Ultimate Trans Africa - 2010: Namibia Part 2 - Otjitotongwe Cheetah Park, Cape Cross Seal Reserve & Spitzkoppe National Park

After Etosha we camped at a Cheetah Park called “Camp Otjitotongwe Cheetah Guestfarm” where the owner took in rogue cheetahs that had pestered local farmers over the years. Apparently it just started out as a favour to a farmer but when others caught on that there was a guy who took care of cheetahs, they reached for the phone rather than the shotgun. He had a couple of dozen in total, ranging from domesticated (three of them) to teenagers, to mother with cubs.

Homeless looking stoked at the entrance to the park.

We arrived late in the afternoon, just in time to go out on the back of a pick-up and watch the oldest of the cats get fed (one of which was blind in one eye – suggesting he’d make a good Disney bad guy), we then fed the younger ones before going on to see mama and kids. These things were pretty cute.

That night, Homeless, Kimbo Slice (Kim), Norm, Berbs, HH and me hit the bar for a few quiet ones and I’m ashamed to say that a few of us ended up drinking shots from a warthog’s arse. Our reasoning? “When will we get the opportunity to do this again?”

The perfect Disney bad guy.


Feeding time!

Safe hands (or should I say, paws?).

Mama was hungry...(Note the drool.)


And on the look out for food...

...and for her little ones.

It’s worth mentioning that the barman/owner’s son was a local Namibian and had been to Etosha National Park at least twice every year for most of his life (he was mid-twenties) and had only seen two lions there...so by the sounds of it, we got very lucky on our visit there (see previous blog entry).

The next morning, the campsite was snake, spider and scorpion free (depite the warnings of monster pythons in the area) as we rolled up our tents and left for the owner’s house. Here we had a photo opportunity with his three domesticated cheetahs (and his two giant dogs too...Boer hounds or something like that I believe).


Chilling with the domesticated cheetahs in the morning.


Homeless found out too late that was a bad idea wearing flip-flops.


The farm owner saves Homeless' flip-flop ( I still think he should frame it with the cheetah tooth marks).

Yawn!.

...str-eee-tchh

We were obviously not very interesting company.

The next few days were a blurry, flurry of activity as we scouted for crystals at a cool bush-camp (complete with yet another stunning African sunset and sunrise), froze our backsides off driving through the Skeleton Coast (where Homeless fell two floors through a rusted old oil rig), visited the odourous Cape Cross Seal Reserve (you could smell the thousands of stinking seals from a mile away) and explored the mystifying rock formations at Spitzkoppe National Park.


Stunning sun-rise at the bush camp where we all went hunting for crystals.

I never get bored of these.

Never.

You know how it is, when in Namibia, beware of elephants (not hedgehogs).

Laraldo wraps up warm in the back of the truck as we drive through the freezing Skeleton Coast.

Berbs & Homeless exploring the skeleton of an old oil rig...before the accident.

Homeless' legs after falling through two floors of the rusty old rig.

Fortunately, his camera came through unscathed.

Eerie.

Who'd a thought we could fit Rubes inside the old rig?

Found these prints. Not sure what they are...too big for a dog? Maybe desert lion and cub?

Cape Cross Seal Reserve - thousands of them...and they stank.

Me wearing my infamous safari jacket. The seals didn't seem to mind.

Fancy hittin' the clubs tonight? ( A joke for our Canadian readers.)

L-R: Laraldo, Squirt & Sonya Wrapped up to avoid the cold (and Laraldo even covering her nose to avoid the putrid stench).

On the road to Spitzkoppe

The sheer size of the rock formations was overwhelming. (That's Rubes at the bottom of the pic.)

"They say 'JUMP!' You say 'How high?'" Berbs took this shot of me when we went exploring the rocks and caves.

Spitzkoppe was also the place where we staged the highly anticipated ‘Non-Birthday Party’: neither Berbs, HH or Laraldo have a birthday whilst this trip takes place so rather than being left out, they decided to have a Non-Birthday Party –complete with ‘Pin-The-Nipple-On-The-FHM-Centrefold’, Sack Race, Pass-The-Parcel, Egg & Spoon Race, Apple-Bobbing, Musical Chairs and canapes. The girls (Lara and Sonya) did a great job as organisers, masters of ceremonies, cooks and judges.