A chance to live in Botswana was one of the blessings in my life. A quick drive to Gaborone Game Reserve right in the middle of the city, our hangouts at Sanitas, the large Nursery & Garden Centre located close to Gaborone Dam which serves the best lemonade in the world, and quick access to Mokolodi Game Reserve were our favorites. Yes, we also loved the Amrula tree in our backyard with the year-round birds wondering why they’re not getting drunk like the elephants and Baboons in “God must be Crazy”!
Spontaneous plans are fun
It was one of the safest we felt among the countries we lived in Africa with really good infrastructure and as always lovely people. When Ashwin tossed this spontaneous plan for a road trip to Namibia during one of the Christmas holidays. The excitement was so much that we did not think twice and agreed. No bookings during holidays can be a nightmare, but we had to find quickly who could help us with accommodations, and lucky we came across Cardboard Box Travel. Despite the short notice (a couple of days), everything was a breeze. The idea was to spend Christmas in Namibia and come back before New Year to Gabarone.
Now the second problem is cars! I had a Toyota which was old and then my friend had an old BMW. That did not turn us back though we had to cover close to 1500 km through deserted roads where miles with no help or even connectivity and possible encounters with wildlife on the way. We thought the worst that could happen was having to ask a baboon for directions!
Starting the epic journey
So we started early on through Lobatse, Kanye, and Jwaneng towards the Buitepos border checkpoint. The road was pretty much empty and for kms straight road with occasional sightings of some wildlife. With not much hassle, we were welcomed at the border check post. Immigration was pretty empty and we were wondering, are we the only crazy souls driving during this time? We paid and all visa formalities were completed in a very short time and were a breeze and we headed towards Windhoek. By the time it was evening, but being on the open plains, the light was good so no issues. We reached Windhoek at dark, so the Cardboard Box team made arrangements for us to check in directly to the Casablanca Windhoek hotel.
Are we in Germany ?
When one thinks of Namibia, one might not think of Germany. However, the history of the Namibian capital, Windhoek, is deeply intertwined with German colonialism. From 1884 to 1915, Namibia was a German colony known as German South West Africa. German colonists brought their culture and language to Windhoek, leaving a lasting impact on the city.
We decided to explore more of Windhoek while returning. More on Windhoek and interesting stuff to do in Windhoek is here. Windhoek is a lovely city with a lot to offer.
The next day morning after having a good breakfast, we left for Swapokmund.
Again we were pretty much lonely on the road for very long sections and endless sand plains.
Closing in on Swakopmund, we started seeing colorful buildings clearly influenced by German and African culture. The city was clean and after checking into the hotel. It was just the start of our amazing experience that was about to unfold in the coming days.
We chose to walk leisurely through the streets of Swakopmund, took pics, and headed to the beach to dip our feet in the cold Atlantic waters. The evening was so surreal and the sunset was beautiful to spend on the beach.
The next few days we spent experiencing some of the best Namibia has to offer.
Here is a list of things to do around Swakopmund
- Take an ATV through the desert!
- Spend the Day Dolphin and Whale Watching
- Sandwich Harbour 4×4 Tour
- See the Cape Cross seal colony on the Skeleton Coast
Leaving Swapokmund was like dragging little kids away from candy jar. The beauty of this coastal paradise where the ocean meets the desert captivated us and made it difficult to leave.
We returned to Windhoek via the same route, but with a slight detour
Some detours make lifetime experiences
Düsternbrook Guest Farm is 45 minutes away from Windhoek, which is a private reserve where Cheetahs and Leopards can be seen in a unique scenery. We took a safari in the reserve and got close to the cats. At one point, the cheetah seemed so close that we thought it was going to jump into the car with us! Thankfully, it decided to take a nap in the sun instead.
More on Leopard and Cheetahs of Düsternbrook Guest Farm here
We explored a bit of Windhoek and German beers a little after our return. Here is the Windhoek
The lost brake
We started early on from Windhoek to Gaborone as we had to reach Gaborone to prepare for the New Year’s celebrations. After about 50 or so km, I started getting a burning smell in the car. I was joking with my wife asking her if she was hungry already and if it was her stomach burning. Wife: “No, I think it’s your car burning!” Hell Yeah, she was right, I braked. We had lost brakes – the burning smell was the brakes burning out. Somehow, I quickly managed to shift to the side of the highway and stop the car. This was the time I cursed cars with automatic gears. We were so lucky that no one was hurt. My friend was behind me so we were not left behind.
No help anywhere to be seen, we decided to let the car cool off and drive very slowly inching back to Windhoek. When we started, I tested whether I could brake. To my luck, I could pump the brakes and had a manageable stop. So we headed to Windhoek followed by my friend in another car. We could not find any repair garage open due to the holiday. Again luck was in our favor. The garage owner was working on his personal project on a vintage car with a half shutter open in his garage and he agreed to help when we pleaded. However, the parts shops were not open due to the holiday and he was gracious to give us the part he kept for his daughter’s car. With a twinkle in his eye and beer in his hand, he said to us, “Merry Christmas! I guess Santa found you after all!”
The fun did not stop
Due to the brake incident, we had almost a 4-hour delay. Still, we decided to head to Gabarone. It was dark and headlights are not enough on pitch-dark straight open plain roads. Came across animals moving around the road and I had to be really careful. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a donkey-looking animal was right in front of my car. I swirled my car to the left in a split second to avoid the animal coming inside the car through the glass to give me a kiss. Still, my left side mirror slapped the animal’s face and broke. But I saw him moving away in a fraction of a second, so I was relieved that later I did not kill it. I looked at my wife and said, “Close call! I guess we just got lucky the donkey didn’t kiss me goodbye!”
We slowed down after the incident and boy did it end there? No. A porcupine jumped in front of the car and this time I managed to stop the car right in front of him. I thought to myself, “That was close!” I’m just thankful he didn’t shoot his quills at us, or else we’d be sitting in a prickly situation with my tires!”
Happy New year in the middle of nowhere
By the time we were close to Lobatse, we started seeing fireworks from far and we got into the mood for new year’s toasts, eager to get to Gabarone. This turned out to be one of the best road trips in my life full of events, and memories for a lifetime.
