Namibia is a cosmically beautiful country and a great place to travel by car.
We planned a trip across the country for two weeks with my ex-husband and a couple of friends. On some days of our trip, we encountered only ten cars on the 400 kilometers of road. This whole outlandish world belonged almost exclusively to us – explorers of an impossibly beautiful country that looks like another planet. There were mesmerizing views all around: canyons, bizarre cliffs, dormant volcanoes, petrified trees, huge sand dunes, some of which jut straight into the Atlantic Ocean.
We were so impressed with the trip that immediately afterwards we started thinking about starting a small tourism business in Namibia so that we could move to the country and organize tours of it for travelers. We didn’t end up emigrating, but Namibia is still for me the only country in Africa I dream of returning to.
In the article I will tell you how to get to Namibia, what you need to know about safety in the country, what route I made, what we had time to see and how we chose campsites along the way.
What a country
Namibia is located in southern Africa, just above the Republic of South Africa. The country borders Botswana to the east, Angola and Zambia to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.
Namibia is a huge, sparsely populated country. It occupies an area of 825,000 km2 – an area of about two and a half Germanies. At the same time, only 2.5 million people live in Namibia. By comparison, Pakistan, with a population of 221 million, occupies approximately the same area.
A bit of history. Like most African countries, Namibia did not escape colonization. From 1884 to 1915, it was part of German South West Africa. Despite such a short period, it was a very tragic time for the indigenous people: the Germans exterminated many tribes. In May 2021, Germany recognized the genocide of the Herero and Nama tribes in 1904-1908 and promised to allocate money for the development of the country.
German expansion was halted by the First World War. The future Namibia was surrounded by colonies that belonged to Germany’s enemies. In July 1915, troops of the Union of South Africa – now South Africa – occupied the country. By decision of the League of Nations in 1920, future Namibia was handed over to the administration of the South African Union.
During the 20th century, modern South Africa was reluctant to give up controlled territories, primarily because of diamonds and fishing. In 1971, the International Court of Justice recognized this control as illegal, but South Africa still did not end the occupation. Only in 1990, as a result of a grueling guerrilla war, the country gained independence and a new name Namibia – after the oldest desert on the planet, the Namib Desert.
Traces of colonizers and managers are still visible today: Namibia has excellent roads, German architecture and gastronomic culture from South Africa.
The official language is English. Most people employed in the tourism sector speak the language well, but only 3% of the population use English at home. The rest communicate in the language of their region or tribe. Among the accepted national languages are German, Afrikaans, Herero and Oshiwambo.
Population. In some parts of the country, such as the north, nomadic tribes live just as they did hundreds of years ago. Civilization has hardly changed their way of life.
Tourists often visit Himba villages. I find such visits unethical. It seems strange to me to come and look at people like in a zoo, so we did not include a visit to the tribes in our program.
Tourism. Namibia is often called Africa for beginners. It is easy to travel on your own: there are no infrastructure problems in the cities, and the locals are hospitable and friendly. The country has a huge number of absolutely unique and stunning places – you won’t see anything like it anywhere else in the world.
In such an interesting territory, there are very few travelers – less than 2 million per year, most coming from neighboring countries. By comparison, France, the most popular country in the world, had 90 million visitors in 2019.
Safety
While many African countries began to open up to tourists in the 1970s, Namibia has only recently been actively traveled by tourists. For example, Caprivi, a narrow strip of land in the northeast of the country, was only recognized as safe for tourists in 2001.
Now Namibia is a fairly quiet country for travelers. As everywhere else, you should keep an eye on your bags in crowded places and not leave valuables in plain sight in your car. Tourists themselves can cause more problems.
Driving. It is dangerous to drive at night in Namibia: many highways are unlit, and there are many animals in the country – they can suddenly jump out on the road. Not small cats and rodents, but large oryx antelopes and even elephants can get in front of the car. In the national parks, night travel is not allowed at all.
The country has long distances and few gas stations, so it is important to plan your route clearly and always keep a jerry can of fuel in the trunk. I advise making more stops along the way and changing drivers more often to avoid fatigue from long drives.
It’s a good idea to take spare wheels or tires and tools to change them. Also, plenty of water and food.
Malaria and yellow fever. Malaria is not a problem unless you are going to the north of the country. If you are planning a trip there, keep in mind that you probably won’t be able to get vaccinated against the disease anytime soon. Scientists have recently created a vaccine against malaria, but it is primarily used to vaccinate at-risk African children. Tourists should take safety measures: use repellents, wear closed clothing in areas where there is an increased risk, usually near rivers, which are few in Namibia.
