May 2025

Let me just admit right now at the beginning of this series – I am like a kid in a candy store and totally overwhelmed! I honestly don’t know where to start to tell you how amazing our trip to Namibia was. Berto advised me to first give an introduction of our trip. And then he added:

“For the first post, use only one photo per place we visited”.

“Haha, impossible!” I groaned. I tried to negotiate. “What about two, or maybe three, photos?”

But he insisted and for days I was working through hundreds of photos. The photos in this post are not necessarily the most beautiful of them all, but I feel they reflect the feelings we experienced at each place the best – feelings like anticipation, excitement, nostalgy, serenity, and sometimes just being absolutely content.

Here then, is a brief summary of our 8-day road trip of 3,053km/1,897 miles through the incredibly beautiful southern part of Namibia.

Our route map from Cape Town to Namibia

  • Kwelanga Lodge, Vioolsdrif (South Africa):

On the first day, we drove 660km/410 miles from our farmhouse outside Cape Town to Kwelanga Lodge which is just 6km/3.7 miles from Vioolsdrif, the border post between South Africa and Namibia. The lodge is situated on the banks of the Orange River, the longest river in South Africa.

The water level of the Orange River was almost at flood height after recent heavy rain. It was an incredible sight to see, especially at sunrise.

  • To read about this day, click here.

Sunrise over the Orange River from Kwelanga Lodge

  • Lüderitz:

On the second day of our road trip, we travelled to Lüderitz. We followed a beautiful dirt road along a full Orange River – oh, how I wish I could show you photos of this beautiful stretch of road now. But soon, I promise!

Lüderitz is a small coastal town on the Namibian coast and is known for its colonial architecture. It was here that the famous Portuguese explorer, Bartolomeu Dias, arrived with his ship in 1487. We enjoyed a delicious seafood dinner at the Portuguese Fisherman and our accommodation, The Cormorant House, had a spectacular view over the bay – the sunset was one of the most beautiful I have seen in a long time.

  • To see these beautiful buildings and other places of interest in Lüderitz, click here.

The Namibian coastal town of Lüderitz

  • Kolmanskop/Kolmannskuppe:

The ghost town, Kolmanskop (also known as Kolmannskuppe) is just outside Lüderitz. This was a rich diamond mining town in 1910, but abandoned after World War I.

Kolmanskop is slowly being swallowed by the Namib Desert. We spent a considerable amount of time here – houses that were once beautiful buildings are now filled with fine desert sand. It was both beautiful and sad to see – a once flourishing place now lies abandoned, at the mercy of the fierce desert wind with devastating results.

  • If you want to stroll through Kolmanskop in the Namib Desert, click here.

One of the houses at the ghost town of Kolmanskop

  • Abandoned Garub train station:

We were actually on our way to search for the famous Wild Horses (also known as the Feral Horses of Namibia), when we came across the abandoned Garub train station. This station is located between Lüderitz and Aus and was once an important watering hole on the Lüderitz to Keetmanshoop line. Now it is deserted and just a faint memory of bygone days.

  • To read about our visit to this picturesque train station, click here.

Garub train station – one of the landmarks of bygone days

  • Wild/Feral Horses of Namibia:

Namibia’s only wild horses live in the rugged, sandy landscape between Lüderitz and Aus. They have been in this area for more than 100 years.

The wild horses in Namibia are believed to be descendants of horses that escaped from local stables, as well as from South African and German military horses that outlived their owners during World War I. Left to fend for themselves, these horses became a unique feature of the Namib desert.

Sometimes you see them and sometimes you don’t. We couldn’t believe our luck to see a whole herd – even so close that we could touch them!

  • If you want to read all about these horses (and see lots of pictures), click here and here.

The Wild Horses of Namibia

  • Klein Aus Vista:

We used our new rooftop tent for the first time at Klein Aus Vista at the Desert Horse Camp. I can’t think of a better place to sleep than on top of our bakkie’s roof – the bright starry sky felt so much closer.

In the late afternoon sun, the field and mountains were adorned in different shades of gold. We could just sit quietly and admire the scenery – a great peacefulness came over us this evening.

