Day 3: Port Nolloth to Luderitz
Our room at the Beach Shack was rustic but cosy, due to load shedding we had an early night and hence woke up early to a misty view of the sea. Fortunately this soon burned off and the sun came out but it was still a chilly 10 degrees.
The scenery along the 80km stretch to the border post was arid, with the stark beauty of the desert mountains of the area. There is also remnants of the old diamond mines.
Our usual route into Southern Namibia is through the Richtersvelt, taking the pont at the border crossing at Sendelingsdrift. However, in 2017 the Alexander Bay Border post no longer required a permit to enter, so we decided to try a new route. The border post was super quite, the staff friendly and the entry driving over the Orange River into Namibia was painless.
This was the first time we have had the opportunity to visit Oranjemund, a diamond mining town in the extreme southwest of Namibia, on the northern bank of the Orange River Mouth. We drove to the area where the Orange River enters the sea before visiting the town. Unfortunately the visibility wasn’t great but we got a sense of how vast this great river is.
Oranjemund is a typical mining town, neat and tidy, with nice parks. There are grass verges on the side of the road and desert sand behind this.
We travelled on through the Sperrgebiet, through Auchas Pass. The road through the mountains meanders down to the banks of the Orange River at places, and takes us into the town of Rosh Pinah.
Our travels then took us to Aus, where we were fortunate to see the Wild Namib horses and the old station ruins.
The last stretch of today’s journey was a sandy stretch into Luderitz, passing the ghost town of Kohlmanskop.
We are staying in a lovely B&B on Shark Island, with stunning views of the sea.
At the end of Shark peninsula is a memorial to the Nama prisoners who lost their lives in the German concentration camp at this site, now a campsite and home to a lighthouse. I’m glad we are not camping there tonight as cold Atlantic gale force winds are pounding the end of Shark Island.
When in Luderitz oysters and seafood are compulsory. Dinner at the Portuguese Fisherman didn’t disappoint.
Pandas in Africa 