We enjoy the service of the Sossusvlei Dune Lodge again before we leave this part of the Namibian desert. The route takes us further north, where we cross the Tropic of Capricorn. We also pass the hiding place of Prof. Dr. Benno Martin and Herrmann Korn, who hid in the inaccessible mountains during World War II. This was documented in Henno Martin's book "If there is war, we go into the desert". The story is here summarized.

After lunch we set off quickly because storms are hitting the Erongo Mountains in the northeast. This is remarkable because we have already experienced rain in the past two days and – looking to the future – we will have more days to come in a country that usually only has a few days of rain in total.

As we are heading southwest, we initially avoid the thunderstorms and drive along a catastrophically bad track towards our destination in the desert: the research station in Gobabeb. Here, in collaboration with several international universities - including the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) - work is being carried out on topics relating to the desert and the hyper-arid climate. The individual projects are summarized on corresponding academic boards and we enjoy the peace and isolation of the place.

Time to look at Namibia's road signs. In Europe we know a few warning signs that indicate wild animals, but Namibia can do better. Here there are warning signs with kudus, springboks, warthogs, oryx antelopes, hyenas, giraffes and more. Very varied...