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Martin Buckley continues his journey in Namibia

It seemed an odd remark when you consider that Germany stopped being the colonial power here at the end of the First World War. But Germany's presence remains strong and sometimes controversial. A few weeks before Emperor Akihito came to Britain, Roman Herzog, the German president, was on a state visit to Namibia and facing demonstrations demanding an apology for massacres carried out in German colonial times.

The German influence is obvious in the capital, Windhoek, with its orderly layout of Bismarck Streets, beer gardens and outcrops of Tyrolean architecture. In a commanding position over the town is the Hotel Heinitzburg, a castle built by a German prince for his betrothed at the turn of the century. Absurdly charming, it has rooms decorated in a style I can only describe as "contemporary baronial", and I sat down to write up my notes in a well-appointed turret that led off the corner of my bedroom.

But Namibia's most intensely German enclave is the seaside town of Swakopmund. I had been camping out for about a week when I reached it, and I pulled up on the high ground south of the town as the sun was setting over the sea in a blaze of acid yellow. To the north a range of sea-facing sand dunes stalked towards the horizon.
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As the evening breeze whipped up, I threw off my dusty clothes and pulled a clean shirt and crisp linen suit over my sweat-caked limbs. My dusty hair was uncombable and my face had been burnt raw, so I felt a little uneasy as I trod the deep-pile carpets of a five-star hotel. But the welcoming smiles of the receptionists didn't waver.

In Swakopmund, half-timbered streets end incongruously in prospects of barren desert. German tourists predominate, and German-run shops sell souvenirs proclaiming in black gothic script Deutsche Sudwestafrika; if I were a Namibian, I think I would find it rather offensive.

From Swakopmund I headed south into the Namib Desert, where, 25 miles inland, lies the desert waterhole of Sossusvlei.

I set off in darkness along the rutted track that leads to Sossusvlei. As dawn broke, I found I was driving through a canyon of immense sand dunes. Moulded by wind that can blow from any direction, these copper-coloured dunes have formed into star shapes of sinuous loveliness.

It took me nearly two hours to clamber over an archipelago of false summits to reach the peak of one of the highest dunes. As I sat down to gulp some water and contemplate the view, I could see for 30 miles in every direction - a desert landscape probably unmatched in beauty anywhere in the world.

Slowly, the rising sun bleached the colour from the dunes. I stayed for an hour, then reluctantly decided to head down to some shade. I was going to allow myself the childish pleasure of rolling to the foot of the dune, but as soon as I started, I discovered that this east-facing surface of the dune was scorching, and I scrabbled back to the top in a series of undignified hops.

Namibia is, indeed, a hot place.

Namibia basics

Getting there
Martin Buckley toured Namibia as a guest of Safari Drive (01488 71140). A typical two-week fly-drive package, including car hire, flights and accommodation, costs from £1,500. Direct flights to Windhoek with Air Namibia can be booked through Trailfinders (0171 938 3366); returns from £663 until the end of November.

Staying there
A double room with breakfast will cost about £23 at the Sundown Lodge near Windhoek (00 264 61 232 566), £55 at the Hotel Heinitzburg in the centre of the capital (00 264 61 249 597) and £70 at Swakopmund Hotel and Entertainment Centre (00 264 64 400 800).

What to see
The highlight of any trip has to be Etosha National Park, the third largest in the world. The Namib Naukluft Park contains the red dunes and the best place to see them is at Sossusvlei. The desolate Skeleton Coast with its shipwrecks among the sand dunes and the Fish River Canyon, the second largest in the world, are not to be missed.

Further information
Namibia Tourist Office (0171 636 2924); Namibia High Commission (0171 636 6244). No inoculations are required by law and European nationals do not need visas.