Information on reserving campsites in Kaokoland, Namibia

Greetings:

I am planning a self-drive 4x4 safari to South Africa, Botswana and
Namibia for 5 weeks beginning in the middle of July, 2004. We plan to
rent a vehicle in Johannesburg and drive to Botswana (Moremi, Chobe)
then to Namibia (Etosha, Kaokoland, Skeleton Coast, Sosssusvlei) then
to South Africa (for a quick visit to Kruger) before flying out of
J'burg. We have just about all of our camp reservations squared away
except for campsites in Kaokoland, Namibia. We would like to camp at
the Purros and/or Ongongo community campsites (near Sesfontein) for a
couple of nights during the first week of August as we make our way
from Etosha to Terrace Bay. NACOBTA has a website through which you
can presumably book these sites. When we contacted NACOBTA through
their website to make a reservation, the person who helped us didn't
seem to know of a way to make a reservation and told us that we can
just show up. She also commented that August is high season so it
might be full. Has anyone been to either of these campsites? Did you
have to reserve a site (and how did you do it?) or can you just show
up. Also, how long do you think it will take to drive from Etosha
(Okaukuejo camp) to Sesfontein?

Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

Thanks,

Mike

Hallo Mike,
Nice route you have planned. From Okaukuejo you must first drive down to
Outjo. Do your shopping there - they also have a few internet eateries. This
section should not take longer than 1,5 hours. From Outjo you go to
Kamandjab on a good tarred road. Fill your fuel at Kamandjab - this is
another 1,5 hours. Now you must drive via Grootberg down to Palmwag and then
on the Warm Quelle - they call it Ongongo nowadays. This is another 3 hours
drive but please take it slowly as this road is notorious for serious car
crashes. The last section from the little settlement at Warm Quelle to the
fountain is very had. They do not have a booking office and you should have
enough place to camp. I love this spot and has been there a many times -
always enough place to camp. The road from Sesfontein to Purros is very bad.
Remember that you must return to Sesfontein and Palmwag to go down to
Terrace. I am not aware that you can enter the Skeleton Coast directly from
Purros even though the maps shows a tract - I believe it is only used by
park officials. I usually leave from Etosha early the morning and try to be
at Kamanjab by lunch. The last section of the road is absolute magnificent
with wonderful vistas and usually lots of game along the road. Be sure to
have beer at the Sesfontein fort.
Greetings
Koos Greeff

AFRIKA SAFARIS
Specialist Safari Operator.
http://www.afrikasafaris.co.za
Tel/Fax: +27 (27) 2161 071

"msander" wrote in message
om...
Greetings:

I am planning a self-drive 4x4 safari to South Africa, Botswana and
Namibia for 5 weeks beginning in the middle of July, 2004. We plan to
rent a vehicle in Johannesburg and drive to Botswana (Moremi, Chobe)
then to Namibia (Etosha, Kaokoland, Skeleton Coast, Sosssusvlei) then
to South Africa (for a quick visit to Kruger) before flying out of
J'burg. We have just about all of our camp reservations squared away
except for campsites in Kaokoland, Namibia. We would like to camp at
the Purros and/or Ongongo community campsites (near Sesfontein) for a
couple of nights during the first week of August as we make our way
from Etosha to Terrace Bay. NACOBTA has a website through which you
can presumably book these sites. When we contacted NACOBTA through
their website to make a reservation, the person who helped us didn't
seem to know of a way to make a reservation and told us that we can
just show up. She also commented that August is high season so it
might be full. Has anyone been to either of these campsites? Did you
have to reserve a site (and how did you do it?) or can you just show
up. Also, how long do you think it will take to drive from Etosha
(Okaukuejo camp) to Sesfontein?

Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

Thanks,

Mike

Afrika Safaris - Koos Greeff wrote:
Remember that you must return to Sesfontein and Palmwag to go down to
Terrace. I am not aware that you can enter the Skeleton Coast directly from
Purros even though the maps shows a tract - I believe it is only used by
park officials.

As far as I recall Terrace can only be visited if booked in advance
during the holidays around Christmas. For the rest of the year it can
not be booked and not be used for camping. Even worse, you are not even
allowed to drive up there. And therefore you can not enter or leave
Skeleton Coast at that spot. You'll have to drive the way Koos indicated.

The area between Sesfontein and Purros is lovely. We spent a few days
driving through the dry river beds over there in search of the
elephants. Great memories. Unbelievable dust!

