After South Africa and Kruger, it was time for the self-drive part of this adventure. We flew from Kruger to Johannesburg and then on to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. We spent one night in Windhoek before heading out on our adventure.
Off To See Windhoek
After viewing a long-ish safety video, we picked up our rental pickup at the airport and drove off to find our lodging for the night. Little did we know that we would have lots more time in town. But, thinking this was our chance to see the capital, we decided to take a driving tour of town. There are some interesting buildings in the capital. The town itself is spread out across quite a few hills, but the downtown seemed small.
We also got our first and last encounter with a shopping mall with the pickup. We found it very difficult to park such a large vehicle in the underground parking lot.
There were nice people there who told us how to find the grocery store. We needed some provisions before heading off into the wilderness. Little did we know about the Namibia wilderness; we were a bit surprised when everything and everyone disappeared. Maybe 10 miles out of town, the road became gravel and stayed mostly that way until our destination lodge.
Bagatelle Ranch
I picked the Bagatelle Ranch specifically because I wanted to see their cheetah preserve. What I didn’t know at the time was that we would be in the middle of the Kalahari Desert. This desert is distinctive because of its red dirt. It is quite beautiful. It turned out the lodge has a private game reserve.
The lodge was very nice and had all of the amenities like fine dining, a bar, and a pool that we didn’t use because it was too cold. In fact, it was cold all the time. We had a private cabin that was in the middle of the open range. So, we drove to our cabin and got settled in.
This lodge was relaxing, and I could see springbok grazing less than 100 yards from our porch.
About the Rhinos
During our first dinner, we heard someone say there were rhinos behind the patio where we were eating. So Mike went to look. It turned out that the rhinos get fed at the back of the patio, where they have set up lights so you can get good pictures. The rest of the time, the two rhinos on the reserve go out on the range.
These rhinos have their horns, whereas the ones in South Africa don’t. Since this is a private reserve, they have left their horns, but we were asked not to put anything on social media about them. This is to protect them from poaching.
Safari and Sundowner
On our full day at the resort, we went on safari in the private reserve. The scenery was beautiful with all of the red dirt, grassland, and hills. Our guide was pleased to tell us that the grasslands we saw were the first in several years of drought. I can’t imagine what this place would have looked like with no water.
Our goal on safari was to try to find the two resident rhinos. When we finally found them, we were told their names and that they would mate when they were old enough, not yet. We were able to get really close to the animals at this reserve, which was really exciting. We also saw ostrich, giraffe, and oryx, the national animal of Namibia.
Late in the afternoon, when the sun was beginning to set, we stopped on top of a hill where a table was already set up with our sundowner drinks and snacks. What a wonderful way to watch the sunset, with some cheese and a gin and tonic. Mike switched to wine after his gin and tonic. In Africa, they say “gintonic” all in one word. We got used to that after a while because the drink is really popular in Southern Africa.
About the Cheetah Rescue
As I mentioned earlier, I selected this place because I wanted to see the cheetahs. There were four cheetahs in residence. None of them could be returned to the wild because they had always been hand-fed. Towards the end of our safari day, we drove to the cheetah enclosures and watched feeding time. In most cases, there was no fence between us and the hungry animals. Where there was a fence, we were able to get out of the vehicle.
Here are lots of cheetah pictures and some video.
About the Food
We didn’t go to Africa for the food, but having two nice dinners was a treat. We dined alfresco, and part of the menu we selected was buffet. Unsurprisingly, oryx was on the menu and it’s quite tasty.
