Damaraland

The rainy season starts in December in Namibia and although the country is mostly desert, when it does rain, it really rains. A deluge started as we left the Himba village and we were forced to eat in the bus that evening. The campsites are very well equipped, but the shower and toilet facilities often have no roof on them because it is so hot and mostly dry. The heavy rain continued through the night and into the morning, so most of us passed up the chance to take a shower - except one of the German campers, who I met striding through the camp first thing in the morning in just his hiking boots and underpants after he emerged from the shower.

The north of Namibia is fairly flat, but as we headed down into Damaraland we passed through more mountainous terrain and some of the most beautiful scenery in Namibia. It's amazing how such a brutal landscape can be so beautiful. The combination of orange-coloured rocks with yellow and blue grasses is truly stunning.

We visited Twyfelfontein where there are hundreds of rock engravings that date back over 6,000 years and were thought to have been made by the ancient San hunters. The engravings depict animals that no longer live in the region such as lions, rhinos, giraffes and elephants. Given its historical significance, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site - the first one to be given this status in Namibia.