Regards,
Hans

==================================
Hans Martens

Wildlife & Nature Photography
http://www.wildpicture.com
==================================

"Afrika Safaris - Koos Greeff" wrote in message ...
Hallo Mike,
Nice route you have planned. From Okaukuejo you must first drive down to
Outjo. Do your shopping there - they also have a few internet eateries. This
section should not take longer than 1,5 hours. From Outjo you go to
Kamandjab on a good tarred road. Fill your fuel at Kamandjab - this is
another 1,5 hours. Now you must drive via Grootberg down to Palmwag and then
on the Warm Quelle - they call it Ongongo nowadays. This is another 3 hours
drive but please take it slowly as this road is notorious for serious car
crashes. The last section from the little settlement at Warm Quelle to the
fountain is very had. They do not have a booking office and you should have
enough place to camp. I love this spot and has been there a many times -
always enough place to camp.

Thanks for the information, Koos. Right now, I only have a
1:2,125,000 scale map of Namibia. As for the route from Kamanjab to
Sesfontein, is it possible/advisable to head north from Kamanjab (on
C35?) and then take a track west (near Weisbrunn) rather directly to
Sesfontein. My map shows this track. Is this track driveable? I
assume not, since you mentioned that I needed to go through Palmwag
from Kamanjab to get to Sesfontein; but I just wanted to make sure.


The road from Sesfontein to Purros is very bad.

How long do you think it will take to drive from Sesfontein to Purros?
I am trying to determine whether I can make it from Etosha to Purros
in one day before nightfall. I'm beginning to think that it is
unlikely.

Remember that you must return to Sesfontein and Palmwag to go down to
Terrace.

Thanks for the advice. That was my plan.

Be sure to have beer at the Sesfontein fort.

Now that's a request I can certainly comply with!

Thanks again.

--Mike Sanderson

Hans Martens wrote in message . nl...

As far as I recall Terrace can only be visited if booked in advance
during the holidays around Christmas. For the rest of the year it can
not be booked and not be used for camping. Even worse, you are not even
allowed to drive up there. And therefore you can not enter or leave
Skeleton Coast at that spot. You'll have to drive the way Koos indicated.

Thanks for the information, Hans. I was able to reserve a bungalow in
Terrace Bay in advance via e-mail/fax through Namibia Wildlife
Resorts, Central Office in Windhoek. As far as I can tell, no camping
is available in Terrace Bay. You may be thinking of Torra Bay to the
south, which has campsites but are open only in December and January.


The area between Sesfontein and Purros is lovely. We spent a few days
driving through the dry river beds over there in search of the
elephants. Great memories. Unbelievable dust!

We are very excited to visit this area.

Also, Hans, I see that you are a photographer. Your website is great
and is extremely helpful. I love the photo of the hyena with the
elephant foot! I have been trying to decide which lens to use with my
Nikon F100 body. I am debating between the 80-400VR and the new
70-200VR (with 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters). I have pretty much
ruled out the 300mm f/4 because most reiews I've read indicate that
the 70-200VR with a 1.4x teleconverter performs as well as the 300mm
f/4 plus it has the advantage of VR, which would certainly be helpful
when taking photos through the window of my vehicle. As for the
80-400 VR, the disadvantages that I see is that it is a slower lens
than the 70-200 (obviously this isn't te case when the 70-200 is used
with teleconverters) and focuses more slowly (although I am not sure
that this is a big deal when shooting large mammals). Do you think
that the lens is too slow to use during the early morning and late
afternoon? I will most likely be shooting Fuji Provia 100F slide film
(which doesn't seem to mind being pushed one stop) and some Fuji
Velvia(50). The main advantage I see with the 80-400VR is being able
to zoom all the way from 80mm to 400mm without fumbling with
teleconverters. The main advantage of the 70-200 is that it is a fast
2.8 lens and supposedly performs well with teleconverters. Its main
disadvantage is that its zoom range is more limited than than the
80-400 and would require fumbing with teleconverters. Do you think
that being able to zoom from 80-400 without changing lenses is useful
in the places that I will be visiting?

I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on the matter. Thank you.

