Bright, vivid sand dunes were the highlight of our stay in Namibia. We hope we captured at least a fraction of the colorful contrasts amid the blue skys and burnt-sienna dunes.
Pictures here.
Daniel
We landed in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, and explored the scene around town. We pretty much saw all we needed to in less than half a day. However we did have lunch at a great German restaurant, Gathemann. The Germans "colonized" Namibia (formerly known as Western South Africa) back in the 1880's, which makes for some confusing street names & unexpected European influences.
Fortunately the reason to go to Namibia - NOT to follow the trail of Brad & Angelina - is found in the desert southwest of Windhoek. So we set off for a three day camping trip just outside the Namib Desert to visit the highlight of most any trip to the country, the Sand Dunes at Sossuvlei. They are most famous for the striking colors and shadows in the early morning.
The site viewing was not as spectacular as we had hoped. However, the people we were with for the 3 days made the experience so much more. Our safari group was mostly American (surprisingly), and our travel mates had tons of insight & knowledge regarding the ongoing African fight against AIDS. Steve and Yuri were avid photographers and probably lived about a three blocks from our old apartment in Menlo Park, CA. Steve, it turned out had spent significant time working at AIDS clinics in Zambia and Ghana. Chris, from Washington DC, was currently working at USAID. He was stationed in Namibia to help the planning and funding for the clinics that help Africans cope with the AIDS epidemic. Needless to say, we spent the days and nights fully appreciating the company. We also learned a lot more about who, what, and how African countries battle with AIDS. Each night around the campfire was interesting and fun.
Our first afternoon near the Naukluft campsite, we explored the Tsauchab River which is swallowed up by the dessert as it travels eastward into the dunes. Centuries ago the it reached the Atlantic seaboard, but now it withers away in the bone dry dessert. Our "guided" hike was very scenic and tranquil. The Naukluft mountain range was highlighted with shrubs and bright golden tall grass. Our guide basically drove us to the river and let us wander freely. As the resident leopard is only seen every few years, we were most likely safe from any danger.
The next morning, we set off for the sand dunes. Much to our disappointment we learned that our camp site was well outside the park gate, which meant we wouldn't be able to enter the park before sunrise, which is the ideal time to view the dunes. We had to drive a few hours before getting into the heart of the desert where all the dunes are located. The desert climate and surroundings changed dramatically as we drove from Naukluft Park into the dune fields at Sossusvlei. As we approached the sand dunes, the landscape became more barren--the dunes made everything else seem insignificant.
We spent the early morning hiking up the ridge of one dune for some good views of the area. After a full breakfast, we ventured into the Dead Vlei - a grove of trees that are over 500 years old. The dry climate has preserved the trees in a petrified state. The clear blue sky contrasting with the bright red dunes made for a beautiful backdrop for the vlei. Afterward, we stopped by one of the more famous dunes, Dune 45, we think it received that name because it is 45 kilometers from the entrance of the park. It was also a mammoth of a dune! After we drove back out of the Sossuvlei Park, we walked the Seisrem Canyon just outside of the park.
Once we realized that we were getting back to Windhoek earlier than expected, we started planning how to catch an earlier flight. With the help of our group, we skipped lunch and sped back to Windhoek (thankfully everyone else was eager to get back to town too). Since there really wasn't much more to do or see in Windhoek (the next best option for food was Joe's Beerhouse), we scrambled to the airport & caught an earlier flight to Cape Town - back to South Africa again.
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