Namibia

I did not realize Namibia was a place I needed to visit until I was barreling down a completely deserted (no pun intended) highway towards…the middle of nowhere. The scenery of this country is beyond anyone’s wildest dreams – the tallest sand dunes in the world, wild antelopes (and even a few ostriches) roaming roadside and basically no other humans as far as the eye can see. No pavement on the road. No gas stations or restaurants for hundreds of miles. It’s the most starkly beautiful place I have seen in my life.

But Namibia isn’t a place that just gets by on its beauty. It also offers adventure in spades. You can hike to the top of an enormous sand dune, drive a quad bike through the desert and kayak in a lagoon with thousands of Cape fur seals swimming alongside your boat. You can also eat the best oysters of your life.

I visited Namibia with a friend, and we were two of very few travelers seeing the country on their own. The vast majority of visitors we ran into were part of tour groups. And while that might seem easy, if you are a confident driver, I’d highly encourage you to rent a car and do a road trip. You’ll need to be comfortable driving on the left side of the road and on what is essentially a gravel highway. You’ll have to plan ahead, so that you’re not driving in the dark on roads that have no lights whatsoever. You’ll have to get gas at every single gas station (there is approximately 1) to ensure you don’t run out of gas in the middle of the Namib Desert. Get windshield insurance, because little stones will without a doubt leave dings as they fly up from beneath your tires. If you can do these things, you’re guaranteed to have what would not be an understatement to call the trip of a lifetime.

I only had a few days in Namibia, and seals and sand dunes were the priority, so it made the most sense to build the itinerary around Namib-Naukluft National Park and the Swakopmund/Walvis Bay area on the coast. Had I had more time, I would have loved to see Windhoek and Luderitz, the skeleton coast, safari animals in the north. But in just a few short days, I felt like I got an excellent feel for the different sides of Namibia. And its wildlife. And its seafood. And a landscape I couldn’t have even fathomed existed.

Here was our short itinerary:
Walvis Bay
Namib-Naukluft National Park
Swakopmund

Walvis Bay

I didn’t spend all that much time in Walvis Bay, except to pick up some food before embarking on a 5-hour road trip into the desert, and to go kayaking with seals. It’s a quiet “city”, and a pretty short drive to Swakopmund, which is relatively more happening, so I’d definitely recommend that your base yourself in Swakopmund and just visit Walvis Bay as needed.

What We Ate:
The Lemon Tree Deli. This little tree house of a restaurant is located on top of a shop, close to the highway and just off the main drag of Walvis Bay. It’s a great place to stop to pick up food to-go, as they’ll give you a nice takeaway container and utensils and the kitchen hours seem flexible. The vibe of the place is definitely hippie-Africa-expat, with lots of inspirational quotes on the walls and its fair share of kitsch. I had fish and chips which was one of the best I ate in Namibia…and I ate a lot of them.

What We Did:
Seal Kayaking. If you come to the Namibian coast and you don’t kayak with seals, you’ve made a huge mistake. This experience was one of the best I have ever had on a trip – totally unique, and just completely joyful. We met our guide at a café in town, climbed into a van loaded up with two-person kayaks and drove about 40 minutes to Pelican Point, where we would launch. Our guide was incredibly informative, giving us lessons on the flora and fauna – I’m now an expert on flamingos, their habitat, eating habits and various sub-species. But the real fun begins when you pull up to the beach, park the van and encounter thousands of Cape fur seals basking on the shore. Seals as far as the eye can see, barking and flopping around. Enormous male seals and tiny baby seals, and everything in between. You then slip on suspender-ed rainpants and a waterproof jacket, get down in the boat and set off for some close encounters with these playful and downright adorable creatures. As you slowly kayak through the lagoon, pairs of curious seals will come alongside the boats and play with the oars – you can even pet the ones that seem friendly!

Namib-Naukluft National Park

Namibia’s interior is where things get truly majestic. There is a single road (okay fine, there’s one potential turn) that leads from the Walvis Bay area to the national park that’s home to the largest sand dunes in the world. There are a number of absolutely lovely lodges near the entrance of the park (there’s only one that’s within the park’s boundaries), and you can do a tour of the dune area with your lodge or a self-drive on your own. We chose the self-drive option because of timing, and it worked out perfectly. I was only able to spend one night in this area, and if I could do it again would spend at least two, maybe three. It’s truly that enthralling.

