I’m always grateful for the rain in Cape Town, but I’d had it with all the wet weather. So, I traded in the dampness of the city for the warm sand of the Namibian desert. Legacy Hotels sponsored the sunny sojourn so a lucky bunch of journalists, me included, could experience its hotels in Windhoek and Swakopmund.
We touched down in Windhoek on a Monday afternoon. Airlink got us there in just under two hours with a free inflight meal and drinks. The sky was thick with a grey haze that blurred the horizon. I could feel the desert sun thawing my frosted bones and searing my transluscent skin, and I immediately felt like a tourist – sun cream, an enormous hat and an iPhone camera at the ready.
After the rigorous airport formalities, we were en route to the Windhoek Country Club Resort. The terminal is a good 40 minutes out of the city, but we were perfectly comfortable being voyageurs on our air-conditioned coach bus.
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Welkom to Windhoek
Miles and miles of ProNutro-coloured grasslands peppered with thorny trees and shrubs led us to our destination. Were we rerouted to Vegas? This resort had all the glittering opulence of the Bellagio: colossal columns, endless hallways, magnificent statues, rumbling water features and a casino.
We were treated to welcome drinks and an extensive canapé spread, complete with all the good stuff: salmon, fresh oysters, pastries and charcuterie. There was also dessert – good people, these Namibians.
We were put up in the hotel’s Luxury Rooms, which include a queen-sized bed, a private patio or balcony, a minibar, air conditioning and all the other little goodies. The adjoining ensuite comes with a nice big bath, a separate shower, and Charlotte Rhys amenities – score.
After a short tour of Windhoek and some leisure time, we met at the resort’s Kokerboom Restaurant for dinner. Why do our appetites seem to triple in size at a buffet? I think an overload of options messes with our wiring, and the only logical conclusion is to try everything. Twenty courses and one … okay, two glasses of wine later, I retired to my puffy cloud bed, fat and happy.
To Swakopmund, we go
The drive from Windhoek to Swakopmund is approximately four hours, but thanks to my post-breakie nap, it felt much shorter. I woke up smack dab in the middle of a desert. All I could see were endless plains of sandy dunes flanking either side of the road, and then a few road signs started popping up, and eventually ‘Swakopmund’ appeared on one of them.
A very different scene from its Windhoek counterpart, Legacy’s Swakopmund Hotel and Entertainment Centre is a nod to the town’s roots. Built in and around the original German train station, the hotel exudes the romance of the Victorian era. The stately foyer and bar lounge have been wonderfully restored with elegant furnishings, and they lead out onto a veranda, which was once the station’s platform, overlooking a statuesque pool.
My room was spacious, light and on the second floor, overlooking the original station building and the courtyard. Again, the bed was top-class, and the room was equipped with everything a girl needs in the desert: air conditioning, water and Wi-Fi.
And it’s not called an entertainment centre for nothing. The complex features a casino, movie theatre, gym, hair salon and a spa. It’s the ideal base camp from which to explore the world’s oldest desert, especially seeing that guests can organise all their activities directly from the hotel, through local specialists, Abenteuer Afrika Safari.
Kicking up some dust
After a light lunch by the pool, we were huddled onto a shuttle and zooted off to our first activity – quad biking in the dunes. We geared up and got a safety briefing from our guide before we set out in single file, revving our engines and trying not to crash into each other.
I was so focused on mastering the art of ‘quading’ that my brain only caught up with my eyes a good 10 minutes into the ride, and processed the astounding beauty of the desertscape that enveloped us.
It is such a distinctive landscape. The patterns on the sand and the wind dancing and whistling over the smooth surface of the ancient dunes cast a spell over me. My introduction to the Namib Desert was completely captivating.
After an hour of galavanting, we called it a day just as we were beginning to feel like a gang of desert riders, braving the wild west of Namibia. But more discoveries awaited us that evening, and little did we know that the best was yet to come.
Secrets lie in the desert
We were told to get ready for a desert dinner. Not quite familiar with the dress code, we resorted to warm layers as the cold air from the Atlantic’s Bengula Current cast an icy chill over the coastline.
Our shuttle left the tarred road and rattled further and further into the depths of an uninhabited rocky landscape until we reached a canyon. There, waiting for us, were bottles of sparkling wine and oysters picked fresh from the bay.
While these delicious things are nothing to sniff at, it was, once again, the panorama of the environment that had us in rapture. No matter how hard we tried, our phones’ cameras just weren’t able to capture the spectacle of the mesmerising moonscape we had found ourselves in.
As the evening sky blushed in response to our ooohs and aaahs, we were informed that the desert dinner had been cancelled due to strong winds during the day. Being polite South Africans, we tried to hide our disappointment and pretended that the Ethiopian restaurant in town sounded like a worthy alternative to a magical night in the desert.
Thank goodness we didn’t have to pretend for long. The sad silence in the shuttle quickly shifted to gasps and exclamations when, out of the darkness, a candlelit canyon emerged before us. Good but tricksy people, these Namibians! We had resigned ourselves to dinner in town, so the ruse turned out to be a stupendous surprise.
The set-up included silver service dining with a full-course menu, melodic jazz in the background, an Arabic lounge with a fire-pit for post-meal chilling, and even our own loo facilities. Our friendly waiters made sure our glasses were always full.
The wine, along with the cosy throws they gave us to keep warm, added to the intimate atmosphere of the illuminated canyon. As we savoured each delicious bite, I couldn’t help but feel an enormous privilege for getting to experience this hidden gem in the darkness.
The starlit sky was on full display, as was our multitalented guide, Zelda, who put on a fire dancing show against the rocky slopes of the surrounding canyon. After dinner, I think everyone of us left with reluctance, wishing we could linger a little longer and making plans to return with families and friends.
Cruising Walvis Bay
Another early start on Wednesday morning put us in Walvis Bay around 8am to embark on a cruise with Billy and his crew at Catamaran Charters. Our itinerary said, ‘seal and dolphin cruise’, but, once again, it was so much more!
Along with Billy’s tall tales and amusing anecdotes, the bay captivated us with an abundance of sealife. The local seagulls became our personal entourage for the duration of the trip, as did a pair of seals.
While we were warming up with our morning coffee and Old Brown sherries, two seals surfing our wake decided to jump on board and greet us. Of course, the crew’s fishy treats drew their attention; they weren’t really interested in us.
Later, a pelican duo landed on the bow of the boat, looking for the goods. Up close, the water birds are something to behold. They look like Jurassic ducks, with knobbly heads, powerful wings (I got one to the face; they’re strong), and long beaks. They were very amusing, like most things that waddle are.
After tucking into a tapas platter and some bubbly, we heard a commotion coming from the crew. One of them had spotted something special – a large humpback whale. Luckily for us, we caught the spectacle of it breaching nearby our boat before disappearing under the water with a splash of its tail.
And then, dolphins! riding the waves alongside us, curious and coming up to the surface to see what all the fuss was about. From the desert to the ocean, we were spoilt with surprises.
Three cheers at The Tug
Our last night in Namibia culminated in a dinner at The Tug Restaurant, a local favourite on the beachfront that overlooks the Swakopmund Jetty. Fully booked every night, the spot draws in crowds with its extensive wine list, fresh seafood and generous grills. I treated myself to a pan-fried sole topped with capers and lemon butter and served with seasoned potatoes – the perfect last supper.
We raised our glasses to an incredible trip, good company and Namibia, a spirited land that has left us with priceless memories and a longing to return to its dreamy dunes.
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Picture: Supplied / Candice Morawitz