Chapter 4: All roads lead to roam

We’re almost halfway through our expedition! Exploring Namibia has been one of our most fulfilling experiences, and we’re thrilled we get to explore more of it. We conquered the C28 road and finally arrived in Swakopmund, we headed straight towards Dune 7—the highest dune in Namibia—and captured beautiful footage of the sunset on the dunes. We drove the vehicles up a couple of dunes and, as expected, the DUSK, DAWN and STORM managed to get through desert sand smoothly and comfortably.

We went back to Swakopmund to refuel, refresh, and rest. The next morning, we took a slow drive up the coastal road towards Walvis Bay and explored the town. Walvis Bay is the second largest city in Namibia and is an important centre of tourism activity. It is also home to the beautiful luxury beach resort of Langstrand on the Atlantic coast and The Walvis Bay Export Processing Zone, an important facet of the local economy.

Afterwards, we headed passed Dune 7 to our next destination; Solitaire. Yes, there is a small town in Namibia with the same name as a computer card game. It is a settlement in the Khomas Region of central Namibia that functions mostly as a tourist stopover because of the sparsely populated surrounding area. Before we could enjoy this delightful little town and all that it has to offer—more on that later—we had to deal with some tough weather conditions as Mother Nature welcomed us to the next leg of our expedition.

The drive passed the dunes was tough, there were some strong winds blowing that proved to be quite a challenge as it was difficult to see ahead on the road. We had to, once again, rely on the Front Fog Lamps and Dual Projector Headlamps on the vehicles, which made things a little better. Along the route, at the mountain pass, we came across a German tourist who wasn’t familiar with off-road driving. His vehicle was stuck in the sand and we managed to tow him out with the rear steel towbar, available on all Special Edition Karoo vehicles.

We finally arrived in Solitaire to take a break and had the wonderful opportunity to indulge in the world-famous traditional apple crumble at McGregor’s Bakery. Tourists far and wide travel to this remote bakery just to try it and we’re happy to announce that it did not disappoint. With our spirits high, we continued our journey by heading down the D707, one of the most scenic routes leading to Sossusvlei from the C13, providing the first glimpse of the magnificence of the Namib-Naukluft Park.

The park encompasses part of the Namib Desert (considered the world’s oldest desert), the Naukluft mountain range, and the lagoon at Sandwich Harbour. We continued on up the C27 to Sesriem and Sossusvlei. We stopped over in Sesriem after the beautiful, scenic drive. It is home to another natural wonder; the Sesriem Canyon. A natural canyon, carved by the Tsauchab river, that is about one kilometre long and 30 meters deep. We decided to make a fire, have a braai, and, because the weather was warm enough, sleep under the stars.

The next day, we were meant to go to the world-famous Sossusvlei region but were strapped for time, so we ended up going to Betta. Betta is a small settlement situated on the C27 and D826 roads on the south-western outback of the Namibia Desert. We stopped at the local café to grab something to eat and struck up a conversation with the owner, who also happens to own the fuel station. He kindly gave us access to his WiFi, and after we ate, he offered to take us on a 4×4 trail on his farm. We captured some great footage of the vehicles doing some serious off-roading tricks.

The next leg of journey is a small town in the Karas Region of southern Namibia that promises to be another uniquely Namibian experience.

Join us in part five of our ongoing blog series as we explore all that Southern Africa has to offer and we Unleash The Explorer In You!