Swakopmund and Namib Nakluft Park

In Swapkomund we visited the Crystal Gallery which exhibited some enormous crystal clusters found on a local farm and samples of many of the different quartz crystals and semi precious stones found in Namibia - including some amazing geodes of amethyst and citrine.   Driving into town reminded me a lot of driving in the outskirts of Las Vegas - all these new walled housing developments smack bang next to miles of plains of dull grey sand.  It isnt hard to imagine the whole of Swakopmund swallowed up by dunes like Kolmanskop near Luderitz in the future.  The town is right on the seashore and sports many cute historical buildings.

Because we'd gone to Windhoek to get our visas we had not driven up through the desert which was supposed to be a magnificent scenic drive.  So this morning we drove south Walvis Bay to buy permits to enter the Namib Nakluft Park and see at least part of what we had skipped. The road between the two towns runs 30 odd kilometers along the shore with giant salmon coloured dunes to the east and giant crashing surf to the west.
Finding the information centre proved a challenge.  We tried the location given in the local brochure, the location on the map, the location in our guidebook... no luck.  We stopped at the local library where I asked for help.  The tourist information centre had closed down, but if I went next door to the municipal council they had a small one there, the security guard could direct me to the correct office.  I wandered through various corridors until I came to the correct office only to find a notice on the door announcing the occupant was out of office until further notice.    It seemed they didnt want to sell park permits to tourists that badly.  

In the end we decided to stick to the main route through the desert which didnt require a permit.  At the top of the road we stopped to pick up a young irish hitchhiker exploring Southern Africa after a spate of volunteer work in Zambia before returning to commence life as a commercial lawyer in London in 2010.

The variability of the desert is amazing.  It moved from high red dunes to ashen plains like the remains of a fire to swirling pink curves to yellow grassy knolls to black volcanic rock.  Just before we turned back North we climbed up the Kunis pass which featured rocky interlocking spurs covered with fine dried grass blowing in the breeze.  I have no idea how anything lives out there but we saw ostrich, zebra, oryx and lots of springbok.

We stopped at Jakkalsputz campground by the ocean, which reminded me of something out of an American teen horror flick with its abandoned run-down demenour and doors banging repeatedly in the strong wind.  Deciding against camping there we headed another 10km up the coast to Hentiesville, where the campsite unexpectedly had a separate bath and toilet for each pitch!