In 1948 Willem van Coller bought 33 000 hectares of land to farm with Karakul. His wife named the farm Solitaire as the word has two possible meanings: a single set diamond or loneliness. Both are equally fit to describe this one-of-a-kind place. Van Coller later built the small shop with petrol pump as well as a small chapel. He sold the farm in 1968 and today it is a popular stopover for tourists travelling to and from the Namib-Naukluft National Park.

Solitaire is situated at the junction of the C14 (Walvis Bay - Bethanie) and the C24 (Rehoboth - Sossusvlei), both are major tourist routes through the Namib-Naukluft National Park. It offers a welcome stop to dusty, weary travellers and has become famous for the apple crumble served at the bakery. Café Van der Lee serves excellent Italian coffee and on a hot day the ice cold drinks go down well.

Solitaire is surrounded by nice campsites and lodging options. This small outpost has a bakery, restaurant, general dealer with ATM, fuel station and the Solitaire Lodge.

FUEL:
Take note: Garage or Petrol cards will no longer be accepted as a legal tender for purchase of fuel, spares or repairs in Namibia.
Cash, Debit and Credit cards are legal payment instruments, but many fuel stations choose NOT to accept Debit and/or Credit cards. But generally credit cards are accepted at garages in bigger and touristy towns. Take extra cash with still in case!

ROAD INFO:
Gaub Pass: If you’re on your way to Solitaire on the C14 from Walvis Bay, please take care at the Gaub Pass. There are a lot of accidents in this area as people tend to speed because they’ve become used to driving in the desert where they can see for miles. The road surface of the narrow pass is normally good but drivers tend to cut corners. This is dangerous as people sometimes stop in the road to take photographs.

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