Tag: Namibia

Exploring another ghost town in Namibia.

If you have not read part 1, find it here.

What is better than exploring one abandoned mining town, exploring another one! Especially since this one is more famous and more accessible.

I woke up in the middle of the desert after a pretty peaceful sleep, all jackal sounds considered. Sadly the resident ghost knew exactly how best to annoy me and had broken the geyser the night before. My shower was…brisk. At least I felt extra fresh as we once again set out to see the desert.

The sand slowly claiming back the road.

Our first stop was Pomona, an abandoned mine where diamonds used to be so plentiful that they could be picked up from the ground with your bare hands. I asked my dad-in-law what I should do if I found one, and he said to just throw it away. It was so unlikely now that if I did declare it to the mine they would just assume I stole it. I am nothing if not a rebel though and when I found a really pretty rock for my sister’s fish tank I sneaked it home. Come at me De Beers!

Pomona mining building

Next on the list was Luderitz. This time we went for something a little less haunted and booked a beautiful B&B overlooking the ocean. The owners were very friendly and the lack of noisy jackals meant I gave it a full five stars.

Even my breakfast was smiling the next morning.

After a few beers, I am in the company of German in-laws after all, we went to investigate Kolmanskop.

Back in the day, this diamond town was the place to be. Oh, you’re a little hot, no worries they had an ice factory, oh your shopping is a little heavy, why not jump on the first tram in Africa. They had a theater, a casino, and you could even get yourself checked out under the first x-ray-station in the southern hemisphere.

Old-timey ice tray

Today though there is less caviar and champagne and more sand and photographers living their best lives. You need a permit to enter but this is easily procured at the gate and interesting tours about the town are available in English, Afrikaans, and German.  

After shaking some of the sand out of our hair we went to check out the Felsenkirche, or Rock Church. It is a gorgeous Evangelical Lutheran church with beautiful stained glass windows.

Church from a distance

My mom-in-law told the kind caretaker that she was a little sad that we were not around on a Sunday to hear the bells and without missing a beat he ran up a little ladder and rang them just for her, probably confusing the whole town in the process.

Luderitz is well worth a visit and makes for an exciting start if you plan to drive further up into Namibia.

Luderitz has lovely architecture
The house on the hill is supposed to be haunted

As we drove home we watched the wild horses of Aus run alongside the car, scratching our final itch for adventure, and giving us one more beautiful sight as most of us started snoozing in the backseat.

Namib desert horses
Stopped for a quick lunch at the desert horse inn.
Biltong salad
Sunset as we arrived back at Oranjemund.

Details:

Photos – Roland Teichert. Please link this blog if you use any of them.

Exploring an abandoned mining town in Namibia.

If someone offers you the chance to stay in an abandoned mining town surrounded by jackals, you take that chance! My father-in-law had been kind enough to organize us a permit to go deep into diamond country to explore a part of the Namibian desert that few people ever get to see.

Unfortunately due to an unexpected engagement, the trip to the trip started rather chaotically. The plan was to get to my in-laws’ house in Oranjemund, a small mining town on the border between South Africa and Namibia, nice and early. However, as Robert Burns likes to remind us, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

Am I even an Afrikaans girl if I do not make hard boiled eggs, frikadelle, and chicken drumsticks for padkos.

Awry in this case meant racing in our formal clothes to a shut border post and sleeping in the car until they let us in the next morning.

The Orange river separating us from our destination.

I learned many lessons that night. One, the desert is colder than you think at night and your husband will “accidentally” hog most of your little red blanket. Two, your husband will “accidentally” park the car so the full moon shines directly in your face and not his. Three, nothing feels better than arriving at your destination only to find that your mom-in-law has already run you a bubble bath and your dad-in-law has made fresh coffee.

The diamond company would rather you not take any of the shiny rocks home.

The desert has a deadline and so after a quick scrub and grub, me and the rest of the family jumped into the big white bakkie and headed for the gate.

Fort Reef

As we hit the absolutely deserted road leading into the sperrgebiet, I felt like I had the coastal desert all to myself. We stopped often to play on the dunes creeping over the road or to give my sister and brother-in-law, who were riding in the back with no air-conditioning, a chance to stretch their legs. Hey, it is their own fault for being born later than Roland and me.

Only people who work for the mine and a few tour guides can get permits for this protected area.
The Sperrgebiet has a diverse range of flora and fauna, due to little human intervention in the area for 100 years. Forty percent of the landscape is desert, thirty percent is grassland, and twenty-eight percent is rocky.

After some unreal scenery we arrived at an abandoned German mining town. My dad parked in front of the least shabby looking ghost house and explained that this would be our accommodation. As someone who has nerves of cotton candy, I knew I was in for a rough night.

The pink house where we stayed the night.
The house came with a table that looked like it was straight out of “The cabin in the woods”!
A pretty isolated spot!
The abandoned German mining village.
  • I would not be keen to do the sweeping

However, before settling in we went to have sun-downers at Bogenfels, an impressive rock arch that slowly changed colour as we sipped some beer and marula soft drinks.

Off to find a horcrux!

The best thing about marrying into a German/Namibian family is that they know their food and are willing to share. My mom made thousands of tasty sides and my dad braaied enough delicious meat to attract every jackal in the desert. It is quite an experience trying to fall asleep as a pack of jackals make sure you did not accidentally drop a lamb chop somewhere close to the house.

“Any chops up for grabs?”
  • Flashing a smile in the hopes of getting a snack

The next day we left the pink house behind and headed back into the desert, but more on that next time.

A dune has gradually creeped across the road.

Details:

My dad-in-law was able to acquire a permit to this protected area because he works for the mining company but there are guided tours that can obtain similar permits. You are not allowed to enter this area without a permit.

Photos – Roland Teichert (If you use any of these photos please link and credit this blog).