Rock Engravings & Pipe Organs

We had to wake up because breakfast finished at 9am! When we went to the children’s hut at 820 they were still fast asleep. The weather was beautifully cool overnight. We spent the morning enjoying boardgames and playing cards. It has been nice not to have any wifi or TV. Time flew and it was lunch time. The menu was exactly the same as yesterday’s which was a little disappointing. An afternoon and swim plus or minus a nap had almost become a routine.

We had an excursion at 3pm. By chance, we were the only family who signed up for this activity so we had the whole jeep to ourselves. The first half of the excursions was rather ordinary, we were taken to Burnt Mountain, so called because of the metamorphic rock which made the rocks look like they were on fire in low light. This was followed by the “pipe organs”. Basalt rock formations formed by rapid and irregular cooling, causing fissures and fractures resulting in formations that look like pipe organs. Or so someone thought. We couldn’t quite see it!

Burnt Mountain

Pipe Organ. Can you see it....

The main reason we went on this particular excursion was to see the world heritage listed rock engravings, only one of two in Namibia (the other is Sossusvlei). These engravings were dated to be around 6000 years old done by the San bushmen. It was like an open-air art gallery of sorts. It was hot, it was dusty and after a while, became quite tiring. We later discovered that it was 35 degrees, being in the direct sun with rocks absorbing the heat, it would have felt hotter.

We were glad to get back to the Camp Kipwe to refresh and rest. Fortunately, the dinner menu was different. Here we had our first miss in terms of food. Entrée was Camembert wrapped in filo with passionfruit sauce. It was just a touch too strong for our tastes and not a single one of us could finish it. Mains fortunately was better, with game fillet on offer. It was oryx with a yummy mushroom pepper sauce.

So, what was the verdict on this place? It was hard coming from &Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge. The scenery here was different and stunning in its own right. The accommodations were still luxurious in an unusual setting. Even Elliiot said that if it wasn’t so hot, this may be one of his favourite place as the rocks were so cool. The service though was definitely not as polished and seamless as at Sossusvlei, but it wasn’t from lack of trying. The staff were still warm and helpful. Would we recommend it? Absolutely! 2 nights would be the maximum though as we felt we had seen what we could have here. We could have also done an excursion to see desert adapted elephants, but as we would seeing them later in our trip, we opted to sit that one out

Lots of climbing over rocks equaled fun in the eyes of the children. Following Dion, our guide

This one by a shaman, noted the lion with a tail ending in a foot print

Leopard track. Just because you don't see them, doesn't mean they're not there...

Last dinner in the relaxing dining room

Last sunset at Camp Kipwe