After three unforgettably beautiful days, it was time to return to Swakopmund, which is located around 240 kilometres west and 1,350 meters lower, on the Benguela River. Actually, we weren’t homesick, even though we like our home in Swakopmund very much. But saying goodbye, especially to a beautiful place, always makes us a little sad. Are we coming back to this place again? And what does the new year bring?

We were ready to leave at 9:15 am. Brigitta had lured our cat into the car. (She prefers hunting for lizards and mice to sitting in the car – but she’s gotten used to it now!) We took a short detour to the watering hole, where birds were preening their feathers and refreshing themselves. Kudus were not seen this time; but we spotted traces of them on the sandy ground.

We drove the first twelve kilometres to the Ombu farm at walking pace. There the unpaved track becomes wider before you reach the gravel road that leads from Omaruru to Usakos. There you get on the tarred B2 and 120 kilometres later you reach Swakopmund where we arrived on January 2nd, 2025, in the early afternoon.