Out of all the countries I visited on my tour around Africa, Namibia was my favourite. It was incredibly beautiful and we got to experience such a huge range of different activities! From admiring the landscapes of the Fish River Canyon and Dune 45, to learning about the local culture at Spitzkoppe; watching wildlife in Etosha National Park and even to quadbiking (and clubbing) in Swakopmund. The vast majority of the places we visited in Namibia were in the Namib Desert. We spent a lot of time covered in sand, but the places were totally worth it.
First stop: Fish River Canyon, Namibia
On our first full day in Namibia, we drove from our camp on the Orange River to Fish River Canyon. This is the second biggest canyon in the world and the largest in the southern hemisphere. Technically, it’s on the border of the Namib and Kalahari deserts but whatever.
If you’re planning on heading to the canyon, I think sunset is the best time to go; it was absolutely incredible! When we arrived, we were dropped off at the end of a path which we followed along the edge of the canyon back to the visitor centre. Here, we watched the sunset and later had a super delicious dinner! We could see for miles across the canyon and the sun set directly behind it. The only downside was it was COLD! So much for the desert being hot.
Sesriem Area, Namibia (this is your classic desert)
Dune 45
We left our campsite fairly early to head to Dune 45 so that we could walk up before the sand got too hot. It’s important to note here that I wore shorts for the first time on the trip today (at the suggestion of my tent-buddy). When we arrived, the dune looked absolutely stunning with a backdrop of clear blue sky. But as soon as we started making our way up, it changed… The wind picked up and BOY did it sting against my bare legs! Pro tip: DO NOT wear shorts to climb Dune 45!
I don’t even think I made it a quarter of the way up before I gave up and started running back down because the wind was so strong. Of course to make things worse, I also dropped my sunglasses over the side of the dune on the way down and just HAD to run over the side of the dune to retrieve them. Worst. Mistake. Ever. Now not only did I have sand stinging my legs, but also blowing into my face, my hair… Everywhere! On the plus side, I did get my sunglasses back. Needless to say I stayed safe from the sand in the truck until everyone else came back. I’d had enough sand to last a lifetime.
Deadvlei
The same day we also visited Deadvlei, a famous dried saltpan characterised by contrasting black, dead camel thorn trees. It’s actually super interesting; the saltpan was formed because there was once a river through the desert which later dried up and created pools. As the pools of water dried up they formed saltpans which you can still see today. There are multiple saltpans in the Sossusvlei area and Deadvlei is the oldest of them (and apparently the most scenic – our guides told us not to bother with the others). Honestly this was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. With a bright blue sky contrasting with the orange dunes and the white of the saltpan and the black of the trees… It was absolutely stunning.
Our desert campsite
At our campsite (Sossus on Foot), we were able to go on an optional tour. You won’t be surprised to hear I went, because it was a desert experience where a local guide took us around in a 4WD and showed us all kinds of plants and animals that can be found in the desert. Here we saw our first zebras (!!!) as well as loads of smaller animals. Some of them I loved (a small lizard) and some I hated (a rather large white spider that ran DIRECTLY TOWARDS ME when the guide poked it!!!! NOT. COOL.).
The one plant I remember was this little flower that opened when water landed on it then closed within about 10 minutes of drying out! It was very cool and also quite pretty. The colours of the landscape were absolutely stunning, ranging from pale green grass to bright orange dunes. To end the tour, we watched a stunning sunset from the top of the dunes.
Swakopmund, Namibia (a little break from the desert)
I really liked Swakopmund because it had a nice vibe and it was great fun to stay in a dorm room with all my new friends. We also found this awesome little cafe with the BEST smoothies where we went to lunch. But equally my weirdest and dodgy-est experiences in Africa were both in Swakopmund. We spent almost two full days in the town, which was great because that meant two nights with a REAL BED and no long truck drives.
Spending a couple of days in Swakopmund also meant I was able to talk to my family two days in a row without having to wake up at ridiculous-o-clock! Turns out Australia and Africa/Europe have the WORST timezone difference ever. The only time overlap is in the morning. So while my European friends got to talk to their friends and family all the time, I only could if I woke up early.
The pier
On our first afternoon, we walked down to the pier and honestly it was quite an adventure. It had suddenly gotten foggy so it was a little bit creepy, but also in some ways really beautiful. Also, the waves were HUGE! So to get further out onto the pier we basically had to sprint between waves splashing up from underneath threatening to soak us all. Due to the fog it was pretty underwhelming (we couldn’t see anything). However, we did have this local guy come up to us at the end of the pier who was completely naked. So that was fun.
Quadbiking through the desert
Not all of our trip to Swakopmund was this weird/eventful. On the morning of the second day, we went on a quadbiking trip around the local sand dunes. At one point, four of us were separated from the rest of the group… because we were so bad! This was totally embarrassing for me because I have actually driven a quadbike before (just not on sand! It’s harder ok!?)… But it ended up being loads more fun because we went at a slower pace with less massive dunes. At one point all three of us girls managed to get bogged in the same spot. Our guide was NOT impressed, but we thought it was hilarious.
My first clubbing experience
Yes, I was 21 years old at the time and hadn’t been to a club. No, I haven’t been to one since. Apparently it’s a huge sin that I have never been clubbing or had a Jagerbomb. So on the Friday night after dinner we made our way to a “club”. And by that I mean a warehouse with a bar, very loud music and stinking like cigarette smoke. Gross. I did not feel comfortable AT ALL. However, I did meet all the expectations of going to a club including:
- having a jagerbomb;
- getting some fluro green drink spilt all over me on the way to the bathroom;
- making up a fake boyfriend to get rid of this group of local guys who were hitting on my friend and I;
- and relaxing enough to have fun dancing with my friends.
To be honest, I would quite happily have just gone back to the hostel after dinner and made the most of my REAL BED!
Finally: Spitzkoppe, Namibia
Now back to something more my speed: nature. Thankfully, there was no clubs or naked locals at our next stop. Unfortunately, there was no beds either.
Spitzkoppe was our last stop in the Namib Desert and it was incredible. Here, we went on a tour to see some local rock art. They also tried to teach us the click language, which we were all terrible at! For me, the highlight of visiting Spitzkoppe was the scenery and the sunset. I don’t really have words for it so see picture below:
Spitzkoppe was a lot of people’s least favourite campsite because there was no running water. Meaning smelly drop toilets and no showers. To be honest, I was expecting a lot more of this? Because I cannot think of a single National Park in Australia that has flush toilets. Also, I’ve been camping in the middle of nowhere before and we had to dig our own hole. So having a toilet at all was a luxury in my opinion!
Overall, am I ever going to get the sand out of my hair? No. But did I fall in love with the desert? Yeah absolutely. I’d go back in a heartbeat even if it meant another face-full of sand.
