D13: Syncro - Marienfluss - Bushcamp (72km)

We had hoped to be able to stay at Camp Syncro for two nights, but our schedule gave us only one night. 

D13: Syncro - Marienfluss - Bushcamp (72km) 

So we set out the next day: first south in the Marienfluss, then westward towards and through the Hartmannberge.

This is what we woke up to ... a wonderful view of the Kunene River. After all, we were camped on its bank!

And (for the umpteenth time) the runner board needed attention. Tom was checking his equipment and BigBlue was waiting for its occupants who were enjoying the hot water shower.

Ryan and Sarah (from Switzerland) have bought Camp Syncro from Koos Verwey (owner of Epupa Lodge). They just fell in love with the spot and are making sure all the systems work well.

We said "Goodbye" and set off south. This ox's skeleton tells the story of hardship in this world.

The green "trees" are beautiful Tamarisks.

These mountains flank the west side of the Marienfluss. Can you see the dry, dark "ditch" which we must cross? This must be the Marienfluss.

We came from the left when travelling north. Travelling south towards the cutting to the Hartmanns Flats, we had to take the right-hand road.

From close-up the texture of the mountains was intriguing.

These two Ludwig Bustard were some of the many that we saw during our trip.

Another Himba hut in the middle of nowhere. The flat section hemmed in by two mountain ranges created a feeling of safety.

This odd-looking grass was created by ants that utilise the moisture in the grass to build their nests. 
Can anybody inform me about the name of these ants?

We veered westward to the cutting through the foothills of Mt Hartmann. 
This view towards the east shows Mt Ondau - 
a holy mountain.

At first the path seemed quite good - why would T4A refer to it as "Bad bad road"? Soon the surface changed and we came to a cutting which proved to be a challenge. The men moved several rocks.
Mrad slipped and fell very hard - 
he couldn't drive for five days!

Our Toyota behaved very well - Mrad had planned the exact route and I followed it meticulously. 
Nerve wracking, but it worked!

Tom also got over the hurdles well.

Siep and Johan were third - the rocks had moved and although the men replaced them, the cutting remained difficult. Eventually we all managed to cross the hurdle.

Probably because the vehicles had to go UPWARD through the cutting, our group decided that this section was much worse than VZP.

The road's angle was steep. At the top we passed between two lonely gate posts - T4A marks the spot as "Heavy duty boom gate (impossible to turn back)".

The mountain sides were beautiful.

Teatime was a welcome break - we hadn't really believed T4A because VZP had been much easier than we thought. But the section "Bad Bad Road" had really challenged us!

A different style Himba hut.

We crossed to the eastern side of the Hartmannsberge - perhaps the distance made them seem more gentle than the section we had negotiated thus far?

The GPS could not create a route - were we too far in the outback of Kaokoland? We stopped to confer. Luckily, I had created tracks on my computer (in RSA) and these tracks could be loaded (although we had to move the screen manually). Here we were making sure that we were headed in the right direction.

Onwards!!

After a while, we came to a cutting between two talusses of the mountain range. There was a rather narrow opening to negotiate, but it wasn't anything like the first cutting. Nevertheless - it took considerable skill to get through the gap.
Can you see it on the second picture?

This is the view over the Hartmanns Valley which waited for us over the next rise.

We waited for the other vehicles. This gave us time not only to admire the distant view, but also to enjoy the rocks next to the road. Once we had regrouped, the journey westward continued.

Another version of a Himba cattle kraal. This was near a village with many inhabitants and a wealth of goats.

We should have turned north-west in order to miss the village. So we had to retrace our steps and find the northerly route towards the west. This calcrete(?) outcrop adorned the road.

It was getting towards 4 o'clock - the time when we liked to find a camping spot. There were many possibilities - Tom could choose as he was the cook for supper. He found an excellent spot in a wide dry riverbed.

The setting sun illuminated the grass seeds, washing was hung out to dry, we settled down to our camping routine, the sun highlighted our tracks and the moon winked at us above the mountains - a perfect evening after a hard day's travelling.

A fun photo - how many times can you see Mrad??