🇳🇦Roads in Namibia
2 roads found in Namibia, Africa
Skeleton Coast Road
🇳🇦 Namibia
The Skeleton Coast Road runs along Namibia's haunting and desolate Atlantic coastline through the Skeleton Coast National Park, from Swakopmund north to the Kunene River on the Angolan border. The roughly 500-kilometer route takes its name from the whale and seal bones that once littered the shore, along with the bleached remains of shipwrecks claimed by the treacherous currents, dense fog, and violent surf that characterize this unforgiving coastline. The landscape is one of Earth's most otherworldly: towering sand dunes meet the crashing Atlantic surf, seal colonies numbering in the tens of thousands bask on rocky outcrops, and the rusted hulks of grounded ships slowly dissolve into the sand. The Bushmen called this coast 'The Land God Made in Anger,' and Portuguese sailors knew it as 'The Gates of Hell.' The southern section from Swakopmund to Terrace Bay is accessible by regular vehicle on a salt and gravel road, while the northern section requires special permits and is among the most remote and pristine coastlines on the planet.
Van Zyl's Pass
🇳🇦 Namibia
Van Zyl's Pass is a notorious 4x4 track in the Kaokoveld region of northwestern Namibia, descending approximately 700 meters from the arid plateau into the Marienfluss Valley, one of the most remote and beautiful valleys in Africa. The pass drops through a series of steep, rocky switchbacks with gradients exceeding 45 degrees in places, loose boulder fields, and narrow shelves carved into the cliff face with exposure to sheer drops. Named after the South African farmer who first blazed the route, Van Zyl's Pass is widely regarded as one of the most challenging 4x4 routes in all of Africa. The descent is one-way in practical terms—it is too steep and dangerous to climb in a vehicle. The reward for completing the pass is arrival in the breathtaking Marienfluss Valley, a vast, sand-floored valley flanked by red mountains and home to the semi-nomadic Himba people and their cattle. The area sees perhaps a few dozen vehicles per year, making it one of the most exclusive driving experiences on the continent.