investigation he found that the electrical connection to the transfer case was loose, and after re-connecting it, everything was in working order again.

The campsites at Ongongo have been upgraded and each site now has its own ablution and washing-up facilities. However, some of the sites are fairly small and you will have a problem in fitting more than 3 vehicles onto some of them. The swimming place was clean, but has become very shallow. Once again, a group of very noisy overlanders camped near us and they carried on partying late into the night and also started breaking camp in the dark the next morning.

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Total distance for the day was 163km (55km on tar and 108km on sand and gravel) and our travelling time was 8¼ hours. (Moving time and average = 4h53min and 33.4km/h) Day 3 : Sunday 12 August We retraced our steps to the D3706 and followed it west until we reached the C43, where we turned north. We followed this road, over Joubert’s Pass, until we reached the D3704 at Okorosave Village. Here we turned west to make a detour to Kaoko Otavi to see the Dorslandtrekker graves and fountain, where I also gave 2 soccer balls to the local kids. From there we followed the D3704 to Opuwu, where we refuelled our vehicles and also filled up all our spare fuel containers. We then drove east on the C41 until we reached the C35. Here we turned north to Ruacana where we topped up the fuel tanks of the vehicles. (Our next reliable refuelling point would be Palmwag, approximately 1100km away). We made a stop at the (dry) Ruacana waterfall and it is hard to imagine that there was a mass of water tumbling down the falls a mere 4 months ago. We also had a look at the ruins of infrastructure dating a few decades ago. From there we drove west on the D3700 to the Kunene River Lodge near Swartbooisdrift where we would be camping for 2 nights. Danie suffered the first puncture (left rear) of the trip on the C43. That night we also heard that Marietjie’s mother had suffered a severe stroke and had been admitted to the intensive care unit at home.

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Total distance for the day was 413km (181km on tar and the remaining 232km on gravel) and our travelling time was 11 hours. (Moving time and average = 6h45min and 61.2km/h)

Day 4 : Monday 13 August Danie and Marietjie decided to depart for home to attend to her mother, while the rest of us would be having a rest day. Malcolm and I did go for a drive to visit the Sodolite mine, and to visit Orue - the location of the last firefight in the Border War. 2 outfits are presently mining sodolite rock and it was very interesting to see how they were drilling and cutting the blocks. A lot of trees had been cut down at Orue, and the cross that a friend of mine had erected there a few years ago has since disappeared.

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Total distance for the day was 60km (all of it on gravel tracks). Day 5 : Tuesday 14 August We followed the D3700 westwards along the Kunene River to Epupa, where we would be camping at the Omarunga Campsite for 2 nights. There was a very quiet group of German overlanders in camp that night, and you could hardly hear a sound the next morning when they packed up again. Along the way we stopped at the Dorslandtrekker Memorial, some old buildings with a wreck of an interesting Chinese 3-wheel tip truck, and at a few places along the river. Although the D3700 has been upgraded recently and is not the 1½ day drive it used to be any more, cognisance should be taken of the fact that you still have to deal with a number of river crossings. At Epupa we also explored the Falls a bit.

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Total distance for the day was 94km (all of it on gravel) and our travelling time was 4 hours. (Moving time and average = 2h34min and 36.6km/h)

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Day 6 : Wednesday 15 August This was a rest day, and we visited one of the nearby Himba settlements. Great fun was had by all when I produced my photo printer. Suddenly everybody wanted their photo taken and we were treated to spontaneous song and dance, demonstrations on how different pieces of clothing functioned, etc, etc

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Total distance for the day was 14km (all of it on gravel).

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Day 7 : Thursday 16 August We followed the D3700 to Okangwati and from there we continued on the D3703 towards Otjitanda. Along the way we stopped at the Otjijandjasemo Hot Spring and at the concrete weir that the late Ben Van Zyl built in a dry riverbed to trap water in the sand behind it. We stopped for lunch under some large Anna trees in a dry riverbed crossing near Etengwa. I was hoping to find a woman, named Hambadi, here. I saw her here for the first time in 2003, when she was only knee-high and often encountered her here on subsequent visits. Unfortunately she was out collecting food for the day, but her small daughter was amongst the children playing under the tree. We made a brief stop at the Ovivero dam, and from there driving conditions would become a lot more interesting and challenging. At Otjitanda we turned off onto the track leading to the start of the Van Zyl’s Pass and we set up our camp in a clearing, a few km’s before the start of the Pass.

