Namibia wrap-up

It is a long ride (250 km on gravel road) back from Solitaire to Windhoek but is made interesting by the desert landscape that never ceases to amaze. Add the occasional Zebra herd, Springbok, Klipspringer, Oryx or Jackal and it can be as adventurous as any we've had in our 11 day exploration of Namibia. The Gamsberg Pass gets quite rough and narrow at times. After the stiff climb, the path levels off on the other side and gently rolls up and down all the way through to Windhoek. Once past the pass, the desert landscape gives way to shrubs of green.

Video: Enroute to Windhoek

The thought of a tire burst was never far from our minds during our 3200km journey and we were eagerly awaiting the appearance of a sealed tar road as we neared Windhoek. As luck would have it, we suffered a flat tire just 5 km short of the paved road. If we had to lose a tire, we had to look upon this as a stroke of good luck with only 20km separating us from the capital. With only the cost of a tire to add to our rental cost, we felt that our decision to drive ourselves through the country had been vindicated. Going on a package tour would have saved us all the gravel road driving but would have severely restricted our Namibian experience. To be able to stop anywhere we wanted on those desert roads and passes is a priceless option to have.

Thus we come to the conclusion of our explorations in Namibia, a country with one of the least population densities in the world which clearly showed in the vast wide open spaces. While the desert and the sky dominate, the birds and animals of Etosha, the brief exposure to Himba culture, the Cape Cross Seals, the amazing Welwitschia plant, the Walvis Bay flamingoes, the red dunes at Sossusvlei and the endlessly vacant gravel roads defined our experience.

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