The border will only ask for a yellow fever certificate if you have been to endemic countries where the risk of infection is high.
When to go to Namibia
Namibia is big – different parts of the country have different climates. I recommend researching the weather along the entire route before traveling.
The country is almost always sunny and dry, but there are large temperature fluctuations. In summer, from December to April, daytime temperatures range from +28 to +32 °C, in some regions up to +38 °C. At night it drops to +15…20 °C, in the north – to 0 °C. In winter, the daytime temperature is around +15…20 °C, while at night it is about 10 °C colder.
Namibia is comfortable to travel at any time of the year. For example, from December to March it is good to go to the Kalahari Desert, but during this period it is not possible to trek in the Fish River Canyon, because the temperature there rises to +50 °C.
We traveled through Namibia in the second half of October. There was plenty of sunshine, but it was cold in the morning at the campsite without jeans and jackets.
In the regions that most tourists visit, it almost never rains – rainfall is more common in the northeastern part of the country. On the Atlantic coast, I recommend bringing a hat because of the strong winds.
The country has a long coastline, but it’s hard to call it a resort. Namibia is washed by a cold current – it’s much cooler there than I thought it would be. After living in Tanzania, the coast for me is more about white beaches and warm ocean, while in Namibia storms and fog are not uncommon. The water in the ocean is quite cool all year round – around +15…17 °C.
Itinerary
I love the trip planning process, and I’ve been lucky enough to travel with guys who trust my judgment and pretty much stay out of the organizational part.
We went on a 21 day trip: 13 days were spent traveling through Namibia by car, and in the last week we flew to the Caprivi Strip and went to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. I will only cover Namibia in this article.
For two weeks we had time to see almost everything interesting in the country, we did not reach only the north – to the border with Angola. During the trip we met a lot of animals. On a safari tour on a private ranch “Okapuka” we watched zebras, antelopes, rhinos and watched a crocodile hunting. In the huge Etosha National Park, close ups of ostriches and elephants. In the Cape Cross Nature Reserve near Swakopmund we saw the world’s largest colony of harbor seals.
We also climbed the sand dunes. Sandwich Harbor slopes straight down into the ocean, and the Sossusflei sand hills reach a height of 325 meters and surround the Dead Valley with withered acacia trees where there has been no water for over 800 years.
At the end of the trip we visited the Fish River Canyon, the second largest canyon in the world. I liked it better than the largest American Grand Canyon. After that we went to the extinct volcano Brukkaros and spent an unforgettable night on its slope. Further on in the article I will tell you more about each attraction.
Money
The official currency of Namibia is the Namibian dollar, NAD. In stores and restaurants, prices are found in both Namibian and US dollars.
It is best to bring US dollars with you to Namibia. It is easy to exchange them for local currency in major cities. Exchangers and banks are open full day from Monday to Friday, and on Saturday – only until lunchtime. On weekends dollars will be exchanged in large hotels, but the rate is not favorable. The easiest way to buy local currency is to buy it immediately upon arrival.
Rent a car
In Namibia, it’s almost impossible to get around without a car: you can’t even see half of the places on my itinerary without one.
We were pleased with the Gecko rental company. The website was full of information about the rules, insurance, what was included in the price and restrictions. At the same time, the staff responded quickly and competently to emails.
We rented a large four-wheel drive Toyota Hilax with two standard roof tents and all the camping equipment we needed. The car had tables, chairs, cooking and eating utensils, a barbecue grill and a gas burner with cylinders. We paid extra only for a portable refrigerator, but I don’t know the exact cost of renting it because we were given a bill without itemization.
We paid $1700 for renting a car and camping equipment for 13 days, airport transfers and back. The price also included minimal insurance, which did not cover windshield and wheel repairs.
You can also rent a car, but I don’t recommend it: the country is wild, and with a regular car your movements will be very limited. You will only be able to drive on the main roads and miss the most interesting places.
We had no complaints about the Toyota or the equipment during the entire trip. This is especially important because Namibia has huge distances and very few people. You need to be confident in your car and well prepared to travel in places where the nearest gas station is 300 kilometers away and a car service is only in a major city.
Fuel and wheel repair
The car was fueled with diesel. During the whole trip we spent about $550 on fuel.
There are few gas stations between towns in Namibia. When planning a day’s itinerary, I suggest looking on a map to see where they are located. In Google maps, a search on the words Petrol Station brings up fewer than 10 gas stations. More are marked on the map at tracks4africa.co.za.
