Namib Desert

22 MAY 2023

This morning we woke again to clear and sunny skies. We headed out west on the B4 road linking Keetmanshoop with the coastal port of Luderitz. The landscape to the south was of boulder and sand coloured piles of rock, part of the Sperrgebiet National Park.

This west to east route is part of the well maintained infrastructure of Namibia. The road was in very good condition, the railroad and powerlines ran parallel and trucks carrying minerals plied the way to the port and back.

Kolmannskuppe

We stopped a few kms outside of Luderitz, to visit the ghost town of Kolmannskuppe. Named after early Afrikaner trekker Jani Kolman, whose ox wagon became bogged in the sand here, the settlement was originally constructed as the Consolidated Diamond Mines headquarters.

We were guided around the remaining buildings of this town, and provided with information and a perspective which gave one side to a fascinating part of Namibia's history. Our tour led us through the hall where the church, concerts, canteen, cocktail lounge, smoking rooms and casino had once been. We were then shown the bowling alley, the prominent houses on the hill, the married couples quarters, the shop and the taxi service enabling the wives to get their provisions delivered to their front doors - daily ice, lemonade and sausages. There was a fully equipped butchers and bakers shop with a sophisticated ice making machine. On the hillside was the swimming pool and below the hospital for 250 patients and a school. All once serving the diamond mine owners and their key personnel. Life was affluent and reminiscent of back home in Germany, for these residents. A view which was shared with the tourists attending the tour; mostly who were German and South African.

What was missing was the information about the Namibian and South African workers; 800+ of who lived in the buildings in the valley, served by their own shop, medical clinic and quarantine arrangements. These workers were on 2 year contracts and could not leave during this time. Their lives were totally different to those of the people on the hill....

The slump in diamond sales after WW1 and the discovery of richer pickings at Oranjemund ended the heyday. By 1956, the town was totally deserted and left to the mercy of the shifting desert sands.

Luderitz

Driving on to Luderitz, we stopped by the Felsenkirche in town and had a quick look around. This town felt as if it was stuck in a time warp; reminiscent of a small Bavarian town it has the church, café and bakeries with some remaining houses of Germanic architecture. The port is active, exporting minerals and oil. Andrew and Karen went rock pooling and discovered a nudibranch - perhaps an indicator of the proximity of the blending of the Atlantic and Indian oceans further south.

Diaz Point

On the rocky coastline, we visited Diaz Point with its lighthouse and a relic of the cross erected in July 1488 by the Portuguese navigator artolomeu Dias on his return from the Cape of Good Hope. From this point, we were able to see seals and dolphins. Further round the bay, there were flamingos, dolphins and sea bird - a magical wildlife combination.

Further south, was an island with some buildings on it. We were told this was were 3000+ Nama men were left to die without water and food by the German colonials. An attempt to take their land and conquer this area.

Wild horses

On the way back to Aus, we stopped to observe a group of wild horses roaming free in the Namib-Nauklft desert. They seemed thin and unafraid to come close. Seemingly these horses are the decedents of abandoned ones from the past; possibly left by relocating farmers. They have adapted to survive in the desert with little water and food.