The next leg of our epic road trip took us from Lüderitz to Swakopmund, another former German colony.

We backtracked along the B4 to Aus and then took the C13 to Helmeringhausen and then the C14 via Maltehöhe to Walvis Bay and on to Swakopmund. To break the journey, we stayed at the NWR Naukluft Camp in the Namib Naukluft National Park. Note, for all NWR camps located inside national parks, you are obliged to pay the National Park fee in addition to the cost of the campsite.

Once again the landscapes were stunning and changed constantly as we drove from one area to another. The day before there had been heavy rain, which was totally unexpected in winter, the dry season. Our Renault Duster 4×4 quickly became caked in mud, as the dirt roads quickly turned to slush. Things were starting to get a bit hairy, but thanks to the skillful driving of my friend Anita, we managed to get safely to our destination.

Swakopmund

Swakopmund is the closest thing Namibia has to a resort town. It is also the adventure sports capital of Namibia, offering quad bikes, surfing and skydiving. We stayed there for 4 days in an Airbnb, taking a welcome break from camping. We decided not to stay in Walvis Bay itself, however, we did make the trek back one morning to take the kayaking tour with seals.

In Swakopmund we did a skydive, my first, which was a massive adrenaline rush. We met a local guy, Pierre, who used to be in the Namibia special forces and skydiving team, who took us to the local skydiving club. This was just one of many acts of kindness we received from the locals all throughout the country.

We took the opportunity to eat plenty of fresh fish, the highlight was watching the sunset from Tiger Reef.

Read the next instalment of our adventure here.

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