In Namibia, the ability to change your own tires is important: it will almost certainly come in handy on the road. According to reports on the internet, it happens to almost everyone.
We had three flat tires on the trip, two of them on the way to Damaraland with one 12cm nail. We only had one spare tire, so on the way to the tire shop we stopped every half hour and pumped up the tires. Then we found a tire shop on Google maps and drove to the nearest township. It cost 400 NAD to repair each tire.
Roads and navigation
Namibia is left-hand drive, but you should not be afraid to drive: there are few other cars in the country, navigation on the highways is convenient and clear, and the quality of the roads is excellent. In some regions, such as Damaraland, they are covered with gravel, but it is still a pleasure to drive.
The roads in Namibia are an attraction in themselves. Each region offers incredible views. We were constantly stopping to take pictures of totally unimaginable rocks, mountains and canyons.
We used several maps to build our routes. Google maps in Namibia are very inaccurate and should not be relied on. Maps.me offline maps also had errors.
The most common problem with maps: they show a road that doesn’t exist or is private and therefore closed. The good thing about Namibia is that there are only two main highways across the country that intersect in the capital: B1 from north to south and B2/B6 from west to east. So it’s easy enough to figure out how to get to where you need to go.
All four of us were drivers, so we took turns at the wheel so as not to get too tired. We tried to drive no more than 500 kilometers a day and every 2-3 hours we stopped for a breather. We always had a supply of water and fuel in a jerry can.
We tried not to drive after sunset and did not exceed the speed limit. The rented cars have a tracker that beeps when the speed limit is broken. The limits in Namibia are 100 km/h on paved roads and 80 km/h on gravel roads. If you exceed the speed limit, your insurance will be invalidated.
Housing
We only stayed in apartments for three nights on the trip – in Windhoek and Swakopmund. The rest of the time we slept in campsites. Almost nothing was booked in advance – just accommodation in Windhoek and a night at a campsite in Etosha National Park.
In Windhoek there was a shuttle from the rental company to Hartmann Suites. We paid 1200 NAD for a night in a two-bedroom apartment for four people. In December 2021, this apartment would have cost us 1144 NAD. I liked that the apartment had special adapters for the outlets – from the European system to the Namibian system. I think when tourists arrive, they don’t have any of these things with them, so this is a nice touch. We were very comfortable in the apartment and I would recommend it.
In Swakopmund, we rented an apartment called 13 Flamingos. A night for four people cost 400 NAD, we stayed there for two nights. At the time of writing this article such a room costs 500 NAD, but on Booking and other aggregators there are no vacancies in these apartments until the end of 2022. On its Facebook, the company sometimes writes if someone has canceled the reservation. You can also find out about vacant places via WhatsApp at +264 81 332-67-38.
The apartment in Swakopmund had only one room, but with two big beds. There was nothing special about it, the most important thing was that we could leave the car in the fenced parking lot at the apartment. We had read in traveler reports that it was safer that way. Cars are not usually stolen because they have trackers on them, but they can break the glass and steal things from the interior or take something out of the trunk.
Campgrounds. For the other nights on the trip, we stayed at organized campgrounds – parking lots for cars with tents, like our Toyota.
Many campgrounds are organized in the same way. Sometimes their territory is fenced in. The campgrounds have clean communal showers, laundry and dishwashing facilities – there is plenty of everything. Often visitors have a private rest area with a table and benches, a place to roast meat and a tap with running water.
Almost always there is electricity to each place, and there are outlets. There was usually no wifi anywhere, but maybe something has changed since 2017. To keep in touch, we bought one SIM card and used it to give out internet.
The cheapest campsite on our route was Tandala Ridge, which is about 100 kilometers from Etosha National Park. We paid only NAD 100 per night for a car spot for four of us. It was well equipped: there were cozy showers with hot water and a barbecue area. Included in the price of the accommodation was a mini-excursion to a weather station whose employees collect data for NASA. The workers of the weather station did not tell us much, but it was still interesting to visit the tour and see how people live in such isolated places from civilization. The owners of the camping site also showed us their mini-garden.
The highest price was at Halali campground. It is located right on Etosha and is part of the Namibia Wildlife Resorts system. This is an organization that manages campsites and lodges – small hotels on their grounds – at all of the country’s major attractions. These campsites are not always the best or the cheapest, but are located in national parks where private companies have no
We paid 250 NAD for a seat at Halali and another 150 NAD per person. The total was 850 NAD per night. Right now, they only pay for accommodating people. Until the end of June 2022, the price for one is NAD 356, and from July through October it is NAD 416.
