The Journey to the Seaside Town of Swakopmund

On Thursday, we wake up to birdsong in our hut at Camp Gecko, pack our things, and drive up the hill where breakfast is served in a separate little cabin. Then we set off on a six-hour drive.

The road takes us through a landscape densely dotted with dome-shaped rock formations. Along the way, a thunderstorm rolls in, and within a short time the temperature outside drops by 20 degrees. Altogether, it creates a rather dramatic scene. Eventually, we reach the coast, where, due to the cold Antarctic current, the air temperature is significantly cooler than inland — no more than 20 degrees Celsius.

We stop at Dune 7, which is said to be the highest sand dune in the world (383 meters tall). After that, we visit the harbor area of Walvis Bay, where a cruise ship named Mein Schiff is docked. Ships bearing the same name (there are as many as seven of them) can also be seen during the summer at Tallinn’s cruise terminal.

Finally, we drive a bit further north to Swakopmund, where we have booked an apartment for a couple of nights.