Day 45: Namwi Lodge (Katima Molilo, Namibia) – Whispering Sands Campsite (Sioma/Ngonye Falls, Sambia)

We pick a lemon from the tree and fill up the tank, then cross the border into Zambia.

Getting our passport and CdP stamped in Namibia is basically easy. The car is inspected, the chassis number is checked, and an officer instructs us on what to do with the CdP. After three explanations, and a fourth check with Brigitte, all the information is in the correct field, and we get the stamp.

The hardest part was even finding a parking; the border is full of trucks. And they're standing, driving, and pushing pretty furiously.

Entering Zambia is a bit more complicated.

It starts with the guys who swarm around you to exchange money. We've really grown weary of that by now. We signal that we want to do everything official first. First, show your passports and enter all the vehicle information in a book.

At immigration, we check our IDs, receive a tracking slip, issue a 30-day visa, and hand in the stamped tracking slip.

At customs, we get stamped the CdP without any problems.

At one point, the question arose as to whether we still had to go to Interpol. But we don't need to, since we have our own vehicle with a CdP – meaning it wasn't stolen.

But we do have to take out insurance (90 days for 650 kwacha). The fifty-dollar bill disappears with the clerk – after a quarter of an hour, we get the printout, and the ladies cut us a round vignette with scissors.

Off we go to the next station: road fee (20 US dollars), carbon tax (492.80 kwacha), local fee ("Council Levy" / 50 kwacha). It's almost the same as what we paid last year. Except: the payment system has crashed, and nothing works anymore.

Patience is required...

Brigitte exchanges 100 euros at the "bank." The wooden door is recognizable by its thick lock and the armed, sunglasses-wearing man in a fancy uniform.

We have to negotiate Namibian dollars with the money-swindlers, but eventually we manage to collect our kwacha.

After about two and a half hours, we'd actually be done, if only there were an obvious exit. Nothing but trucks transporting copper plates to somewhere.

We'd often wondered what they were transporting, as the trucks were only loaded with a few plates. Now we know: heavy stuff from the Copperbelt of Zambia or the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Since we can't seem to get out of the area, things get a bit tense towards the end between Brigitte and two women lounging in the shade. They reveal themselves as officials and naturally want to see the passports again. But then they're somehow impressed by the many stamps in Brigitte's passport. At the same time, our CdP and the collected receipts go to a kiosk – something you have to keep an eye on.

Then we finally find ourselves right behind the border gate in front of a shed where we get our Airtel SIM cards (2x 22 GB for 30 days for 440 kwacha, or just under 15 euros).

And off we go north along the Zambezi River to Ngonye Falls.

The area is far less densely populated and significantly poorer. Few cars, no mopeds, bicycles, or pedestrians.

The first campsite, Ngonye River Camp, is a construction site, a level spot is difficult to find, and the price is outrageous; haggling down 397 pppn to 500 for the spot is still too much. So we move on.

Whispering Sands is more pleasant, and at 450 for a spot with a river view, it's okay.

We head back to the western viewpoint of the falls and climb around the area a bit – it's truly impressive. The eastern viewpoint is currently inaccessible due to flooding. Water is cascading, flowing, swirling, and rushing everywhere.

Today we're having a meal cooked for us, which means a little more money goes to the village. We prefer this support to buying some more or less attractive carvings.