Casamara - Namibia

Namibia

Casamara

John & Susan Simpson

Sun 25 Jan 2026 14:30

We are often asked where our favourite place has been in all the places we have visited, and it's a difficult question to answer as we have seen so many amazing places. However, one unlikely answer is likely to be Namibia. It’s been an amazing stop and I’ve no doubt one place we’ll rave about for years to come. Namibia, on the South West coast of Africa, is a vast country of about 320,000 square miles but has only just over 3 million inhabitants, making it the second least densely populated country in the world (after Mongolia). It is also one of the driest countries in the world and has the oldest desert, the Namib Desert having been formed 55-80 million years ago. But don’t let that put you off, there’s lots of sand in Namibia, and it turns out that it’s a lot of fun to play about in it!

We packed a lot into our visit, starting with a sunset tour in 4x4 cars along the coast through the dunes to historic Sandwich Harbour. The origin of the harbour’s name appears to have been from a visit from the HMS Sandwich in the late 18th century, but the natural harbour was in use long before that. Portuguese records show that one of a trio of sailing vessels was stranded in Sandwich harbour in the 15th century whilst the remaining two carried on around the Cape of Good Hope to complete their voyage of discovery. The trio was later reunited and returned to Portugal together. Eventually, other ports were created, such as Walvis Bay where Casamara was berthed. Sadly Sandwich harbour silted up over the years and is no longer in use. But it wasn’t the history or the sunset that made the tour exciting. The 4x4 cars raced around the sand dunes like they were in the Paris to Dakar rally, and we squealed in the back seats like children at a fun fair as the drivers flung the cars about, roaring up and down the incredibly steep (and sandy) slopes. The scenery was dramatic too, with wind whipping streaks of sand off the top of the dunes and the colour of the sand changing through yellow, orange, red and purple as the sun slipped over the horizon.

4x4 on top of a dune

Sandwich Harbour from the dunes

Our next excursion was a quad bike safari with a historical focus. A group of us from the World ARC rally fleet followed local guide Farnie through the dunes close to Walvis Bay. Farnie’s knowledge of local flora and fauna was exceptional and he had a keen interest in the archaeological history of the area. We spotted Springbok, Oryx, Jackals, lizards, beetles and ants, and we tasted the wild Nara melon endemic to the Namibia Desert. The flesh looked very much like a pumpkin but was slightly sweeter. The dunes shift with the wind, and Namibian dunes are among the fastest moving in the world, covering 7 to 83 metres a year (yes! A year!!). The smaller dunes move fastest. In one area, a hardened saltwater flat dating back 2,000 years has been exposed and the footprints of humans and animals crossing what would once have been a muddy area have been revealed. Again, as well as the knowledge gained, we had great fun on the quad bikes, learning how to drive them down steep inclines and racing around the dunes in single file following Farnie.

On quad bike safari

Next was an overnight stay in the desert at the Desert Camp Lodge near Sossusvlei. Thankfully there were no tents involved - we stayed in a very pleasant air conditioned, little bungalow in a small resort in the middle of the desert. The drive from Walvis Bay Yacht Club to the resort lasted about 5 hours and took us through this fascinating landscape. Miles and miles of dead straight stony road gave way to a narrow winding road called the Kuiseb Pass, which took us through a moon-like landscape with undulating sedimentary rocks stretching as far as the eye could see. After a chilled out afternoon in our desert lodge, we took a sunset tour of the desert around the lodge. Our guides set up a table with drinks and pre-dinner nibbles, and we watched jackets and Oryx as the sun slowly sank, listening to the silence of the desert. The next day we were up early to tackle a hike up 'Big Daddy’, the tallest sand dune in the Sossusvlei area and one of the tallest in the world. My watch recorded a height of 317 metres at the top and it was a hard climb in the soft sand, all the way up the ridge to the top. It was worth it though for the descent - straight down the side of the dune in a vertical line from the top. Our feet sank into the sand as we ran down so, although it was very steep, we didn’t fall. Mini-avalanches of sand preceded us, looking like liquid mercury flowing down the hill. At the foot of the dune was Deadvlei, a vast area of white clay formed when the Tsauchab River was blocked by dunes. Ancient trees that died when the water evaporated have petrified and their remains are still standing 900 years later. After all that exertion we were glad to be back in our guide’s vehicle for the long drive back to Casamara.