Sesriem – Swakopmund

After a slightly more peaceful night, we wake up at 5.30 AM, to get to the dune in time for sunrise. By 6.05, there is already a queue of about 20 vehicles, waiting for the gate to open at 6.15.
The gate is open, and the race is on. Despite the official speed limit of 60 kph, most drivers are closer to 100 kph. We decide to stop at dune 40 (40 km down the road) and are the only ones. But we take pleasure in thinking we likely appear in the thousands of sunrise photos taken from dune 45 that day!
The walk up was steep and long and we hadn’t reached the top by the time the sun was rising (note: it’s impossible to reach the dunes on time when respecting the speed limit). The way back down went much easier!
Kilometres of gravel later, we reach aptly-named Solitaire (population: 4), famous for MacGregor’s apple pie – though we still don’t know where they get the apples. The welcome is friendly, as are the South African ground squirrels!
More kilometres of gravel later, we reach the coast, where we’re faced with a temperature drop of about 20° C, as well as drizzle.