The Namib & the Skeleton Coast

Namibia is large, dry and mostly empty, which is exactly why people go. This route runs from what is often called the oldest desert in the world to one of its coldest coasts, with enough variety in between to keep each day distinct. The dunes at Sossusvlei are the postcard, but the quieter stretches, the dry rivers of Damaraland and the long white beaches of the Skeleton Coast, are where the trip is won.

Kwame would plan around the distances, which are enormous. Namibia is larger than Turkey with only about two and a half million people, and much of the road is gravel. He would fly you where it saves a day, drive where the landscape is the point, and make sure the vehicle and the guide are both good. A flat tyre in Damaraland is an event, not a crisis, if the right person is at the wheel.

He would also adjust the season to your tastes. From May to October is the dry, cool half of the year, with clear skies and easy game viewing. If you are fond of birds, he would send you to the lagoon in late spring. If you are a photographer, he would set the dates around a new moon, for a sky that is darker than anything most Europeans have seen, and book a camp with no light pollution for at least one night.

The trade-off is comfort. Several of the best camps are small and simple, with a canvas wall between you and the night, and the coast can be properly cold, with fog most mornings. The days include early starts, long drives and a lot of dust. In return you get a landscape with almost no one in it, which is a rarer luxury than a spa. If you want a softer version, we would add a lodge with a heated pool and drop one coastal day.