Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail

Trekking through one of Namibia’s most remote & untouched landscapes on foot!

My wife, Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail,
One of Namibia’s most remote and untouched
landscapes on foot, Namibia, 2024.

We are trekking through , looking out over never-ending vistas of ancient rock formations, and sleeping under a blanket of starts trekking in one of Namibia’s most remote and untouched landscapes on foot! 

This is a remote wilderness covering 50,000 hectares of authentic nature. There are no fences or wildlife management, and the animals are free to move in and out of the area depending on the time of year, their movements driven by food and water.

Camp 1, view from bed at night!
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail,
Namibia, 2024.

First day

On the first day, we were picked up at Palmwag Lodge at 4 p.m. We are very excited and perhaps a bit nervous. We drive about 20 minutes to the starting point, where we are to hike approximately 25 kilometers into the Etendeka Mountains. 

'The open Land Rover drive ove off the small trail onto a dry riverbed where we set out. My wife, our friends from Denmark, and I are ready for the adventure! For our friends, this is their first time on the Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail, whereas my wife and I explored the trail in 2019, at that time with our two adult children (link). 

Our guide Edwin briefs us on the trip,
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail,
Namibia, 2024.

Our guide Edwin briefs us on the trip. First, we have a short 3-4 kilometer hike along the dry riverbed to River Camp. The next day, we have to walk approximately 14 kilometers up to Mountain Camp, near the top of Crystal Mountain. This journey will take us through the deserted Etendeka plains and mountains, an area with "cats" (we were prepared), hyenas, and black rhinos. Usually, the animals are very shy. 

Walk along dry riverbed

After a lovely walk along the dry riverbed and over a small hill, we reach River Camp, which lies on the banks of another dry riverbed. In this camp, there are sleeping platforms where you can sleep relatively safely under the open sky. Our platforms lie a little apart on one side of the common area, while the other are on the other side. There is no significant difference no matter which platform you get. On each platform, there is two camp beds with bedrolls. The bedrolls consists of waterproof bivouac coverings (which proved very useful), duvets, pillows, and bed sheets. Everything is clean and ready for use when we arrive.

Our sleaping platform, Staff bring luggage,
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail,
Namibia, 2024.

Our large luggage had been driven to the camp in advance. Pure luxury. In a bag at the end of the field bed, we find a thick blanket, and on a small table, there is a flashlight. Nearby the platform, a flush toilet (!) and a nice bucket shower next to the main area. The bucket shower is a bucket upside down with a showerhead. Surprisingly, there is solar-heated hot water that can be poured into the bucket. Everything has been tastefully built of rusty steel and gabions (steel mesh with stones in it), blending nicely into nature.

Gabions (steel mesh with stones),
blending nicely into nature.
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail,
Namibia, 2024.

At sunset, our guide and his two helpers had lit bonfires and prepared our dinner. How nice to sit by the fire, enjoy G&T while darkness creaps in, and listen to the crackle of the bonfire and the sounds of the night.

At night, my wife and I lay on the platform, talking about the moon and the stars. I saw a shooting star one minute after laying down? And the most spectacular milkey way (see photo above). What a completely enchanting evening and night. It reminded me of a specific night on my son's and my trip to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, which you can read more about in Danish here (link).

Giraffe skeleton,
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail,
Namibia, 2014.

Elephant track on our track!!
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail,
Namibia, 2024.

The next day, we embark on the long, beautiful hike through the Etendeka Mountains to the top of Crystal Mountain. We see many animal tracks and remains, which our guide carefully explains to us. We also see droppings from black rhinos and hyenas and from more "harmless animals." And we see springboks and Kudus. We pass "Lions Spring," a spring still flowing, and we cross hill ridges and plains.

Ascent to the edge of Crystal Mountain,
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail,
Namibia, 2024.

The last part of the trip is the ascent to the edge of Crystal Mountain. Everywhere, there are crystals "spread around" on the ground by volcanic activity 130 million years ago. The crystals become more and morte colorful the closer we got to the top of Crystal Mountain.

Crystals everywhere,
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail,
Namibia, 2024.

Mountain Camp is one of the most remote and peaceful places to stay. You sleep on platforms at the edge of a canyon with the most incredible view of the flat-topped mountains in the Etendeka Range. Meals are enjoyed around the campfire with an amazing view! We have a sundowner G&T on the edge of the mountain, watching six ridges between us and the setting sun! The next day, we hike about 10 km back to the main camp. Along the way, we spot black rhino droppings, lion, and cheetah tracks!! But thankfully, no cats ;-) You definitely keep a close eye behind you after that!!

Mountain Camp, Sleaping platform,
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail,
Namibia, 2024.

Sundowner, Mountain Camp, Namibia, 2024.

