Namibia roadtrip

So, I'm through with a roadtrip on Namibia and would love to tell you about this beautiful country and things I've seen!

Namibia. Beautiful, vast, full of culture, history and wildlife. And sand.

The first days after arriving here it was a roadtrip, covering about 800 km a day. I was here with a friend, and it was very nice to be able to interchange who is driving, especially since the driving was on the left side as opposed to the right side that we are used to.

The scenery changes every half hour, so I could not help to take photos of the road the whole time!

At times, there is sand desert or stone desert. Then, magnificent peaks arise from an otherwise flat landscape. They follow you and disappear, giving way to canyons, or colorful flowers, or desert once again.

Some of the roads are very new, flat, and are a marvel to drive on. Others not so much, and you're in for an "African Massage" - that's when the car seat gives your behind a very rough and rigorous treatment. And suddenly, you're back on a beautiful tarmac.

The traffic signs are not what we are used to back at home, here is a bunch I've published on Instagram. Warning for Oryx! Warning for hyenas! Warning for sand! Definitely adds to the wildlife feeling.

The Oryx is Namibia's national animal. Strong, graceful, beautiful.

This sign is just outside Lüderitz. The hyena zone ends just on the outskirts of the city.

The "Sand" sign ac tually makes sense. In fact, the sand may have blown over the road and may not be visible before the curve, or in the dark. Driving on patches of overblown sand too fast may cause the car to lose steering. So the sign is not a general warning about sand all around - most should have noticed that by now.

In case you did not notice!

And my favourite one: No Thumbs Up! Of course I know that this means hitchhiking is forbidden, it's just that it looks so strange, like it's forbidden to give "Likes"... or have fun!

No good times are to be had!

Unexpectedly, already the first night in Namibia we got exposed to loads of wildlife. I picked a place to stay as the sun was setting and it showed to be a wildlife farm. Kudu, oryx, and many more animals were roaming around and even coming up once in a while to say hello to visitors during a very beautiful sunset.

A male Kudu coming over to say hello

A graceful Giraffe against the sunset was so beautiful to see. I could once again not stop taking photos.

And this bird of course, Lady Ostrich. She needs a mention here. 

The Queen

She was The Queen, and did not accept that anyone else got attention but her. She was in front of every animal I tried to photograph. Very expressive. Left a lasting impression for sure!

The Queen basically photobombing every photo I took of the other animals.

Please respect our space! Also, please only take pictures of myself. Please move over, Mister Kudu.

I found out that in Namibia, oftentimes the breakfast and dinner are included in the hotel prices, especially if they are remote. This is very practical, so one does not have to search for a shop or an eatery, which can be far away (this is a vast country with long roads through beautiful deserts with no civilization. But it's also a very charming way to experience the local cooking. I've been absolutely amazed by the food here! Most of the times, I'd pick a place along the route, and they have all been wonderful.

Onwards! Towards the dunes... and the ocean.

The roadtrip continued towards the coast. Here is where the desert meets the ocean. South of Skeleton Coast, the coties of Swakopmund, Langstrand and Walvis Bay provide convenient stops in the middle of the wilderness. The chill Atlantic waters create such a contrast.

The motorway separates the desert dunes and the ocean waves rolling in.

The Skeleton Coast is called so because of whale bones and hundreds of historic shipwrecks scattered across the sand here. This is not a safe protected place, expect for the few harbours that are placed around here.

The anchorage off the coast

Now the cities located here surprise with their striking aesthetics. Swakopmund is almost like a miniature German town. I passed through it quickly but did manage to make a pitstop for lunch at the pretty dockside place in Walvis Bay. The maritime-themed restaurant here had great fish and shellfish, along with some amazing local meats. And a nice gift shop!

One of the places on the way to the restaurant

Since the water is so cold, the quality of the fish and shellfish is amazing. There are local places in Namibia that do everything from Portuguise to Japanese cuisine based on the fresh sea product.

I definitely felt welcome! All throughout the trip, the people have been lovely, kind and welcoming.

After leaving the coast and heading into the vast areas of the national parks that are mostly made up of different kinds of desert, the scenery changed once again. Roads were once again different, as well as

the surroundings.

A selfie in front of the car

In order to travel Namibia properly, it's very important to choose the correct vehicle. It needs to be a solid 4x4, but one that does travel the highways in a good way. You'll be making lots of speed during long hours, and you don't want the car to be wobbly, shaky or rattling. And comfortable seats are a must, since you will be using them during most of the day's light hours. At least if you want to make the most of your days and cover as much as you can.

Posing in front of the vehicle. A Toyota Foruner 4x4 did a great job.

Except for the vehicle itself, you have to bring your spares and the safety gear. At least one spare tire (if you have the option of picking up new ones via the rental company), or at least two if you're completely on your own. A jack, some tools, spare water. You should consider fueling each and every time you pass a gas station, since they are sometimes few and far between. A good camera and a good friend to share the experiences with are also essential!

Passing some beautiful stone formations.

.Sometimes you will just need to grab your camera and start taking photos right out of the car, through the window.

The undulating roads continue, and sweep you away towards the mountains and beyond

And sometimes, you need to stop the car to take pics of the wildlife next to the road. Check this lovely Pumbaa out! His family ran away happily right after the car stopped, but he was still hanging out, ready for the photo session.

Wildlife ahead. Always.

In Namibia, you do not want to be driving at night. Dusk falls quickly and it's completely dark within 20 minutes from sunset. You need to plan ahead properly and always have a place to stay over. It's just a bit too dangerous to attempt those roads at night, with all the overblown sand, the river crossings, the potholes and all the various wildlife.

Still a lot of sunshine left - let's roll!

As the roadtrip continued South, the next big thing was crossing the Tropic of Capricorn. So since we were not in the tropics anymore, it definitely shows during the nights. The temperatures would drop to +10 C and below. During the day though, it was up to +30 C, very hot and dusty.

Adrenalena at the Tropic of Capricorn!

The idea was to get to Deadvlei, and to visit the Sossusvlei on the way which boasts the highest sand dunes in the world. A stopover in a very beautiful desert oasis really made my evening just on the way there. Now, it was tome for some close encounter with sand.

One of the sand dunes

I have written a separate post about the sanddunes of Sossusvlei and will do so with Deadvlei, which was one of the main objectives with the roadtrip and is just too beautiful to mix in one post. There are a lot of photos from this trip on Instagram too, for those who are love the sand.

Sun setting, moon rising throught the hot air.

The trip went forth to Lüdertiz to visit the Shark Island monument of the genocide that has been unfurled here by Germans. I've written a guest article about genocide and concentration camps here. It's a horrible topic, starting over 100 years back in history but unfortunately still continuing.

Shark Island, the former site of a concentration camp used by the Germans to exterminate the Nama and the Herero people.

 The roadtrip then continued to the Ghost Town of Kolmanskop. This is definitely a place that deserves a separate article and I will publish one soon. From there, there was a long trip back to Windhoek, with many amazing views, experiences and nice surprises.  And afterwards, there were 8 days of volunteering together with a rhino ranger unit that tracks the wildlife and hunts poachers. As you may have already guessed - a separate article about that one, too!

In the vicinity of Kolmanskop and Lüderitz... new roads to be discovered!