If you are in Switzerland then it is custom that you eat well on New Year’s Eve. Either at home with friends; or in a dignified restaurant where a festive menu and wine are served on white tablecloths. At midnight you toast a happy new year with a glass of champagne. (At least if you’re not already in bed – which happened often to us!)

In Swakopmund there are hotels and restaurants with excellent German, Italian or international cuisine. The meat comes from cattle that never see a stable; or from wild animals such as oryx, eland or kudu. Fish or sea food from the Benguela Stream, which flows past Swakopmund, are also excellent. And the wines from South Africa, whose famous vineyards in the Cape region are only 1,500 kilometers further south.

But we can eat (and drink) well all year round. So, we looked for something special for New Year’s Eve. Why not drive to the Erongo Mountains and camp there? All alone! All alone? Yes, you can do that at Black Rock Camp on Omukutu Farm, which is located in a volcano that was extinct 130 million years ago. Our campervan was quickly packed – we’ve practice at this by now! On December 31, 2023 we left at 11 a.m., with our cat who has gotten used to traveling. After four hours of driving, we reached our destination, where we were welcomed by a group of ostriches and kudus. What a welcome!

When night fell, we sat around the campfire and toasted our friends around the world with sparkling wine. A starry sky sparkled above us, the likes of which can only be seen in regions where air pollution is unknown.

PS: In the book available to visitors, someone wrote: «The most beautiful campsite in Namibia». We agree.