Namibia had been on my list ever since I saw a surreal photo of dead trees in a white pan, surrounded by orange dunes. It looked like a place that doesn’t exist. Then my dentist mentioned one day that he’d seen lions in Etosha National Park, and the wait was over. My boyfriend (who’d sworn off Africa) gave in surprisingly easily: “Fine, book it, I’ll deal with the car.” If you’re planning a Namibia self-drive road trip and don’t want a copy-paste guide from a tour operator, here’s everything you need to know: visas, costs, food, safety, and the mistakes we made so you don’t have to.