If you don’t like the idea of sleeping in a tent, you can stay in a lodge. A room costs 60-100$.
With our car, pitching tents was easy enough. The first night there was a strong wind and we were shaken up quite a bit. The next days we were not lazy to put up stretching poles.
Food
Groceries. When going on a trip where there are no stores for hundreds of kilometers along the way, you need to prepare in advance.
On our first day in Windhoek, we shopped at the Spar store. We spent about 4000 NAD. Then we stopped for groceries two more times on the way and spent about 3700 NAD more.
Usually for breakfast we made porridge, eggs, sandwiches and had coffee. For lunch we stayed at the campsite and cooked something like salads and pasta. Evenings with a bottle of wine were often well after sunset. A bottle of red cost about $10.
We had a refrigerator, so we took lots of great fresh meat with us: beef, chicken and pork. It was used to make braai, a South African version of barbecue, almost every night.
We had lunch and dinner in restaurants only a couple of times – in Windhoek and Swakopmund. It is relatively inexpensive there, the bill for one person is 10-15$. I liked the Ocean Basket chain with delicious seafood. The restaurant serves huge portions that are cheap. For example, a plate with shrimp, squid, fish and side dish will cost 129 NAD. They also offer cheap champagne with oysters.
Cape Cross Lodge in Swakopmund has a restaurant, and it’s pretty much the only place to eat near the harbor seal rookery. I recommend stopping by there, but I suggest sitting inside. The views from the terrace over the ocean, although spectacular, are very windswept. We took seafood there as well. A large plate of assortment costs 8-13 $.
The Tug restaurant is located in the center of Swakopmund, right by the pier. It serves fish and seafood. It is worth booking a table in advance by phone. We paid about $100 for dinner for four with wine.
The capital Windhoek
The capital of Namibia looks well-maintained and pretty. The city center is nice to walk around in, but there are no special tourist attractions. We were in the city twice: at the beginning of the trip and at the end, but despite this, I can’t tell you much about it.
There are no exciting descriptions of Windhoek in the guidebooks, so we decided not to waste our time in the city. The capital was founded by German colonists, so among the few historic buildings in Windhoek are a Lutheran church, a German fort and a few neo-Gothic structures.
Two things caught my eye in the capital. The first was the neat and clean sidewalks. After living in Tanzania, where there are none, I began to pay attention to such trifles. The second is the fact that every house, even in a decent neighborhood, is surrounded by electric wire. I think this fact gives a good idea of the general level of security in the city.
As in any other city in Africa, in Windhoek you should choose your neighborhood carefully – it is better to settle closer to the center. Transportation in the city is poor. If you can’t get somewhere on foot, you’ll have to take a cab.
Okapuka Ranch
From Windhoek, we headed north and stopped at Okapuka Ranch, where game drives – safari trips to see the animals up close – are organized for visitors.
There are many such ranches in Namibia. The area of Okapuka is 140 km2, which is 160 times smaller than the area of Etosha National Park, which I will describe next.
We signed up for the game drive in the morning over the phone. Upon arrival, we paid for the safari trip. It lasts 1.5 hours and costs NAD 350 per person.
At the ranch we saw zebras, antelope, rhinos and a crocodile that, before our eyes, caught and dragged a warthog, an animal similar to the boar and Pumbaa from The Lion King, into the lake. “That’s okay,” the guide said to our shrieks. – We only have one crocodile, but there are many warthogs.”
It was not my first safari, but the tour was still impressive: the ranchers fed the animals, who came to the car without fear, to the delight of the tourists. I was sitting in the car from the very edge, and literally half a meter away from me a huge rhino walked by. I could touch it with my hand! I had only seen rhinos a couple of hundred meters away before.
After the safari, we found our first campsite, Weaver’s Rock, on the map and made a reservation by phone a couple hours before check-in. We arrived in the dark and cooked our first camper barbecue dinner.
Usually the crocodiles lie motionless and wait for stray warthogs to come close. Then they grab them and quickly drag them into the lake. “Pumba” though pitiful, emotions are running high. We were very lucky to see this hunt: usually such prey is enough for a crocodile for several weeks
Cheetah Conservation Fund
The next morning we went to the Cheetah Conservation Foundation, an international organization with a large private area. Its employees preserve the species and the ecosystem in which cheetahs live. The foundation provides medical care for the animals, and healthy individuals are released into their natural habitat. Cheetahs that for some reason cannot live in the wild remain on the Foundation’s territory.
The main task of employees and volunteers is to help cats, not to entertain tourists. But for travelers there is an information center with a cafe, a souvenir store and a couple of rooms where you can read about the foundation’s activities.
