Day 4: Mount D'Urban

 

Road to Mount D'Urban

Day 4 was probably the most action packed day of them all. Starting off at Ai-Ais we took the D324 to Canyon Roadhouse. All the roads leading to Mount D'Urban were in a good condition.

On the way we decided to go to the Fish River hikers point, but my card wasn't working and it was quite expensive at around R70pp. We also ran into some car trouble with the battery light turning red and so we decided to move on.

We arrived at the Canyon Roadhouse rather hopeless thinking that there was something seriously wrong with the car, but my friend figured out that one of the fuses had blown and after a quick replacement everything was back to normal.

The Canyon Roadhouse is a lovely looking place filled with all types of automotive decor. The service was a bit slow, but was quickly forgotten after taking the first sip of the bubblegum milkshake I ordered. The milkshake really complemented one of the juiciest and cheesiest burgers I have ever eaten. It might have been the hunger speaking, but that was one of the best, if not the best meals I have ever eaten.

A fireplace in a car at Canyon Roadhouse

I have heard the rumors of Namibians driving 300km for a braai and learned it in the best way. We ran into an Oom outside of Canyon Roadhouse and, after a 4 day biltong drought, I asked him where I can find some quality geelvet biltong. "We drove past a farm stall just up the road and they have biltong. You will drive right into the place" was the answer. Like a child before Christmas I excitedly jumped in the car and drove up the road. By 10km I went through denial, by 20km anger hit me, by 30 km I went into bargaining, by 40km depression started to hit me, and just before I accepted that we might have taken the wrong road, or been lied to, we came across Canyon Farm yard. For anyone wondering just up the road is 46km in Namibia.

At Canyon Farm yard we were greeted by Oom Wally with the best Apfelstrudel any of us have ever tasted. It turned out that there wasn't any geelvet biltong, but the droewors we bought was just as delicious and satisfied my cravings.

The rest of the road up to Helmeringhausen was classic Namibia desert. One of the highlights was the massive date farm in Seeheim. Beware of blinking upon approaching Helmeringhausen as you might just miss it. There is a surprisingly well stocked shop in town. They sell some good quality Parkas for around R900.

Mount D'Urban

Mount D'Urban was the most secluded camp we visited on the trip. The camping sites were well designed and fit right into the landscape. If you're looking for a peaceful escape then look no further than a few days at the camp. The landscape is something to behold. I am sure that when the earth was created all excess rocks were dumped in this area.

A campsite.

Mount D'urban

A few minutes after arrival Oom Boeta pulled up in his Land Cruiser and immediately invited us to go hunting with him that night. He was one of the nicest and most energetic people we met in Namibia.

Hiking at Mount D'Urban

Oom Boeta bought us some fresh bread he made himself and we also bought some meat from the small "shop" they have on the camping grounds. We ate our meal watching an unreal sunset eagerly anticipating our hunting expedition that night.

Arriving back at camp after our hunt we were greeted by dead silence and the clearest night sky I have ever seen. It truly felt like the stars were consuming the earth, it is a sight I will never forget. Again the pleasure of  realizing your insignificance enveloped me.

I would love to talk about the landscape and our hunt a bit more, but you have to see it to believe it and I would highly recommend going to Mount D'Urban yourself. It is truly impossible to describe the beauty of the area.

What I liked

* The milkshake and burger at Canyon Roadhouse.
* The apfelstrudel and droewors at Canyon Farm yard.
* The well stocked shop in Helmeringhausen.
* Mount D'Urban was truly perfect.

What I disliked

* We should have stayed much, much longer.