If you’re like me and you like a bit of adventure, don’t think about it and just do it: rent a 4×4. It’s the most economical way to cover the wide expanse of Namibia in such a short timeframe. Most sensible tourists would probably go for a comfortable, stable Toyota Cruiser/Isuzu for their 2-week road trip. Some would even rent a sedan. But that is exactly what we didn’t do. In some sort of attempt to save money, we went for a Suzuki Jimny instead. It brought down our cost from around $120 to $70 a day and I was determined to spend all the savings on some great South African wine.

We rented from: https://www.sun-sandcarrental.com/

State of the road and long days

On our itinerary the type of roads was split between 30% wide, smooth tarmac around Swakopmund/Windhoek vs 70% sandy, gravelly pot-hole ridden for everywhere else. There was no in-between. Brace yourself for long days of constant rocking in your seat, especially if you’re in a Jimny. Which brings me to the next point…

If you’re looking for a more comfortable trip overall, spend more on that Isuzu

We spent some days 7-8 hours just driving in the Jimny and because it’s a lighter 4×4, we could feel every bit of gravel on the road. When it came to driving, it was harder to keep control and there were a few times where my boyfriend screamed at me because he thought I was about to turn the Jimny on its side. Perhaps, it was my actual driving. I guess we’ll never know.

We also had to allow at least an extra hour of driving time to each day because we were driving slower on the dodgy terrain. When you’ve done several hours of driving already and you see your GPS ETA taking longer and longer, it was just soul-destroying.

On our longest trip between Twyfelfontein and Swakopmund (9-10 hours/350km), we had to consider the issue of there not being many petrol stations. As everything is sparsely located in Namibia (outside Windhoek anyway), it was on this length of the journey we had to use the jerry can just the once in this 1.5l Jimny. Fortunately, most rental places already have the jerry can added as a part of the package.

Driving to Deadvlei

So this is the part where the Jimny really shined. For the last part of the drive to get to the iconic dead trees of Deadvlei, you would have to do some exciting driving through sand.

There are three main tips you need to know on how to do this:

1) Make sure you deflate your tyres again – this should have been happening anyways whilst driving on gravelly roads

2) Speed like hell because the more you slow down, the more likely you’ll get stuck! Of course, bear in mind there’s rocks you need to avoid if you can…

3) Try and drive where the existing road tyre marks are so you won’t bounce as much

If I’m making this sound more stressful than it is, there’s always a shuttle you can take before this sandy bit for a small cost. I’m proud to say that I did not get trapped in the Jimny due to its lightness but funnily enough, some of the local drivers did in their heavy 4x4s!

Quick note on driving in Sandwich Harbour, Swakopmund

You may have heard about the towering sand dunes in the desert here that meet the ocean. Whilst it’s possible to drive your own 4×4 here, it’s best to leave this to the professional tour guide drivers.

We did go on a tour and there was a lady who was determined to drive her own vehicle; she struggled to even ascend the first giant sand dune. The guide patiently tried to advise her on her next feat through his walkie talkie—driving down a cliff that felt almost like a 70-degree plunge.
At this point, she abandoned her vehicle and joined us instead.

There was also the big problem that she may have gotten sand into the internals of the car, triggering the warning light. All rental cars are not insured for Sandwich Harbour driving!

So would I drive the Jimny again in the future?

For sure. If you had asked me in the first 3 weeks on returning home, I would have said no. But now when you look back on the trip (and my body has recovered), it was all a part of that fun holiday experience I can reminisce over!