We traveled across Namibia for six days as part of a longer two-week cross-Africa roadtrip that would see us visit six fascinating countries. We had arrived in Windhoek on an early morning flight from Cape Town and within a few hours, our rented 4x4 truck was broken into and luggage was stolen. It was an unsettling feeling to starting the trip and as soon as we had filed a police report, we were desperate to get out of the city and into the wilderness of Namibia.
We started our massive adventure with a long drive into the red desert to visit the iconic landscapes of Sossusvlei and hike into the much-photographed clay pan of Deadvlei. We then drove north to Swakopmund, crossing the Tropic of Capricorn, commemorated with a sign, and signifying that we were now closer to the equator than the South Pole.
From Swakopmund, we packed up our roof tent and truck and headed inland towards the majestic Spitzkoppe. The 160km drive was smooth, mostly on easy paved roads (which we would learn to very much not take for granted on this roadtrip) and with the poignant peaks of Spitzkoppe already visibly bursting out of the horizon from many miles away.
Spitzkoppe is actually a collection of bald granite peaks, thought to be more than 120 million years old. The most symbolic of them all is the pointed triangular mountain rising more than 1700 metres high. The stunning red rocks make for an otherworldly landscape to explore.
Spitzkoppe is based near a township which, unfortunately, for safety reasons, I'd recommend driving straight through without stopping. Spitzkoppe is well-serviced and you'll pay your entrance fee at the front gate where there are also toilets to use. There are also incredible campsites here; our schedule didn't align with spending a night here but I can highly recommend parking up among the red rocks and watching the stars.
You'll need a 4x4 to access Spitzkoppe; the road in is gravel and the trails through the park are sandy. On the provided map you'll receive, there's a few key places you'll want to visit including a small walking trail up to the rock arch as well as to visit the stunning rock art, thought to have been painted over 2000 years ago by the local bushmen as they traveled through the region depicting their hunting and animal sightings.