--Mike Sanderson

Morning Mike,

The road north from Kamandjab going to Ruacana is good. You can turn off
there and go down the river valley. It is the so-called "Schlug" (I am
unsure of the German spelling) This is favourite 4x4 route and perhaps you
must try and find people along the way to join you. It can be done on your
own but it is a tough route and it is better to be two vehicles. I would
never consider doing the Etosha - Purros in one go - you will be missing
some of the most spectacular scenery in Southern Africa. I is also far and
the roads are bad.
Greetings

"msander" wrote in message
om...
"Afrika Safaris - Koos Greeff" wrote in message
...
Hallo Mike,
Nice route you have planned. From Okaukuejo you must first drive down to
Outjo. Do your shopping there - they also have a few internet eateries.
This
section should not take longer than 1,5 hours. From Outjo you go to
Kamandjab on a good tarred road. Fill your fuel at Kamandjab - this is
another 1,5 hours. Now you must drive via Grootberg down to Palmwag and
then
on the Warm Quelle - they call it Ongongo nowadays. This is another 3
hours
drive but please take it slowly as this road is notorious for serious
car
crashes. The last section from the little settlement at Warm Quelle to
the
fountain is very had. They do not have a booking office and you should
have
enough place to camp. I love this spot and has been there a many times -
always enough place to camp.

Thanks for the information, Koos. Right now, I only have a
1:2,125,000 scale map of Namibia. As for the route from Kamanjab to
Sesfontein, is it possible/advisable to head north from Kamanjab (on
C35?) and then take a track west (near Weisbrunn) rather directly to
Sesfontein. My map shows this track. Is this track driveable? I
assume not, since you mentioned that I needed to go through Palmwag
from Kamanjab to get to Sesfontein; but I just wanted to make sure.


The road from Sesfontein to Purros is very bad.

How long do you think it will take to drive from Sesfontein to Purros?
I am trying to determine whether I can make it from Etosha to Purros
in one day before nightfall. I'm beginning to think that it is
unlikely.

Remember that you must return to Sesfontein and Palmwag to go down to
Terrace.

Thanks for the advice. That was my plan.

Be sure to have beer at the Sesfontein fort.

Now that's a request I can certainly comply with!

Thanks again.

--Mike Sanderson

Also, Hans, I see that you are a photographer. Your website is great
and is extremely helpful. I love the photo of the hyena with the
elephant foot! I have been trying to decide which lens to use with my
Nikon F100 body. I am debating between the 80-400VR and the new
70-200VR (with 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters). I have pretty much
ruled out the 300mm f/4 because most reiews I've read indicate that
the 70-200VR with a 1.4x teleconverter performs as well as the 300mm
f/4 plus it has the advantage of VR, which would certainly be helpful
when taking photos through the window of my vehicle. As for the
80-400 VR, the disadvantages that I see is that it is a slower lens
than the 70-200 (obviously this isn't te case when the 70-200 is used
with teleconverters) and focuses more slowly (although I am not sure
that this is a big deal when shooting large mammals). Do you think
that the lens is too slow to use during the early morning and late
afternoon? I will most likely be shooting Fuji Provia 100F slide film
(which doesn't seem to mind being pushed one stop) and some Fuji
Velvia(50). The main advantage I see with the 80-400VR is being able
to zoom all the way from 80mm to 400mm without fumbling with
teleconverters. The main advantage of the 70-200 is that it is a fast
2.8 lens and supposedly performs well with teleconverters. Its main
disadvantage is that its zoom range is more limited than than the
80-400 and would require fumbing with teleconverters. Do you think
that being able to zoom from 80-400 without changing lenses is useful
in the places that I will be visiting?
I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on the matter. Thank you.

Hi Mark,

first I should say that I have no personal experience with Nikon
equipment as I only use Canon. A friend of me however has the
70-200/2.8VR lens and he frequently uses it with both 1.4x and 2x
converters. The results are astonishing, very good quality.

Personally I would choose for this option rather than the 80-400VR lens,
specially if you intend to use the lens a lot on other occaissions. If
you are only shooting wildlife in Africa, than the 80-400 may be the
right thing. But as you already mentioned the AF of the 80-400 is
"slow". It is not an AFS lens. The 80-400 is also big, bulky and heavy.
Not too much of a problem when using it in a car in Africa. But if you
intend to used it too "at home" for things like portraits, then it will
be too big and heavy. That is where the 70-200 is much more versatile.

The only thing with the 70-200 is that you may have to fumble a bit with
converters. Maybe you will just leave the converter on it in Africa.
Just be careful about the dust in Africa, specially some places in
Namibia when changing lenses.

Conclusion: if it is just for this trip, the 80-400 might be the best
choice, maybe even with an 1.4x converter. If you'll be using this lens
a lot after the trip, the 70-200 will be a much better choice. And with
converters the 70-200 performs very well. Just be carefull with the dust.

