After Peru and Colombia, we are still fresh in South America fever, but the attraction before the start of the semester to get back on the plane is too big and so we just can not resist. However, we don’t want to go directly back to South America, but would like to try out the flora and fauna of southern Africa again and experience the differences between “black” East and “white” West Africa for ourselves. Quickly Namibia crystallizes as a destination, not only because of (or despite?) its German past, but mainly because we got after all the backpacking times again a desire for a camping vacation, and Namibia seems there as a very worthwhile destination (and will be 
).
Said, done, booked, planned (in this series order… ), two weeks later we are sitting in the plane from Vienna via Doha to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. There we are already expected by a couple from the Czech Republic and a driver of our rental car company (Savanna), and brought to our 4×4 pickup with roof tent. Everything important is briefly explained to us and then we are already sitting in the car on the way to the south of Namibia. The two Czech have similar plans as we do, but spend one more night in Windhoek. We leave Windhoek for the time being, because we couldn’t find out much exciting about it and would probably have been disappointed anyway after the incredibly exciting experience in Nairobi. Let’s see, maybe we’ll meet them again somewhere along the way…
We don’t have a real plan for the first night, our first stop is actually quite simple. As far as it goes in the Kalahari until it gets dark (about 19 o’clock) and then to a nice campsite. Since everything takes a bit longer than we imagined (especially the entry), we only make it just behind the edge of the desert, but the place is beautiful already. Nearly no people, a scorching heat until shortly after sunset and an (artificial) water hole, where a few desert dwellers cavort – which we observe with a cold beer. We are visited again and again by the dog of the owner family, who wants to get some of our attention. A successful first (half) day, which is topped by an unreal starry night. In addition we experience at the own body that with the deep night temperatures in the desert, is not to be joked. It gets bitterly cold and we decide to close the tent doors in the future…
Am zweiten Tag fahren wir dann tiefer in die Kalahari, bis kurz vor die botswanische Grenze. Wir fahren mit unserem Allradantrieb durch eine 22km lange Offroad-Strecke, entdecken verschiedene Antilopen, Zebras und Gnus und erleben einen bombastischen Sonnenuntergang in den charakteristischen roten Dünen der Kalahari. Einfach eine unglaubliche – und extreme – Landschaft, deren schroffe Schönheit sich nur schwer in Worte fassen lässt.
Am nächsten Tag geht es schon wieder raus aus der Wüste in Richtung der Küste. Davor stoppen wir aber noch ausgiebig an einem “Wald” aus Köcherbäumen. Diese für diese Gegend so typischen Bäume teilen ihren Stamm alle rund 30 Jahre in zwei. So entsteht ein wunderbar gleichförmiges Astmuster. Danach fahren wir noch bis in die für den deutschen Jugendstil bekannte Stadt Lüderitz, aber das ist eine neue Geschichte…