We were on the road by 8am. We got into Aus and went to the Bahnhoff Hotel again for some strategising and lunch. We had a quick thought of heading south and crossing back in SA through Sendelingsdrif, but the border was still closed. After much discussion, we decided to drive through Rosh Pinah and Fish River Canyon the next day and keep our booking in Grunau and Red Sands. The route would be too crazy if we tried to change it. We got back on the road and stopped to see the horses again. They weren’t there, again. We got into Luderitz at 2:15. We got checked back in to Alte Villa and had some apple cake and tea. We spent the afternoon relaxing. First time in a while! We grabbed some pizza for dinner, then we went back to the room and had wine and watched the sunset. The boys loaded the cars back up with our recovered gear. Still amazed to to this day we got it back.

The next morning we had breakfast and got on the road by 8. It was super windy. The sand was blowing across the road so much, it’s easy to see how the dunes move. We stopped in to see the horses one more time but no luck. We really did get lucky the first time! We headed to Rosh Pinah and saw a big group of horses about 10km down the road. We stopped and watched them for a while, and then moved on. The landscape was really diverse and beautiful. The topography of the land changed quickly and we saw some interesting scenery. We got to Rosh Pinah at 11:30 and got fuel. We decided we would go into the Namibian side of the Richtersveld, which we didn’t get to do in August. You might recognize one of the pictures of the water border crossing from that post. This one is from the Namibia side! We really enjoyed the drive along the Orange River, but it was time to head to Fish River Canyon. Fish River Canyon is the 2nd largest canyon in the world, behind the Grand Canyon. The drive was incredible through the mountains. On the way to the canyon we stopped at Canyon Roadhouse restaurant and had a late lunch. This place is filled with Americana memorabilia and it’s pretty incredible to find in the middle of nowhere. Lian found this place before we left and we had to check it out.

After lunch, we went to the canyon. It was pretty incredible and we had the whole place to ourselves. There’s a small observation deck area and the canyon, nothing else. We got back on the road and got to the White House in time to relax a while until dinner. I am not usually a fan of lamb, but the White House is a working farm. They made us a roast leg of lamb and it was the best I’ve ever had! It was Thanksgiving dinner a day early, literally. We even had sweet potato pie for dessert. We were meant to get home on Thanksgiving, but I’m so glad we didn’t.

Again, they had brought our breakfast basket the night before so we could have an early start. We were up early and so were our neighbors. While we were showering they accidentally ate our breakfast. It was annoying, but this resulted in fresh baked croissants and warm boiled eggs. No complaints! I bought a leg of lamb from the farm shop for our Christmas dinner and some rose quartz, which they mine locally. We were on the road by 9:30 for the long trek home. We got through the border with no problems and got into Red Sands in the late afternoon. We decided to eat in the restaurant there for Thanksgiving dinner. It wasn’t as good as the lamb, but I didn’t have to cook! The next morning we got up early and headed home. We got in mid-afternoon after an easy drive. It was a nice ending to a great vacation.

This trip was one of my favorites so far in Africa. Lian was instrumental in the itinerary. She did all of the research for the places we went and suggested the itinerary for me to work on. She really did a fantastic job.

I’m currently planning another trip to Namibia for some point in the future. It is such an easy country to travel in, we may just pack up and go at some point without bookings or a plan. The people are wonderful, the roads are great, and the food is excellent.

The Botswana trip will be coming soon!