This felt like the end of the trip. Of course, it wasn't.
But we would now consistently head south.
So in a sense we were headed home.
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The icons above (fltr):
Orange Drum (yellow)
Blue Drum (blue)
Waterpump (green)
Red Drum (red)
Sunrise heralded another beautiful day.
Ready to go? All packed up.
Tom: "Is this really nearly the end?"
Johan and Siep - ready to go!
A lone Oryx ambled past.
(The tiny speck to the right below? Yessss.)
These pictures merely give you an impression of the vastness and beauty of this arid world.
We spotted Fairy Circles.
Our south-bound cavalcade.
Endless ...
Dark grasses tracing the course of an ephemeral river.
This river left a deep gulley -
opportunistic Mopanies could have served
as shade for a break -
as shade for a break -
even suggested as a campsite
by Gert (of the Monster Dune).
by Gert (of the Monster Dune).
A game track
Could this be Orange Drum?
Our GPS said: "No!"
This is a lost drum.
Onwards! Look!
Is that Orange Drum just around the bend?
Yes! Comically capped by a boot!
How do we get to Blue Drum? Drive East!
This is also the southern route to Marienfluss.
A much easier option
than the northern cutting through the Hartmannsberge.
Ready to go to Blue Drum.
Blue Drum - complete with satellite phone?!?!
Well ... not quite!
But nothing deters Mrad from trying! "Hello? Hello?"
The surroundings were quite different from their northern neighbours.
The waterpump is clearly marked on T4A
(see the green star on our map above).
Somehow, even the group effort
didn't produce any water from the pump.
Impressive rocks
A massive Mopanie tree - perfect for teatime.
The iconic Red Drum!
Also know as Jan Joubert's Memorial.
From Red Drum, we moved south again
towards Marble Mine (Onjuva).
Just after the dry riverbed crossing, we were met by this Himba tribe - obviously a village was moving north - women were mounted on horses, men and dogs were herding along a large herd of goats. A serious business.
They were tired, so we didn't take any close-up photos.
The surface of the road - loose stones.
A wreck - fast driving is not recommended.
A bushy fold in the mountain. A lone Shepherd's Tree which survived the harsh environment.
Commiphora against the skyline.
The start of the "Loose rocky climb to the south" (BaseCamp) - a very narrow challenging steep road.
A different view of grassy mountain folds dotted with flat topped acacia.
Beautiful Terminalia Prunoidis.
A Herero Sesame Bush - a magnificent specimen!
Marble Mine - a defunct quarry.
This signpost invited us to Marble Mine Campsite.
However, the buildings were deserted and
reminiscent of labourers' cottages.
Obviously, this wasn't the Marble Mine Campsite we had been told was so good!
We drove towards Onjuva.
This magnificent block of marble
stood forlornly next to the road.
Marble Mine campsite welcomed us.
In spite of a burst water pipe, we had warm showers and could replenish our water supply.
It lived up to its reputation as a good camp.
Hi, thanks so much for this account of your trip. I have been reading through all the posts because I am heading up this way with my wife in a months time. The many pictures and descriptions are an invaluable resource for us!!
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