2023 Southern Nam Tour

[Mad Manny]

A group of us left for a trip of Southern Namibia on Friday 21 April 2023.

Background:
After a successful 2022 Bots trip a few of the guys decided to do Southern Nam this year.
Andreas worked out on a stunning itinerary & planning started.

Although this was not a 4x4 Action Group trip & we did not open it to members we did consider members who could possibly join.
Wary of the reasons given by many Club members for why the are not attending Club events we were mindful to only approach those who met certain criteria.
Is the person likely to be available?
Are they active on Forum & Club?
Do they have the right vehicle?
Are they interested in over landing?
Etc.
Note: from the outset we agreed to try restrict to a maximum of 5 to 7 vehicles. (in fact, I personally wanted no more than five).
A few members were invited, some accepted, others could not make it.
With people pulling out & others being invited etc. we landed up with eight vehicles!
I then decided to travel with Sueanne to share costs & reduce the number to seven.

One requirement was that all drivers must be Club members & have ORRA Registered radios.

Two of the participants therefore had to join & go through the ORRA & Radio buying process.

The final seven were:
1. Andreas + Wife in their Patrol towing
2. Wessie + Zanie in the FJ
3. Manny & Sueanne in the Disco towing
4. Bugger & Renay in a V10 Toerag towing
5. Frips + Karin in his LC79V6
6. Tony + Zarnie in a GD^ Fortuner towing
7. Henry & Suzanne in a LC200 towing

Right, with that out the way, the trip...

[Mad Manny]

Nam 2023 Trip Report
Sueanne & I hitched up Gearless & headed out on Friday morning, we hauled through Sh!thole after Sh!thole along the N14 (Sanniehof being the biggest Sh!thole) to Kathu where we stayed with Grips.

The next day Saturday 22nd) we all met up at Khamkirrie Camp site outside Kakamas. Quiet nice.

An early start on Sunday to get through the border & to Canyon Roadhouse at the Fish River Canyon.

Canyon Roadhouse for one night, we saw the great Fish River Canyon.
We had a good evening session in the Canypn Roadhouse pub.
Lots of Jaegermiesters were consumed. Lots.

Then off to the Quiver Tree Forest Rest Camp to see the Quiver Tree forest & the Giant's playground.
One night.
Also saw the Cheetahs they were breeding.
Nice stop, but the owners care little for campers & the campsite.

Then to Aus, stayed at the Klien Aus Vista Desert Horse Campsite.
Two nights.
Nice lunch in Aus, found out about an interesting recent train wreck.
We saw the desert horses, went to the Ghost town of Kolmanskop - very interesting.
Discovered some in our group believe in Ghosts, whilst the rest are reasonable.
We then saw Grosse Bucht, Shark Island, I walked up to Diaz Point with Henry & Suzanne, great views.
Luderitz for a nice lunch (the group split & went to different restaurants - inadvertently).
A few good laughs at lunch.
In fact, the entire trip was characterized by great laughs & Jaegermiester (often together, but sometimes just the one or the other).

Then on the 27th we headed to Soussevlei, Sesriem NWR Campsite.
En Route we stopped in at Duwisib Castle - which is closed and falling into disrepair.
The Castle was built by a high ranking German officer for his wealthy American wife, however shortly after completion he was called to service in WWI & was killed in France.
She left & never returned.

En Route I picked up a puncture (nail & a screw), in my trailer ruining my tyre.

Sesreim, you camp on sand because you are in a desert.
Next morning we were up early to go see the sunrise over Dune45.
Unfortunately, in the rush, we followed the convoy past Dune45 & landed up climbing Mighty Man dune instead (well Wessie & Henry did).
But we were right at Deadvliei valley with it's 'petrified' acacia trees - it was stunning there.
We stopped at Dune45 on the way back.

On Saturday 29 April, a week into our trip, we headed to Swakopmund.
The roads here were rough,
En route a stone hit the trailer & shattered the Disco's rear window,
We stopped at Solitaire for Apfelstrudel & taped the window to prevent it from collapsing.

From Solitaire to Swakop is an interesting drive. The roads only improve as you near Walvis Bay.
I'll expand on this later.

Finally Swakop, here we stayed for 4 nights.

I'll expand more on Swakop later...

[Mad Manny]

After stopping in Walvis we headed to Swakop, the 'Marginal' hasa road lines with palms that neverseem to end.

Finally wegot to the Alte Brucke Holiday Resort.
Thiswas Glamping, in fact, the Glampers were all around us, Mobi Lodges etc.
For the first time we camped on lush green lawn with private ablutions.
A welcome respite from the dirt & dust & ablutions 20m 30 or even 80m away...

Wedroive to Henties, none of us knew why. When we got there we still didn't know why anyone goes - other than fishermen.
We had lunch in Henties.

Swakop was morecivilised, eating in Restaurants rather than bush braai'ing.
We went to BrauHau.
We met up with Disco Nic (Lissie) a few times - it was great seeing him.
His Wuhan Warrior P Series is very nice.
Rico4e (Willem) popped in for a braai one night.
He arrived in the Curry Cruiser.
Also great to see him.

But the highlight for most was the Sandwich Harbour drive.
We went with Magic Tours (You need to use guides - at least for your first time - due to the tides).
We met our guides, paid & headed out, stopped to deflate & then drove down the coast towards Walvis, we went at low tides, you can't get through when the tide comes in.
With the waves lapping our tyres we got to the dunes.
Here the guys had huge fun.
I drove with Wessie for part of it (*more on this later) the FJ must be closest to the perfect vehicle for dune driving.

