Guests’ Notes from Namibia: Three Weeks, One Car, and Zero Regrets

Back: guest bloggers Benedikte & Jens (sister-in-law and brother) 
Front seat Blogger and wife, NamibRand, Namibia 2026

By Benedikte and Jens (sister-in-law and brother, first-timers, now fully converted)

Some invitations change your year. Ours came July 2025, when Blogger and Wife asked Jens and me a question that sounded simple but clearly wasn't: would we like to join them for the first three weeks of what would be their 7th trip to Namibia?

Seventh. As in: these two have now been more times to Namibia than I've been to the national museum!

We did actually consider the fabulous offer for a couple of days, while Blogger and Wife were at the remote island of Christiansø, but we decided we simply had to see for ourselves what was so special about Namibia.

Two brothers at braai (grill) 
Klein Aus Vista, Sperrgebeit
Namibia 2026

"Landscape or animals?"

NamibRand landscape
Wife, brother and blogger
Namibia 2026

The real interview question came next, and Blogger asked it with the seriousness of a man who has clearly asked it before and knows it matters: landscape, or animals?

I didn't hesitate. Landscape. I'd read Laurens van der Post's The Lost World of the Kalahari as a young woman and never quite gotten it out of my system, and then there's the small matter of sand dunes tumbling straight into the Atlantic Ocean, which is not a sentence that should be geographically possible, and yet apparently is, in Namibia.

Which is exactly where he took us. In order, roughly: the red dune chalets of Bagatelle in the Kalahari, Fish River Canyon, the edge of the Sperrgebiet diamond area and a day in Lüderitz, the legendary D707, NamibRand, Sandwich Harbour (where the dunes genuinely do meet the sea), a scenic flight over the whole lot, and finally the granite giants and ancient San rock art of the Erongo Mountains. He even smuggled in two days of wildlife at Okonjima at the very end, specifically, he told us, so his landscape-obsessed guests wouldn't go home without seeing a Namibian predator up close. That's either very generous or a small concession that "landscape or animals" was always a bit of a trick question. Possibly both.

Landscape, NamibRand, Namib Desert
Namibia 2026

A small correction for the record, since "landscape" seems to confuse people: choosing landscape over animals does not mean you see no animals. It mostly just means you skip Etosha and the other big game parks. Over three weeks we still ran into giraffes, rhinos, a leopard, a brown hyena, a string of bemused jackals, more antelope species than I can now reliably name, and a colony of sea lions and seals on the coast. What we didn't see were lions or elephants, and honestly, nobody complained. And then there are the nights: far from any town, the stars and the Milky Way are almost aggressively visible, in a way that simply no longer exists in light-polluted Europe. If landscape gets you that, animals can wait.

What we didn't fully appreciate until we were there was the discipline behind it. Blogger didn't just choose beautiful places, he chose how long we stayed in each one: two, sometimes three unhurried days per stop, no more, no less. We watched other travellers thundering past us on the same roads, clearly racing the clock to tick off every named dune, canyon and rock formation in the guidebook, while we got to just... sit. Watch the light change. Have a second coffee or a glass of wine. We probably shouldn't be surprised the pacing was this good, but we're grateful for it all the same.

Six visits in, and he still asks the question

Stars, peace and rest, NamibRand Family Hideour
Namibia 2026

During their last trip to Namibia, Blogger and Wife were joined by their two best friends and they did two 4x4s, which, as anyone who has actually driven Namibia's back-country tracks will tell you, is not a luxury but a strategy: two cars mean you can reach places one alone shouldn't attempt solo. This time it was one car, four people, and a driver who has clearly memorized every gravel pass and riverbed crossing in the country. We may have gone slightly less far off the map than the two 4x4 version of this trip. We are entirely fine with that. We got the dunes, the canyon, the silence, the stars and the Milky Way, and, as it turned out, a leopard three metres away, staring straight back at us.

