It was time to head up to the northern parts of Namibia and we were en route to Etosha, with two stop overs before we reached the national park. Our first stopover would be at the Brandberg White Lady Lodge and we left Swakopmund bright and early on day 05. We would be traveling via Henties Bay and the C34 and then off on the C35. The road was pretty uneventful and was gravel road all the way till we reached the lodge.
| Happy Campers BotsNam 2018 – Travel log Day 05 & 06 | |
| Place | Day 05 – Brandberg White Lady Lodge
Day 06 – Oppi-Koppi, Kamanjab |
| Type of lodging | Camping (both resorts also offers chalets) |
| Ablution | Yes, communal |
| Water at site | Yes |
| Powered | Brandberg – No
Oppi-Koppi – Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes, both available at the bar area only |
| Diesel | 90.71lt / R1200-10 |
| Kilometres travelled | 483 km |
We decided to do a short breakfast pit stop in Henties Bay and we found a nice spot with a killer view of the ocean where we made breakfast and had some coffee. Approximately 15 kms north of Swakopmund we came across the Zeila shipwreck which were a really great sighting. This is one of quite a few shipwrecks that can be seen along the Namibian coast line so keep these in mind next time you’re planning a trip to the Skeleton Coast.
We arrived at Brandberg White Lady Lodge mid-day and the check in process was quick and painless. We were told that we could select any camp sites and we set off to the camping area of the lodge. Their campsites are quite spacious with a few on the border of the river bed, which was dry during the time we camped there. There is no power on the camp site itself but you do have a tap that you can use for dishes and cleaning. They’ve got gorgeous open air ablutions with hot water and flush toilets. Unfortunately we did not see any of the famous Brandberg desert elephants during our stay but we did see some antelope and gorgeous birds during our self-drive game drive. We also did not do the walk into the mountains to see the famous White Lady rock painting as we were knackered after setting up camp and the mornings drive. Next time though …. Dinner was another casual braai with some salads and we went to bed listening to the night sounds of the mountains.
Next morning we set off to Kamanjab where we would stay at Oppi-Koppi. This lodge is a staple when it comes to hosting overlanders, and the shop in town is perfect to top up on some supplies before you head off towards Etosha or the deep northern areas of Namibia. It’s really a lovely camp site with nice clean ablutions that you share with the other campers. We were fortunate that the camp site was not filled to capacity so it was nice and quiet during our stay. We bought some fresh bread at the local grocer and topped up on some other stuff we needed. That evening after we had dinner we went to sit at the restaurant to wait for the famous Oppi-Koppi porcupines to come have dinner as well – every night the lodge puts out a spread of fruit and vegetable off cuts and they usually get quite a variety of nocturnal animals coming down to feast on the food. We were not disappointed as soon after we took our seats, we saw the first porcupine arrive to dinner. We stayed with them for almost an hour, marveling at how huge these animals are in real life; they don’t seem this big when you see them in pictures or on TV hey? After this spectacle we went to bed as we were planning to get onto the road to Etosha early in the morning. Little did we know that Google Maps had some interesting twists and turns for us the next day…..
Happy Campers SA 