Where We Stayed:
Desert Homestead Outpost is a gorgeous, friendly establishment about a 35-minute drive from the entrance to the park. The lodging arrangement is a main house, where meals are served (also featuring lots of decks, nooks and cozy fireplaces – a great spot for sundowners) and then about a dozen cabins stretched out along a path. It’s definitely a bit of a hike with a lot of luggage, but well worth it. The lodges are impeccably decorated – think 4-poster beds with mosquito nets, window seats, showers with beautiful stone inlay – and even have little porches which would be the perfect spot to have a drink and watch the sun set over the expanse of desert nothingness in the distance. The night I stayed here, dinner was a “brai” with lots of meat (including antelope!) grilled to order and a buffet of tasty sides. We left early in the morning to see Sossusvlei at sunrise, and the lodge packed us brown bag lunches to take with us on our journey. Very thoughtful, very tasteful, and a highly recommended spot to stay.

Where We Ate:
Café Van Der Lee. On the way to the park, you will pass exactly one “town”, aptly called Solitaire, which consists of 1) a single gas pump, the only one in the area, 2) a bakery and 3) a restaurant called Café Van Der Lee. While the gas station general store has some pretty amazing snacks, if you’re looking for real food Café Van Der Lee is what you get. Given that it’s the only option for sustenance in hundreds of miles, it’s a lot better than it needs to be. Burgers, sandwiches and fish & chips are all solid options here, as is the local beer on tap.

What We Did:
Namib-Naukluft National Park, obviously. And Sossusvlei to be exact. The entrance to the park opens at sunrise and only lets a certain number of cars in per day. My advice to you is to get there at sunrise. You will drive through the gate, pay at the entrance, and then proceed to drive for about 30 minutes on a lonely desert road, while your corridor through the colossal sand dunes on either side of the road gets narrower and narrower, until they’re right next to you. They are truly majestic, with some more than 1,000 feet high, and truly cannot be believed until seen. Your first stop on this journey is to climb Dune 45, which you’ll recognize because of the small parking lot at its foot. Climbing dunes is no laughing matter – it’s tough work and not for those too afraid of heights – but the view from the top cannot be beat. You will see, stretching out before you, empty, barren salt pans punctuated by bright red mountains of sand. Hardly a visitor in sight. Moving further into the park, you’ll come to another entrance, this time to the Sossusvlei area. Park, pay another entrance fee, and you’ll get a jeep ride to the first “attraction” which is Deadvlei, a stunning white salt pan out of which grow trees that are hundreds of years old. Surrounded by dunes, of course. Further still is Sossusvlei and the Big Daddy dune: more stark landscapes, ancient trees and the tallest dune in the world. I don’t quite have the words to describe the beauty of this area, except to say that it will take your breath away.

Swakopmund

Swakopmund is a small, coastal Namibian city. While it may have the nightlife of a retirement community, it’s got the food and opportunity for adventure that more than make up it. If you’re flying into Walvis Bay, definitely stay in Swakopmund instead – it’s an easy, short drive away and a bit more tuned in. The city has a very German- meets beach-vibe (odd combo, to be sure) and the seafood is out of this world. The oysters will knock your socks off.

What We Ate:
Jetty 1905. The Jetty is somewhat of a Swakopmund institution. The restaurant is, not surprisingly, located at the end of a jetty just off the main drag of town. It’s really about the scenery (you can sit outside and watch the ocean underneath you) but the food is also delicious. Definitely get the oysters (they have a bunch of different broiled options) and any of the other seafood dishes.

The Tug. The Tug is also an old school Swakopmund classic, located in, you guessed it, a tugboat shaped building right on the water. It’s definitely elevated dining, with a large menu filled with the freshest seafood. It has several dining areas and is great for groups. You should definitely make reservations to eat here, and you should definitely order as many platters of oysters as you can feasibly eat.

Brewer & Butcher. Brewer & Butcher is located in a more newly developed area of town, on a strip that sticks out into the ocean. There’s a playground, a hotel and a number of new restaurants. Definitely a little more happening than other areas of Swakopmund, and a great spot to see the sun set. Brewer & Butcher has great steaks, great oysters (I’m not going to stop repeating this) and great burgers, and is set up like an airy beer hall. A fun place for dinner, if you’ve got reservations!

What We Did:
Desert Quadbiking. I will start off by saying that driving a quad bike over sand dunes in the Namibian desert is one of the most exhilarating and also terrifying things I’ve ever done. I’ll qualify that statement by telling you that I am a horrific driver – underconfident and distracted, and now rusty because I only do it once every couple of years when forced. It began to hit me as we were heading out to the sand dunes that I was actually going to be driving a vehicle, and I did get a little nervous. My hands were also sore for several days after, from gripping the handles so hard. But, guys…it was just amazing. Something you’ve got to do. The guide takes the group out and you just focus on following the person in front of you as you weave up and over giant dunes, across them from the side, down giant cliffs of sand. I had dreams for nights after this that I was on a quad bike. The sand is whipping your eyeshield and you can taste it in your mouth, but it’s exhilarating and should absolutely, 100% not be missed if you are in Swakopmund.