What three weeks with your favourite people in their favourite country actually feels like

Dinner, NamibRand Family Hideout
All four of us
Namibia 2026

Here is the part I didn't expect going in: the trip itself was extraordinary, but the company made it. Spending three straight weeks in a car, at dinner tables, and on sundowner hills with your brother / brother-in-law and his wife could, in theory, go either way. It went entirely the right way. Blogger and Wife are simply easy to be around, good-humoured on the long driving days, endlessly patient with two relative novices, and generous with places they've clearly loved for years and didn't have to share with anyone.

Discussing the route
Sister-in-law, brother and blogger
NamibRand, Namibia 2026

There's also the small matter of who did the actual work. Blogger and Wife chose every stop, planned every logistic, and executed the whole thing; booking a chalet on a dune a year in advance, remembering which tyre pressure suits which sand, working out where the drinks fridge would be restocked next. We, meanwhile, mostly opened the car door, admired the view, and occasionally passed someone a snack. "We were just enjoying the ride" is doing a lot of quiet, comfortable work in that sentence, and we know it. Thank you for carrying all of it so we didn't have to.

We came home a week ago still slightly dusty and completely unsurprised that this is trip number seven for them. We spent three weeks wondering whether we'd understand the pull this country has on them.

We do. Entirely.

Namibia 2026

For anyone reading this who's considering their own first Namibia trip

• Decide early whether you're a "landscape" or "animals" person — Blogger will ask, and it genuinely shapes the itinerary.
• Book absurdly far ahead if there's a specific remote camp or dune chalet you want; the good ones vanish the moment reservations open, a year out.
• One 4x4 gets you a wonderful trip. Two gets you a wilder one. Both are equally fine. It’s just a question of preference.
• If someone who's been seven times invites you along, say yes, before you've even looked at the map.

Thank you, Blogger and Wife, for sharing your favourite country and your favourite places in it. We're already wondering what trip number eight looks like, - and whether we get invited.

Sossusfly – Namibia from Above

We are heading on a scenic flight
 "Sossusfly"
Namibia 2026

Namibia from Above

This time, we have decided to see Namibia from a rather different perspective and booked perhaps the most popular scenic flight in Namibia, the “SOSSUSfly”, also known as the “Sossus Scenic”.

We are going to fly for approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes, covering around 630 kilometres in our own chartered Cessna 210. According to Sossusfly, less than 20% of the route can be seen when travelling by road.

We have already driven an enormous amount in Namibia — probably more than 30,000 kilometres over our various journeys — reaching some of the most remote corners of the country. But this flight will take us over vast areas of the ancient Namib Desert that are far beyond any drivable route, as well as the southern Skeleton Coast, much of which is normally difficult to access.

One of the most exciting aspects is that we will follow the green ribbon of the Kuiseb River inland towards the Kuiseb Canyon, before crossing the desert at very low altitude and heading north along the Atlantic coast.

We visited Sandwich Harbour from the ground only yesterday (link).

Today, we are going to see it from above.

Before Take-off

Pre flight breefing
Sossusfly, Swakopmund
Namibia 2026

Our route, the red one
Sossusfly, Swakopmund
Namibia 2026

We are collected in the late afternoon from our chalets at The Stiltz and driven to Swakopmund Airport.

All four of us are excited. After all, it is not every day that you get to undertake an adventure like this.

At the airport there is plenty of activity. Small aircraft are landing and taking off, while some passengers are preparing for skydiving.

I notice our pilot checking the fuel quantity in both wings.

He remembers to screw the fuel caps back on.

Good start!

We are ready for depature
Namibia 2026

Before departure, we have provided our individual weights and signed a declaration which, I suspect, probably exempts the airline from almost everything that could possibly happen to us. ;-)

There is also one final opportunity for a biological break.

There is no toilet on this little aircraft, and certainly no stewardess.

Although, technically, I suppose I am the stewardess.

I am sitting at the back, where I can reach the small luggage compartment containing our drinks and other essentials.

My wife and sister-in-law occupy the middle seats, while my brother gets the prestigious seat next to the pilot.

My brother in copilot seat
Namibia 2026 

He has everything necessary to fly the aircraft.

He just doesn't know what any of it does.

We hope he learns quickly in the event of an emergency!

