On Foot In The Land Of Dunes And Shipwrecks

Hiking the Namib 100 – yes, 100 km – takes you through one of the world’s last truly wild places. It allows you to escape all humanity, and lets you rediscover your own.

- Pierre Steyn

“You must be kidding?” I say to Jurgens Schoeman when he phones me in July 2019. He wants to organize a 100 km hike over five days, from Walvis Bay south along the coast and through the Namib desert, to the wreck of the Eduard Bohlen. Jurgens runs the tour company Live The Journey – they have a concession to do 4x4 tours in that part of the Namib-Naukluft National Park.

It’s one thing to drive through the Namibian wilderness in an air-conditioned car filled with food and drink. I’ve done the trip and it’s an unforgettable adventure. But the last time someone walked here was more than 100 years ago. And they were diamond miners, workers, and shipwrecked crew, all of whom had no other choice. Plus, not all of them survived!

That’s exactly why Jurgens first wants to recce the route, he tells me. He needs to know if it’s possible if his team can manage the logistics and, most importantly, if hikers will enjoy doing it.

“So, do you want to join us?” he asks. I grab the opportunity with both hands – and both feet!

Two months later, my wife Ronel and I meet up with a group of South Africans late on a Saturday afternoon at Lagoon Chalets Holiday Resort in Walvis Bay. We’re 16 hikers in total from all over the country, mostly women plus a handful of men, united by a love of hiking and the outdoors. It doesn’t take the group long to gel: With a G&T, a glass of red wine or a Tafel lager in hand, war stories and tips about gear soon start doing the rounds.