The morning our overland tour ended, Jen and Reinier gave us a ride to the airport as that was where we needed to pick-up the truck. The process took some time, but after several hours we knew how to open the tent, where all our kitchen items were stored and how to switch into 4×4. Neither of us knew what we were getting ourselves into even though we’d been getting tips and ideas from people along the way. We were extremely excited to have the freedom to discover whatever we wanted to and see what the next 3 weeks would hold.
Packing the 4×4 truck for the next 23 days
On our way out of town, we stopped by to visit Porscha and Christoph (the ones we hiked Tulega Falls with) where they are volunteering. We caught up with them and chatted to the children at the afterschool care center. Tico taught them how to take portraits of each other and I tried to learn a little Damara from one of the girls.
Volunteers playing with the kids
Portrait of a student taken by another student
Then it was time to head North again. We got a later start than planned so we only it made it up to Otjiwarongo for the night. We passed warning signs for warthogs as wells as mountains made of boulders that were covered in green trees. As we knew we wouldn’t make it to the next town by dark, we decided to stay at Acacia Park for the night. It was a simple campsite in the middle of town, but gave us the chance to reorganize things and have our first night in the tent.
Cheers!…for our first night with the truck
We both woke up surprised at how comfortably we’d slept. The tent comes with a mattress in it and they also gave us real pillows. We felt like we’d just slept in a real bed and would give it a 5 star rating. Neither of us would have minded staying behind in bed, but it’d be light soon and we needed to get on the road. We had another 650 kilometers (400 miles) to reach the edge of the Caprivi Strip (now known as the Zambezi Region).
Warthog crossing sign
Our first stop was at the Hoba Meteorite, the world’s largest meteorite, near Grootfontein. For those that know me well, this was a must-see for my obsession of world’s largest things. It weighs about 50 tons and is made of different minerals that could be seen as you walked around the large rock. They estimate that it landed 80,000 years ago. As we stood looking at it, we really felt like we were in the presence of something from outer space.
The Hoba Meteorite
Closeup of the meteorite texture
The rest of our trip that day was a pretty straight shot besides stops for gas, food and cows or goats in the road. We made good time and made it to Divundu, where we’d spend the night before driving through the Bwabwata National Park (formerly Caprivi Game Park). What lie ahead of us was completely unknown as we’d planned nothing.
The empty roads ahead
Helpful tips:
- There are gravel roads to get North (except for Grootfontein), but we stuck to the tar road as we could guarantee no water crossing and fast travel.
- Acacia Park will give you a place to sleep, but is not somewhere to go to experience wildlife or nature.
World’s largest meteorite!!!!!!!!!!