day 7 and 8: hiking the naukluft mountains

These days were really amazing. We got back into some territory in the Naukluft Mountains that people don't spend a lot of time in, especially during the hot summers. We took a 17-km hike one day, and an 11km hike the next, that ran in circuits along riverbeds dotted with pools and waterfalls, gradually drying out into deep canyons, and finally climbing up onto plateaus with amazing views over the desert.

We spotted a beautiful group of Hartmann's Mountain Zebra, a giant male kudu with a beautiful set of gently curling antlers, springbok, and leopard prints (and kills!). We walked through a troupe of about 60 baboons, and watched swallows build their nests.

We got incredibly lucky with the weather: spotty rainshowers meant cloudy skies, which made for much cooler hiking weather than normal. Even with the cooler temperatures we were exhausted after our two day hikes. These pictures don't really go in order, but they do give you an idea of what the park was like. Notice that there are no other people in the pictures!

Starting our first day hike, we had sunshine and beautiful views as we climbed up above the river bed. We may have actually been lost at this point - we made a few wrong turns due to the well-beaten game trails crossing over and running alongside the path, extending our hike an extra kilometer or so :)

The riverbed in early morning.

We were lucky to see a few rare desert blooms!

A view from early in our hike on day 2: this walk started with a quick ascent, so we had views within minutes of starting.

It was stunning to watch the sun and shadows skirt across the hills.

Jim at the plateau!

See the game trails criss-crossing the entire side of the hill?

Can you spot the zebra? There are at least three or four in this picture. This is a great photo example of how well their stripes blend in to the rocky landscape! We startled this group high on the plateau, and they ran down the other side away from us. We could hear their hooves on the rocks.

Stunning desert views were a reward for a long slog through a dry, rocky riverbed.

A beautiful pool on our way up the hill. It was already hot, so we took a "shoes on" dip - lay on the dry rock and slide in on your back to cool off, keeping your boots and socks out of the water!

This is where we started seeing leopard prints. We didn't spot an actual leopard.

Our first leopard kill! A little gross. Zebra parts.

A more recent zebra kill - this one smelled a bit. It was fairly high up the hil, too; this leopard must have lived in the rocks nearby.

I'm showing off my fantastic hiking outfit on this natural staircase (I need shorts with good coverage!)

Here's Jim at the bottom of a high canyon wall.

A fun part of the hike: there are chains in the wall above this pool to help you navigate a very narrow ledge.

Don't worry, I made it!

Jim stands safely on the other side as we look back up the canyon.

A rainbow over our campsite as a rainshower came in at sunset. We did have to jump in the car at one point as lighting, rain and wind got strong!