Days 5 & 6 - Swakopmund and the Skeleton Coast

The drive to Swakopmund was predominantly straight dirt roads in a rocky portion of the Namib desert.  Fortunately it was somewhat overcast and not too hot.  After several hours we arrived at the coast just north of Walvis Bay.  It was a most unusual sight: first a big harbour and industrial area, then beach side apartments and new developments in progress.  There was sand either side of the road with beach on one, and desert on the other.  Not much further and we arrived in Swakopmund.  Our guide book commented on the town as being more German then Germany... it had a point.  We found our guest house and finished the day off with a pleasant fish meal out in town.

The following day we had a long drive up the Skeleton Coast and eventually inland towards the Etosha National Park.  It started very bleak with the sea mist making it feel wet and cold.  This was a welcome change from the 45 degrees of recent days.  We drove on a salt road, which once the moisture dried, was an excellent surface.  Up to that point it caused a great deal of mischief to Jeepy’s exterior!  Our first stop was the seal colony at Cape Cross.  There were tens of thousands of seals on the beach with many many pups.  It was a fantastic sight; there was an amazing din of squaks and barks; and most impressive was the smell!  Kit had to resort to wearing a medical mask I still had lying about the car, as the smell was so nauseating!!  After our senses had been saturated we headed further up the coast.  We drove several hundred kilometres without seeing another person, the land was dry and barren spotted with the occasional shipwreck and even a washed up old oil rig... it was a truly desolate place!  

We eventually arrived at our lodge for the night in Khorixas, where one of the “boys” eagerly approached me and offered to wash Jeepy.  It no longer looked like a car, more a block of dust on wheels!  We headed to bed early in anticipation of the next two days... spotting wildlife in Etosha National Park, and much less driving!!

Bird of the days: Flamingo

4 legged animal of the days: none!