Namibia

Namibia has always  been  a  mythical place  for  me. I finally managed to go and see  it, and  it  did  not  disappoint me at all. The  land  is  beautiful. People are  super nice and apart from  the capital  Windhoek, which  you can skip, the  rest  is  really worth for  the  nomads who  like to wander.

My favorite  place was  Damaraland: a  very  rugged  place  in  the  northwest  of  the country. Dirt  roads,  majestic  space, occasional  mountain,   and  silence. Just what  I  was looking for.  And the  6000 years  old  engravings  in  Twyfelfontain were just  magnificent. The  two  main attractions are also a no-miss. Etosha  park is  the  only  place in  the country  where  you can still see  animals  roaming  as they were 3000-4000 years  ago, free. And Sossusvlei with  its  magnificent  dunes and  the  petrified  trees (Deadvlei) is  also  a  must. If  you  want  to  avoid  crowds  you  have to  do  the  opposite  of  what  they do -  they  tend  to  go  early  and  by  12   you are almost  alone there. Spitzkoppe  is  as  worth  a  visit. It is a granite  mass,  about 1600  meters  high in  the  middle  of  a  vast flat  area – with  some  beautiful ancient paintings  by  the  San  people, what  we  call  Bushmen.

I did  not  go  around  the  border  with  Angola,  but  I  was  told  that  there  true  Namibia is  there.  Pity  I  have  missed  it. The  towns  of  Swapokmund  and Luderitz are interesting  if  you have time to  go. It feels  funny  to  see German  style  buildings  in  Africa,  but  some  of  the  houses  are worth seeing.

In general, I  think  the  most  attractive aspect of the  whole  country are  the  immense  open spaces, the long  flat  dirt  roads, the minuscule  outposts – Solitaire  is one  of  them -, the freedom that you feel  roaming  alone. I am  not  a  great  driver, but I did  2500  km  in a  week,  more  than  two-thirds on dirt roads, and  I  was  ready  to  do  more. I guess  I  need  to  return  for another visit,  maybe  adding  Botswana

 I slept in lodges,  but  you should try  it  in tents  over  your  own  vehicle. I was  left  with the desire  to  try it even  if  my bones  typically complain the day after  if  the bed is  too  uncomfortable. One  more  hint. If  you  have  not  driven  on  dirt  roads  for  hundreds  of  kilometers,  it  is  tiring  and  difficult. So  be  prepared or,  better,  get  someone  to exchange  driving.  Also, the roads  are  full  of small depression and  even a  4x4 gets into a resonance like a  diapason driving  on them and, after a while,  you get  crazy. To avoid this, the tires  need  the  right  pressure (1.8 bars), and there  is  an  optimal speed  you  need  to  keep (80 km) but  sometimes  it  is  not  easy  with  the holes, the bumps, the sand  which accumulates and,  if  it  is  raining,  the puddles. But, as  I said, it  is  an experience  to remember.