5,100 km and 26 days around Namibia.
When my friend Angela returned from Namibia she told me two things: I had to go and I had to stay at the andBeyond Desert Lodge in Sossusvlei. I told her I’d add it to the list.
This year I made good on that list. I started planning for the trip seven or eight months before I departed, emailing Ramona—the travel agent I had used on my first East Africa trip—to ask her advice and help me book lodges.
Honestly, she told me, I should rent a car and drive around the country myself. She had done it herself and said it was an amazing place to self drive. She sent me maps with estimated times and answered my questions and set me loose.
I’m forever thankful for her advice.
Namibia is one of the most beautiful countries I have visited and I’m glad I got to experience it behind the wheel of my own automobile. I stopped more times than I can count along the side of the mostly gravel roads to take it in and to take photos. And even though I drove from the southern Fish River Canyon to the northern border at Epupa Falls (over 5,100 kilometers round trip), I still couldn’t see it all.
15 May 2024 – 9 June 2024
1.
The Quiver Tree Forest & Giant’s Playground.
The drive from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop is along a tarred two-lane highway. I share the road with truckers and the occasional SUV or Hilux. It seems like most of the vehicles are white.
2.
Keetmanshoop to Fish River Canyon.
Once again I am up before the dawn. The drive to Fish River Lodge is a little over two and a half hours long and I hope to arrive around lunch.
3.
A day in Fish River Canyon.
Last night after dinner I sat on my terrace to look at the stars. A meterorite burned long and hot to the west, a slow flaming streak that exposed a redorange slice in the night sky before the dark healed around it.
4.
Fish River Canyon to Luderitz.
I am up early. I slept off and on, waking myself every few hours to gaze at the night sky, looking for shooting stars. The night was warmer than I expected and thankfully still.
5.
Windows and doorways in time: The Kolmanskop ghost town
You didn’t see it when you passed? Veronica is surprised. I had asked her how far Kolmanskop is from Lüderitz. I had passed it on my way in.
6.
Agate Beach, Halifax Island, and Diaz Point.
Returning from Kolmanskop I decide to take a minute and visit Agate Beach. Nearing town I take a right turn and find myself driving down a gavel road through a suburb of corregated metal structures. Outside, children play, a barber cuts hair.
7.
Leaving Lüderitz.
I take an early breakfast, eager to get on the road. Saime waves to me as I back out of the driveway, and I return her wave as the gates close in front of me. I put the car into gear and head towards the B4, headed east, the ocean behind me.
8.
To Sossusvlei.
In the morning I take breakfast outside on the terrace. The other two guests appear shortly after I’ve begun and we strike up a conversation.
9.
Sossusvlei and the Namib desert by land.
Tangeny takes us to Sossusvlei. It’s an early morning and everyone seems a little bleary-eyed when I greet everyone in the main lodge. There are four of us with the guide, an older retired couple, a bush pilot for Scenic Air, and myself.
10.
An ATV exploration of the Namib desert and a visit to petrified dunes.
Back in my suite I go for a quick dip in the pool before lunch. I try to get the sand out of my ears and out of my hair with limited success.
11.
Sossusvlei and the Namib Desert by air.
Birds have come to the lodge to drink, forming a line on the edge of the pool. They’re matched by a thin line of clouds in the sky.
12.
The big dune walk and desert paintings.
Chicco meets me at 0630 for the drive out to the big dune. It’s a private dune on the property of the andBeyond, offering a more tranquil dune experience.
13.
From the desert to the sea.
I wake up earlier than I want to, my body accustomed to an early-morning wake up call. I want to sleep in. I want to bask in my room. But my time is limited. I’m to reach Swakopmund by nightfall.
14.
A day in Swakopmund.
I wake up to a cold grey morning. I’ve slept almost nine hours. I step out onto my little balcony to admire the view. Waves crash on the shore; a damp wind blows across my face.
15.
Sandwich Harbor: Where the desert meets the sea.
John Robbie greets us at the tourism office in Walvis Bay and introduces himself as our guide for our morning’s excursion to Sandwich Harbor. I’m with two friends from Windhoek, who are here for a long weekend. He leads us to his Landcruiser and has us hop inside.
16.
A trip up the Skeleton Coast to the Cape Cross seal reserve.
I sometimes wonder what younger me would think of me now.
17.
A day in Spitzkoppe.
I’m up early, eager to get a jump on the day. It’s two hours to Spitzkoppe and then another hour to the lodge in which I’m staying. It’s all been a last-minute addition to my itinerary and I’m not entirely certain what to expect.
18.
Doro Nawas, a petrified forest, and the rock art at
Twyfelfontein.
I wake up to an incredible sunrise. A heavy fog has descended upon the valley and rising sun paints the skies purple. A sliver of moon hangs bright, a ring of light glows around a crescent held up like a bowl. The mountain looms a shadowy form.
19.
On the trail of desert-adapted giraffe and elephants.
It’s my birthday. Bons and I will be spending the morning tracking desert-adapted elephants. Last night’s sighting will hopefully be but a preview of what we’ll see today, but there are no guarantees.
20.
The road to Epupa Falls.
I sleep off and on through the night. I keep waking myself to gaze up at the stars and I am up before the dawn. I watch as the skies lighten, the stars fade. A desert frog croaks just before the dawn.
21.
Exploring Epupa Falls.
I wake to the sound of the falls in my ears. I’m staying in a cabin so close to the falls that I could practically jump out of my window into them.
22.
Epupa to Etosha National Park.
At breakfast Daleen asks me which direction I’m heading. I tell her I’m headed south to Etosha by way of Opuwo. She asks if I can take three of her nieces and a nephew with me.
23.
Dolomite Camp to Okaukuejo, Etosha National Park.
Mack picks me up at the entrance to my tent in the morning. Not only has he come to fetch me, he’s also taking us on a morning game drive.
24.
Etosha National Park and the end of the road.
I wake up in the middle of the night to use the loo. Since I’m up I decide to check on the waterhole. I put on my jacket, hat, and scarf and step out into the night.