The drive to Spitzkoppe was another outback spectacle. Passing more Himba villages with yelling children, waving stuff at us they want us to buy and bored looking half clad Himba ladies sitting on the dusty ground next to their wooden artwork and dyed textiles, we arrived to the gate of the Spitzkoppe Lodge property. Spitzkoppe, a German word meaning pointed dome, is also nicknamed the Matterhorn of Namibia. It is a group of bald granite peaks located app. 120km inland from the Atlantic coast at the northern end of the Namib desert. The granite is more than 120 million years old and the highest peak, called Grosse Spitzkoppe rises about 1728 m above sea level. The peaks stand out dramatically from the flat surrounding plains. The Kleine (little) Spitzkoppe lies nearby at 1584 m. Surrounded by other boulders and peaks known as the Pontok Mountains, the area with its strongly reddish sand and rocks gives the impression one landed on Mars. Many examples of Bushmen artwork can be seen here, painted on the rock and in caves. The Spitzkoppe mountains were also the filming location in a 2001 production of A Space Odyssey in the Dawn of Man. First occupied by
the German Imperial Schutztruppe in 1896 and used as a trading post, this 120000 hectare farm was subsequently managed by the German Colonial Society. During South African occupation it became the homeland for the Damara tribe. In 2003 in was turned into a nature conservancy with the subsequent development of a Lodge and Camping site.
We are by Ana, a pretty young Namibian black lady. She is very tall for a local African, suggesting she must be from a different tribe than the majority of Africans we met here. Of course Nenad curious as he is, asked her, and of course she told him, but Nenad forgot !!! In the 15 cabin with a gorgeous main building and pool, we were again the only guests. Later that day we met the owner. It turned out he is of German origin (his grandfather came in 1921), but born in Namibia and is a Namibian citizen. He also owns a very large farm at the border to Botswana, which he handed over to his son for the day to day. Speaking in very eloquent German, he explained Nenad the 14 years of development it took to get this
up and running. Especially getting the land right and concession was a very political and emotional process. Whilst in previous years the Lodge was fully booked 8 out of 12 months, 2020 has been one big struggle.
We settled into our bungalow, which looks like heaven; with a real shower, toilette and a real bed !!!!! We are desperately in need for a shower and Nenad for a shave and washing clothes was a must. Only now we realised how tired we are, our adrenaline slowly stopping to pump. The cool desert wind started to pick up as the sun was setting. We cuddled next to each other observing this big round ball disappearing into the desert sand. Dinner was creative, fine dining unexpected for such a remote desert camp. We had to try also their Namibian red wine, a Krantzberg from the Erongo Winery. We found it of outstanding quality and with 14.5% a sleeping pill we did not really need. With a deep tired feeling we dropped onto our large cabin bed.
We awoke to a gorgeous quiet morning, the rising sun shining into our room and on our verandah. Hearing the birds singing, as we
woke up in beds, instead the rather unpleasant stretcher beds from the camp, was something we by now have gotten used to. Perfect, we had a coffee making facility in our room. So we sipped the warm drink cuddled in a blanket observing from our verandah how the sun slowly is getting stronger. A day of relaxation with some visits of sites in the area. And trying out the swimming pool overlooking the desert of course is the plan. A place called Bushman Paradise has lost its attractiveness, as almost all of the 2000 to 4000 ear old prehistoric rock paintings have been destroyed by vandalizing tourists.