Following the Kuiseb River

Below us is the Kuiseb River,
Namibia 2026

We take off smoothly from Swakopmund and head towards Walvis Bay before turning inland, following much the same route as the one we drove two days earlier.

Below us is the Kuiseb River, mostly a dry riverbed, but with groundwater and good rainfall over the last two years sustaining a remarkable diversity of plants and animals in this extraordinarily arid environment. The river's groundwater also plays an important role in supplying the coastal settlements.

From above, the contrast is astonishing: the apparently barren desert is suddenly intersected by a narrow, greenish ribbon of life. It also looks spectacular where green meets desert, sometimes in a very sharp contrast (see photo I).

We also see the Kuiseb Delta, which we explored from ground level only yesterday.

Kuiseb Delta
Namibia 2026

It is fascinating to see how the landscape we experienced from a Land Rover is transformed completely from the air.

At one point, the second Cessna that took off with us crosses back and forth over our aircraft — sometimes above us, sometimes below us — before suddenly diving off to one side.

I can understand why they looked slightly pale when we saw them again at the airport later!

Second Cessna that took off with us
Namibia 2026

The Sossusvlei Dunes from Above

We continue towards the famous Sossusvlei area.

The wind-sculpted dunes around Sossusvlei are among Namibia's most spectacular natural features, with some dunes rising more than 300 metres. Big Daddy, between Sossusvlei and Deadvlei, is around 325 metres high.

At the heart of the landscape lies Sossusvlei itself, a vast clay pan that only very occasionally fills with water after exceptional rainfall. Nearby are smaller pans such as Hidden Vlei and Deadvlei, the latter famous for its ancient, dead camel-thorn trees.

Sossusvlei area from above
Namibia 2026

We have visited these places several times before (link), but seeing them from the air is something completely different.

The enormous dunes stretch endlessly in every direction, their shapes and colours constantly changing with the angle of the late-afternoon sun.

And the shadows!

The low sun creates long, sharply defined shadows along the ridges, emphasising the contours of the dunes in a way that is almost impossible to appreciate from ground level.

Shadows along the ridges
Namibia 2026

Across the Endless Namib

 Endless desert heading for the coast
Namibia 2026

Now comes a long flight across seemingly endless desert.

For kilometres, the dunes form remarkably regular lines, arranged broadly perpendicular to the prevailing winds like enormous parallel sand ridges.

We cross roughly 120 kilometres of desert.

Looking down at this immense wilderness, it is easy to understand how unforgiving the Skeleton Coast must have been for shipwrecked sailors in the past. From the coast, there was essentially an enormous desert between them and any meaningful chance of reaching civilisation.

It is not difficult to understand where the name Skeleton Coast came from.

The Diamond Camps

One of the dimond camps
Difficult to really see
Namibia 2026

We eventually reach the old diamond camps — Charlottenfelder, Holsatia and Conception — the last remains of the diamond-rush era in the northern Diamond Area.

From the air, it is surprisingly difficult to see much of them, even though we fly very low over the area.

If you are lucky — and quick with the camera — you can spot the remains of A-frame shacks, house ruins, an old ox wagon, rusty water pipes, wooden barrels and abandoned mining equipment. They are the remnants of a remarkably tough chapter in Namibia's history, when diamond mining dominated this remote and inhospitable landscape.

The mining settlements were eventually abandoned in the late 1930s.

Shortly before reaching the ocean, we pass a series of coastal lagoons filled with large groups of flamingos.

Another spectacular sight from the air.

Coastal lagoon with large groups of flamingos
Namibia 2026

The Eduard Bohlen and the Skeleton Coast

 The lonely wreck of the Eduard Bohlen
Namibia 2026

We now reach another of the highlights of the flight.

After flying very low over the final dunes separating the Namib from the Atlantic, we see the lonely wreck of the Eduard Bohlen.

From the air, this is about as close as most people will ever get to this famous shipwreck.

The Eduard Bohlen was a passenger liner of the Woermann Line and later a supply ship serving the diamond camps. It ran aground at Conception Bay in 1909 and has remained stranded there ever since.

We turn north along the Skeleton Coast and soon see another wreck, the Shawnee, which ran aground in 1976.