We then headed back saw a Strandwolf & also Springbokke on the beach.
On the way back we went past the Salt Mines.
Very interesting.
I recently read, in a recipe book, that Himalayan Salt is healthier than Sea salt.
Imagine my surprise to learn Cerebos makes Table & Himalayan salt right there, in Swakop, by the sea....

[Johannes]

Nice Manny. For once you drove in style. Pity about the rear window .

[Rechardt]

Thanks for the invite....

[Johannes]

Rechardt , live with it.

[Mad Manny]

Car Trouble:
1. Buggers V10 ToeRag
Bugger's air suspension (The dumbest thing manufacturers have ever put in vehicles) gave up.
Possibly a combination of age, the weight of the stuff in his drawer system & the stuff on his new roof rack, combined with towing a trailer on poor road surfaces - I guess.
So he left NWR Sesriem a day early & headed to Windhoek (WHK), he had, through the ToeRag WhatsApp group, tracked down a competent ToeRag specialist.
He left the vehicle there after deciding, with the mechanic, on a 3 step solution (Hint: Solution 2 got him home).
He then borrowed a Golf & drove the 380km to join us in Swakop.
As he had to leave his Trailer in WHK, bugger took a chalet.

He then left for WHK on our last day to go collect his ToeRag & get all his stuff together.
From WHK we travelled together.

2. The Disco
Apart from the rear window being shattered (incidentally the Disco stone blasted the trailer, the stylish mini mud flaps don't give Gearless the same stone protection that the mud flaps on Fearless provide - something I never considered).
We picked up a 'Low Coolant Warning" in Kakamas, we added a liter of water & all was good.
But later the warning returned.
As the levels looked OK we decided it may be the overly pedantic warning systems these vehicles have.
But 2000km later we were noticing fluid loss & became concerned.
In Swakop we added 2.5L of distilled water.

Finally, on the Sandwich harbour trip, Bugger was driving in the Disco with us (He had the Golf, remember?).
Sueanne & Bugger were giving me stick about how Toyota drivers think they are superior when their vehicles are no better.
The normal moaning that drivers of lesser brands give those insightful enough to buy Jap.

Anyhoo, we stormed up one steep dune, the Disco doing very well.
I got out & saw steam escaping from under the bonnet, I said 'The Disco has overheated" & was reprimanded with a stern "No! it has not!".
Realising that failure was imminent I went to Wessie & asked if I could drive with him.

We all set off & the next dune was even bigger & steeper, we all got to the top & all hell broke loose!
Clouds of steam billowing from under the Disco's bonnet.
After the Toyota speech & the overheating reprimand I decided to keep far away.

A Toyota D-4D towed the Disco back with a very competent Bugger commanding the Disco.

It turned out to be the water pump housing, the local LR Indie ordered one & we were able to leave Swakop on schedule.
So it all ended OK.

3. The Patrol
The Japs also had a failure. A fuse for the back lights blew. We replaced it. The end.

[Mad Manny]

Departures:
From the outset Wessie had said he needed to get back a few days earlier, so he left from Swakop.

Christo's son asked if dad (they work together) could come back a day earlier so he could go on Honeymoon.
He had got married two weeks earlier but delayed his honeymoon so dad could do the Nam trip.
But flight bookings meant he couldn't hold the fort. So Christo then left.

Andreas wanted to stick around until the Disco was sorted, but I assured him we would be OK.
I arranged with Lissie to ferry us to the LR Indie once the Disco was ready.
So, as Andreas had to go all the way back to Ariamsvlei border, he left.

The rest (Tony, Henry & Bugger) headed to WHK as per the original plan.

Sueanne & I walked to the CBD & had breakfast, Lissie picked us up & took us to collect the Disco.
It had just come out the wash when we arrived, she paid & we headed back to Alte Brucke to load up, hitch up & get to WHK.
Ideally, the latest we could leave Swakop was no later than 14:15, according to my calculations, we finally got going at 14:30, not ideal, but at least we were on our way...

Everyone was now en route home.

[Mad Manny]

Photos:
The Ekhurlenians lined up & not knowing where to go...




fish River Canyon

[Mad Manny]

More photos...

The Pub at Canyon Roadhouse


Giant's Playground


A bridge


A Quiver Tree


Kolmanskop

[Ricof4e]

It has been a decade since I last saw Manny.

Hopefully it will be another decade before I have to see him again.

It was good to meet Grips, Andreas, Wessel the Lessew & Co.

[Bugjuic]

Nice trip and photos! Mind placing a map of the route traveled?
And places you visited that you wouldn't visit again, or others you wished you went to visit?

My next trip will be southern Namib and inputs will be appreciated.

[Mike Nel]

It has been a decade since I last saw Manny.

Hopefully it will be another decade before I have to see him again.

It was good to meet Grips, Andreas, Wessel the Lessew & Co.

Hopefully it will be another decade before I have to see him again.----This is Gold

[LesseW]

Was a great trip! Had a lot of fun and laughter!

Thanks for the write up Manny

[Mad Manny]

It has been a decade since I last saw Manny.

Hopefully it will be another decade before I have to see him again.

It was good to meet Grips, Andreas, Wessel the Lessew & Co.

Willem, Walk Sew - But in Afrikaans...