How do you know what to expect when you get a brief for 5 people wanting to travel in three nearly hundred year old Bentley’s’ and a Land Cruiser for an expedition through western South Africa and Namibia?
The one thing you can be certain of is a lot of Namibian dust. The rest was to be discovered over the nearly 3800km traversed on the first leg of this journey in these 1926 vintage Bentley’s.
With no set plans other than knowing the end point for the first leg would be Windhoek, with leg two to follow in September and leg three in October 2022, the team feverishly got to work planning this last minute expedition of a lifetime through some of the most iconic landscapes in Africa.
The route in these old Bentley’s took us from Cape Point in the Western Cape up through the Cederberg and Namaqua regions of South Africa and onwards into Namibia taking in the following highlights:
– camping and kayaking on the Orange River
– exploring the breath-taking yet stark landscapes of southern Namibia
– tackling the sand dunes of Deadvlei and Sossusvlei
– taking to the air and waters of the Swakopmund region
– tracking down the desert-adapted elephants of the Damarland
– visiting the salt pans of Etosha National Park, a park only just older than the cars themselves
– stretching our legs in some of the reserves surrounding Otjiwarongo and Omaruru
With the dust well and truly settled and with wonderful memories of Namibia still front of mind (and with leg two, which will take us through Botswana only a few days away) I hope you enjoy this visual journey of these incredible Bentley’s in some of the most loved destinations of Namibia!
What made the trip that little bit extra special was the fact that during lockdown I was reading historical books of Namibia, compiled by
The Gondwana Collection, which showed some beautiful old cars exploring the wide open spaces of Namibia.
Little did I know that nearly 2 years later not only would I be able to finally celebrate working in a thriving tourism industry once more but that I would be doing an expedition in not only vintage cars but Bentley’s, pictured in these old historical records!
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The journey starts – Cape Point, Western Cape.
Taking the back roads through the Cederberg.
A coffee break at the top of Botterkloof Pass.
Descending Vanrhyns Pass.
Exploring the beautiful Namakwa.
Entering Namibia, and two weeks of dust filled adventures!
En route to Fish River Canyon.
A well deserved coffee break taking the backroads to Sesriem.
The landscape of Namibia always offers the perfect backdrop to photograph vehicles such as this!
The road to Deadvlei and Sossusvlei.
Conquering the mighty sand dunes of Namibia one step at a time.
Deadvlei in all her glory!
Team photo. Which car would you pick?
A farewell to the Namib-Naukluft Park.
A stunning desert sunset during a ‘bush’ braai.
Crossing the Tropic of Capricorn.
Heading to Swakopmund.
Watching the sunrise in the desert, a truly memorable experience!
A birds eye view from the hot air balloon.
Support crew in tow with champagne breakfast supplies!
Roads made for touring!
The Bentley’s in Etosha National Park.
A dazzle of Zebra slightly bedazzled by the Bentley’s.
Staring down three Bentley’s to get the shot was a nervy experience!
