The first morning waking up in Namibia was full of nerves. We were most of the way to being fully set up for our trip, but the keystone to the whole holiday was our vehicle, and we were about to discover what we were in for.
Our rental agency had arranged pick-up from our accommodation at 9am. They were as professional and punctual as we could have hoped for. Our driver Dickie took us to the Melbic head office where our car was waiting for us.
We were greeted by a spotless white Toyota Hilux, so bright in the mid-morning sun you couldn’t even look at it directly. No hint of a blemish, no dings, not a speck of dust. On further inspection this was due to the vehicle being brand-new, completely fresh out the wrapper, with only 46km on the clock. A completely different wave of nerves came over. We were worried about being given a wreck of a car, now the responsibility not to wreck the new car weighed heavier.
Picking up the car was a breeze, and the induction was very valuable, understanding where all the camping kit and other equipment was stowed would come in handy later. Part of the induction included taking the plastic wrapping off the brand new cooking utensils, yet more new stuff for us to trash.
Once the induction was complete, and paperwork signed, we were free to go. Naturally the first place we headed was Maerua Mall, ostensibly to stock up on camping supplies, but also to take a breath and take stock, we were now on our own.
It’s a slightly weird feeling, spending thousands of dollars in a supermarket, but the produce is surprisingly reasonably priced once you’ve done the currency conversions in your head. Top tip: get up to speed with your 23x times tables before going.
Sarah is a vegetarian and Namibia is meat-eaters country. This had caused much consternation prior to leaving. However, Food Lovers’ Market in the basement of the Maerua Mall had a fantastic selection of fresh vegetables. Including some already prepared stuffed gem squash, a treat on the braai. There was also a great selection of self-serve nuts and dried fruit. She wouldn’t starve after all.
We found the MTC store – “the first and largest mobile telecoms company in Namibia” / read: the only game in town for a local sim – but it was completely rammed, so we opted to forgo mobile comms, and rely on local wifi and our pre-downloaded navigation apps. In an emergency we could always turn on data-roaming and eat the ridiculous charges. Spoiler: it was never needed.
Checkers was the supermarket of choice at Maerua (the Spar we had originally targeted was actually next door, and not inside the mall as expected). There we stocked up on all manner of mosquito repellents and toiletries. We will collate a “tips on things to buy” post elsewhere. While at checkers do make sure to purchase a few six-packs of Windhoek or your preferred local lager. Opposite Checkers there’s a good coffee and chocolate shop, and an even better biltong shop. Stock up!
One final stop before hitting the road – diesel – 70 litres heavier but NAD1,450 (£60) lighter, we hit the road.
Leaving Windhoek to the southwest the roads are excellent, on the edge of town you cross a modern looking ring road and start heading out into the hills, 10km later on the C26 the tarmac ends.
Navigation is easy, there are very few turns you can even take. Driving is harder, you are warned by the rental company not to exceed 80km/h on a gravel road, it takes a few hours of driving on the gravel roads to get anywhere near the confidence required to touch 80km/h, even 60km/h feels fast.
The confidence to drive faster comes with the realisation that you’re behind time and won’t make your destination by sunset. An hour and a half out of Windhoek we’d only covered an hour’s worth of planned distance. With that came the call to step on it, and the cruise control was set to 80 for the next two weeks. Mind you there are some fairly severe bumps on the Windhoek-Nauchas-Solitaire-Sesriem route, so you still have to be on guard.
We reached Spreeshoogte Pass (pronunciation?… me neither) remarkably close to our scheduled time of 4pm. Driving this direction there’s a lot more down than up. The road down is curiously block paved, and frighteningly steep in sections, it’s great fun to drive. Down on the plains level we started to spot the odd Oryx, excited we stopped multiple time for photos, another spoiler: there are lots of Oryx(s?) all over Namibia.
MacGregor’s bakery at Solitaire would have to wait for our return leg, we were now racing against the sun, we zipped through the Namib desert at a cool 82km/h daring the black-box tracker to buzz at us.
We reached the National Park gate at Sesriem at 18:15 and, after a brief negotiation for an acceptable campsite, pitched our tent an lit the braai fire. Sunset over the dunes with a cold Windhoek beer tasted sweet.
Boerewors went on the braai, along with some gem squash, and some feta – which turned out to be a great purchase. A jackal was sniffing around, but stayed well clear of us and the other camps until we’d all retired to our tents.
Next day we’d be up well before sunrise to catch the best light at Sossusvlei, so an early first night in the tent was the recipe for success.
Our route:
Small Holiday Big Dream 
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