  • If you want to see the golden sunset at our campsite, click here.

Golden colours at Klein Aus – our first night of camping

  • NamibRand Family Hideout:

On the way to the well-known dunes of Sossusvlei, we slept at NamibRand Family Hideout. It was not our first choice of accommodation, as we wanted to stay closer to Sossusvlei. However, we could not find a place and ultimately decided to stay at an old, renovated farmhouse at NamibRand.

And ironically, this stay was the highlight of our trip. We experienced rain this evening in the Namib Desert and a large herd of gemsbok (oryx) and springbok came to drink water right in front of our house. But the cherry on top was our drive through the red sand dunes with a view that I will not forget as long as I live.

  • If you want to see the beautiful road we drove to NamibRand Nature Reserve, click here.
  • To see why this was our favourite day, click here.

What a view at NamibRand

  • Sossusvlei:

If you want to see high red sand dunes in Namibia, Sossusvlei is the place to visit. These dunes are among the highest of the world, with the highest being the one nicknamed Big Daddy, about 325 metres high. (The highest dune in the Namib Desert however, Dune 7 at Walvis Bay, is about 388 metres high).

I will tell you all about the sandstorm we experienced that night in a future post.

  • If you want to see the amazing dunes of Sussusvlei and read about our stormy night in a rooftop tent, click here.

Red sand dunes at Sossusvlei

  • Deadvlei (Dooievlei):

Deadvlei is a white clay pan located near the more famous salt pan of Sossusvlei, in a valley between the dunes. (The pan is also referred to as “Dooievlei” which is the Afrikaans name).

The trees here died as there was no longer enough water to survive. The remaining skeletons of the trees, which are believed to have died 600 – 700 years ago, are now black and scorched by the intense heat.

  • If you want to see more of the dead trees at Deadvlei, click here.

A dead tree on the salt pan at Deadvlei

  • Duwisib Castle:

Duwisib Castle is about 20km/12.4 miles from the tiny village Betta. It was built by the German ‘Baron’ Hans Heinrich von Wolf for his bride in the early 1900s and gives a glimpse of German colonial times.

Hans Heinrich planned on breeding horses in the semi-desert environment. Sadly, he was killed during World War I. His wife left for America, never to return, leaving the castle and all of its contents and dreams behind.

  • To see what it looks like inside Duwisib Castle, click here.

Duwisib Castle

  • Helmeringhausen:

How is it possible that we could be so impressed with a place where there is only one shop, a fuel station, and a hotel?

Helmeringhausen is a tiny village (actually, it’s situated on private land) with very friendly people. We camped next to the hotel, and I think it’s possible that it was just the two of us that night in Helmeringhausen. It’s also here at the hotel where we had “the best apple cake in Namibia” (or so the hotel claims – and we’re not going to argue)!

  • To see the tiny place called Helmeringhausen – and what the “best apple cake in Namibia” looks like – click here.

Beautiful garden at Helmeringhausen Hotel

  • Canyon Roadhouse (and Fish River Canyon):

On our last night in Namibia, we stayed at Canyon Roadhouse. This unique and fun lodge with a vintage car theme exceeded all our expectations.

There are rooms to stay in, but we decided to camp one last time in Namibia. It’s also just 14km/8.6 miles from the Fish River Canyon – the second largest canyon in the world. (We share photos of this incredible canyon in our post, Namibia 11). There is a wonderful sign at Canyon Roadhouse that says: “Fill up on smiles” and that’s exactly what we got here.

  • To enjoy the beautiful views we had at the Fish River Canyon and why Canyon Roadhouse is such a quirky place, click here.

Quiver tree grows out of a vintage car at Canyon Roadhouse

Namibia is a country of contrasts with grass plains, desert, ocean, and mountains. Oh, and it’s true – they do have the friendliest people we have ever met on our travels. The moment we crossed the Orange River and left Namibia behind, we speculated about when we would return to explore the rest of this beautiful country.

Click on the links above to travel with us through this incredible country.

We saw a lot of this – such beauty