Different tours are organized for visitors. We wanted to see how cheetahs are fed. These tours are organized from 9 to 11 a.m., the exact time should be found out in advance. It is better to book a tour by phone, you can call just a day before the trip. There is also a booking form on the website
We opted for Cheetah Drive for NAD 605 per person. Groups leave every 30 minutes and the tour lasts an hour. For the first half hour we were told about the foundation and its projects, and the rest of the time was taken up by the tour itself.
Etosha National Park
“Etosha” is one of the oldest national parks in the world. Its territory was declared a protected zone in 1907. The area of the park is 22,270 km2, a quarter of which is occupied by the salt marsh, which can be seen even from space.
If you come to the park early in the morning, you can see a lot in one day, but I don’t recommend it: most of the animals are active at dawn and dusk. We spent two days in Etosha and were able to watch the animals watering at night.
We did not see any predators in the park, but we did see a huge number of elephants, zebras, ostriches and many other herbivores. The National Park does not compare in any way with Okapuka Ranch: “Etosha is a huge area with real wildlife, while the ranch is more like an outdoor zoo.
The park has several entrances. We entered through the eastern gate, from the side of Namutoni campground, because it was more convenient for our route. A ticket to Etosha costs 80 NAD per person, and we paid another 10 NAD for the car. Later we found out that entrance to all Namibian national parks costs the same. There is no need to buy tickets in advance.
In many national parks around the world, spotting animals depends on luck. This is not a problem in Etosha: the park is mostly low-growing savannah and has many artificial ponds. The watering holes attract the animals, so you just have to move from one pond to another to see them. There was a pond near our campsite – there, a 5-minute walk from our tent, we observed three rhinos drinking water.
In the National Park, tourists are allowed to drive on their own, while, for example, in the parks of Tanzania it is forbidden: it is always necessary to book a tour with a driver-guide. In “Etosha” tourists move only on marked roads, where there are signs and it is quite difficult to get lost. If you are interested in specific animals, I advise you to ask the park staff at which watering holes you are more likely to meet them. Some places are more likely to have elephants and others zebras.
When we wanted to spend more time in Etosha, we decided to book a campsite right in the park. If you stay outside the park, you have to leave the area at night and spend the best hours for watching animals – sunset and sunrise. It is strictly forbidden to stay overnight in places outside the campgrounds, and serious fines are imposed. This is how the authorities protect animals and nature from people.
In 2017 there were only five campsites in Etosha, not long ago they opened a sixth. To stay in them, you need to book a place in advance. A month before the trip, there was only space left in the Halali campground. Its main advantage is that it is located in the center of the park.
We arrived at Etosha after 4 pm. At that time we didn’t realize yet that we should hurry up. The drive to the campground from the eastern gate was only an hour, so we decided to watch the sunset at the Etosha Plateau, the salt marsh that occupies a quarter of the park. It is only covered with water during the rainy seasons. We were in the dry season and saw only endless salt.
In the end, we drove to the campground in the dark and came across a closed gate. The rangers didn’t want to let us in because riding in the park after sunset is not allowed: there is a high risk of encountering elephants, rhinos and herds of antelope. I thought we could get away with it if the rangers didn’t catch us, but no: the guards ordered us to go to the campground commandant in the morning. The next day we were scolded and fined 1920 NAD.
Don’t make the same mistake we did. If you want to explore the park in the dark, book an organized night safari for NAD 400 per person. Many animals are more active at night when the sun is not blazing. Even predators can be seen on such trips. On the other hand, it is harder for humans to see anything in the dark.
Damaraland Region
From Etosha we left through the south gate of Anderson and in the evening we traveled to the Damaraland region, where there are even fewer people than we had seen before on the trip. There the next day we wanted to visit the Petrified Forest and the rock art valley.
The Petrified Forest, or Petrified Forest, is the first attraction we checked out in Damaraland. It’s not really a forest, but trunks up to 45 meters long that lie on the ground. They became fossils 280 million years ago, at the end of the Ice Age. Scientists believe they are the ancestors of conifers.
We were given a half hour tour which costs NAD 100 per person. You will not be allowed into the park without a tour. I can’t call the tour very interesting.
Twyfelfontein is a valley with thousands of rock paintings. The earliest are 5,000 years old and the most recent ones appeared about 500 years ago. This is where indigenous tribes used to perform rituals.
We didn’t get a chance to see the drawings: we arrived 15 minutes before the park closed because we spent time getting our wheels repaired. Entrance to the valley costs 100 NAD. What they tell you about on the tour, we never found out.
