Sossusvlei → Swakopmund

We left the Sossus Dune Lodge early, first stop Sesriem Canyon — a narrow gorge carved by the Tsauchab River, usually home to baboons, though none showed themselves on this visit. We walked down into the canyon regardless, which was worth it on its own terms.

From there, a practical stop in Solitaire — a tiny outpost in the middle of the desert with fuel, water points, souvenir shops, and a handful of abandoned old cars rusting agreeably by the roadside. The apple pie there is apparently famous and, by all accounts, excellent. We wouldn't know — it contains gluten.

Next, the Tropic of Capricorn, marked by a roadside sign that is exactly what it sounds like and worth stopping for a picture. Then the Kuiseb Pass, where we had lunch overlooking the canyon — a lunar, almost geological landscape that sits on the natural boundary between the dune desert to the south and the rocky desert to the north.

Walvis Bay followed — a surprisingly modern, well-organised city for Namibia — before the final stretch into Swakopmund, our base for the next two nights. We stayed at the Jetty Self-Catering apartments: no restaurant, no breakfast service, no dinner — just a kitchen and a view. We cooked for ourselves and called it a day.