Kuiseb Pass
A pass on the C14 road from Walvis Bay to Solitaire where the road crosses the Kuiseb Canyon, and the setting of the story behind The Sheltering Desert.
Kuiseb Pass lies on the gravel C14 road from Walvis Bay to Solitaire and Sossusvlei. The road descends here into the dry Kuiseb River valley, then winds back up through layered dark-brown schist canyons on both sides. During the Second World War, two German geologists hid in this canyon for two and a half years to evade internment, and later wrote the classic The Sheltering Desert. Signs mark the rock shelter where they hid, which can be reached on a short hike. The pass is about 150 km from Swakopmund and is usually a stop when traveling between Swakopmund and Sossusvlei rather than a full-day trip. There are no services along the route, so carry plenty of water and fuel.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Moon Landscape & Welwitschia Drive
- Dune 7
- Sandwich Harbour
- Walvis Bay Flamingos
- Living Desert Tour
- Martin Luther Steam Locomotive
- Swakopmund
- Swakopmund Railway Station (Swakopmund Hotel)