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Total distance for the day was 140km (all of it on gravel) and our travelling time was 9 hours. (Moving time and average = 3h57min and 35.5 km/h)

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Day 8 : Friday 17 August Today we would be driving down Van Zyl’s Pass ……. Even though I have negotiated it on a number of occasions, and have guided many people down it over the years, I still approach it with a sense of trepidation, as you will only know for sure what the driving conditions are like when you have reached the end of it, and there are so many things that can go wrong whilst negotiating it. The Pass looked a lot different from the last time I saw it in December 2015. A detour has been made around the erosion gully that has formed at the start of it. Some erosion damage has occurred at the steep inclines with a lot of the finer material, binding the rocks together, being washed away. It would also be the first time that I would not be driving down it with a Land Rover Defender …… The wreck of the white Metalian trailer is still lying there, as well as the wreck of the Toyota Land Cruiser that rolled down one on the inclines earlier this year. A fair amount of road building has been done by travellers since the last rain damage, and we also did our share of rock packing. My vehicle suffered a left rear puncture near the start of the Pass. Otto became aware of a knocking sound from beneath his vehicle and discovered that the cross-member supporting the gearbox of his vehicle had some bolts and nuts missing. Malcolm came to the rescue when the spare Land Rover Defender exhaust manifold bolts and nuts he had with him fitted perfectly. We suffered no other mishaps or damage to our vehicles and placed some flat rocks with our names on it onto the growing pile at the foot of the pass. I was saddened to see that someone had removed the small memorial plate (the size of a business card) that I had stuck to a rock at the viewpoint overlooking the Marienfluss, in memory of my late wife, Adri, who had walked down the Pass 12 times and took some amazing photographs whilst doing so. From there we travelled north through the Marienfluss and turned west and then south after we had passed Mt Ondau. We then negotiated the pass through the Hartmann’s Mountains and camped on the edge of the Hartmann’s Valley.

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Total distance for the day was 86km (all of it on gravel, rock and sand) and our travelling time was 8 hours. (Moving time and average = 4h15min and 20.2km/h)

Day 9 : Saturday 18 August We travelled north and west through the Hartmann’s Valley until we reached the Serra Cafema airstrip. Along the way Otto lost 2 tyres due to sidewall cuts. We then turned south and followed the track alongside the Skeleton Coast to Green Drum and from there to our overnight stop in a dry riverbed.

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Total distance for the day was 144km (all of it on sand and gravel) and our travelling time was 8½ hours. (Moving time and average = 4h55min and 29.3km/h)

Day 10 : Sunday 19 August It was completely overcast when we woke up and stayed like that for a couple of hours. We continued south on the track until we reached the D3707 which we followed to Orupembe. At Orupembe we stopped at the new “White drum” and it is very sad to see how it has been vandalised. From Orupembe we drove south until we reached the Khumib River. We followed the riverbed for a distance of approximately 42km and then followed the track past the Himba Sphinx to the Hoarusib River and then followed this River to Puros where we would be camping at the Community camp for 2 nights.

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Total distance for the day was 121km (all of it on gravel and sand) and our travelling time was 7½hours. (Moving time and average = 4h58min and 24.4km/h) Day 11 : Monday 20 August This was a rest day. We did a temporary “McGyver” repair to one of Otto’s damaged tyres by patching the sidewall from the inside and inserting a tube into the tyre. At least he had an emergency spare if the need arose. Malcolm and I also visited the nearby Himba Village where we dropped of the remaining food supplies I had brought along for them. Once again the photo printer brought about a lot of merriment. I also received a message from a friend about a trailer that had been abandoned in Twyfelfontein, and needed to be recovered to Cape Town. As we would be passing near there in a few days, I undertook to see if I could take it along with me.

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Total distance for the day was 38km (all of it on sand) Day 12 : Tuesday 21 August We followed the route downstream in the Hoarusib River until we reached Schoeman’s Camp and here we turned south on the track across the Ganias Plains to Amspoort in the Hoanib River, We explored the riverbed looking for desert elephants and other game, before making our way to our overnight camp spot near Die Poort.

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Total distance for the day was 135km (all of it on sand and gravel) and our travelling time was 7¾ hours. (Moving time and average = 4h58min and 27.2km/h)

Day 13 : Wednesday 22 August We first went looking for elephants, before making our way via the Crowther Trail to Palmwag. As you leave the Hoanib River at the northern side of the trail, you have to pay your permit fees of N$120 per vehicle and N$120 per person per day.

At Palmwag we refuelled our vehicles for the first time since Ruacana. Over the distance of 1072km Dennis’s Land Cruiser returned a fuel consumption of 6.81km/ℓ (157ℓ), Malcolm’s Defender returned 7.92km/ℓ (135ℓ), Otto’s Hilux returned 6.45km/ℓ (166ℓ) and my Isuzu returned 6.7km/ℓ (160ℓ).

He had dinner at their restaurant that evening.