Shawnee, which ran aground in 1976
Namibia 2026

Two ships, two stories and a spectacularly unforgiving coastline.

We also pass large colonies of Cape fur seals.

From the air, they appear completely undisturbed, occupying the remote coastline far from roads, people and tourist vehicles.

Colonies of Cape fur seals
Namibia 2026

Sandwich Harbour from Above

spot some of the vehicles
undertaking the same tour we did yesterday
Namibia 2026

Eventually, we reach Sandwich Harbour — the scene of our spectacular adventure only yesterday (link).

Wedged between the Namib Sand Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, Sandwich Harbour is a unique coastal wetland consisting of a northern freshwater wetland and southern mudflats. It is an internationally important wetland and an important refuge for large numbers of waterbirds.

It is quite surreal to see the entire area from above after spending most of yesterday bouncing around it in a Land Rover.

We can even spot some of the vehicles undertaking the same tour we did yesterday.

From this altitude, they are almost ridiculously tiny.

The enormous dunes make the Land Rovers look like miniature toy cars crawling through a sea of sand.

Salt, Flamingos and Walvis Bay

Salt works south of Walvis Bay, rectangular ponds
Namibia 2026

We continue towards the Kuiseb Delta, with its distinctive “hammock dunes”, before reaching the enormous salt works south of Walvis Bay.

From above, the salt pans form an extraordinary geometric pattern of rectangular ponds.

Some of the ponds are vividly pink and red, caused by algae and other microorganisms living in the highly saline water. These colours also contribute to the spectacular appearance of the flamingos that feed in the surrounding wetlands.

The salt works produce hundreds of thousands of tonnes of salt annually for industrial and food use.

Enormous salt works S of Walvis Bay
Namibia 2026

We then fly along the coast of Walvis Bay.

Walvis Bay, once under British and then South African administration, was re-integrated into independent Namibia on 1 March 1994. Today it is Namibia's major deep-water port and an important commercial centre on the Atlantic coast.

Once again, we see large numbers of flamingos around the lagoon.

We saw many of them yesterday.

But from above, the birds, lagoon and surrounding salt pans form an entirely different spectacle.

Walwis Bay, Namibia's major deep-water port
Namibia 2026

Swakopmund from the Air

Swakop and our own little chalets on stilts
 at The Stiltz, lower right corner
Namibia 2026

Finally, we approach Swakopmund.

And there, below us, are our own little chalets on stilts at The Stiltz.

We can even see the pier where we had dinner at The Tug the previous evening.

The pier where we had dinner at The Tug
Namibia 2026

Further along the coast is the newer waterfront area around Ocean Cellar, where we are going for dinner tonight.

The newer waterfront area around Ocean Cellar
Namibia 2026

Swakopmund is truly beautiful from the air, particularly in the warm light of the setting sun.

The old German colonial buildings dominate the historic centre, standing in striking contrast to the enormous arid landscape surrounding the town.

But from above we also discover something we had barely noticed from ground level: an enormous amount of new development spreading inland from the old town.

It is quite a different perspective on a place we thought we already knew well.

Back to Earth

We have viewed familiar places
 from an entirely new perspective!
Namibia 2026

We turn inland and begin our final approach to Swakopmund Airport.

One last look at the rather rough-and-ready settlement around the airport, and then our pilot smoothly puts the wheels back on the ground.

It is over.

Two hours and approximately 630 kilometres have passed almost unbelievably quickly.

We have seen parts of Namibia that would otherwise have remained completely inaccessible to us, and we have viewed familiar places from an entirely new perspective.

The experience has exceeded our already high expectations.

We feel incredibly privileged.

If you are tempted to do the same journey, you can read more about the Sossusfly and its current route here (link). Sossusfly itself describes it as its most popular scenic flight, covering approximately 630 kilometres in around 2 hours and 10 minutes, with less than 20% of the route visible by road.

There is certainly plenty to talk about over dinner at Ocean Cellar that evening.

