“Look at the stars
Look how they shine for you
And everything you do
Yeah, they were all yellow”
Yellow, Coldplay
Table of Contents
Introduction
My road trip in Namibia began with Coldplay’s song “Yellow,” which I listened to on the plane while looking out the window at the intense yellow desert expanses along the Johannesburg-Windhoek route. What I was seeing was the Kalahari Desert, acres of land stretching across Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa, covering a total area about three times the size of Italy, making it the second largest desert in Africa (after His Majesty the Sahara) and one of the largest in the world.
According to reliable online sources, the characteristic color of the desert is actually red, but I believe that this shade can be found in the South African or Botswana parts, unless I have suddenly become severely color blind. What I saw, in the more than 600 km traveled by car from Windhoek, was yellow. Very yellow.
The Kalahari Desert was the first destination on our itinerary, which lasted about two weeks in total. Initially, I had included the Kalahari Desert without having very high expectations, considering it simply as a mandatory stop on the way to Fish River Canyon, an attraction that I really wanted to see. As you read on, you will understand why I happily changed my mind about the desert and why, on the contrary, my expectations of Fish River Canyon were more than satisfied.
Itinerary in pills
Kalahari desert
The main attraction of the Namibian Kalahari is the Quiver Tree Forest, home to the rare quiver tree species, which is apparently only found in Namibia and South Africa. This forest is located near Keetmanshop, a small town about 500 km south of Windhoek, which we chose as our base for the first night. A few kilometers from the forest is Giant’s Playground, a geological formation characterized by the presence of enormous dolerite boulders, stacked on top of each other to form even larger blocks (hence the name “giants”). Along the B1, the road connecting Windhoek to Keetmanshop through the Kalahari, there are other attractions that are generally overlooked but definitely worth noting. Among these, Brukkaros certainly stands out, a caldera dating back about 80 million years, which can be reached by taking a detour from the B1 at the town of Tses. The most important town along the road is Mariental, which I mention not so much because it is worth a visit (it is not), but because it could be a solution for a possible fuel reserve. As you travel south along the road, gas stations become increasingly difficult to find.
Fish River Canyon
From Keetmanshop, it takes a couple of hours by car to reach Fish River Canyon. It is the largest canyon in Africa and the second largest in the world, after the Grand Canyon. In reality, compared to the latter, Fish River Canyon is much smaller, measuring roughly 160×30 km² and with a depth of just over 500 m. The origins of the canyon date back about 500 million years. Its name comes from the Fish River, the river that eroded its rock layer over time and still flows through it today.
Visiting Fish River Canyon is pretty easy if you decide to do it in a day like we did. The day trip consists of viewing the canyon from four viewpoints located a few kilometers from the park entrance, which are quite close to each other and easily accessible by car (following a gravel road). It is not permitted to descend into the canyon independently; to do so, you must participate in a four-day guided excursion, during which you will cover a total of about 85 km.
We dedicated the first day to the Kalahari Desert, leaving from Windhoek and arriving in Keetmanshop, and the second day to visiting the Fish River Canyon, for which we planned a detour along the road between Keetmanshop and Aus, the location chosen for our overnight stay on the second day. Details of our car journey can be found in the table below.
| Day | Attractions | Travel time/km | Maps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kalahari desert | 6h15m/615 | Windhoek-Kalahari-Keetmanshop |
| 2 | Fish River Canyon | 6h/500 | Keetmanshop-Fish River Canyon-Aus |
Day 1: Kalahari desert
As mentioned in the introduction, my first encounter with the Kalahari Desert was from an airplane. Arriving in Windhoek from Johannesburg, you get a splendid view of the landscape from above. The colors seem repetitive, yet it is difficult to look away from the window. Occasional mountain formations (the highest, Mount Schroffenstein, reaches 2,000 m) alternate across the vast desert plain. The view is truly spectacular.
Our road trip begins the day after landing in Windhoek. We set off at around 7:30 a.m. in our Toyota Fortuner, a 4×4 vehicle that will accompany us throughout the trip. However, the B1 is a paved road in excellent condition, so this stretch can also be traveled in a simple compact car. It takes us a while to get out of the traffic of the capital. It will be the only time during the trip that we find ourselves in traffic, which is completely absent once we leave Windhoek.
Passing by Tropic of Capricorn
Our first stop comes after traveling about a hundred kilometers. The reason is linked to one of the three signs in Namibia that indicate the passage of the Tropic of Capricorn, located along the B1 (the other two, more famous, are located along the C14, between Solitaire and Walvis Bay, on opposite sides of the road). One of the activities that travelers engage in when stopping under the sign is to put a few stickers on it as a sign of their passage. Since this does not spoil the landscape, we also left our mark😊.
Brukkaros
After the first pit stop, it’s the road that takes center stage. We drive for several miles immersed in a picture-perfect desert landscape, passing very few cars. We enjoy observing the weaver birds’ nests, trying to spot the largest ones.
After traveling about 400 km (from Windhoek), we arrive near Tses. Since our goal is to reach the Quiver Tree Forest around sunset, and we still have some time, we decide to take the M98 to get closer to the Brukkaros crater. The road to the foot of the crater is a 40 km dirt track leading from Tses to Berseba. Visiting the crater requires a 2-3 hour climb on foot, which takes you to the remains of the old solar observatory, closed for almost a century. From there, the view is said to be amazing. However, our left time allows us to get about halfway along the M98, i.e., to a viewpoint along the road that still allows us to appreciate the crater with good visibility. On the way there and back, we don’t encounter a single car on the M98.