Sundowner, Mountain Camp, Namibia, 2024.

Lion tracks on way back to Main,
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail,
Namibia, 2024.

Conclusions, Crystal Mountain Camp is still one of the most incredible places we have ever stayed! Sleaping on platforms in God's own free nature with miles of mountain and plain views from the rim of Crystal Mountain. There was no disturbing light at all, only the incredible starry sky. 

Namibia 2024 itinerary "Deserts and wilderness"

Proverb 

"Camp sites fix themselves in your mind as if you had spent long periods of your life in them. You will remember sometimes a particular bend of your wagon tracks in the grass of the plain, as if it were a significant landmark in your life"

 Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen) in "Out of Africa", 1937

Me and my wifes campsite, Trekking on our own in
Chimanimani Mountains, Zimbabwe 1997. 

Daughter, son and wife at campsite,
Little Hunter´s Rest, Tiras Mountains,
Namibia, 2009.

Planning the trip is half the pleasure!

Over the years, it has become a beloved hobby to plan self-drive trips in Africa and write this travel blog. When I plan the trips, I am already in Africa! And I relive our many previous adventures! Such a joy.

Namibia 2024, planning phase
at home in Copenhagen

In the planning phase, I love to explore maps, guidebooks, the internet, FB travel groups, and TripAdvisor. Until recently, I used ExpertAfrica.com in the UK for bookings and car hire (and once used SafariDrive.com). These UK-based travel agents, especially ExpertAfrica, are perfect if you can accept their fine trip suggestions with just a few individual modifications. 

However, now that it’s our 6th trip to this part of Africa, and we have visited many places and have our own opinions on where to stay and go, I found it more useful to book the Toyota Land Cruiser directly through Bushlore.com and use their bookings department in Johannesburg for securing campsites, lodges, etc., based on our own itinerary. In addition, I booked directly on my own where there was a good online booking system such as "Nightsbridge." This has worked very well—the final test will, of course, be when we arrive in Windhoek in September!

Why this "deserts and wilderness route"? 

This time, the focus is camping in deserts and wilderness, venturing from southeast to northwest! It's an unusual route reflecting that it’s our 6th trip to Namibia and the fact that we love remote desert landscapes! Also, the route reflects that we have to meet our Danish friends at Bagatelle Guest Farm south of Windhoek 14 days after our own arrival. This will be their first trip to Africa! Furthermore, we prebooked the Nossob 4x4 Wilderness Trail one year in advance (it gets sold out immediately after bookings opens) as it has been a long dream of mine to visit Kgalagadi again after a fantastic experience with my son years ago (Link to father son trip) and to show my wife this extraordinary national park the size of Denmark. Going south from Windhoek and then north again towards Windhoek allows us to try some special tracks such as D1033 and perhaps D1022! You can read our report from these tracks later on this blog!

Our general travel itinerary 2024:

• Towards Kalahari Desert / Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park on: "4WD adventure"
• Camping in NamibRand Nature Reserve: "Desert and stargazing"
• Through Namib-Naukluft National Park to Swakopmund: "two mountain passes and the coast"
• Through Erongo and Kunene regions & exploring Etendeka Plateau: "Volcanic rocks & flat-topped mountains"
• Remote Kunene/Kaokoland wilderness days: "Explooring Africa´s last wilderness"
• Along Cunene River on the Angolan border: "The green oasis"
• Etosha National Park and Erongo Mountains luxury finish: "The big five & gastronomy"

Specific stops and links to homepages (6 weeks trip):

Route on TripAdvisor

1. Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch, campsite, 2 nights Bagatelle
2. Kalahari Game Lodge, campsite, 2 nights Kalahari GL
3. Mata-Mata Rest Camp, campsite, 1 night Sanparks Kgalagadi
4. Kalahari Tented Camp, 1 night Sanparks Kgalagadi
5. Nossob Rest Camp, campsite, 1 night Sanparks Kgalagadi
6. Nossob 4x4 Eco Trail, camping, 3 nights Nossob 4x4-trail
7. Twee Rivieren Restcamp, camping, 1 night Sanparks Kgalagadi
8. Kalahari Game Lodge, 1 night Kalahari GL
9.  Bagatelle Kalahari Botique Farmhouse, 1 night (join friends from DK) Bagatelle Farmhouse
10. Namib Rand Family Hideout, campsite, 3 nights Family hideout camping
11. Desert Breeze Lodge, villa, 3 nights Desert Breeze
12. Madisa Camp, campsite, 1 night Madisa Camp
13.  Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail, open air, 2 nights Etendeka Trail
14.  Etendeka Mountain Camp, main camp, 1 night Etendeka Main Camp
15. Khowarib Lodge, campsite, 2 nights Khowarib Lodge Campsite
16. Puros Bush Lodge & Camp, campsite, 2 nights Puros Bush Lodge
17. Etambura Camp, 3 nights Etaambura Camp
18. Opuwo Country Lodge, 1 night Opuwo Lodge
19. Omarunga Epupa-Falls Camp, campsite, 2 nights Omarunga EP Camp
20. Camp Cornie, campsite, 2 nights Camp Cornie
21. Dolomite Camp, 2 nights Etosha Dolomite Camp
22. Omurenga Lodge, 2 nights Omurenga
23. River Crossing Lodge, 1 night Rivercrossing

