Namibia

• You can use South African Rands in Zambia, so might be easier than withdrawing. 
• We used The Cardboard Box Travel Shop to help with our car rental and the bookings. They were absolutely great-- even when we were stuck in the middle of the desert. Reach out at sonja@namibian.org 
• You can get a 7 day MIC sim card with 3GB and calls for $5 at the airport. Unfortunately, most of Skeleton Cost has no signal. 

Things to know

1. Get petrol at every place you can— Hentiesbaai is the last stop for gas before Terrace/Torra Bay and fuel is inconsistent in those places.

2. You need to enter the gate by 3 and exit by 7. There is a reason why these curfews exit— it is extremely scary and unsafe to drive through this area after dark.

3. Most of the wrecks are small, and very very old. It may just look like a couple pieces hurting out of the sand. You may not even see it, as it may be covered.

4. When you're driving through sand, flatten your ties to 1.5. Even if though it will be bumpier, it will be better grip going through.

The only place to stay (campsites excluded) is Terrace Bay, which is typically very popular for angler fishermen.

Henrietta Wreck: Go out the back area of Torra Bay, and drive approximately 10 kilometers down the beach, follow the tracks but 4x4 required. We had to get out and walk for about 20 min because our car got stuck in the sand. However, we found some massive whale bones AND got to see something frolicking seals.

Winston: Just inside the Ugab Gate, clearly marked on the road

Oil Rig: clearly marked close to the Ugab Gate

Zeila: The easiest wreck, just south of Hentiesbaai.

Eduard Bohlen: You can’t see it. Unless you fly over it, or do a multiple day tour with a company. Give up.

Swakopmund literally looks like Stepford Wives. It's pretty eerie and there's not that much to do there.

In Walvis Bay, the “pink lakes” are very instagrammable but also please note that they’re not actual lakes, but salt pans, where they process salt. In Skeleton Coast, there are also natural version of this, but they’re not as vibrant. It’s an open area so if anyone tries to get you today etc, ignore them.

If you're driving to Deadvlei from here, this is the last top to get groceries.

We stayed at Desert Quiver camp and absolutely loved it! It was self-catering but also there was an option of a buffet at the very close Soussvlei lodge.

Go as early as possible to Deadvlei because it’s here VERY hot very quickly. We stayed at Desert Quiver Camp which was extremely romantic, had a great pool, and we really enjoyed the self-catering.

Climb up the dune, but it’s nearly impossible to slide down without a board, and probably shouldn’t because it’s very steep. However, it was incredibly cool because the sliding sands creates a deep resonant sound and you can feel it through your body as your inch down.

On the way back to Windhoek, we popped through the Nankluft Mountain Zebra Park, where we saw some zebra, kudu, baboons, gemsbok, and springbok. The reception office is 13km inside the park so we basically drove in, didn’t pay anything and then drove out.