Purros is located in the north west most part of Namibia, not far from the border. It is the last bit of civilization before crossing over to Angola. Purros is a true frontier town. We were told that we could get close to a Himba village, from this location. We headed out into a whole lot of nothingness.
We didn't pass many cars in route and we figured it was best to let those who know the local terrain and seem bent on taking the lead, to let them forge ahead.
Sometimes the road did get pretty crowed though.
We had been told this was a very desolate drive but we didn't realise how desolate it could get. They always warn you to keep your gas tank at least 1/2 full and that was our plan. Unfortunately the gas station at Kamanjab was closed but we thought no problem, we will get gas in Sesfontain. Unfortunately, we missed this gas station, as it was far off the road, with no signs leading to it. So we headed deep into the dry, desert scape, with far less than 1/2 tank.
This is the gas station we missed and didn't find until on our return. By then we were running on fumes. We were never so happy to find a gas station, even if it didn't have many services.
In route to Purros, we passed only a couple of homes, such as this one. How they survive on this bleak land, we have no idea. Each house had laundry hanging out to dry. I'm not sure where they get their water from.
Boabab trees spring up in the most unlikely places.
And sometimes they grow right out of the rocks.
The dust devils in route were breathtaking, especially when it seemed they were going to swallow the truck and anything else in their path. Some grew to quite large sizes and seemed pretty powerful, spewing dust and debris everywhere.
The last 109 Kms to Purros is over two track road for which you MUST have a 4X4, as the road snakes through sugar sand, dry wadi beds, and very rough rutted patches. Thankfully our Toyota truck did better than this one. Who ever was in this vehicle had a long walk! Now I understand why many people take a bush plane to Purros.
We arrive in Purros late in the afternoon. Amazing country! This is Purros from a small knoll over looking the town.
And this is a close up view. Not a gas station to be had!
This is the view from the opposite direction. Desolate, but stunning nonetheless.
Man and animal have to be tough and resillent to survive in this environment. This is home to the rare desert elephant which we were lucky to see. There are not many in the area. They are smaller than the normal African elephants and can survive for long periods on very little water.
Even the giraffe in this area are somewhat smaller but what is most noticeable is their coat is very faint and washed out looking. They think it may be because they don't get enough nutrients from the desert plants.
