If there is war, we go into the desert. Well, something like that. The next section of our road trip takes us to the Namib-Naukluft National Park, which extends to the south to the Diamond Restricted Area. With an area of approximately 50,000 km², the Namib-Naukluft Park is the largest national park in the world, although a large part of the endless desert area cannot be visited. The main tourist attraction are the huge sand dunes of Sossusvlei, where our route will take us in a few days. But first, we have to drive from Swakopmund through the Kuiseb Pass towards the south. From Walvis Bay, a port city south of Swakopmund, we drive inland and after a few kilometers we notice how the clouds become less, the temperature rises, and the earth turns redder. Past Dune 7, the highest dune in the world - at least according to the Namibians - we drive towards the almost 2000 meter high Naukluft Mountains. After a few hours, we cross the Kuiseb Canyon and look at barren, desolate desert landscape. No plants, no animals, no other cars as far as the eye can see. At the beginning of World War II, two German geologists hid here for over two years to avoid being interned. The exact story is told in the book 'Wenn es Krieg gibt, gehen wir in die Wüste' (If there is war, we go into the desert). Considering the endless desert landscape and the deep canyons of the canyon, it is easy to imagine that the two geologists were not found here in the Kuiseb Canyon. Our destination today: the Rostock Ritz Desert Lodge. In addition to a few igloo-like rooms, the lodge has a camping site eleven kilometers away with four pitches. Without fences and out of sight of the lodge, you feel like the only people on Earth, especially since the other pitches are unoccupied and lodge employees only come once a day to check on things. At night, an incredible starry sky illuminates the landscape, while the howling of individual jackals can be heard from a distance. The friendly owners of the lodge offer us to stay in a tour guide room of the lodge for the second night, so that we can use amenities such as the pool and the restaurant, while the lodge's own meerkat pups romp around our feet. After the last two weeks in the rooftop tent, we gladly accept the offer and look forward to being able to sleep in a real bed for a night. Relaxing by the pool is also a welcome change from the long drives in the car and the few hikes of the last week. With a Rock Shandy in hand and sunglasses on our noses, we decide: we deserve this now. (By the way, a Rock Shandy is a refreshing drink made from lemonade, soda, and a shot of bitters - it is standard in every restaurant in Namibia to drink.)
Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park The next morning, the relaxation is over, the journey continues, deeper into the Namib Desert. Before we climb the sand dunes of Sossusvlei the next day, we have to drive a few hundred kilometers to the south. A little before our next campsite, the Tsauchab River Camp, is the Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park. For this nature reserve, you actually need a permit from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism in Swakopmund. Since we only plan the rest a few days in advance, apart from our rough route and accommodation, we unfortunately didn't think of that in Swakopmund. Since the road to the park is not blocked, apart from a 'permit required' sign, we simply drive on and see where the journey takes us. And indeed: eventually we arrive at a campground of the state-owned NWR (Namibia Wildlife Resort), where an employee not only calculates the permit for the road into the park, but also the entrance fee for the hiking trails. As Germans, we are really spoiled in this regard. 20 euros entrance fee for hiking? Unthinkable in Germany. If you want to go into nature, you simply walk into a forest or follow officially accessible hiking trails. Given the advanced time of day, we decide to only hike part of the Waterkloof Trails, which actually covers a distance of 17km. There are no signs like in German forests, but occasionally the stones by the roadside are marked with yellow paint, so that the right path - which would be otherwise indistinguishable, as it leads through rough terrain and rivers - can be easily found. Suddenly, our surroundings no longer resemble a desert, but rather a jungle. We carefully climb over the rocks to avoid accidentally stepping on a snake or scorpion. When we want to cross a river, we discover a few baboons on the way, who are just as startled by us as we are by ourselves. We wait until they move a little further and jump over the river. Under the huge tree where we are now standing, we suddenly see about twenty more baboons around us, from tiny baby monkeys to some quite large ones that make deep, grunting noises. We don't want to provoke them and remain calm. You can't say that about the monkeys. A small baboon sits in the tree directly above us and throws small fruits at us. We move cautiously through the group and stand right next to a few natural pools with crystal clear water. The refreshment is wonderful and our sweaty feet are happy about the wet cooling. While we take a comfortable break and listen to the sounds of the environment, something moves in the corner of my eye. Something black slithers out of the small bush next to us. A snake! We don't know much about the African snake world yet. The only thing I know is: Namibia is home to the extremely venomous black mambas, whose venom can kill a person in less than twenty minutes in the worst case. We are not only several hours away from any civilization, but also have been walking through the park for some time. No chance of getting medical care in time. Maxi doesn't seem to fully grasp the seriousness of the situation and wants to take a few more photos. I pull him away from the bush - when snakes feel threatened, they attack - and push aside the thought of what else might be lurking under the bushes and rocks that we have to walk back through for the next few hours. Back at the park entrance, we talk to an employee about the snake. Yes, the only completely black snakes here in the region are the black mambas. We were lucky. After that scare, I could really use the flask that Maxi's dad wanted to give us before the trip.
