12^TH – 13^TH AUGUST 2009 – RUNDU - NAMIBIA 

WE LEFT HALALI CAMP AT DAWN THIS MORNING AS WE HAVE A SIX-HOUR DRIVE AHEAD OF US. WE HAVE DECIDED TAKE THE“TRACKS FOR AFRICA” ROUTING THAT WILL SHORTEN OUR JOURNEY BY APPROXIMATELY TWO HOURS AS OPPOSE TO DRIVING ON THE MAIN ROAD. THE D3016 IS A WELL-USED SAND ROAD THAT CROSSES WEST TO EAST FROM OSHIVELO TO MURURANI. LOCALS HAVE LET US KNOW THAT THE ROAD IS IN GOOD CONDITION, AS THE RAINY SEASON HAS NOT ARRIVED YET.  AT MURURANI WE WILL TURN LEFT ONTO THE B8 AND HEAD NORTH – THIS TAR ROAD WITH A BIT OF LUCK TAKE US ALL THE WAY INTO RUNDU.

 “DIZZY “EXPERIENCED  FEWER TWISTS AND TURNS, RISES AND FALLS ON THIS SANDY STRETCH OF ROAD, HOWEVER, DUST IN HER SNORKEL AND HER CABIN STILL REMAINS A DILEMMA THAT WILL NEED SORTING OUT BEFORE WE CONTINUE OUR TRIP FURTHER NORTH.

EXHAUSTED WE ARRIVED IN RUNDU JUST AS THE SUN WAS ABOUT TO SET – WE HAVE BEEN ON THE ROAD ALL DAY AND THE DRIVE ONCE AGAIN HAS BEEN TIRING.

WE HAVE DECIDED TO REST FOR A DAY OR TWO IN THIS RUN DOWN LITTLE TOWN. SADLY, RUNDU HAS LITTLE TO OFFER IN TERMS OF SIGHT SEEING AND ADVENTURE. THE LOCAL PEOPLE FILL THE TOWN’S DUSTY STREETS FROM SUN RISE TO SUN SET, EKING OUT A MEGA EXISTENCE BY PLYING THEIR HAND DESIGNED ART TO THE FEW WEARY TRAVELLERS THAT PASS HER WAY.   THE NEXT TWO DAYS WILL NOT BE FILLED WITH EXCITING ACTIVITY, BUT RATHER MUNDANE ESSENTIAL GOING-ON’S - SORTING OUT OUR LAUNDRY, FINANCES, VEHICLE REPAIRS, AND HOPEFULLY THE ONGOING NETWORK PROBLEMS WE HAVE EXPERIENCED SINCE DEPARTING FROM CAPE TOWN.

WE HAVE MANAGED TO SORT OUT MOST OF THE ODDS AND ENDS WE HAD SCHEDULED WHEN ARRIVING IN RUNDU. WE WILL LEAVE EARLY TOMORROW, AS WE ARE HOPING TO MAKE THE ZAMBIAN BOARDER BEFORE 18.00 HOUR, THEIR OFFICIAL CLOSING TIME.

“DIZZY” BOUNCED INTO LIFE AS SHE RACED OUT OF RUNDU BEFORE THE SUN ROSE “UP AND OVER” THE CUBANGO RIVER. WE ARE RACING NORTH TODAY, A MARATHON 9 HOUR JOURNEY, IN THE DIRECTION OF KATIMA MULLILO. WE WILL CONTINUE TO TRAVEL ALONE THE B8, PASSING TROUGH BWABWATA NATIONAL PARK, SHOULDERING THE MUDUMU NATIONAL PARK AND INTO THE CAPRIVI DELTA.

THIS NORTHERN MOST TIP OF NAMIBIA IS ALSO REFERRED TO AS THE IMPALILA ISLAND, THE ONE ISLAND IN AFRICA WHERE FOUR COUNTRIES MEET – BOTSWANA, ZIMBABWE, ZAMBIA AND NAMIBIA.

THE ISLAND IS A MOSAIC OF WOODLANDS, RIVERINE FORESTS, SWAMPS, AND RIVERS. MANY PARTS OF THE ISLAND ARE ONLY ACCESSIBLE BY FOUR WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES. THE ZAMBEZI RIVER ALSO BOARDERS THE ISLAND AND OFFER SUPERB TIGER FISHING AND IS STILL REGARDED AS ONE OF THE TOP BIRDING SPOTS IN NAMIBIA.

WE ARRIVED AT KATIMA MULLILO BOARDER POST AT 2.00 PM SOUTH AFRICAN TIME – AFTER FINALISING EXIT AND ENTRY FORMALITIES FROM NAMIBIA INTO ZAMBIA “ HAD A AFRICAN RUN-AROUND ON THE ZAMBIAN SIDE OF THE BOARDER” WE CROSSED OVER THE MIGHTY ZAMBEZI RIVER HEADED IN THE DIRECTION OF LIVINGSTONE – ZAMBIA.

SUMMARY – NAMIBIA

THE CAPE – NAMIBIA ROUTE OFFERS AN OVERABUNDANCE OF ACTIVITIES IN A COMBINATION FOUND NOWHERE ELSE IN AFRICA.  THE ROUTE’S SPINE HUGS THE WEST COAST AND MOVES NORTH WHERE A MAGNITUDE OF PLACES AND LANDSCAPES CAN BE EXPLORED. FROM THE RICHTERSVELD NATIONAL PARK IN THE SOUTH, TO THE FAR REACHES OF THE KUNENE RIVER IN THE NORTH, UNFOLDS UNTOUCHED LANDSCAPES, WHICH RANGE FROM SAVANNAH BUSH LAND TO DESERT DUNES. WILD LIFE IS SADLY NOT IN ABUNDANCE AND LIONS AND LEOPARDS HAVE ELUDED US THROUGHOUT OUR NAMIBIAN ADVENTURE.

NAMIBIA IS A PLACE TO FIND SOLITUDE AND SERENITY. A SPIRITUAL AND PEACEFUL PLACE WHERE JADED CITY DWELLERS LIKE US CAN RELAX AND UNWIND. IT IS A PLACE FOR AMATEUR! PHOTOGRAPHERS TO DRAW INSPIRATION.

WOULD WE VISIT NAMIBIA AGAIN – WITHOUT DOUBT, ABSOLUTELY, CERTAINLY?