TRAVEL Namibia
The beach ahead curves toward a distant horizon, where it disappears in a haze of fog floating on the ocean. I stop to take in my surroundings, realising I’m utterly alone in the Namib Desert and the only sound is that of the crashing waves on the shoreline.
On my right is the icy swell of the Atlantic Ocean, and on my left, the ebb and flow of the Namib’s sea of sand. These elements, one cold, wet and dynamic, the other hot, dry and static, are diametrically opposed yet united in their deadliness to a pale, lost hominid like myself. Never has my humanity felt so insignificant. That’s why it’s such a privilege to be here.
There’s still some distance to tonight’s campsite. I’m taking part in the Namib100, a five-day 100km slackpacking route through the isolated desert terrain of the Namib-Naukluft National Park, within a protected concession area with extremely limited access (less than 200 people annually), making it the only
