PHOTOGRAPHY
NAMIBIA 2018
OKAHIRONGO
When you have seen scores of elegant giraffes, a solitary KUDU, and had an adrenaline rush encounter with a Black Rhino, a mere 3m from your vehicle, have driven all day appreciating the wonders of the Namibian desert, are covered with dust, have bid adieu to the sun for that day over champagne, a daily ritual with my charming companions, and have watched your guide navigate over obscure, confusing sand tracks for an hour and half, trying to get you to your accommodations for the night, you are ready for something, but what?
Our first glimpse of OKAHIRONGO was seeing a few lights on a distant hilltop near the village of Puros. When we finally reached our destination in Kaokoland, we were keen to embrace the new experience.
The Lodge’s low light, enhancing viewing of the night sky is noticeable immediately. Okahirongo is 100% on solar power and is sensitive to its surrounding environment in every way.
We had arrived in the dark and by flashlight were escorted to our individual chalets built of local stone. I was enchanted with mine, one of seven, plus one larger unit. The lodge can accommodate 14 guests.
With a beautiful horn handle I opened my kraal type door into a hall, bedroom on one side, bathroom on the other and gazebo straight ahead. The bathroom delighted me with a tree trunk, a huge, earthenware tub placed to take advantage of the view, a large shower with a bucket to capture water while waiting for the ample supply of hot water, two sinks, toilet in a cubby of its own and, quite wonderful, an outdoor shower surrounded by a kraal type fence. I loved that bathroom!
Because we had been camping under the stars and the Milky Way, I wasn’t quite ready to give up on those stars at night so asked the obliging staff if they would prepare the day bed of the gazebo for me to sleep outside. I was thus able to still enjoy the magical sky overhead.
The bedroom was beautifully furnished with fourposter beds and mosquito nets, African designed fabrics, the occasional colorful lizard, a very comfortable, very stylish room.
Of all the lodges we visited, on this first trip of mine to Namibia, I found the architecture of Okahirongo to be the most creative. Its dark terra cotta, organic clay surfaces seem to emerge from the surrounding landscape. The shapes of the various modules are curved, domed, soft, no exterior straight lines. Made me think of the adobe Indian pueblos of the US Southwest where I grew up.
The interior was a marvel of design and art. I felt like I was in a high quality museum. I wanted to sit in every chair, study each a work of art, and explore the carefully designed grounds.
There is thoughtful attention to details such as the patterns of rocks in the flooring, different in each area, the earth tone furnishings, the views carefully captured by the architecture.
There were many details to admire at Okahirongo, curved lines in the patios, the variety of colored stones used in the landscaping design and the inspired placement of a white tree branch near the domed entrance. It was visible from various parts of the lodge, enjoyed by local birds and guests alike.
My problem was that since we had arrived in the dark and would be leaving in the dark to be on the road and take advantage of sunrise and the early light for photography, would I ever see Okahirongo in daylight? As it turned out with things like this, we got a later start than planned the next morning and had ample time to appreciate the stunning lodge.
I applaud the architect’s design of the library and lounges. The distant vista is carefully framed in decreasing increments by the end wall, giving one a sense of looking into infinity at the mountains beyond.
Even the maintenance area is treated with respect and carefully executed design. A most beautifully designed retaining wall reminded me of the Viet Nam War Memorial in Washington, DC. with its elegant simplicity and strong design.
The setting is superior, on a hilltop overlooking the vast loneliness of the desert on one side and the green shrubs and trees leading to the stunning Hoarisub Gorge on the other side.
On our first morning at Okahirongo, we set out, first stopping to pay tribute to a 1,000 year old treasured Camel thorn tree- Accacia erlioroba. It was fascinating, with a sculptural, gnarled trunk.
We were given a report from locals about their having seen a large bull elephant that morning in their camp. Shortly thereafter, we tracked him successfully by means of his footprints and elephant dung and of all things, the sand bed he had made for himself!!
He was an impressive and dignified 30 year old bull. We had plenty of time to photograph him and follow him into HOARISUB GORG ahead.
I was surprised, after having driven in “ephemeral rivers,” to see an actual river with wide swaths of water and banks lush with vegetation, the most common plants:
Mustard tree- Salvadora Persica, enjoyed by the elephant.
Camel thorn tree- Accacia erlioroba
Anna tree- Accacia albida
Tamarisk- Tamariskia oesnodus
Real fan Palm tree- Hyphersiana petersiana
Along the 30 km pristine Hoarisub Gorge we passed stunning steep cliffs, sand banks to explore, a sense of calm and quiet.
As always, Gerhard knew of a solitary tree, this one a lead tree, under which we could have lunch, in the area where no other trees existed! It was uncanny how he did that. The shade helped to mitigate the 27˚ temperature.
We passed more giraffes and found our first LONE MAN.
The story of the Lone Man is a mystery. Nobody knows who the artist is or why he makes these sculptures. Nobody knows how many there are. Sometimes they are moved from one location to another. They are numbered and often have a message if it has not been removed by passersby. The artists’ motive is unclear, but nobody minds. They are enchanting and provocative.
Encircling a stunning, seductive mountain, Oharondwanomanga – Himba mount, we ran into a large herd of zebra, had our sunset champagne and headed back to our home for another evening, Okahirongo Lodge.
We were seduced by the infinity swimming pool and enjoyed a lovely cool refreshment under the stars.
And so, after two nights at Okahirongo, we set off on our continuing adventure, camping for the next couple of nights, appreciative of having been exposed to this beautiful lodge. A perfect place for experiencing the remote area, Kaokoland of Northwestern Namibia.