Back on the B1, we continue for a few more kilometers until we reach the entrance to Quiver Tree Forest. I suggest following the signs along the road once you arrive near the park, as Google Maps takes you to a random location.
Cheetah conservation area
We arrive at the reception and pay the entrance fee to the park, which costs a total of 600 NAD (€30, including the five personal fees and the vehicle fee) and also includes admission to Giant’s Playground, located a little further on. Our visit begins right at the reception desk. This is located in a cheetah conservation area, where we watch the cheetahs eating meat given to them by the park managers. In Namibia, there are several conservation sites for these animals, which, when found in a precarious state, are rescued and cared for before being released back into the wild. We are lucky because the cheetahs only come close to the reception during feeding times (while the rest of the day they roam freely in a large protected area).
Although I had already seen cheetahs up close during my safari in Tanzania, I must say that seeing them again was exciting.
Giant’s Playground
After watching the cheetahs have dinner for a few minutes, we head to Giant’s Playground, as there are still a few minutes left before sunset (which we want to see from Quiver Tree Forest). To get to the site’s parking lot, you have to go through a gate, which you have to open yourself, as there is no attendant. Giant’s Playground is a very impressive complex, consisting of volcanic rocks set in lush vegetation, once again, yellowish in color. The hours around sunset are ideal for taking some Instagram-worthy photos. Once you have parked your car, visiting the site is very easy, as it consists of a flat circular route that can be covered in about 45 minutes, including photo stops. The route is marked, so you can’t go wrong. The colors are truly spectacular.
Quiver Tree Forest
The day light is going away as we return to the Giant’s Playground car park. The most eagerly awaited moment of the day has arrived: watching the sunset from Quiver Tree Forest. The forest consists of Aloe dichotoma trees, a rare species whose wood was once used to make quivers (hence the nickname “quiver trees”). Visiting the forest is quite simple: just continue a few meters along the road that passes the reception to reach the parking lot, from where you walk up a small hill (estimated time no more than 5-10 minutes).
Once you reach the top of the hill, all you have to do is stand still and wait for the light game offered by the sun as it gradually disappears behind the earth. The sunset from Quiver Tree Forest is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in Namibia, along with the landscape that looks like a painting.
When darkness finally replaces the colors of the sunset, we finally set off for Keetmanshop, where our accommodation is located.
Day 2: Fish River Canyon
We get up at a reasonable hour to set off again after a sufficiently restful night. The goal of our day, which is also the reason why we extended our itinerary by heading south instead of going directly to Sossusvlei, is to visit the Fish River Canyon.
Leaving Keetmanshop, it takes us about two hours to cover the 150 km to the park entrance. We pay a total of 800 NAD (about €40) to visit the park, including personal fees and vehicle fee. At the reception, they show us a map of the park, with the various viewpoints marked, which you can see below.
Since Google Maps does not recognize viewpoints very well, I will try to guide you in reading the map. From the park entrance (Hobas, point no. 6 on the map), proceed along a 10-15 km gravel road to the Main viewpoint (point no. 23 on the map), where you can easily park next to the viewpoint tower. There are also toilets at the Main Viewpoint, but they are not always open (if you need to use the toilet, it is better to use the ones at the reception).
From the Main Viewpoint, you can walk or drive to the Hikers Viewpoint (point no. 26 on the map), where the 4-day guided trails mentioned above begin. We opted to walk the approximately 2.5 km (5 km total round trip) between the two viewpoints to enjoy the landscape. The trail is almost flat, so the round trip takes about an hour in total.
From the Main Viewpoint, we get back in the car and drive to Rockies Point (point no. 8 on the map). In this case, there is no actual parking lot, but you can reach the viewpoint with a short walk, which is generally flat. The view from this viewpoint is, in my opinion, the one that best resembles the Grand Canyon.
Finally, retracing our steps, we make our last stop at Sunset View Point (on the map, to the left of Main View Point, no. 23), which, in my opinion, offers the most impressive view (similar, however, to that of Main View Point). Here, the landscape vaguely resembles that of Horseshoe Bend in Arizona.
Returning towards Hobas, with a detour, you will finally arrive at Eagle Rock (follow the signs in the park, as both the map above and Google Maps are not very reliable). Along the way, you may encounter some wildlife. We happened to see zebras and oryx, among others. Allow about 3.5 hours for your visit to Fish River Canyon.
After a very satisfying visit (although, honestly, compared to the Grand Canyon, the level of excitement is definitely less intense), we get back in the car to reach Aus, where we arrive in about 3 hours (about 300 km between Hobas and Aus, generally paved road, apart from the gravel road near Fish River Canyon).
Conclusions
The first two days of the trip were a prelude to what, as you will read in the next articles, turned out to be one of the most beautiful and exciting trips ever. In short, the answer is yes, it was worth traveling over 1,000 km more to get to Fish River Canyon, passing through the Kalahari Desert, instead of heading directly to Sossusvlei, as many do.
Fish River Canyon did not disappoint. It is a beautiful place, even for those who, like me, have previously visited the Grand Canyon (although, in terms of majesty, the difference is remarkable). The viewpoint that offers the best view, in my opinion (but also according to my traveling companions), is Sunset Point.
The Kalahari Desert, on the other hand, exceeded expectations, particularly the Quiver Tree Forest. In hindsight, I wouldn’t change anything about what I did, but if I had an extra half day, I would definitely try to reach the top of Brukkaros.
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