For my first day in Namibia, I followed the Orange river which is one of the 3 perennial rivers of the country.

along orange river 1

along orange river 2

The GPS showed me to some nice short-cuts.

short cut

And then, I found my self in what most of Namibia is about : desert.

ai ais 1

ai ais 2

In the middle of it, is the Fish river canyon, one of the biggest in the world.

fish river canyon

Landscapes in Namibia are really impressive, especially when you found yourself riding right in them.

ai ais 3

On the few trees there, most have exotic shapes.

quivertree forest

Despite all the fences, some wild animals cross the road, including ostriches, springboks, and here a kudu.

kudu

Even the birds nest in Namibia have something exotic.

namib 1

namib 2

When the road gets closer to the Namib desert, the red dunes of Sossusvlei appear.

sossusvlei 1

sossusvlei 2

sossusvlei 3

sossusvlei 4

The roads continues north, still through barren landscapes.

namib 3

namib 4

namib 5

namib 8

namib 6

One of the few 'big' cities on the namibian coast is Swakopmund, between the Namib desert on the south and the skeleton coast on the north.

swakopmund 1

swakopmund 2

swakopmund 3

In Swakopmund, you are not allowed to pose with a fish bigger than you!

swakopmund 4

It seems that namibian have a certain sense of humour when it comes to road signing : dust free desert 2 kilometres ahead !

namib 7

This sign promise a shaded picnic spot 1 kilometre ahead....

skeleton coast 1

The trees are here, but you shoud come back in 10 years if you want any shade (and only if somebody remember to water the trees)

skeleton coast 2

Bush camping is easy and enjoyable in the namibian coutryside

damaraland 1

damaraland 2

On the way to Windhoek (the capital city) is Spitzkoppe, a huge granite mountain that stands in the middle of the plain.

spitzkoppe 1

spitzkoppe 2