Sandwich Harbour – Where the Dunes Meet the Atlantic

 

Blogger and family on tour to Sandwich Harbour
Namibia 2026

Back to Sandwich Harbour

We are heading for Sandwich Harbour with Turnstone Tours, a company specialising in first-rate guiding to some of the least accessible but most spectacular parts of Namibia. We already know Turnstone from previous adventures, and there is also a more personal connection.

We first visited Sandwich Harbour in 2009 with our two children. Some of our favourite photographs from that trip show them running through the pristine dunes as nine- and ten-year-olds. In 2024, we returned to Sandwich Harbour with our best friends, although that time with another company (link).

We also know Bruno, the owner of Turnstone, from his extraordinary rewilding project, Mundulea Private Nature Reserve in the Otavi Mountains. We spent three days there with him, staying in a simple bush camp and walking through the reserve. It remains one of our most unforgettable African experiences — and easily makes our personal Top 10 of African adventures.

By now, we have travelled to 22 countries, including seven journeys to Namibia and neighbouring countries. You can read about our memorable walking adventure with Bruno — including our “encounter” with a leopard — here (link). And perhaps you would also enjoy the rather amusing story about the “tiger” (link).

So today we are back with Turnstone, and we are very much looking forward to another encounter with one of Namibia's most extraordinary landscapes.

Along the Atlantic Coast

The day starts early, when we are picked up at The Stiltz in Swakopmund.

We drive south along the beautiful chain of dunes bordering the Atlantic, zigzagging across the old railway line that once connected Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.

Once again, we notice the remarkable amount of activity out in Walvis Bay. Drilling rigs and large ships are scattered across the bay, while new beach houses and other developments seem to be appearing along the coast almost by the week.

It is difficult not to wonder what this coastline will look like in another decade.

We pass Bird Rock, a small guano island supporting an enormous colony of seabirds and one of the early examples of attempts to commercialise the natural resources of Namibia's coast.

Further south, we reach the Walvis Bay Lagoon and the wetlands stretching towards Sandwich Harbour. Both Walvis Bay and Sandwich Harbour are recognised as socalled Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance, reflecting their extraordinary importance for coastal and migratory birds. Sandwich Harbour itself covers about 16,500 hectares.

The Walvis Bay lagoon and the surrounding wetlands support large numbers of flamingos, waders, terns, pelicans and other coastal birds. We see mainly flamingos and cormorants today.

Flamingos at Walvis Bay Lagoon
Namibia 2026

The flamingos are particularly spectacular.

Hundreds of them stand or feed in the shallow water, their pink bodies reflected in the surface. Combined with the sea mist, the reflections create an almost surreal atmosphere.

It is completely enchanting.

Into the Kuiseb Delta

Hammock dunes meet salt works from above
Namibia 2026

After Walvis Bay, we pass the enormous salt works before reaching the lower reaches of the Kuiseb Delta.

It is slightly amusing to think that only yesterday we were many hours' drive away, standing high above the desert on the Kuiseb Pass (link).

The Kuiseb Delta is a remarkable transition zone where the river's ephemeral influence creates a surprisingly productive ecosystem in an otherwise hyper-arid landscape. The surrounding dunes and salt pans provide habitat for a variety of wildlife, including oryx, springbok and jackals.

After a short biological stop at the rather smart new facilities at the entrance to the area, we begin our approach to Sandwich Harbour.

We drive past barren salt pans and vegetation-covered hammock dunes, where small groups of oryx, springbok and jackals shelter from the harsh coastal environment.

We see them all.

We also encounter both dead and living seals along the coast, although there are no sightings today of ostriches or the occasional brown hyena that can also occur in this remarkable area. Fortunately, we see brown hyena later on the trip.

Vegetation-covered hammock dunes
Namibia 2026

Where the Dunes Meet the Ocean

Where dunes meet Atlantic Ocean
Our Scenic Flight the day after
Namibia 2026

And now the exciting part begins.

The next section of the journey is as dramatic as the landscape is vast, and it soon becomes obvious why Sandwich Harbour has such a reputation for being inaccessible.

Here, the Namib Desert simply runs out of land.

On one side of our Land Rover are enormous dunes, rising more than 100 metres above us. On the other is the Atlantic Ocean.

