Namibia chapter two
Keetmanshoop to Fish River Canyon.
Once again I am up before the dawn. The drive to Fish River Lodge is a little over two and a half hours long and I hope to arrive around lunch.
Half of the way is along the sealed B4 highway. The other half veers off onto the gravel D463. The last bit are on a mix of dirt roads and paved gravel. The lodge sends specific road directions, including recommended routes and routes to avoid. One road leads down on the opposite side of the canyon. With no roads available to cross the canyon, it’d be a long day’s drive to backtrack and find the correct road south.
After breakfast I pack up the car and bid Johannes farewell. I pull out of the lot and drive across town to the B4. The sun is up and the light rakes across the road. I turn right onto the B4; soon Keetmanshoop fades the rearview.
The gravel road proves smooth and graded. With few landmarks on the horizon I feel like only sky lies above us. I lower my speed and open the windows to let the fresh air in as I cruise down the road. I see no one for almost an hour. In total I see maybe three or four cars coming the other way, leaving the canyon lodge. At one point, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, there’s a railroad crossing. Signs bid me to stop, and I do. The tracks run as far as the eye can see. There are no trains.
Past the tracks I spot a small herd of springbok near a fence by the side of the road, but when I slow to take a photo they spook and run away.
A mountain and tree appear and I stop to take them in. My eye naturally gravitates towards them after gazing at such flat landscapes for so long.
I approach the entrance to the Canyon Nature Park. Beyond that, I let myself in through a metal gate, careful to replace it before moving on.
Past the gate I pass a few small mountains that look as if they had been eroded to appear from out of the ground. I drive through a narrow twisted area by an empty river and past a small set of buildings. Signs indicate the road to take to the lodge.
At one point I cross an airstrip and know that I am near. When I pause to take a photo of a quiver tree by the side of the road I can see a row of boxes on the horizon. I am near.
The Fish River Lodge is stunning. Approaching Fish River Canyon is like approaching the Grand Canyon. You don’t see anything until you’re upon it. Perched on the edge of the canyon, the lodge masks the view beyond it; the canyon is revealed as you enter the main building through floor to ceiling windows that stretch the length of the structure. It’s like the gorilla reveal at the Bronx Zoo in New York City. You’re watching a video and then the screen lifts, the curtains part, and you’re face to face with the gorilla habitat that’s been just beyond you the entire time.
Tuya greets me and shows me to my cabin. All of the cabins stretch along the rim with views over and down towards the river. She shows me a pack of earplugs sitting in a glass container. For the wind, she tells me. At night it can howl.
She tells me that there’s a sundowner drive I can book that evening. It leaves at 17h and returns a few hours later. I’ve already booked the all-day driving tour of the canyon for the next day, which leaves at 0730; breakfast is at 0630. She tells me that lunch is served from 12 hto 14h (which is á la carte and extra). Tea time is from 14h to 17h. Finally, she tells me there’s a rim walk that leads from the lodge to a view point just beyond the ridge we can see. It take about 45 minutes each way. She tells me to notify them if I do the walk so that the staff is aware of where the guests are.
I book the sundowner drive and check the time. I think I can make the walk and make it back for lunch with half an hour to spare. I notify Tuya of my plan and head to my cabin to change into my hiking shoes.
It’s hot under the sun and I kind of wish I had asked for a sandwich or something to have brought along with me. Thinking about it now, eating lunch at the viewpoint would have been a nice way to spend my afternoon. But it’s too late for that and so I push on.
At one point I turn back to see how far I’ve walked. The lodge and its line of cabins dot the rim like crenellation on top of castle walls.
I reach the view point in 25 minutes. It’s an awesome view. Nothing can quite capture the expanse laid out before me. The full canyon measures 27 kilometers across, 160 kilometers long. and 550 meters deep (at its deepest). It’s been cut out by the longest river in Namibia (The Fish River), which floods in the summer but consists of a chain of narrow pools outside of the wet season. At the view point my eyes are full with it.
The way back follows the same path and I make good time knowing the route. I pause to admire rocks and little details I glossed over on the way to the viewpoint. At one point I catch some movement out of the corner of my eye and see a small black animal rooting in the brush. It seems unpreturbed by my presence, but I keep my distance. Later, Justice will tell me it’s a drawf mongoose. It’s the only animal I’ll see in the canyon outside of birds and small fish.
Back at the lodge I change into my swim trunks before heading to the main building. I order a salad for lunch, but ask the waiter to hold it for a bit while I swim. Tuya sees me and asks me if I ran. It’s a 25 min walk, no? I ask. Forty-five minutes, she says. You ran! I smile and tell her I’m off to take a dip in the pool.
The water is freezing! I manage a lap and a half before I have to pull myself out of the water. The waiter asks me how it was. Cold! So cold! Yes, he tells me. It’s usually very cold this time of year. He then asks if I’d like to have lunch outside. It’s an option? Yes, he tells me. I beam with excitement and choose a shaded table with views of the pool and the canyon. The salad is delicious, and exactly what I needed.
A Belgian couple has arrived and he introduces himself. I mention that I’ll be in Brussels after my trip to Africa and he asks if I’d like to have a drink later. I mention I’ll be taking the sundowner drive and he tells me they will be as well. It’s a date.
After lunch I retire to a couch in a shaded area to read. I soon fall asleep, a warm breeze rakes over me.
I wake in time to repair to my room and prepare for the sundowner drive. A lizard has taken residence in my absence, scurrying away when I reveal its hiding place behind a curtain.
Justice introduces himself as our driver and guide. Alain and Lucy climb into the truck as does another guest who bades his partner goodbye. She doesn’t seem interested in the drive.
Along the way, Justice points out a quiver tree with a large nest in its branches. He tells us it is a social weaver nest. He tells us there could be 100 birds living in it.
He drives us to a beautiful viewpoint. Alain can’t contain his excitement. It’s a spectacular view. Justice points out where we’ll be headed tomorrow; we’re all taking the full day tour into the canyon (the left-behind partner included).
Justice encourages us to continue onwards. He has another spot in mind for our sundowners and wants to get there in time to see the sunset. We climb back into the vehicle and drive a bit further on to a spot where a table has been set up. I help Justice lay out a tablecloth and leave him to unpack the cooler. The sun is low, and I set out to explore the area.
The sun continues its inexorable descent and Lucy and I wander off to photograph it and its effects on the landscape. We can’t help but take advantage of a lone quiver tree that grows near the site.
Justice makes gin and tonics for Alain, Lucy, and me. The first drink he makes strong and Lucy asks him for a single shot of gin, handing me the stronger drink. We toast each other and sip our sundowners. We ask Justice about hikes through the canyon. He had shown us one access point nearby with a very steep descent. A chain helps hikers with their climb.
He tells us a story about hikers who have been lost in the canyon and rescue missions he’s been on. He tells us that the lodge personnel have very effective radios. They’re better equipped than even the local police. He tells us the last time there was a search party one of the lodge personnel found the hiker but it wasn’t possible to tell the police. The police spent an extra day in the canyon searching before emerging to discover the hiker had already been found.
We linger after sunset to enjoy the colors at dusk. The moon brightens.
Back at the lodge Alain invites me to join them for a late dinner. I tell them I’m exhausted having slept little the past few nights, but suggest we dine after our canyon drive the next date. I tell them I hope to be in bed by 2030. I sit down to dinner and am finished by the time they are seated.
Back in my cabin I get ready for bed, but the landscape under the stars, bathed in moonlight, is too much to resist. I sit on my deck to gaze at the scene. A meteorite streaks across the sky, burning a long, slow tail as it’s consumed by the atmosphere. 🇳🇦
17 May 2024