But we enjoyed the views of Damaraland to the fullest. All the power and beauty of this land can’t be captured in photos: bizarre cliffs, endless roads and utter loneliness.
The drawing “White Lady” was hollowed out on a small ledge deep in the Brandberg Mountain about 2000 years ago. It is one of the most detailed and extensive rock paintings in Namibia. The image was named by French anthropologist Henri Breuil in 1929. He was able to convince the whole world that the main figure in the drawing was a white woman. Only in the second half of the 20th century, scientists still came to the opinion that the center of the composition depicts a shaman in a ritual dance.
You can’t get to the drawing without a tour. Entrance together with it costs 100 NAD. On the way back, for an additional 60 NAD per person, the guide suggested we make a small detour to see the desert elephants. We happily agreed. In the end we saw only a lone elephant, and that one was walking in the distance.
The whole tour took about 2 hours. Toward the end, by 11am, it got unbearably hot. Be sure to take plenty of water with you whenever you get out of the car.
Skeleton Coast
After the Brandberg mountain, we set off for the coast. We drove 350 kilometers, and on the way we did not meet a single gas station or settlement.
This place is called the Skeleton Coast. This part of the Atlantic is famous for its unpredictable weather and storms – the ocean has washed ashore hundreds of ships there.
On our way to Swakopmund, which is on the coast, we stopped by a nature reserve to see the harbor seals.
The Cape Cross Reserve is 133 kilometers from Swakopmund. The world’s largest colony of harbor seals lives there. Hundreds of thousands of animals gather together and eat lots of fish. In a year, the seals eat 1 million tons of fish – that’s 300,000 tons more than is caught for the fishing industry in Namibia and South Africa combined.
A path with a fence has been laid near the kittiwakes’ habitat to prevent people from disturbing the animals. Some kittens come very close to the path, but I don’t recommend stroking them: they may bite. Also be prepared for the kitties to smell awful. Despite this, the reserve is a cool place.
Admission to Cape Crossing costs NAD 100 per person. The park is usually only open until 17:00.
City of Swakopmund
Swakopmund surprised with its German architecture: a century and a half ago it was one of the main towns of German colonists. When planning your itinerary, I advise you to take into account that almost everything in the city is closed on weekends, but cafes and restaurants are mostly open.
The town is small, you can get around it in a couple hours. We didn’t go to the museums because we came to Namibia for the nature. It was the first opportunity for us to replenish our provisions after Windhoek, do laundry at the laundromat, exchange money and go to a couple of good fish restaurants. Such a respite with showers, beds and civilization came in handy.
Sandwich Harbor Dunes
We spent the next morning walking around Swakopmund. At 2pm we were picked up by jeep for a tour of the Sandwich Harbor dunes. They are part of the world’s oldest Namib Desert. Most of it, together with the Naukluft mountain range, is part of the Namib-Naukluft National Park – the largest in the country and the fourth largest in the world.
In the National Park, sand giants descend directly into the waters of the Atlantic. The views are unbelievable – photos can’t do justice to them.
For a half-day tour with a guide and a small snack, we paid 1600 NAD per person. In 2021, a similar tour, for example on sandwich-harbour.com, costs 1800 NAD. We, on the other hand, picked up a flyer at the info center in town in 2017 and arranged a tour with the driver.
The ride in an enclosed jeep through the sands is better than any amusement park. We got a really cool guide. He is originally from Germany, but has lived in Namibia almost all his life. The guide drove us around the dunes, told us about the desert and the country, and then organized a small picnic right in the sands. The trip was expensive, but worth it.
You are not allowed to drive on your own in the sands: there is a very high risk of getting stuck, even with a four-wheel drive vehicle. Rangers will pull you out, of course, but you’ll get a fine and a bill for assistance. In addition, car insurance usually does not cover the costs of incidents resulting from traveling in the sands.
Sossusfleet Valley
The next point of our journey was the Sossusflei Valley, a plateau of salt and clay that is surrounded by red dunes. Sossusflei is located within the same Namib-Naukluft National Park as the Sandwich Harbour dunes, but the distance between the sites is about 350 kilometers. The dunes near Swakopmund are notable for being right by the ocean. And in Sossusflei, the sands are much higher and of a different color.
The valley is very popular with tourists. I read that it is the most photographed and videographed place in the country. Entrance to the park costs 80 NAD per person and 10 NAD per car.
