Flying with a hot-air balloon across the Namib desert. Trip to Namibia

content:
photos:
Vote this travel review

Breakfast not bad all'Arebbusch. We start looking for a car all'europcar. In theory dovrebebro make a preferential price for cycling teams. We rent a Yaris at $ 4,560 N for 11 days (about 38 eur / day), including all insurance (passenger, theft, damage). The refund to our departure airport. Then we leave for our tour in the city. We start with the commercial area near the Post mall. In the morning we can not do more than a hundred meters, are the many craft shops with lots of interesting things and then we are always looking for the Birkerstock Mari. Afternoon continue to visit in the central, going for the Christuskirche for the High Holidays, to the station. Many of the streets of Windhoek have been renamed and the old names of the heroes of the German colonial period were replaced with those of current or recent heads of state, such as Fidel Castro Street, Laurent Desire Kabila and so on. Gathemann dinner at a restaurant in downtown Windhoek.
3/11/2009
Trip to Daan Vilioen Game Park, located about 25 km from Windhoek, all park facilities are closed, but you can still visit it. Walk up to the main dam on the path we meet kudu, wildebeest, warthogs, baboons and a large amount of birds.
7/11/2009
Excursion Na'an ku if wildlife sanctuary, located about 40 km from Windhoek, it is a reserve where injured animals are welcomed. In addition to various herbivores, there are cheetahs, lions, leopards, lynxes, wild dogs and baboons. The animals are still confined to large areas are fenced and fed daily. The lions do not like is that the points against the camera lens and react quite vigorously.
After finishing the cycle part of the stay in Namibia today for the few days of vacation, planning a balloon flight in the Namib desert, Swakopmund and a return to a ride in a park to see some animals.
We take the C26 and then turn left into the C24. Windhoek's friends advised us to take the road of Spreets Hoogte Pass. When we reach Nauchas then turn right and begin climbing the step, after some chlometro open views into the valley of the Namib desert, short stop for a beer bottle between the well-preserved frozen ice all'Arebbusch. Descend towards Solitaire for a breakfast of the famous apple pie, from a myriad of weavers and other passerines. Continue towards Soussvlei, the Desert Camp a few miles before the main Sesriem is a charming place, sin has no place for the night, we have to pitch a tent in the Sesriem Campsite. Dinner with the fillet of Kudu Campsite restaurant in nearby petrol station we also find an internet connection. To bed early tomorrow morning at 5 there waiting for the balloon flight.
10/11/2009
5:30 a.m. to collect the entry point of the campsite for us to reach the starting point of the balloon flight. Far sighted by the shapes of the balloons that are inflating. One enters the basket in the company of two Germans and two operator. We quickly explained the safety rules and the position taken in the event of landing with the wind. Without even realizing we are already off the ground and flying over the dunes of the Namib Desert, is a dream! We get up and down in search of wind currents that bring us in the right direction, we focus on Soussusvlei in a continuous swing and grazed vegetation, touching the soil of the road then up again, the tracks flow drawn from the animals below us , the dunes are lost sight of an eye.
After an hour and a quarter landed softly just lonatno the dry bed of the river is lost in the desert. Hearty breakfast in the desert before returning the way back. Dismantle the tent and move into Swakopmund, again with the inevitable stop at Solitaire apple pie to share with the friendly sparrows and continue on the dirt road toward the Kuiseb Canyon Park in Traverse arm that separates us from Walvis Bay. Shortly before the intersection of the Tropic of Capricorn pass C26, cute squirrels are watching from the sides of the road, ostriches and oryx in the distance divide the desolate plains. Some lateral deviations allow us to reach the rim of the canyon with impressive views. Then again golden plains until you reach Walvis Bay in an atmosphere sandstorm. We reserved the hotel phone Rapmund in Swakopmund, including quilts of beds seems to be in Bavaria. Not having booked, we can not find a place for dinner at "The Tag", considered one of the best restaurants in Swakopmund is situated on the seafront. Then we head to Kuck's Pub where we were delighted a few years earlier with a mixture amazing sea. Difficult to recognize the old pub was completely refurbished, the interior courtyard transformed into a closed room with lots of mezzanine. The seafood platter is however still significant even if there seems to be less abundant than our memories.

11/11/2009
Morning in Swakopmund to enjoy the quiet and relaxing atmosphere of this resort. Slice of strudel and visit the museum, craft, snack and biretta the brewery part of the museum, before going down the Highway towards Transkalahari Usakos and Omaruru. Along the path a detour on a dirt road about 30 km Spitzkoppe leads to a series of rocky peaks poking plateau. Return of asphalt Transkalahari Highway and then turn to Omaruru and 40 km of new track until we reach Mount Etjo Game Park at dusk now, just in time for cocktails and dinner in the great hall of the lodge round plan . In the evening excursion to the meal of lions, lions in this park, unfortunately not in freedom but segregated in a large fenced area and are fed every night by the park staff. In any case, the vision of these animals very close to us is always very exciting.

12/11/2009
Departure at 7 for a hike of 3 hours in the park CRCA Mount Etjo. The park is one of the first private nature reserve of Namibia is very extensive. We meet many giraffes and then kudu, wildebeest, springbok, zebra, impala, dikdik, waterbuck, nyala, family of warthogs, ostriches, hippos, herons, spoonbills, marabu. Unfortunately for the elephants and rhinos found only excrement. Back with a bit of sour taste for us a park without the African big cats is a park in half. We'll make soon. After traveling the 40 km separating the reserve from the National Highway 1, we bow to Windhoek on the road again for some time meeting with baboons perched on electricity pylons in the traffic of the country. Stop for lunch at Okahandja and visit the craft market as the most important of Namibia. Most craft still come from other African countries and especially from Zimbabwe and Democratic Congo. Most sellers are Congolese and Angolans. Back in Windhoek, as usual Arebbusch and the next departure to the airport for our flight to Luanda. Discover that the airport in Namibia (at least with Air Namibia) you pay a fee of 5 kg for the overload cycle, payable only in dollars for other Namibians.
In total we covered 1800 km.