Day 27: Opuwo to Ruacana

It was still cloudy we got up. Caro quickly ate breakfast and then went to the lodge to use some more of the WiFi. Hugo and the Brudis packed up in an hour, while it drizzled a bit.

We picked up Caro and went to Opuwo to get a new number plate and some more food. The Kunene Fitment Center sorted us out quickly with a new number plate (albeit a yellow one). Caro heard that people still couldn’t get to Epupa, so we decided to go and check just how bad the river is. Ten kilometers outside Opuwo we found the first river crossing, which didn’t look impassable, but we decided that it is not worth the risk as we would also have to return the same way as the road from Epupa to Ruacana would definitely not be accessible.

We thus turned around and headed to Ruacana on the tar road, after first stopping in Opuwo again for some more Biltong. Caro took the wheel while Hugo typed some of the stats for this journal. Just as Hugo finished we reached Ruacana.

Susan took us to the Ruacana Falls Viewpoint – a cellphone tower from where you can just-just see the waterfall between the trees. Hugo then took over again and drove towards the border post, but turned around as we got to the border gate without seeing the waterfall. We then turned towards Hippo Pools Camp, hoping to see the waterfall from the bottom. At the camp a Himba woman told us the waterfall viewing point is close to the border. We thus returned to the Cellphone tower, just stopping on the other side. We actually got a better view of the waterfall, but still no path going down as Hugo thought there would be. Luckily a NamPower employee arrived and told us the steps to the waterfall starts at a point through the border control gate.

We thus had to drive back there again and actually go through the gate, thus driving the same road almost 8 times. At the parking we first made Brötchens before taking the steep steps down to the waterfall. We didn’t get wet as Hugo’s parents warned might happen, but the view was still amazing. The hike back up got us all sweating and out of breath.

At 16:00 we drove past the Hippo Pools again towards Swartbooisdrif and stopped at the Kunene Islands Campsite. We negotiated to also only pay R50 per person.

Sam the Braai master braai’ed pork chops and Marion made pommes frites on foil over the fire.

We played some card games before the Monkeys went for a shower and then to bed just as it started to rain again.