When people say “Sossusfleet,” they usually mean other attractions nearby: the valley’s tallest dune, Big Daddy Dune, Dead Valley, Dune 45, and Sesriem Canyon
On the first evening upon arrival we made a small foray to the dunes and got stuck in the sands. The first 50 kilometers of the route are covered with asphalt, but closer to the most interesting places the road is covered with sand. Even a four-wheel drive will not help. Several other cars got stuck together with us.
More experienced drivers suggested that we should deflate the tires a bit. We reduced the tire pressure from 1.6 to 1.3 atmospheres and gently pressed the gas and brake. Eventually we were able to drive to the furthest observation deck. I don’t recommend driving across the sands in a passenger car – it’s better to take a bus, which is organized for tourists.
Dune 45 is so called because it is located 45 kilometers from Sesriem on the road to Sossusflei. Its height is 80 meters. On Dune 45 we met the sunset and then we rode the slopes on our asses for a long time, ran on the sand and were happy about it.
Then under a very rapidly darkening sky we headed back to the campground. We were afraid of being late and getting fined again. In the end we got to the gate 5 minutes before closing time.
Dead Valley, or Deadvlei, and Big Daddy’s Dune. We started the next morning at 05:45, met the sunrise at the lookout point and at 7 am we were already at the parking lot at Deadvlei and Big Daddy Dune. It’s free, tourists only pay to enter the national park.
Big Daddy is the tallest dune in Sossusfleet, standing 325 meters high. It overhangs the Dead Valley, where there has been no water for over 800 years.
We started climbing the dune early, when there was hardly anyone on the slopes. But by 8 a.m. it was already very hot in the sun. 325 meters up the sand is a serious load. You should definitely wear a hat, put on sunscreen and take plenty of water with you.
There are no marked routes in the desert – you go wherever you want. I advise you not to go too far: it’s the desert, there’s nowhere to hide from the heat and the scorching sun.
The shortest route to Big Daddy comes from the plateau, and we went around the dune on the left, so the most surreal place – Deadvlei – was approached from above. From the top, the clay plateau looks like a white-washed field with little black dots – withered ancient trees. We spent 3-4 hours for hiking up and down and visiting the plateau.
Duvisib Castle
From Sesriem we headed south to the Fish River Canyon. Since the trip was 840 kilometers, we divided it into two days.
On the way from Sesriem to Aus on the D826 highway, there is an interesting sight – Duvisib Castle. Amidst the deserts, a neobaroque building from the early 20th century suddenly rises up. The castle was built by German military officer Hans-Heinrich von Wolf and lived there together with his American wife. They raised horses on neighboring properties. The officer died during World War I and his wife did not want to return to Namibia. In 1979, the government bought the castle, and in the early 1990s the building was restored and a museum was opened there.
At the time of publishing this article, the castle is closed. In 2017, we toured it with a guided tour. It lasted 20 minutes and cost NAD 70 per person. In 2020, reviews on Google maps said that the building had been neglected and was dirty.
Inside, the interior of the former owners’ rooms, artwork, and weapons have been preserved. There was also free wifi in the castle and a cafe where you could have a cup of tea. It’s a great place for a short stopover.
After 480 kilometers from Sesriem, we stopped for the night in the town of Aus, at the Klein-Aus Vista campground. Although there are very few campers in those parts, we were the last available spot.
Fish River Canyon
In the morning we continued south on the C13 highway, planning to reach the village of Ai-Ais at the Ai-Ais Hotsprings and Spa campground and stay in the Fish River Canyon. There is a shorter route from Aus to Ai-Ais, but in preparing for the trip I came across mention of a very nice road – the D276. It is marked on Google maps as a continuation of the C13, but there is only one road there – don’t get lost.
The highway runs along the border between Namibia and South Africa, along the coast of the Orange River. In order to drive along it, we had to go through a car inspection by border guards, which took about five minutes. I recommend repeating our route because it is one of the most beautiful roads in the country. On the right hand there is a river surrounded by greenery, and behind it is already South Africa, on the left hand there are canyons and mountains.
By evening we reached the camping site, whose guests can visit the thermal pools for free. The springs themselves are nothing interesting: they are just 3-4 pools of warm water. But there are canyon walls and a starry sky overhead.
Fish River Canyon is the largest canyon in Africa and the second largest in the world after the Grand Canyon in the USA. The size of the canyon in Namibia is amazing – 160 kilometers long and up to 500 meters deep.
The Fish River Canyon is shaped like a matryoshka doll. One, older canyon is located inside a fresher and bigger one, but if you don’t know it, you can’t see it in person.
