Enjoy stunning safari from behind the wheel of a powerful 4X4 in blazing hot Namibian desert

EVERYONE knows how to work a steering wheel . . .  don’t they?

But at 45C in a two-tonne BMW X5, on a 150ft sand dune in Namibia, is no time to forget. Which I did.

A voice boomed down the walkie-talkie: “Go straight! Straight!”

At the same time, Lauren, my driving partner yelled: “Turn the wheel! Turn it left! Turn it left!”

The way I was pointing could take £60,000 worth of car right and force the vehicle into a roll.

Lauren grabbed the wheel and I let the X5 slide slowly to the foot of the vast dune.

This was one of the hardest skills to master on my five-night BMW Experience.

You get to drive in a stunning and underrated country in a top-of-the-range 4x4.

The car’s a star but not the only one. Lions, giraffes, zebras, elephants, hippos, rhinos, right, cheetahs, warthogs . . . Namibia has them all.

Authentic African lodges offer a unique, magical charm.

After a long-haul flight via Johannesburg to Namibia’s capital Windhoek, your first game reserve offers a real buzz.

Within minutes, a mother giraffe and her growing infant had strolled into view.

We got a proper African welcome at the first lodge, Okapuka Ranch.

With no walls and a low, sweeping thatched roof on a wooden frame, it is open to Namibia’s two elements — blazing sunshine and a sea breeze.

No good in the rain, but only 44mm of rain has fallen in the past nine months here. It’s a desert.

The BMW Experience takes in so many types of terrain — rocky mountainsides, arid riverbeds, beaches and the sand dunes themselves.

The driving is a hoot, combining adrenalin and long cruises. You can push the X5 to its limits without ever feeling unsafe.

Our instructor was former rally driver Claudiu David, who dished out info in easy-to-understand chunks.

After briefing the 12-strong party, we met a fleet of six stealthy black X5s, each with walkie-talkies.

The seats were super-comfy, the driving position fully adjustable and equipped with Bluetooth.

We got out on the road, up into the hills, up rutted tracks, over rocks, boulders, spotting zebra.

The afternoon was late, the sun low. A stunning sight. Dinner was zebra steak with a crisp lager.

Brilliant.

Then we were off to Erindi Game Reserve. Somehow, the holiday got even better.

Like many reserves, Erindi is fenced-off and manned by armed guards. Sadly, poachers hunt down elephant and rhino for ivory.

The Old Traders Lodge was even plusher than our previous accommodation.

Best of all was the panoramic view of a watering hole where elephant and giraffe lope around and hippos pop their eyes above water.

Next . . . lions. Three of them, enjoying an afternoon nap. A rev of the engine stirred them, their yawns revealing huge teeth.

The next day meant testing a dried-out riverbed. Claudiu deflated the tyres, Wacky Races style.

It gave me an excuse to throw the car’s rear end around. My colleagues Gareth and Drew managed to blow one of their tyres, shredding it like pulled pork. Good effort, lads!

That evening we were taken to the Ai Aiba Lodge, among rocks stacked impossibly like something from a Road Runner cartoon.

That evening we went to admire a cave painting thought to be 5,000 years old.

Then, it was dinner under the stars — an incredible three-course meal with waiter service beneath a canopy of starlight.

Next day we toured an old copper mine, following a narrow ravine to the river Swakop, which runs to the sea.

We ended up in Swakopmund — Namibia’s answer to Brighton, minus the stag dos.

A boat took us to Walvis Bay, dominated by three massive oil rigs — there for repairs before returning to Nigeria’s coast.

At the back of the boat, the captain fed fish to a seal. A pelican landed on the roof, inches from my head.

We sailed on towards a colony of seals numbering in the thousands — then on to our hotel in Swakopmund and a night out in town.

It is hardly Ibiza but we found a few bars to party in.

The next morning brought the sand dunes — my nemesis. They are so different to anywhere else you will have driven.

You hammer it up the slope in case the car slides back down the dune.

When you go down, hit the brakes and keep the wheel straight, not over-steering.

Thirdly, don’t over-rev the engine. If you spin the wheels, you will get stuck.

Of course, one of our party got stuck. We all mucked in to push.

Then it was time to think about heading home. An “Ice Cold In Alex” beer ended our dune extravaganza.

The BMW Experience is a winner from start to finish –  the off-roading and Namibia a perfect match.

Petrolheads — or anyone with the slightest interest in cars — will have their minds blown.