By Nick Hodgson
A chartered flight into a mostly desolate country, outrunning sandstorms, driving through thick dunes, bouncing around a thunderstorm in a tiny Cessna and back in time for tea is usually the plot-line for a Tomb Raider game, or at least an 80’s Spielberg movie probably involving dinosaurs at some point. Yet almost exactly word for word, with only a little creative licence, was this the plot line for what Mercedes-Benz had in store for the mostly intrepid journalists who headed out on a whirlwind adventure to Namibia. Their goal? To put the new range of Mercedes SUV’s through their paces in extremely challenging conditions, costs and bumper damage be damned.
On approach into Walvis Bay one thing becomes apparent very quickly, we’re an awfully long way from Kansas. Terrible puns aside, the vast expanse that makes up Namibia hits you smack in the face whether you like it or not, with huge open plains of desert sands stretching out as far as the eye can see. No matter though, there are a plethora of brand new, shiny Mercedes SUV’s waiting to tackle the great expanses. With the mercury trying its level best to hit the 40 degree mark we hit the road, and by road I mean the straightest, longest, 6 lane wide dirt highway you’ve ever seen in your life. No wonder they filmed the new Mad Max movie here, the set was already built for it, just rock up with a few cameras, a makeup team, some crazy vehicles and the rest must have been a doddle.
No time to reflect on that though, we’re turning off what I guess can be described as a beaten path onto what was definitely the road less travelled. Now through all this let’s not forget that our rather large convoy of German SUV luxury includes everything from earth conquering “G-Wagons” to the rather more humble in comparison Mercedes GLC. Some may say I have a sadistic side, but I felt the best machine for this part of the journey was the GLC, just to see where its breaking point would be. We’re in Africa after all and picking out the weak from the herd is practically what we’re raised on. As the road got more and more tough, automotive sleeves were rolled up and knuckles were tightened around steering wheels, yet the convoy soldiered on, tackling the rough with the incredibly rough.
Little did we know that our greatest challenge was just around the corner, down a sharp rocky embankment, at the bottom of a canyon and through what may as well have been quick sand in the now 41 degree heat. This required some serious 4x4ing skills and heavily customised machinery, of which I had neither, however to paraphrase Placebo; a friend in needs a friend indeed, a friend with a tow rope is better and with a few quick tugs and only a moderate amount of sexual innuendo we were through and trucking along once more, straight towards a sandstorm meeting an in-rushing thunderstorm.
Low profile tyres be damned, it was time to laugh in the face of danger, point our noses directly at the eye of the storm and play a massive game of chicken with Mother Nature. Reaching the end zone with mere minutes to spare, we arrived at what can only be described as Luke’s house on Tatooine. I’m not exactly sure how we ended up in Star Wars, I guess those Mercedes SUV’s are a bit faster than expected, but no matter, shelter is shelter. They say in times of need you survive through any means necessary and I have to admit being holed up for what must have been almost a full hour, waiting for the storm to dissipate with nothing but Springbok carpaccio and fresh garlic bread, was truly one of the most trying times of my life.
Emerging out into the open once more, sun peeking through and the storm moving away on the horizon was truly a sight to behold, particularly with the continuous desert backdrop piercing the senses. We were running behind schedule though and being way past time to skedaddle, ditching four wheels and solid land for a couple of wings and a propeller seemed the most sensible option to get to Swakopmund.
Having never flown in a Cessna before I’m not ashamed to say that they don’t exactly inspire confidence up close and in the flesh, particularly when simply sitting on the runway in a stiff breeze causes the yoke to jiggle about like a particularly nervous leaf in a tornado. Let me say this though, provided you’re not someone who gets motion sick and can get used to a ride that gets rollercoaster levels of bumpy at the drop of a hat, the views unlocked from the skies over Namibia are truly something you’ll never forget. I’m by no means a seasoned traveller, however I have managed to see more exotic lands than the average South African and I can honestly say that the landscapes of Namibia are right up there with anything anywhere else in the world can offer. On the ground the prospect of a one and a half hour flight seemed like an eternity, but once in the air it was over all too quickly and we were once again back on terrafirma to freshen up, grab some supper and prepare for day two of what was turning out to be an epic adventure.
Stumbling into day two, bleary eyed and not entirely human yet, I can confirm that having a G-Wagon to jump into made the whole waking up process an awful lot more enjoyable than usual, particularly when the prospect of getting sand thrown everywhere was on the cards. Being behind the wheel of a G-Wagon is an experience you’re not likely to forget any time soon and one well worth the effort should you get an opportunity to do so as it turns even the shortest of journeys into a conquest. Such was the case heading out to the massive dunes of Namibia, where once again we set up shop in the middle of absolutely nowhere.
No time to get caught up in the wild beauty of the place though, there was a task at hand. Namely, find a GLC, take it by the scruff of the neck and plough through all manner of sand based obstacles Namibia could conjure before us. Inexperienced would be the best description of driving talent on display that day and as so to expect many vehicles being dug out from sandy prisons multiple times would not be far off the mark. Many may scoff at the prospect of sand driving as just looking at it seems so easy, but trust me, make even one slight error and believe it or not, something as mighty as a G-Wagon can get itself well and truly stuck.
Eventually though brute force and ignorance did win the day, thanks in part to a healthy dose of German technology thrown into the mix, and brought to an end an adventure of a lifetime. A whirlwind tour of Namibia it may have been, but stuffed to the brim with adventure made it a trip never to forget. A big thanks to Mercedes-Benz for making it all possible.
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