The Namib desert, famous for its giant red sand dunes, was our last destination in Namibia. Getting there, however, proved to be a bit of a challenge. Record rainfall in Namibia, the most in something like 12 years, extended down to the desert, washing out several of the roads. We were advised against traveling south in our little front wheel drive car, but being the intrepid explorers we are, we braved the raging rivers and muddy roads. Our reward was seeing some of the most striking scenery on the trip while we drove.
Our cute little rental car caked in dust
The roads were so bad, in fact, that we passed some Germans (not ordinarily known for their timidity on the road) in a similar sized car to our own. They told us that they had decided to turn back because the water potholes were just TOO big. But we pressed on, and after hours of holding our breath every time we drove over a giant puddle, and with a bit of luck, we made it to our camp just as the sun was setting, giving us our first desert sunset - beautiful and well worth the driving hassle!
The Namib desert was beautiful and hot. We hiked the famous Dune 46 and saw both Dead Vlei and Soussusvlei, as well as watching a full sunset, all pictured above. The coloring in the sky, reflecting off the red sand dunes, was amazing and well worth braving the burning inferno that is the Namib desert.
Our cute little car being towed across a river
Getting OUT of the Namib Desert wasn't so easy. One of the rivers that we crossed easily on our way in was flooded on the way out, so we relied on the kindness of strangers to tow us across.
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