Regards,
Hans


==================================
Hans Martens

Wildlife & Nature Photography
http://www.wildpicture.com
==================================

first I should say that I have no personal experience with Nikon
equipment as I only use Canon. A friend of me however has the
70-200/2.8VR lens and he frequently uses it with both 1.4x and 2x
converters. The results are astonishing, very good quality.

Personally I would choose for this option rather than the 80-400VR lens,
specially if you intend to use the lens a lot on other occaissions. If
you are only shooting wildlife in Africa, than the 80-400 may be the
right thing. But as you already mentioned the AF of the 80-400 is
"slow". It is not an AFS lens. The 80-400 is also big, bulky and heavy.
Not too much of a problem when using it in a car in Africa. But if you
intend to used it too "at home" for things like portraits, then it will
be too big and heavy. That is where the 70-200 is much more versatile.

The only thing with the 70-200 is that you may have to fumble a bit with
converters. Maybe you will just leave the converter on it in Africa.
Just be careful about the dust in Africa, specially some places in
Namibia when changing lenses.

Conclusion: if it is just for this trip, the 80-400 might be the best
choice, maybe even with an 1.4x converter. If you'll be using this lens
a lot after the trip, the 70-200 will be a much better choice. And with
converters the 70-200 performs very well. Just be carefull with the dust.

Regards,
Hans

Thanks for the input, Hans. The 70-200 is certainly a nice lens and
BIG. Almost as heavy as the 80-400 and a tad longer! I'm sure glad
Nikon finally started making VR lenses, even at the cost of "backwards
capability" with older bodies. Right now, I'm leaning toward the
80-400, which I might try to pick up used and sell after the trip (if
it's not full of sand!). Having the 80-400 zoom in one package may
allow to to capture a few more pics. I'll post a trip report when I
get back. Thanks, again.

Mike

"Afrika Safaris - Koos Greeff" wrote in message ...
Morning Mike,

The road north from Kamandjab going to Ruacana is good. You can turn off
there and go down the river valley. It is the so-called "Schlug" (I am
unsure of the German spelling) This is favourite 4x4 route and perhaps you
must try and find people along the way to join you. It can be done on your
own but it is a tough route and it is better to be two vehicles. I would
never consider doing the Etosha - Purros in one go - you will be missing
some of the most spectacular scenery in Southern Africa. I is also far and
the roads are bad.
Greetings


Thanks for the info. We will probably go the Palmwag route and spend
the night in/near Sesfontein, rather than trying to make it all the
way to Purros in one push.

Mike

Hi Mike,

Between Etosha in the Southeast and Sesfontein, Ongongo in Northern
Damaraland is the Vetenary Fence or Cordon known as the Red Line.
There are only three gates, the main ones are on the Ruacana Road near
Hobatere and the Bersig/Sesfontein road at Palmwag.

So I guess you are refering to the other one via Kamdescha Gate. As
Koos says, it is a lovely route but very lonesome, maybe two vehicles
a day. It also passes through a series of rough dry river crossings
called the dust holes.

The dust is very thick and soft, at one spot I put one foot in nearly
up to my knee when checking the going.

This is the slowest route but it does take you through the Khowarib
Shlucht (Gorge) which is lovely.

There is a CBT campsite at Khowarib as well as at Ongongo (behind
Warmquelle Village), so I think you will find somewhere to stay.

=======

On a good day the drive from Palmwag to Sesfontein can reward you with
Giraffe, Elephants and small herds of Springbok so take it easy and
keep a look out.

The drive from Warmquelle to Sesfontein is lovely with many big trees
hiding bok and birds and again a chance of elephant, look out for
fresh spoor on the road.

The road from Sesfontein to Purros as it climbs up the pass on the way
to the Giribesvlakte is always rough at best but unless there are
washouts in the pass it is not a technical route.

You could consider a drive down the Hoanib west of Sesfontein if you
have time. You need a permit which you can get at the fort or at Dubis
Gate (near Elephant Song Campsite). The sand can be very heavy (deep
and soft) but it is easiest early in the morning while it is still
cool and hard. If you have room you should take a local guide, ask in
Sesfontein village or at the Fort; elephants can be surprisingly hard
to spot in the River and it is best to see them before you get too
close. By the way, too close is anything much less than 100m, these
are real elephants living in the wild and can show a lot of attitude
if you upset them if you are careful you will hardly disturb them at
all. If you do drive down the Hoanib ask for the track that bypasses
the thick dust near Sesfontein.

I hope that you like Damaraland it is superb. The game numbers are
good these days and the setting is very different to Etosha which as
you might expect is pretty flat.

Best Wishes

Alex