What's for desert? (Namib Desert)

Member Name: moronboy

Product:	Namib Desert
Date:	24/10/00 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Glorious country

Disadvantages: The sometimes harsh environment deserves respect

There are a number of ways to get to the dunes of the Southern Namib desert, and any number of things to do once you get there. But unless you fly in, you'll be driving like we did. If you can afford to fly around Namibia, do so: everywhere is far from everywhere else. However, you can drive fairly easily. The roads are unsurfaced and it can be very intimidating for the first day on roads which are composed of dust and gravel. Just remember - it's a hire car you're driving, so the suspension is someone else's problem (but the flat tyre is yours, so make sure your spare is up to the job before you leave).

Much of the south is relatively accessible by car, but the best options for a traveller are, in my opinion, to stay at one of the camps and lodges where activities are included. Depending upon where you stay, you might be ballooining or going on desert safaris.

Namibia is a dry country, but the dunes, while harsh, are staggeringly beautiful. There are even animals in the dunes (Oryx. ostriches, plenty of springbok), and if you take longer to get somewhere than you anticipated, like we did, you will at least experience the terrifying and fascinating desert road at night. We drove at a snail's pace, and saw owls and hyena and scrub hare.

We stayed at Wolwedans, which is a camp set in the NamibRand Nature Reserve, and I would heartily recommended it. Guests stay in either luxurious canvas chalets or tents, and are given a full day's activities for each day they are there. You drive deep into the desert, and see the huge apricot coloured dunes, the mountains and the creatures who live there. You also get huge five-star restaurant meals (!) Other options include visiting Sossusvlei, which is the area of vast sand dunes, the highest in the world at around 300 metres, and you can be taken on guided walks up to the top.

The idea of visiting the desert might seem quite forbidding, and there are certain obvious con
siderations. There are few towns, so you can't simply think that you'll stop off somewhere for petrol or something to eat. You need to use guidebooks (Chris Macintyre's Bradt Guide to Namibia would be my choice) to plan your journey, take plenty of water and be careful how you drive. The alternative thing to remember is that these areas are accessible, and that the desert is glorious and unlike what you've seen anywhere else.

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