Quote from our itinerary:-

"The Spitzkoppe (also referred to as Spitzkop, Groot Spitzkop, or the "Matterhorn of Namibia"), is a group of bald granite peaks located between Usakos and Swakopmund in the Namib Desert. The granite is more than 700 million years old and the highest outcrop rises about 1 784 m above sea level. The peaks stand out dramatically from the flat surrounding plains. The highest peak is about 700m above the floor of the desert below. A minor peak- the Little Spitzkoppe - lies nearby at an elevation of 1 584 m above sea level. Other prominences stretch out into a range known as the Pontok Mountains. Many examples of Bushman artwork can be seen painted on the rock in the Spitzkoppe area."

Siziba was kind enough to give us a lie in this morning! Our drive to Spitzkoppe was only about 4 hours so we didn't have to leave Swakop until 10am! Wahoo!

On arrival we explored an open top cave where we could sleep if we wanted to (with what looked like rain in the distance we decided against it) and then set up our tents. We also explored the facilities - there weren't any - apart from a very primitive and smelly long drop!

Unfortunately Andre has now left us as he had to return to University in Brazil and we have been joined by 3 new people…

1. Kay, Swiss - Kay (pronounced Kai) was scheduled to join the tour in Cape Town with the rest of us. However, he didn't check his paperwork properly and ended up at the office 2 days late!!! Oops! He caught a flight to Swakop' where he joined us and will stay on the tour all the way to Uganda (after us).

2. Peter, England - Peter can claim to have travelled 179 countries in total and has many interesting stories to tell! His aim is to travel to every country in his lifetime and he's certainly making a good go of it. However, he has already visited most of Africa before and is here on a sort of honeymoon with his new wife Renata. It's great to have another English person on the tour and he comes from Exeter.

3. Renata, Czech Republic - Renata married Peter about 6 months ago but I'm not sure if she has done much travelling already. I know that she is not as well travelled as her husband! Both are really lovely and fit in well with the group.

After lunch Adam and I went for a walk with Peter and Renata to one of the granite outcrops where there is a natural formation that looks like a bridge. It appears on many photos and postcards of the area apparently. We had fun climbing around and saw a few Dassies although they were all too far away and moving too fast to get any pictures.

Later I went for a sleep and must have been really exhausted as I completely passed out for about an hour and a half and Solveig had to wake us up (surprise surprise Adam also fell asleep) in time for our walk with a local guide.

The guide isn't really a guide at all. He's just a local who takes us on a tour of the area to see some ancient rock paintings and show us some of the flora and forna. Much of what he said was quite difficult to understand so I can't repeat much of it unfortunately. However, afterwards he had us all playing a fun game which is a bit like a drinking game and is often played by the locals.

Back at the camp we were visited by another local trying to sell his handicrafts. He was very taken with Cristina and was shocked to realise she is old enough to be his mother! He told us that he is studying in a nearby town and sells what he makes to fund his studies. In return we told him that we are travelling for a year and can't afford to buy from everyone let alone fit it all in our backpacks! I guess you can't help everyone!

We enjoyed dinner under a beautiful sunset and then had an early night!

Sarah