Today, we’re off to the sea! But before we hit the road, a quick note from yesterday: after our trip to Sossusvlei, we were covered in a good layer of dust. So we did some laundry and hand-wrung it out in towels as best we could, then hung everything over chairs outside to dry. We weren’t sure if our jeans would be dry by morning—they were still quite damp—but the warm, dry desert air did its magic: within less than two hours, they were bone dry!
And what’s good for our jeans seems to be good for us too. We’re both handling the Namibian climate really well this time of year. It’s warm—around 30°C (86°F)—but not too hot, and the dry air makes the heat surprisingly pleasant.
So, time to load the car and hit the road! Today’s destination: Walvis Bay on the Atlantic coast, about 312 km (194 miles) from Sossusvlei Lodge. The drive is rather uneventful and takes about 5 hours with breaks, giving us time to write a bit more about the roads and scenery.
We first headed 90 km (56 miles) to Solitaire—a name that couldn’t be more fitting. Just a gas station and a bar, surrounded by nothingness. We’d already filled up the tank the day before, and while every guidebook raves about the apple pie here, we gave it a miss. The original baker, a former owner of the bar, passed away in 2014. He was famous for baking a fresh tray of delicious pie every day, which earned its legendary status. Nowadays, it’s become a bit of a tourist magnet—several tour buses were parked outside, and we heard the quality can vary. So we skipped the pie.
From Solitaire, we turned left and drove straight for another 220 km (137 miles). Our GPS helpfully announced: “In 210 kilometers, take the first exit at the roundabout.” Classic GPS humor.
For the first 200 km (124 miles) from the lodge, the road and scenery looked just like the pictures above: wide gravel tracks, wide enough for three or four buses side by side. At times, the surface was smooth enough for 75 km/h (47 mph), other stretches were bumpy enough that 40 km/h (25 mph) felt too fast.
Namibian drivers tend to be cautious. Overtaking happens at a respectful distance to avoid getting lost in someone’s dust cloud. That dust trail is actually quite useful—you can spot oncoming or nearby vehicles from far away. Most of the time, the road runs dead straight, with only the occasional curve or hill that suddenly demands attention. Loose gravel can cause slight skidding, so keeping both hands firmly on the wheel is essential.
The landscape was vast and sparse. Yellow-green grass stretched out in every direction across a flat plain, with distant hills breaking the horizon and a few scattered bushes. The next day in Walvis Bay (sneak preview!), we learned that the grass was unusually lush—thanks to a rare downpour two months ago. It’s now going to seed and will soon vanish, returning the Namib Desert to its usual barren self.
We passed very few signs of human presence—just around 20 farm entrances in over 300 km (186 miles). Namibia is twice the size of Germany with only about 3 million inhabitants. That’s roughly 3.7 people per square kilometer (9.6 per sq mile), compared to over 230 per km² (595 per sq mile) in Germany.
At one point, we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn again, this time heading north. A small roadside sign marked the spot. As we zipped past it, we realized we’d never been this far south in our lives—until the past two days!
Eventually, the landscape became more mountainous as we reached the Gaub Pass. The road wound down into a valley in sweeping curves and then back up again. At the bottom, a dry riverbed cut across the path—such a picturesque spot that we decided to stop for lunch. Not a gourmet spread, but fresh air makes everything taste better! Our trusty cooler provided the essentials.
From there, the terrain got more rugged and visually interesting. We passed a group of cyclists with a support vehicle—which is definitely needed with such distances between farms or lodges. Once again, we drove through Namib-Naukluft National Park, which we’d already seen near Sossusvlei. The park covers a massive section of the Namib Desert, stretching from the Atlantic coast into the central highlands. Fortunately, many of the roads here were paved, so progress was quicker.
Of course, we also spotted a couple more fun entries for our “unusual road signs” collection.
As we neared the coast, the landscape became even more barren. We were driving for kilometers along a flat, straight, sealed road through equally flat terrain, with a few hills in the distance. The grass had disappeared, and even the bushes were gone. Everything had turned various shades of brown and gray.
Finally, we arrived in Walvis Bay, a coastal city of about 100,000 people. It’s more of an industrial hub than a tourist hotspot, but it’s the perfect base for tomorrow’s planned seal and seabird tour.
Our accommodation—Desert Dreams Bed & Breakfast—offers a spacious room with a kitchenette and a large bathroom. There’s even a fully automatic washing machine, which would’ve come in handy yesterday! The place is small, with just five units, but the highlight is definitely the private garage that’s built into our apartment. A perfect ending to a long drive.