Nowhere to go, we wait for the waves to retreat
Sandwich Harbour, Namibia 2026

There is almost nowhere to go.

The route is dictated by the tide, the waves and the constantly shifting sand. We wait for the waves to retreat before making a short dash of perhaps 20–50 metres towards the next patch of firmer sand, while keeping a very close eye on the large breakers rolling in on our right.

This is not a place for mistakes.

According to our guide, since 1 April this year, it has been prohibited to undertake the Sandwich Harbour drive without a guide. Standing here now, with the towering dunes on one side and the powerful Atlantic on the other, the restriction makes perfect sense to us.

Several vehicles have been swallowed by the sea here, and the combination of steep dunes, soft sand and a rapidly changing tide can turn a seemingly harmless stretch of beach into a serious situation.

We are fortunate to have an experienced guide, Rudi, behind the wheel. It is obvious that he has done this many times before, but he is also constantly alert, carefully watching the waves, the sand and the changing conditions.

That is reassuring.

We drive where dunes meet Atlantic Ocean
Sandwich Harbour, Namibia 2026

After a tense and exciting section of driving, we finally get past the most difficult part. Fortunately, the tide is already on its way out, meaning that our return journey later in the day should be considerably easier.

Sandwich Harbour in the Mist

On one of the area's highest viewpoints
Sandwich Harbour, Namibia 2026

We now climb dramatically up through the dunes to one of the area's highest viewpoints, overlooking Sandwich Harbour.

The panorama should be spectacular.

And it probably is.

Unfortunately, the famous coastal fog, or “havgus” as we call it in Danish, has other plans for us.

Instead of a clear view, the harbour and ocean are partly hidden in a veil of mist. But rather than being disappointed, we find that the fog gives the landscape an extraordinary, almost mysterious atmosphere.

Looking out towards this wild coastline, it is easy to imagine how terrifying it must have been for sailors whose ships came to grief along the Skeleton Coast.

There is very little between the towering dunes and the Atlantic.

A Roller-Coaster Through the Dunes

We drive inland through the high dunes
Private Sandwich Harbour Tour
Namibia 2026

Because we have booked a private full-day tour with our own vehicle, Rudi suggests that we drive inland through the high dunes and wait for the coastal fog to lift before having lunch.

What follows is one of the most entertaining and nerve-racking drives of the trip.

We climb and descend enormous sand dunes, some of them incredibly steep. The old Land Rover bounces and tilts as we negotiate the slopes, and suddenly every handhold inside the vehicle becomes useful.

It is like a desert roller coaster.

We laugh, shout and occasionally wonder whether this particular slope is really intended to be driven down!!

Fortunately, Rudi seems to know exactly what he is doing.

Lunch in the Namib

We enjoy a delicious homemade lunch
in the back dunes
Namibia 2026

Eventually, we reach a high viewpoint deep among the back dunes.

We get out and explore the surrounding landscape, walking and playing among the enormous dunes while Rudi prepares lunch in the shelter of the Land Rover.

And naturally, there is a tablecloth.

This is Namibia, after all.

We sit in the warm, hazy sunshine, sheltered from the wind by the vehicle, and enjoy a delicious homemade lunch of lasagne and salad.

Around us stretches nothing but the endless Namib Desert.

It is one of those moments when the journey itself becomes the destination.

Blogger enjoying enormous dunes
Private Sandwich Harbour Tour
Namibia 2026 

Wife and  sister-in-law
Private Sandwich Harbour Tour
Namibia 2026

A Landscape Shaped by Sand and Sea

Sandwich Harbour is much more than a spectacular viewpoint. It is a remarkable coastal wetland where the Namib Desert meets the Atlantic Ocean, creating an ecosystem that seems almost impossible in such an arid environment.

The lagoon and surrounding wetlands are internationally recognised for their importance to waterbirds and migratory species. The combination of freshwater influence from the Kuiseb system, coastal fog, tidal waters and extensive dune fields creates a highly unusual environment within the Namib. Sandwich Harbour was designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 1995.

But what makes the place particularly extraordinary for visitors is the sheer physical drama.

