After we had parted ways, we made our way to Khorixas. There we wanted to do some shopping before the weekend. In Khowarib we noticed a problem in the water system. There was a leak at some as yet unknown location and water was leaking slowly but regularly. After closer inspection, we determined the region around the geyser (used 1x) and/or the pump as the location of the leak. One phone call later, it was clear that we wanted to hit Swakopmund on Monday morning so Hi-Tech could get to the bottom of it. Since we had never visited the Spitzkoppe before, we spontaneously decided to drive comfortably in that direction and leave from there on Monday morning in the direction of Swakopmund.
We loose pressure
Our warning device suddenly kicked in and after closer inspection it was clear that we had caught a foreign object in the rear left tire. A tire change was not necessary, because the tire lost air only very slowly. We looked for a tire repair service in Khorixas, had the tire repaired (it turned out to be a nail), filled up our supplies for the weekend, and spent the night on site at the NWR Restcamp. The next morning we set off in the direction of Spitzkoppe.
New day, new tire problem
On the road to Uis it happened: Suddenly and abruptly the alarm went off again, this time the air escaped rapidly. With only our ears we could hear the problem and Guido wasted no time and started jacking up the car on the rear axle. The problem was again at the rear left and after taking the tire down it became visible: It was a stone stuck in the middle of the wheel tread with a diameter of about 5 cm. We left everything as it was and mounted the spare wheel. All in all, the action took less than 30 minutes, with which we were very satisfied. We drove to the tire repair shop in Uis and while Guido stayed with the car, Sonja made herself comfortable in the neighboring restaurant and rested. We had driven in a stone that had the shape of a small hand wedge. The stone was stuck about 4 cm in the tire. The tire could be repaired well and we are still riding it flawlessly today.
The legendary Spitzkoppe
The hill is often called the Matterhorn of Namibia. We had always avoided a visit so far. On the one hand, we did not have the real desire to visit this rock combination and on the other hand, it was always too touristy for us on site. The appointment in Swakopmund and the free day in between collectively ensured that now was the time to inspect the place more closely. Already at the approach we drove past innumerable sales booths. In the environment of the Spitzkoppe villages had formed. The inhabitants wanted to have a piece of the tourist cake and hoped for customers willing to buy among the self-drivers, overlander buses or small group tours. We booked ourselves into the official rest camp and then looked for one of 15 possible places to spend the night on the rocks.
Pilgrimages to Campsite 5
Our search turned out to be not so easy, since the campsites are freely selectable and thus it is not clear in advance where someone is already standing and where something is still free. In total, we drove about 30 minutes through the terrain to ultimately find our campsite. Famous is the rock arch at Campsite 5. We went there on foot (we chose Campsite 3) and were amazed when we found whole buses. Crowds of people wound their way up the hill in long lines and down elsewhere.
Mass run-up
The arch was bustling. Selfies here, group shots there and well hidden behind the corner, the next were already waiting patiently to make their souvenir photo. It was from the time and the light still much too early for beautiful mood pictures in the soft evening light, but that does not count with large bus groups. We went back impressed by the hustle and bustle and now at least knew where we wanted to go again later in the evening.
Flashback
To be clear: we felt at Spitzkoppe something like at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. We were wrong in this place. It is simply not our thing. We can’t stand this extremely touristy marketing, even though we submitted to the procedure and actively participated. When we arrived again at the arch, there was another couple there besides us, otherwise silence had returned. The buses were all gone and also single vehicles drove no more. Guido took a few souvenir photos of Sonja in the arch. Then we returned to our campsite, slept well and set off the next morning towards Swakopmund to have the leak in our water system fixed.