Some potential activities the different places:

In the following, some of the special activities we plan to do some of the different places besides the usual very nice scenic- and game drives and sundowners, the number refers to the list above.

1. Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch: a) View the spectacular southern hemisphere sky from observatory with a state-of-the-art computer-controlled telescope, b) Cheetah Excursion to get up close and personal with the fastest land animal on Earth.

Sundowner drive, Bagatelle,
Namibia, 2009

2. Kalahari Game Lodge: Try their 4×4 self-drive trail in Kalahari on a 3500ha portion of the lodge.

6. Nossob 4x4 Eco Trail: Challenging 4x4 driving on a small track through the Kalahari dunes in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, accompanied by a certified guide from SANParks, covering a total distance of 214km, sleeping out in the desert for 3 nights. See my specific posts about the trail and our experiences during the trip later. 

Video when my son and I drove from Gharagab Wilderness camp on the exit track:

9. Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch: See 1. above.

10. Namib Rand Family Hideout: a) Experience the NamibRand Nature Reserve characterized by expansive plains, towering mountain ranges, and iconic red sand dunes sleeping out in the desert for 3 nights and stargazing, b) Visits Duwisib Castle 80 km away, c) Visit Sossusvlei, d) Try 4WD track. See my specific posts about NamibRand and our experiences during the trip later.

11. Desert Breeze Lodge / Swakopmund: a)  Sandwich Harbour 4x4 drive, see later post, b) Walwis Bay Catamaran Tour, c) The Tug (restaurant), d) Ocean Cellar (restaurant), e) Exploore Swakop.

12. Madisa Camp: Track elephants.

Sundowner near Madisa Camp,
Namibia, 2012

13. Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail: See our blog from previous visit Trail report

Etendeka Mountain Camp, "tents" in distance,
Namibia, 2019

14. Etendeka Mountain Camp: Stargazing through the telescope.

 Etendeka Mountain Camp,
Namibia, 2009

15. Khowarib Lodge: a) Drive to Ongongo Hot Spring for swim, b) Visit Sesfontein. See our blog from previous visit Report Khowarib  

Me & son, Ongongo Hot Spring,
Namibia, 2012

16. Puros Bush Lodge & Camp: a) Visiting Himba´s, see our blog from previous visit Puros Himba visit, b) Drive along Hoarusip River to Puros Canyon, see our blog from previous visit including elephant encounter(!) Report from Puros Canyon 

View point near Puros.
Me checking the road ahead of us! 
Namibia, 2012 

17. Etambura Camp: a) Enjoy this very special place, read about our previous visit Etaambura report, b) Visit Himba´s Report previous Himba visit, c) Extreeme 4WD driving to Marienfluss, read report from previous trip Report Marienfluss Drive. 

Video from the road from Puros to Etambura, Namibia, 2012: 

18. Opuwo Country Lodge: buy new supplies form trip to north.

19. Omarunga Epupa-Falls Camp: a) Visit Epupa Falls, read our previous report Epupa Flls Oasis, b) Go on a rafting trip, read our previous report Riverrafting Kunene

Riverrafting Cunene River,
Namibia, 2019

20. Camp Cornie: a) Canoeing the Kunene, b) Fishing the Kunene.

21. Dolomite Camp:  Night drive.

Our cabin, Dolomite Camp,
Etosha, Namibia, 2012

22. Omurenga Lodge: Visit Kristall Kellerei, the oldest wine farm in Namibia Kristall Kellerei

Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail

Sleeping under a blanket of stars!

"Trek through one of Namibia’s most remote and untouched landscapes on foot, have sundowners as you look out over never ending vistas of ancient rock formations and sleep under a blanket of stars. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to connect with nature" (source)

Just started on the three days Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail at sunset
Heading for River Camp, approx. 4 kms. from our drop off point
Etendeka Mountains, Namibia 2019 

We were picked up at Palmwag Lodge at 4 p.m. We were very excited and perhaps also a bit nervous. We were going to trek through one of Namibia’s most remote and untouched landscapes on foot. We drove about 20 minutes to the starting point. We where about to hike approx. 25 kilometers into the Etendeka Mountains. The open Land Rover drove off the small trail onto a small dry riverbed where we set out. We were our family of four people and a very friendly family, likewise of four people, from Switzerland. Our guide Boas briefed us on the trip.

