Namibia Overland: Namib Desert to Swakopmund

Day 6 – Tropic of Capricorn – Moon Landscape – Walvis Bay – Swakopmund

After a spectacular Day 5 in the world’s oldest desert, we hit the road early and headed towards our final stop, Swakopmund. En route we made several stops, the first at a farm ranch where we took a guided hike with a local expert. He walked barefoot as he showed us native plants and trees and described how his Bushmen ancestors survived in the harsh desert conditions.

We were fascinated as he shared a story of how he and two friends hiked through the Namib Desert, all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, carrying little food and water. They used dried reeds and empty ostrich eggs to collect water underneath the earth, then buried the eggs along the trail for their return trek back. Contrary to conventional wisdom, he said they drank limited water because excess consumption would lead to abdominal issues and exhaustion in the hot desert sun. Our excursion ended with a discussion of Namibia’s colonial history and another great lunch prepared by our guides.

Next, we stopped at the Tropic of Capricorn sign, which bore special significance to me since Capricorn is my zodiac sign. From there, we stopped at the Moon Landscape, so named for its distinctive moon-like topography. Barren and desolate, the Moon Landscape was formed when the Swakop River carved deep canyons into the granite rock. It was a stark reminder of nature’s power and beauty.

We continued on to Walvis Bay, where we briefly stopped to walk along the seafront promenade and see the resident flamingos on the lagoon. This also gave us the perfect opportunity to view the extravagant waterfront mansions.

Thirty minutes later we made it to Swakopmund and our first stop was at Desert Explorers, an activity center which offers a variety of adventure activities including skydiving, quad biking, paragliding and sandboarding. I couldn’t leave Namibia’s adventure capital without indulging, so I chose a 3-hour combo quad biking and sandboarding tour for 9:00 a.m. the next morning.

By mid-afternoon, we finally arrived at our B&B, Stay @ Swakop Guesthouse, where I chilled until dinner. Our last group dinner was at Jetty 1905, a fancy restaurant located at the end of a landmark jetty that reaches out some 900 feet into sea. I had wine and grilled sole, served with potatoes and a vegetable medley, all of which was delicious.  It was a fun evening with my new friends.

Stayed tuned for Day 7

Have you traveled to Namibia? What was your favorite thing to do?  Share your comments below.

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