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Total distance for the day was 167km (all of it on sand and gravel) and our travelling time was 9½hours. (Moving time and average = 6h37min and 25.2km/h)

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Day 14 : Thursday 23 August I made a very early start (1½hours) before the rest of the group and passed through the veterinary control post without any problems. Please note that it illegal to cross this line with raw meat derived from cloven hoofed animals, dairy products, biltong and dry sausage, as well as raw chicken.

I travelled south on the C43, C39, D2612 and the D3254 to Twyfelfontein. Along the way I encountered a male and female lion on the road. At Twyfelfontein Lodge I assessed the condition of the abandoned Conquerer Companion trailer. The clamps holding down the front lid had broken, but it was no problem to secure it with 2 karabiners and a ratchet strap. Repairing the 2 punctures in the right-hand side tyre was not a problem either. The connector for the lights was missing and the brake system damaged. I hooked the trailer and retraced my route to reach the place where the Huab River crossed the C39 and meet up with the rest of the party. The Isuzu towed the trailer without any problems, but as its brakes were not working it pushed me bit when stopping.

We travelled downstream in the Huab River and then out to follow a track south through the Valley of Desolation. We made a detour to the Gai-As fountain and from there made our way to the Ugab Rhino Camp, where we camped for the night. That night a small herd of elephant walked through the campsite and destroyed one of the boma’s.

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Total distance for the day was 265km (all of it on sand and gravel) and my travelling time was 10 hours. (Moving time and average = 6h11min and 42.9km/h) Day 15 : Friday 24 August We made our way to the old Brandberg West mine, but I waited at the bottom while Malcolm took the rest of the group up to the old crusher and into the excavated mine pit. From there we followed the D2304 and D2342 until we turned off into the Goboboseb Mountains where we visited a working mine for a mineral called prenite. From there we made our way to the Messum Crater and then south on a track to the C35 and from there on another track to the Omaruru River, where we set up camp for the night at Shoe Rock. I picked up a right rear puncture in the Messum Crater.

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Total distance for the day was 191km (all of it on sand and gravel) and our travelling time was 9½hours. (Moving time and average = 5h45min and 33.2km/h)

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Day 16 : Saturday 25 August It was time to head for home. We travelled upstream in the Omaruru River and then turned south into the Spitzkop River. We then followed a track to the D1918 and made our way to the B2 highway to Okahandja and then on the B1 to Windhoek. Near Okahandja I received a phone call informing me that Marietjie’s mother had passed away earlier that morning.

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Total distance for the day was 323km (107km on sand and gravel and 216km on tar) and our travelling time was 6¼ hours. (Moving time and average = 5h05min and 63.5 km/h)

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CONCLUSION This has been a memorable trip to a spectacular part of Namibia with some great friends during which we drove a total distance of 2823km in 16 days. Of this, 921km was on tar and the remaining 1902km on gravel and sand. However, I will have to go back again to show Esmia what the Kaokoland looks like. There were 14 different cameras on the trip, and between them 8270 photographs (39.8GB) were taken. Lonely Men of the Kaokoland We were fortunate to see 3 of them:

How did the vehicles, and their tyres do ?

Danie’s Ford Ranger The vehicle had no mechanical problems. The BF Goodridge KO2 AT tyres showed no signs of any damage and cutting or chipping of the tread blocks by the time they returned home from the Kunene River Lodge. He had one puncture.

Dennis’s Land Cruiser The vehicle had no mechanical, or other, problems. The Firestone Destination front tyres and Bridgestone Deuler D697 AT rear tyres showed no signs of any damage.

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Malcolm’s Defender The vehicle had no mechanical, or other, problems. The Dunlop SP Road Gripper tyres showed no signs of any damage.

Otto’s Toyota Hilux The vehicle had a problem engaging 4-wheel drive due to a loose electrical connection on the transfer case and also suffered from a loose cross member that supports the gearbox. Otto will surely have some choice words to say to the people that replaced the vehicle’s clutch shortly before the trip….. He had a problem with the dual battery system but traced it to a faulty fuse. He lost 2 Cooper Discoverer AT3 tyres due to sidewall cuts. The remaining 2 Coopers and the 2 Dunlop Grandtrek spare tyres showed no signs of any damage.

My Isuzu The vehicle had no mechanical problems and it had no problems to tow the Comquerer trailer in some difficult terrain for the last few days. It returned an overall fuel consumption of 7.12km/ℓ. The auxiliary fuel tank leaked when the vehicle was filled to capacity, but it did not result in a major loss of fuel. I will remove it soon to find, and rectify, the problem. The timer of my National Luna Battery box malfunctioned at the start of the trip, but I could bypass it to solve the problem. The Bridgestone Dueler A/T tyres had 2 punctures and did not show signs of any damage.

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