I boarded the expedition vehicle in Cape Town and just by looking at this marvel of machinery, I could already tell I was in for a fantastic voyage. The first stop was a tiny camp on the Orange River. An early morning rise and it is off on a canoe trip looking for water birds and fish eagles. This would be the last oasis we see for several days…
Crossing into Namibia, we began our long journey across the Namib Desert. It was evident immediately why Namibia is the second most sparsely populated country on earth. The expansive desert goes on for what seems like forever. In our 10 hour trek across the expanse, we only passed through two small villages and lunch was served to us in a dry river bed, in the middle of nowhere.
Our destination was Fish River Canyon, which before arriving I knew very little about. Once there it reminded me of a slightly smaller version of the Grand Canyon, only without the Tourists, hotels and shops. There was literally not a light bulb for a hundred kilometres in any direction. It was magnificent.
Our expedition crew had a special dinner planned for us under the stars, starting with a selection of wine and cheeses. I felt spoiled. On an expedition where I was supposed to be roughing it into the great wilderness, we were being pampered for a short time, next to a great gorge and a glorious night sky.