Sossusvlei Sossusvlei is a region of the Namib-Naukluft National Park and actually refers to a large salt clay pan in the Namib Desert surrounded by huge sand dunes. After hundreds of kilometers, the barren Naukluft Mountains suddenly turn into a deep red desert landscape. Unbelievable that there is any kind of life here in these dry sand masses. However, isolated camelthorn trees grow on the salt pan, oryx antelopes trot over the sand surfaces, and on closer inspection, lizards and tiny beetles can be found in the sand. Not to mention, we are also harassed by the annoying flies that constantly fly around our bodies. Sossusvlei is one of the main attractions of Namibia, and so we see the typical tourist vehicles - 4x4 Toyotas - speeding towards the entrance gate even before sunrise. These off-road vehicles are actually necessary here, because after the 60 km drive from the entrance gate to the salt pan, there are about two kilometers of sandy tracks. Without four-wheel drive, you would get stuck in the deep sand. Even with our 4x4, it's quite slippery, but Maxi enjoys it. By the time we arrive at the end, it is already well past sunrise, which we actually wanted to watch on the dunes. Although we set off from our campsite at around 5 a.m., the sun is already high up, which doesn't make the climb up the dunes any easier. You take two steps forward and slide one step back. Some morning exercise, why not? When you have finally made the ascent, you are rewarded with a magnificent view of the vast Namib Desert. On the horizon, a hot air balloon rises into the sky, an oryx is grazing on one of the greener bushes in front of the next dune, and apart from a gentle breeze, it is completely silent. The desert swallows every sound and freezes time and space. When you eventually tear yourself away from this sight, it is worth making your way down to the Dead Vlei, a 60-hectare clay pan surrounded by dunes. Here, death seems to have cast a veil over all life. Occasionally, dead camelthorn trees can be seen, otherwise only the white clay surface, which seems to suffocate all life. Due to the extreme dryness, the camelthorn trees decay very slowly and are therefore preserved to this day.
Sesriem Canyon Just behind the entrance gate to Sossusvlei, an inconspicuous gravel road leads to the Sesriem Canyon, which is about five million years old. The Tsauchab River has carved a canyon into the rock here, about one kilometer long and up to 30 meters deep. The name Sesriem is Afrikaans and refers to the six belts that were tied together by settlers to be able to draw water from the canyon. While the river can still carry water at certain times, it is completely dry during our visit. Our travel guide even warns not to enter the canyon during the rainy season to avoid being crushed by the flood waves against the rock walls. Well, from our current perspective, this warning is not particularly credible and somewhat dramatic, but who knows how the water levels develop here. The canyon is only partially suitable for hiking, as it is only about one kilometer long and does not provide much shade in the midday heat despite the huge rock walls. However, we still have enough energy to climb some of the walls up to the cave-like recesses. Compared to Sossusvlei, the canyon is slightly less impressive, but at least you can escape the crowds of tourists who are just arriving at Sossusvlei when we leave.
Duwisib Castle Further south, our next campsite, the Duwisib Guest Farm, welcomes us with an almost unreal-looking castle that does not fit into the landscape, the Duwisib Castle. This castle-like structure, reminiscent of a medieval fortress, of course, grew out of the efforts of the Germans. The castle was built in 1908 by a Saxon officer, who died only eight years later in World War I. It has now passed into state ownership and is open to the public. We are part of this public, as we camp about a hundred meters away from the castle on a spot in the green. However, after the past few days, we have had enough of tourist visits, so we prefer to enjoy the peace and seclusion of the farm, where only a few other Germans camp beside us.
Tiras Mountains Before our route takes us from the Namib-Naukluft National Park to the Atlantic coast, we make a stop at the Tiras Mountains. During the drive, we notice how the landscape changes almost every hour. No more red dunes like in Sossusvlei, and after a while, we leave the yellowish savannah steppe behind us as well. Eventually, a gravel road branches off from the main road and leads us deeper into the red rock mountains, which remind us somewhat of Spitzkoppe, but much redder. The steppe stands in clear contrast to this, mostly yellowish, but at the horizon it takes on a delicate pink color. Isolated green trees grow, and on the way, we pass some oryx herds and a few ostriches. Our destination: the Koiimasis Ranch amidst the mountain landscape. The name goes back to the San (Bushmen) who used to live here and means 'meeting place'. Aside from a few cattle, chickens, horses, and ostriches, you feel completely alone in the world amidst the mountains and desert landscape. The campsite and the farm blend in with nature since all 'fixed' buildings are attached to the huge rock walls and are painted in the same color. Apart from hikes in the Tiras Mountains and a walk around the ranch, not much can be done here, so we have a cozy barbecue and end the days with a sundowner. Here, in the middle of the desert, you can enjoy watching the many stars, which would not be visible to the naked eye in Germany due to high light pollution. If the moon continues to wane, hopefully, we will also see the Milky Way.