Fish River Canyon is in a national park, entry to which cost us 330 NAD for four of us and a car.
In winter, the Ai-Ais Hotsprings and Spa campground finishes with campers following a trekking route along the bottom of the canyon. We didn’t plan it because such a trek requires a lot of time: the route is 85 kilometers long. There is no civilization in the canyon – everything you may need on the way, including plenty of water and food, you need to take with you. From the bottom of the canyon there are few ascents to the top – if something happens, you still have to walk many kilometers. Usually such a hike is done with an experienced guide. In summer, the route is closed due to the heat: temperatures can reach +50 °C.
In the morning we went to the canyon itself and the viewpoints from the top. The drive from the campground took about 1.5 hours. We drove about 70 kilometers, which is close by Namibian standards.
A hollow south of Windhoek
After the canyon, we turned north and headed for the capital city. On the way we found ourselves in the middle of nowhere for the whole trip. On this 650 kilometers stretch there are practically no sights that are on the ear, so tourists try to hurry through the area of the central plateau on the asphalted highway B1. There are also very few gas stations and cafes along the road.
We made our first stop at the Naut Dam, which forms an artificial reservoir. There was a camping site with toilets and showers on the shore, but we didn’t meet a single person there. We had a look at the reservoir from the dam and drove on.
Quivertree Forest, or Quivertree Forest, is the most famous attraction in those parts. It’s not really a forest at all, but an area with giant aloe trees.
Entrance to the park costs NAD 100 per person. The ticket includes a walk through the Giant’s Playground, a place where there are many large stones of unusual shapes, as if giant children scattered their cubes. I liked this playground better than the forest: it’s easy to imagine yourself in the land of giants, and you can also play hide and seek with your friends.
The forest of quiver trees is popular with night photography enthusiasts: there, as in many places in Namibia, the light from the cities does not interfere with photographing the starry sky. And the trees look mystical against this background.
If we hadn’t needed to be in Windhoek in a couple of days, we would have loved to stay overnight at a campground near the Quiver Tree Forest – strolling through the parks without rushing, and gazing at the starry sky at night. But we didn’t have time, so that same evening we went to the crater of the extinct Brukkaros volcano, where we spent probably the most memorable night of the trip.
Brukkaros Crater
The height of the extinct volcano Brukkaros is 1590 meters. We decided to look at the volcano and stop at it, because there were no other options at a distance of a couple of hundred kilometers.
On Google maps we saw that there were two campsites on the slopes of the volcano, 3-4 kilometers from the crater. We arrived there after sunset, we had to climb up the mountain on a very bad road in the dark. There were no signs at the site. All we saw was the site and an almost ruined barbecue area. Well and darkness all around as far as the eye could see. We pitched our tents on our car and went to bed. Sleeping alone on the mountain was a little creepy.
In the morning, when we managed to catch the internet, we read reviews that the campgrounds had been abandoned for over a year. Then we looked at the road we were climbing up and realized that we were very lucky we didn’t get a flat tire. The road is not passable even for a four-wheel drive car. But we got a great view of the extinct volcano.
From the campsite it didn’t seem that the crater was located at any significant altitude, so we set off trekking light. In the end the trek took 4 hours, we walked up and down 13 kilometers, most of the way we had to climb on rocks.
At the top we saw an abandoned German observatory, but the most interesting thing, of course, is the panorama: the volcano is right in the middle of the central plateau of Namibia. During these two days we never met a single tourist for hundreds of kilometers around, but wild goats sometimes climbed the rocks with us.
The last point of our adventure before returning to Windhoek is the Oanob Lake Resort. It’s a man-made lake, a popular weekend getaway amongst the capital city’s residents. After spending the night at the campsite, we relaxed by the pool before driving the last 100 kilometers of our journey to Windhoek. In the evening of the same day, we returned the rental car.
What’s the bottom line
Such a trip is difficult to make alone – first of all because of the huge distances and driving. And when traveling to such stunning places, you always want to share your impressions with your loved ones.
I can’t say that we saw all the most interesting things in Namibia – it’s quite possible to spend a whole month there. The only thing we didn’t get to see from my plan was the rock paintings in the Twyfelfontein Valley.
Traveling to Namibia is not only about the sights and stops, but also about the road. There you can enjoy a great desert highway with unforgettable views.
I have been to 50 countries and I can say for sure that Namibia is like no other. It seems like the whole trip was spent on a distant planet – so extraordinary were the views that surrounded us. In the country you feel completely at one with nature: there is nothing but you and the surrounding world for hundreds of kilometers.
I really want to go back to Namibia.
