The fifth Namibian stop on our African Adventure 2025, after the Sand Sea, was at Mowani Mountain Camp. Highlights of this lodge among the boulders included a visit with a parade of elephants and a cool area of rock formations and petroglyphs.
Getting There
The desert appeared quickly as we set out from Swakopmund. Not surprising, really, as so much of Namibia is covered in desert. Driving up the coast with the Atlantic on our left and the desert on our right, it wasn’t long before we ran across a shipwreck. The Zeila got beached in 2008. It seems the owners and authorities chose to leave it in place rather than try to salvage it.
Shortly thereafter, our route turned inland, and what followed was 150 miles of desert driving, first paved then unpaved, until reaching our next stop at Mowani Mountain Camp. Along the way, we encountered some local dwellings, both modern and traditional, as well as some curious “found object” art offerings.
Mowani Mountain Camp
The Mowani Mountain Camp is on a hill amongst large boulders. A small number of individual tent cabins are spread out in the area, affording a degree a privacy while putting the view on full display. There was a hilltop bar providing an excellent sunset setting and a small common area for lounging and dining. The set menu dinner was quite good, too.
The terrain is reminiscent of the Road Runner cartoons, with big boulders strewn about the landscape like marbles against a hilly ochre backdrop. Adding to the charm were the lizards we saw while going to and from the main building.
Savannah Elephants
As always, we set out early the next morning in search of animals, elephants in this case. One of the draws of this location was the nearby herds (aka parades or memories) of elephants that have adapted to living in the desert washes. These elephants are smaller than their cousins found in other parts of Africa. The guides on the trucks from the various tourist camps share info by radio, so it wasn’t long before we caught up with a parade.
We spent quite a bit of time among the parade, perhaps too much, as evidenced by a baby elephant head butting our truck at one point. It’s really great to see them up close and pretty safe, as long as you stay inside the truck.
We stopped in the wash for a snack and viewed some local flowers and insects. We even got a glimpse of a hartebeest antelope, the only one we saw on our trip. They are so named due to the shape of their horns. Then we returned to camp.
Organ Pipes and Pigment Rocks
In the afternoon, we went out again to take a closer look at the terrain. Our first stop was at a spot featuring rocks with a distinct crystalline appearance, i.e., they looked like organ pipes. The rocks flaked off into sharp pieces, so careful treading was advised. It was cool to see chemistry at work in nature.
The chemistry lesson continued nearby at Burnt Mountain, a location with a multitude of colors. Our guide showed us how different rocks could be ground to create powders with quite vivid hues. Locals had long used the powders with strong hues to produce brightly colored clothes. Nice.
Rock Art
Our final stop was at the Twyfelfontein UNESCO Petroglyph site, which was discovered by a German topographer in 1921. Prehistoric tribes had recorded stories on many rocks in the area. Our guide helped explain some of the stories and pointed out some interesting animals that had been involved. It was a good way to end our day and visit the area.
What is your favorite animal encounter?
