Henties Bay is a fishing town with a sandy main street and a very honest purpose: it is where Namibians come to cast a line into the surf. It lies about seventy kilometres north of Swakopmund, where the dry bed of the Omaruru river reaches the Atlantic, and its name is said to come from a man called Hentie van der Merwe, who found a freshwater spring here in the 1920s while fishing. Rock lobster, kabeljou and steenbras are the catch, and anglers line the beach at dawn with rods like a row of antennas.
Behind the town the land is stony desert, as barren as a lunar plain, with low hills and, on a clear day, the faint outline of the Brandberg massif far inland. In front, the coast runs north into the Skeleton Coast, whose name comes from the bones of whales and the wrecks of ships that drifted ashore through the fog and surf. A track and a salt road continue to the Cape Cross seal reserve, where tens of thousands of Cape fur seals crowd the rocks, noisy, pungent and fascinating. The smell reaches you before the sight does.
For riders, Henties Bay marks a transition. The salt road from Swakopmund ends here, and beyond lies a grittier gravel route toward the seal colony and the park gate at Ugab. Fog can close in suddenly, wind blows in strong afternoon gusts, and the temperature feels cold on a bike. Mornings are usually clearer. Gravel surfaces need care with tyres, and loose stones thrown up by passing trucks are a hazard. Keep your speed measured, particularly where the road is slick with sea mist.
The town has fuel, a supermarket, a few simple restaurants and guesthouses, and it is the last dependable place for supplies before the long empty miles, so fill the tank and the water bottle here. Park entry to the Skeleton Coast itself requires permits, and the northern stretches are strictly regulated, so check beforehand.