Our guide Boas briefed us on the trip
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail, Namibia, 2019

First, a short 3-4 kilometer hike along the dry riverbed to River Camp. The next day, an approx. 14 km long walk up to Mountain Camp, near the top of Crystal Mountain. All through the deserted Etendeka plains and mountains. This is an area with "cats" (we were prepared link), hyenas and black rhinos. Usually the animals are very shy. As Boas said:

"the biggest risk is to sprain the ankle"

We believed him.

The remains of a giraffe, on our way River Camp
It's a harsh climate!
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail, Namibia, 2019

After a lovely walk along the dry river bed and over a small hill, we reached Rivercamp, which lies on the banks of another dry river bed. In this camp, there are five sleeping platforms where you can sleep relatively safe under the open sky. The two platforms lie a little by themselves on one side of the common area, while the other three lie on the other side. There is no big difference no matter which platform you get. On each platform we found two camp beds with bedrols. The bedrols consisted of a waterproof bivouac coatings (which should prove to be very useful). Then duvet, pillow and a bed sheet. Everything was fine and clean and was ready for use when we arrived.

View to stars at night
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail, Namibia, 2019

Me and my sons sleeping platform
The next morning everything was wet with dew (not normal)
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail, Namibia, 2019

Our large luggage had been driven to the camp in advance. Pure luxury. In a bag at the end of the field bed, we found a thick blanket, and on a small table, there was a flashlight. Nearby a flush toilet (!) and a nice bucket shower. The bucket shower was a bucket upside down with a shower head. Surprisingly for us, there was also solar heated hot water that could be poured into the bucket. Everything was tastefully built of rusty steel and gabions (steel mesh with stone in it), so it fell nicely into nature.

The bucket shower was a bucket upside down with a shower head,
here at Mountain Camp.
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail, Namibia, 2019

At sunset, our guide and his two helpers had lit bonfires and prepared our dinner. Chicken pot and fried vegetables made on the bonfire. How nice to sit by the fire and enjoy G&T while darkness creeps in and you can hear the crackle of the bonfire and the sounds of the night.

Enjoying a  G&T while darkness creeps in and we hear
the crackle of the bonfire and the sounds of the night.
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail, Namibia, 2019

At night, my son and I were on the same platform talking about the moon and the stars. My son saw two shooting stars and a satellite pass across the sky. What a completely enchanting evening and night. It reminds me of a specific night at me and my son's trip to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, you can read more in Danish here (link).

Heading for Mountain Camp early next morning (in the distance)
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail, Namibia, 2019

The next day, we went the long beautiful hike through the Etendeka Mountains to the top of Crystal Mountain. We saw many animal tracks and remains, which Boes carefully explained to us. We saw stools from black rhinos and hyenas and from more "harmless animals". We also saw giraffes and springbooks. We passed "Lions Spring", a spring still flowing and we went over hill ridges and plains.

Short break enjoying the view
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail, Namibia, 2019

The last part of the trip was the ascent to the edge of Crystal Mountain. Everywhere, there were crystals "spread around" on the ground by volcanic activity 130 million years ago. The crystals got more and more colorful the closer we got to the top of Crystal Mountain.

Everywhere, there were crystals "spread around"
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail, Namibia, 2019

Crystal Mountain Camp is one of the most incredible places we have ever stayed (!)

Daughter relaxing at Mountain Camp, the roof can be removed
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail, Namibia, 2019

Again, we were sleeping on platforms in Gods own free nature. Now, we had miles of mountain and plain views from the rim of Crystal Mountain. There was no disturbing light at all, only the incredible starry sky.

Sleeping platforms, Mountain Camp
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail, Namibia, 2019

Sunset view from Mountain Camp, Crystal Mountain
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail, Namibia, 2019

Again, we got food cooked on bonfire, enjoyed in silence watching the serene yet harsh nature. It doesn't get much better than that.

Bonfire, Mountain Camp.
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail, Namibia, 2019

The next day we hiked down the mountain to Etendeka Mountain Camp, from where we were driven approx. 2 hours out of the Etendeka area to Palmwag Lodge where our Toyota Fortuner was waiting for us.

Walking down the mountain to Etendeka Mountain Camp.
Etendeka Overnight Walking Trail, Namibia, 2019

New experiences awaited, including a long drive north to the Angolean border at Epupa Fall´s. We are heading for an area we have never seen before. An area where it is recommended to drive two cars together and bring at least 10 liters of water per person per day (!). Read more about that adventure later ;-)