Namibia (1)

After an hour spent at the border, here we are in Namibia, with a first stop at the Fish River Canyon, the largest one in Africa. It features a gigantic ravine, in total about 160 km long, up to 27 km wide and in places almost 550 meters deep.

 

This is the campground for tonight, where I almost lost my camera, after stumbling into acacias.

First flat tyre of the trip:

After hours of dirt road, we eventually enter the Namib desert and its famous dunes:

For sure, the best way to discover the landscape is to climb the dunes at the sunset or sunrise, which also keeps you safe from the temperature which grows amazingly quickly.

 

 

If one day you visit Namibia and look for a good dessert, don't worry, the German tradition is still present, and you will find very decent apfelstrudel, as we did in Solitaire.

Second flat tyre of the trip (I'd rather stay exploded tyre than flat, there is no chance to be able to repair this one...), roads are deadly here, even if you don't drive into elephant droppings, which are known to be full of long thorns.

When we reach the Atlantic Coast, we are greated by hundreds of flamingos, pelicans and spoonbills, in Walvis Bay.

Another way to discover the dunes is by plane, from Swakopmund:

Sea lions having a rest on the beach:

Ship wrecks:

A lot more flamingos:

And the townships "match boxes":

Swakopmund was founded in 1892 as the main harbour for German South West Africa, and a small part of its population is still German-speaking today.

 

It looks like they found a better way to protect the shops from the thieves, no need for CCTV here...

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