Aus

Aus is a funny little desert town tucked into folds in quite substantial hills. The town has a peculiarly Wild West character, though very little actually happens here.

It's not the activity but the remoteness, the stunning bare beauty and changing scenery of the area that make Aus worth a visit. The railway effectively stops here: even though the line continues on to the coastal town of Luderitz, the quantity of sand blown onto the tracks makes them unsafe to use.

There is only one road leading to the coast, and its beauty is astounding. The ridge of pale mountains gives way to mirage-enhancing, pebble-strewn plains with desert-dwelling Oryx (Gemsbok) wandering the sands. These gorgeous antelope can go for months without water by regulating their temperature and perspiration rate.

You may also see the wild Namib thoroughbred horses, thought to be descendants of a stud started by Baron von Wolf, who built a baroque fortress in the middle of nowhere. The horses roam freely around the restricted diamond area, where you would be very unwise to follow.

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