One of the exercises we did before travelling was to analyse our drive times – it was most useful to identify potential issues earlier on in the day.
For example, when driving from Sossusvlei to Swakopmund we budgeted 5:45 driving time and 1 hour for breaks. We were at McGregor’s bakery in Solitaire at 14:45 enjoying our cup of tea and apple pie.
However, knowing that sunset was 18:45 in Swakopmund and that there was 3:45 driving remaining in the day we were already tight for time.
It didn’t feel like it – the sun was high in the sky and weather was hot, but if we didn’t leave soon we could get into trouble. We had to down our tea and we would have to keep any further rest breaks to a minimum.
We arrived at our accommodation in Swakopmund 15 minutes after sunset and to some quite worrried SMS messages trying to locate us!
It if fairly crucial to arrive at your destination prior to sunset for a number of reasons
- The vehicle hire agencies tend not to insure you for driving in the dark on the routes between towns
- Animals on the roads are at best hazard during the day, at night they can cause terrible accidents, if driving at night you must drive slowly and with great caution
- Setting up camp is much more efficient with some daylight left
The sun sets quickly in Namibia – they don’t get an extended twilight like we do in the UK, it is dark within 30 minutes of sunset. Do plan ahead.
Small Holiday Big Dream 