August 25th - Day 22

As I said yesterday the tour is now heading almost due south and today's drive took us along wonderful fast straight tarmac and gravel roads to the Atlantic coast of Namibia and then to our hotel in Swakopmund.
There were two route options in the road book. The first was for those who wanted to tackle a difficult 4 x 4 section of mountain track and the second taking mainly tarmac roads through the Namib Desert to Swakopmund. We decided it was time to tackle a good 4 x 4 route as we had, up to now, opted to either take the main roads or to go on a different route altogether.

We set off at six o'clock on more of these incredibly straight Namibian roads. It will be very difficult getting used to the UK roads after Namibia! After about 150 kms we took the first section of gravel road to see an impressive rock formation called Finger Rock. This massive column of rock, created by wind and water erosion, stands hundreds of feet above the surrounding countryside.

Finger Rock, Namibia

The area here was very reminiscent of Monument Valley in the USA, with great flat topped mountains.
A bit about driving on gravel roads. On these roads the dust thrown up by a car is quite unbelievable. It is extremely difficult to pass a slower car, as you are driving 'blind' when you are about to overtake. It makes for very tiring driving. The dust gets everywhere and no matter how hard you try to stop it getting in to the car a fine layer soon settles over everything.

The further I go without the car suffering any mechanical failures the more concerned I become that something might go wrong. So, when we started the rough 4 x 4 section I began to worry this might be the day the car would let us down. I shouldn't have worried. Even though the going was extremely tough with deep ruts, boulders all over the place and steep uphill sections of track, the car once again proved how tough it is.

Jean Steinhauser and Anne Collard in their Landrover Defender on a very steep section of track

Once through the 68 kms of rough track we flew down the 75 kms to the sea. We were now in the magnificent Namib Desert, one of the driest places in the world.

The magnificent wilderness of the Namib Desert

The road was wide smooth gravel and we averaged 120 kph with ease as we slowly descended to the sea. Stunning desert scenery was all around us.

Long straight roads leading to the Atlantic coast of Namibia. Not a sign of life anywhere!

Then we had our first sight of the Atlantic and the infamous Skeleton Coast. So called because so many sailors have lost their lives in ship wrecks along this coast, mainly because of the fogs that occur along the coast due to the cold Atlantic water that comes up from Antarctica. It was said that it was better to drown than survive by making it to the shore and then to die of thirst. We were now only 150 kms from our destination. The road here is called a 'salt' road which is made by spraying salt water on the sand. It then dries out, creating an incredibly smooth surface. We ran alongside the sea to our right and the desert stretching away to our left.

About halfway we stopped at Cape Cross seal colony, where apparently an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 grey seals live. It is an incredible sight to see so many crowded together on the beach. The noise they make is quite astonishing, as is the smell!

Cape Cross Seal Reserve on the Atlantic coast

An hour later and we were at the hotel and five star luxury after the rough tracks, gravel roads and the wilderness of the desert. It was wonderful! I was delighted to learn that everyone who had tackled the 4 x 4 section had made it safely. More desert tomorrow as we continue south.

Swakopmund Hotel, a converted railway station