Travelling through Namibia, you will without a doubt be spending quite some hours stuck in a motor vehicle, driving from one destination to the next. Good tunes can help the time pass, but having the right music to accompany the scenery on display while passing through can make for a truly unforgettable road trip. 

Think of it as a food and wine pairing of sorts. Pairing the correct wine with a dish will heighten the flavours, textures and qualities of the food, leaving the diner with the ultimate gastronomic experience. The aim is to create a perfect harmony between the beverage and the dish.

Now, think of the landscape as the dish and the selected playlist as the wine. The endless kilometres of gravel roads and jeep tracks that wander through the Namib Desert, paired with the correct music mood, will enhance the scenery and provide that sought-after main-character feeling. Keep in mind that, as with food pairing, it is important to match the weight of the wine with the weight of the food. Heavy food will dominate a wine and vice versa if incorrectly paired. 

My favourite playlist for desert driving takes its inspiration from so-called African desert blues that originated from Mali – traditional guitar-driven Tuareg music interwoven with certain aspects of Western rock music but staying true to its roots. This music, created in the Sahara Desert by its nomadic residents, seamlessly transposes to the vast expanses of the Namib. 

Apart from Mali, artists from countries as far apart as Uganda to neighbouring South Africa are also incorporated into the playlist. And while the origins of the artists may differ, what the songs share is a sense of longing, a driving rhythm that forever keeps moving forward and an enchanting allure. To me, this combination of music and scenery conveys the feeling that, in that moment, I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Lost but perfectly found.

Make sure you have plenty of time and choose the slowest, windiest jeep track into the great unknown of the desert. Open the window, feel the desert air flow over your skin, press play and allow yourself to become lost in your senses.

See the top picks from Le Roux’s desert-dwelling playlist. To listen to the entire playlist, find the Travel News Namibia Desert Dweller playlist on Spotify.