Towering dunes plunge almost directly into the Atlantic. The beach can disappear beneath the incoming tide, while the dunes are constantly reshaped by the wind.

It is an environment where sand and sea are in a permanent struggle for territory — and where a Land Rover has to choose its route very carefully.

Sea Lion
Private Sandwich Harbour Tour
Namibia 2026

An Unforgettable Day

By the time we eventually turn back towards Swakopmund, we have experienced almost everything Sandwich Harbour can offer: flamingos in the mist, wildlife among the dunes, a thrilling drive along the narrow strip between ocean and sand, enormous dunes, a roller-coaster journey through the back country and a wonderful lunch in the middle of nowhere.

We have visited Sandwich Harbour before.

But this time, with Turnstone and an experienced guide like Rudi, we have seen a completely different side of it.

The combination of spectacular scenery, challenging driving and the sheer unpredictability of the environment makes this one of those days that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.

And once again, we feel incredibly privileged to be able to experience this extraordinary corner of Namibia.

Wife and sister-in-law
Private Sandwich Harbour Tour
Namibia 2026

 

Lunch site
Private Sandwich Harbour Tour
Namibia 2026

Across the Desert to the Atlantic Coast, part 4

On the way to Swakopmund,
Namibia 2024

Across the Desert to the Atlantic Coast

After three unforgettable nights in NamibRand, we face one of the longest driving days of the entire journey as we make our way towards Namibia's Atlantic coast.

Rather than attempting the drive in a single day, we have decided to break the journey with an overnight stay at Desert Grace Lodge, a property we have wanted to experience for several years.

Its contemporary architecture contrasts beautifully with the surrounding desert, while every villa enjoys uninterrupted views across the vast plains. Even the private plunge pools look incredibly inviting—although, at this time of year, the water will almost certainly be too cold for anything more than a very brief swim!

The journey itself is part of the adventure. The road crosses two of Namibia's most spectacular mountain passes, Gaub Pass and Kuiseb Pass, both offering dramatic scenery and fascinating geology. If you would like to know more about these remarkable routes, you can read about our previous drive through the passes here (Gaub & Kuiseb 2024).

Swakopmund, Sandwich Harbour and a Flight Above the Namib

Eventually the desert gives way to the cool Atlantic Ocean as we arrive in Swakopmund, Namibia's charming coastal town with its unmistakable German colonial heritage.

This time we will be staying at The Stiltz, an unusual lodge where wooden chalets stand on stilts overlooking the Swakop River lagoon, the Atlantic Ocean and the edge of the Namib Desert.

On previous visits we stayed at the nearby Desert Breeze Lodge, which we can warmly recommend. Both properties share the same owners, so we are looking forward to discovering whether The Stiltz lives up to the high standards we experienced before. Judging by its unique location, it certainly has every chance.

As always, we have planned plenty of memorable experiences during our stay.

One full day will be devoted to a guided excursion to Sandwich Harbour with Turnstone Tours. Few places in Africa are as spectacular as the point where towering sand dunes plunge directly into the Atlantic Ocean, and driving along the beach beneath these giant dunes remains one of Namibia's truly iconic experiences.

Naturally, excellent food also forms part of the itinerary. One evening we will return to The Tug, one of Swakopmund's best-known restaurants, while another dinner is already reserved at Ocean Cellar, where we have previously enjoyed some of the finest seafood anywhere in Southern Africa.

On the way to Sandwich Harbour,
Namibia 2024

Perhaps the most exciting experience of all, however, awaits from the air.

For the first time, we have chartered a Cessna scenic flight to experience Namibia from an entirely different perspective. During more than two hours in the air, the flight covers approximately 630 kilometres, revealing landscapes that few visitors ever see from the ground.

Flying above the towering dunes of the Namib Desert, the dramatic coastline of the Skeleton Coast, forgotten shipwrecks and vast empty wilderness promises to be one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that will remain with us forever.

If everything goes according to plan—and the landing is as smooth as the take-off—it may well become the highlight of the entire journey. You can read about the flight here (Sossusfly Excursion) and see a video here (Sossusfly on Yotube)

Source link airchraft fleet