You just want to hit the road when you page this guide

However, for the past two decades already many overseas tourists fly into Namibia, rent a car and off they go, disappearing into distant vistas of Namibia to experience time and space anew and to explore in their own terms culture and landscapes redolent with variety and cosmic history.

It just sounds so easy. However, beware if you have not prepared yourself thoroughly as a self driver. Planning a self-drive tour and safari remains a challenge whether you consider yourself a knowledgeable Namibian or deem yourself an internationally experienced self-driver. Tested information from this terrain is plenty in Namibia, but not readily accessible. Therefore, the third edition of the A 4-size booklet "Journey by Car through Namibia" by Sakkie Rothmann, numbering 80 pages, is not only welcome because of its updated and highly detailed information, but it strikes the adventurous self-driver as providing indispensable information and tested advice.

Please note, in this day and age with sophisticated communications equipment and powerful cars a self-driving tourist died of thirst within six kilometers of an inhabited watering place in the Kunene region! His wife survived. After a mechanical breakdown of his vehicle he patiently waited for days but nobody came along that desolate road. The car was not equipped with enough water and he had no proper map at his disposal. Never belittle potential danger. In many parts of Namibia you still encounter true frontier country, but that is what makes up a lot of its challenge and charm.

With basic equipment and planning in place a self-driving tour becomes what it is meant to be: sheer adventure and discovering pleasure, not a traumatic survival mission. A proper self-drive guide of the format offered by Rothmann will be a good companion from the preparation stage to actually finding your way around. Two pages are dedicated to alert you to the basic essentials. The handy guidebook further provides a variety of basic maps of different regions, main artery roads of Windhoek, parks and even layout of rest camps. Maps feature some astonishing detail, e.g. the names of eight Omurambas (German plural: Omiramben) in the regions of Omaheke and Otjozondjupa, (formerly) Hereroland East. Road identification figures are included and distances are clearly marked. Symbols, keys and wording have been simplified to condense a myriad of information so that it can be grasped at a glance. Unfortunately Namibia lacks a professional map culture. For instance, relief maps are for some unknown reason not printed any-
more. Even Rothmann's impressive fold-out map inside the back cover of the booklet gives only a vague idea of altitude above sea level.
200 self-drive destinations are explained and 700 accommodation establishments are listed with full contact details, including email-addresses and web sites. Where Rothmann lists the accommodation facilities of a region he adds a table with a check list featuring basic amenities to be expected from meals to tele-phones, from walking trails to credit card machines or which facilities the guest may have to do without. A system of cross reference enables the prospective visitor to look up contact and other details of an overnight establishment on his/her route.

The author has added a highly commendable rating system to guest farms and other hospitality facilities: he categorises them according to their daily tariff into eight classes, tagging them from the letter A (between N$300 - N$400) to H (More than N$1601). The self-driver can thus draft a provisional budget for his safari trip. However Rothmann cautions: "General infrastructure in the country, facilities, prices and services change continually, likewise the management of establishments."

The language (English) used by the author is occasionally tainted by Afrikaans idiom and grammar. In the next edition more care should be taken in proof reading. In this edition some place names are incorrect, e.g. Scultetus House (Swakopmund) becomes Sculte House (incorrect). Many names read awfully because the Umlaut is lacking, e.g. Dusternbrook, Blasskranz, while occasionally the author does use precise spelling, e.g. Lüderitz Str., providing proof that there is no technical impediment for correct Namibian orthography.

The publication radiates some of the enthusiasm of its author who is a passionate photographer and has aptly provided a wealth of fascinating destinations through his camera lens, prompting curious self-drivers to visit the destination themselves.

The guide (ISBN: 991678476) is recognized by the Namibia Tourism Board and distributed by Namibia Book Marketing (Almuth Henrichsen).