Motorcycle trip to Namibia: Day 6 - Still no end to Namibia's splendour

Back on the bikes again! We were heading East for Windhoek via the C28. 325 km of gravel road awaited us, first traversing the flat, Northern tip of the Namib-Naukluft Park and then into the Khomas Hochland mountainous region.

“Expect something of the Baviaans Kloof in the Khomas Hochland,” Adriaan said while we were having breakfast at Raith’s Bakery before leaving Swakopmund. Looking at the delightful variety of freshly baked brötchen on display and listening to the German speaking clientele, I had to remind myself that I was in Namibia and not in Bavaria.

We filled up with petrol at the last petrol station before leaving Swakopmund as there would be no facility to refuel before reaching Windhoek, more than 300 km away. 

For the first 100 km I again was overwhelmed by the sheer vastness of the desert. Once more, as two days before, I watched in awe as kilometre after kilometre of harsh wasteland rolled by. The only difference today was that I was able to see the horizon. An early start and the cool morning air must have contributed to this.

Like a well-rehearsed changing of the set on the stage between two acts during a play, so unexpectedly and suddenly did the landscape change when we reached the Khomas Hochland. At one moment we were surrounded by desert, only to enter rolling hills and rigid mountains covered with grassland and trees when the curtains lifted for Act 2 of the day’s journey. For the next 200 km we negotiated solid gravel surfaces, alternated by not so solid stretches with even a few unexpected spots of rather deep sand here and there. Having been on unpaved roads for six days now, we took whatever the road offered us in a stride.

One of the highlights of this section of road was the Boshua Pass. “Expect something of the Baviaans Kloof in the Khomas Hochland,” Adriaan said earlier that morning. And so it was, an ongoing winding road through the mountains with tight bends which culminated in a climb so steep, that it was necessary to pave a section of the road to ensure traction and to prevent wheel spin and damage to the road surface.

Reaching the top of the pass took our breath even further away as we observed in wonder the panorama that had unfolded beneath us. Again, Namibia made me feel small.

A stopover at Windhoek would imperfect if it does not include a visit to Joe’s Beer House. That night we feasted on more meat than what I could eat before settling down for a well-deserved rest. Although my body was sleeping, my mind kept on exploring the day’s highlights – Act 1 and Act 2 of the ultimate reality show with a script written and presented by Namibia’s Mother Nature herself!