FISH RIVER CANYON
When you enter Namibia from the south you have two options: Stick to the B1 highway and drive straight to your destination, or shift into holiday gear and take the scenic Fish River Canyon road (C37). Difficult choice?
MORNING
5.30 am: The Canyon Roadhouse, part of the Gondwana Collection, is a popular attraction in southern Namibia. There are lots of top-end places to stay in the area, but the Roadhouse is a more affordable option.
Even if you spent the whole of the previous day driving, you won’t regret getting up early for the Fish River Canyon. To get to the main viewpoint over the canyon, you need to drive 16 km along the C37 to the Hobas gate. From there it’s an 11 km drive to the lip of the canyon itself. The gate opens at 6 am and you want to be at the canyon when the sun rises.
Entrance costs around R70 per person and R20 per vehicle. GPS: S27.61899 E17.71510
6.15 am: The road to the canyon from the Hobas gate leads to a T-junction at the edge of the canyon, where you’ll find a relatively new information centre. Turn left and drive about a kilometre for a great view of Hell’s Bend – a scenic curve in the Fish River.
Get out your skottel and coffee pot, fry some eggs and sausage and watch the cliffs turn red then orange. After breakfast – and an obligatory photo session – you can browse the information centre.
8 am: Follow the same route back to the Canyon Roadhouse for coffee (and breakfast if you left your skottel at home). Take a look around the gift shop: There are cute T-shirts for sale, and stickers for your bakkie’s back window. You can also buy a hat or sarong if you forgot to pack one.
9.15 am: Turn left onto the C37 as you leave the Roadhouse, drive 16 km and turn left again onto the C12. About 8,3 km further you’ll drive through a dry riverbed – pull over.
Two German soldiers are buried next to the red railway bridge – a certain Rob Lietz and L Lichte – and there’s a limekiln across the road, one of about 30 remaining in Namibia and usually found close to a railway line. Limestone mined nearby would have been smelted in the kiln to make cement.
GPS: S27.40255 E17.94400
9.45 am: Back on the C12, head north for about 40 km and turn right onto the D545 to the Naute Dam. After 13 km there’s a lovely surprise: the Naute Kristall Cellar and
Distillery ( 00 264 81 358 9672). Craft gin is trendy at the moment. In the distillery’s tasting room, Katrin Weder greets me with a glass of NamGin, made with an infusion of devil’s claw root. Katrin and her husband Michael, former wine farmers from Omaruru, moved here about three years ago to start this new business on the banks of the dam. The dam provides irrigation for the surrounding vineyards, date plantations and prickly pear and pomegranate orchards, and the Weders use the fruit to make all kinds of wines and spirits. Taste their whole range – I bet you’ll leave with a bottle of Dandy date brandy!
10.30 am: A strong cup of coffee and a carrot muffin at the Naute Kristall coffee shop is not a bad idea before you hit the road… GPS: S26.93952 E17.93500
11 am: Carry on along the D545. At a drift in the Löwen River you’ll see the wall of the Naute Dam on the right. About 700 m further, at a statue of a soccer ball, turn right and go see how much water there is in the dam.
GPS: S26.92758 E17.93639
11.10am: Continue along the D545 for 17 km and turn left onto the B4 tar road. Drive another 12 km, then turn left and right again at the
Seeheim Hotel. Say hello to Ogies the tame gemsbok, and Omaruru the African grey parrot. Order a cold Coke in the bar.
AFTERNOON
Noon: Venison meatballs, kudu fillet, chicken stew… the lunch menu at the Seeheim Hotel will make your mouth water. Round off your meal with malva pudding or apple pie. (Book beforehand so the kitchen staff can be ready when you arrive 00 264 63 683 643.)
1 pm: After lunch, visit the furniture factory at the hotel – the chair you just sat on and the dining room table were made on site. Buy biltong at the bar for padkos.
1.30 pm: Back on the B4, drive 50 km west to the D462 turn-off. Take this road and drive 2 km to Alte
Kalköfen Lodge: your home for the night. The lodge has a campsite, selfcatering units and luxury bungalows.
2 pm: Unpack your bags, grab your swimming costume and have a dip in the pool. Owners Frikkie and Hilde Mouton can also show you their amazing collection of succulents. Have a look at the lithops through a magnifying glass. Fascinating!
3.30 pm: Have a nap – you’ve earned it! Then explore with your camera. The old filling station (the pumps stopped working in the 1930s) and another limekiln (the inspiration behind the name Alte Kalköfen) make for great subjects at sunset.
EVENING
6 pm: Sip a sundowner on the stoep of the lodge with a view of the Gurib River – it doesn’t get better than this. It’s almost time for dinner and Hilde and her kitchen staff are cooking up a storm. Prepare yourself for an appetiser, a main course with two types of red meat, chicken, vegetables and potatoes. And dessert, of course. ( Three-course dinner costs R240 per person.)
8.10 pm: Look, there’s something at the waterhole! The floodlights have been switched on and from the stoep you can see springbok, gemsbok and kudu coming for a drink. Watch them while you enjoy a nightcap or a coffee.
8.30 pm: It’s not bedtime yet because your bungalow is even closer to the waterhole. You can watch game until the lights are switched off at 3 am. What’s that? A bat-eared fox!