SAND route Segment 4 – part 3
The two days out of Sesreim were bumpy and dusty as we shared the road with multitudes of tourists going to and from Sesreim either by self drive in their hired 4Wd with rooftop tent, 4WD and staying in accommodation or on guided group tours. These days were my least favourite days of the trip. There were nice views but were seen behind a veil of dust or totally obscured. We were super lucky by having little wind but this added to the dust issue (first world problem of course). Near the end of the 2nd day we were rewarded with some paved road into the Kuisab canyon. The forecast was for 40km/hr winds overnight so we were strategic with our wild camp and tethered our tent well to the valley floor. Fortunately the winds didn’t eventuate where we were.
It was with relief to make the turn down the D2186 road back into the Namib-Naukluft Park as most other traffic is racing for the coast. It was good to be on a quiet road. The desert stretched in all directions, it was vast and flat and we felt small. We could just see our destination rock outcrop Mirabib 20km away. We had a nice camp in the shade of the rock in the middle of the flat white sands before another rough stretch to the Gobabeb Research Station. Surprisingly we biked into low, cold coastal fog before Gobabeb which cleared as we ate lunch and refilled water for our last nights camp. The research station is studying desert ecology and is also a training institute for primary through tertiary level.
This last section of smooth riding follows the Kuisab river which divides the red sand dunes and the white/grey flatter sands of the desert to the north and east. Of course the river only flows after heavy rain but it is defined by a green corridor of trees and shrubs so it is a striking line dividing the red and white sands.
A light frost formed on the tent at sunrise of our last full day of biking and the fog came in once more obliterating views sadly as we made the last 70km to the coast. All along the green belt were the rough shacks of the Topnaar people. There is a new water pipeline going in from a Kuisab aquifer, presumably to the large coastal towns of Walvisbaii and Swakopmund where we were heading.
After a night in Walvisbaii (with some great eating), we braved the B2 highway to Swakopmund a mere 30km away. The highway runs parallel to the coast with the white dunes on the right and beach, or at times built up high end housing, on the coastal left. The shoulder was minimal so it was stressful at times with some drivers unaware of how close, and how fast they were passing us.
I was desperate for a pee so we stopped at a petrol station in the development of Long Beach. We were approached by a chap who had passed us whilst riding and who very kindly offered us a free nights accommodation at his beachfront hotel a stones throw away. We had a very enjoyable evening drinking nice wine, an obligatory shot of Jaggermeister and great conversation with Larry and his wife by the fire.
For the last stretch to Swakopmund we rode the gravel strip beside the tar road. The fog had rolled in again and the road was busy. We had glimpses of the ocean right beside us and the dunes on the right.
Finally the long bridge into Swakopmund appeared and we rolled to a stop outside our accommodation – job done!
There is one final segment of the SAND route that starts in Swakopmund and ends on the border with Angola. It is the hardest/wildest segment of the 5 and sadly (in my view – not so much in Alan’s) we did not have the time to ride it. It ventures into very remote terrain in the north and there would be serious exposure to animals including desert elephants. How cool would that be.
It has been an incredible journey to this point. It may appear from the outside to be a lot of endless bad roads in this last segment but they connected us to amazing environments and friendly people and there was always a corner at the end of each straight! Every trip comes with a different set of challenges and these provide the immense satisfaction when overcome.
A huge thanks to Johan (#a.whale.away) and Jana for providing the detailed resource that gave us the inspiration and confidence to tackle this route.
We took a shuttle from the coast to Namibia’s capital of Windhoek and then flew south to Cape Town. Johan and Jana live in the surf beach suburb of Muezenberg and we headed there for a walk and an enjoyable evening with them. Next day we took a catamaran to Robben Island and had a very informative tour of the prison where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated. Our guide had served 5 years at the prison with Mandela so it was firsthand information and very sobering especially as it is very recent and a disturbing history of a dark time for South Africa.
Time now for the long journey home.
