Holiday in Namibia (4): Sossusvlei
Tuesday was totally another travelling day. From our accommodation near the Fish River Canyon – the furthest south of our trip – we would now be heading north each day for the next week. So it was another case of “seven for eight”: luggage outside our door at 7 am and coach departure at 8 am.
When we were at a latitude similar to the coastal town of Luderitz (which was way, way to the west), Carlos chose this time to tell us – in dramatic terms – all about the build up to and conduct of the German genocide of the Nama and Herero in 1904-1908.
We had stops at the tiny Bethanien for coffee and the equally small Helmeringhausen for lunch. Most of today’s travelling was on gravel roads, but the last two hours were on a spur into the Namib desert that was particularly bone-crunching. It is a strange, end-of-the-world type experience to trundle through what, for long stretches, is a flat landscape with no other vehicles, no road signs, no buildings, no people, no animals, just endless savannah.
It was just after 4.30 pm when we rolled up to the Desert Camp at Sesriem after a challenging journey of eight and a half hours. At 6.45 pm, we were driven to the mother building of the surrounding camps which was 10 minutes away but had an excellent choice of food (for a change, I had fish as my main course).
It was ‘the day of the dunes’ (Wednesday) which meant the earliest of starts. I set my alarm for 5 am because we left our camp at 6 am to drive over to the mother building for an early breakfast and be over at the entrance to the Namib Naukluft National Park when it opened at 7.15 am (basically sunrise).
The Namib is the world’s oldest desert. The name is of Nama origin and means ‘vast space’. Although the desert stretches along the entire length of the Namibian coastline, the name usually refers to the vast sea of sand from Luderitz to Swakopmund. No humans live in the desert but an amazing array of flora and fauna manages to survive here.
Namib-Naukluft National Park is a World Heritage site and the most visited location in Namibia. We went to three main locations in the park.
First, the famous red dunes. The Sossusvlei – which means ‘the gathering place of water’ – may be known primarily for its vast expanse of giant dunes, but the dunes here are among the highest in the world, many rising to some 650 feet (200 metres). The two largest dunes at Sossusvlei are known as Big Mamma and Big Daddy, the latter – which we saw – being 1,250 feet (380 metres) tall.
As well as their height, what makes these dunes so impressive is their colour composition. The presence of iron oxides in the sand, coupled with innumerable particles of garnet, gives the dunes their brilliant hue. The shades vary according to the age of the dunes, and the older the dune the brighter the sand’s colour.
The most popular dune for climbing is Dune 45 – named after the distance from the main gate – because it is accessible by coach (most of the vlei area is only accessible by 4×4 vehicles). To climb up along the sharp, wind-defined, sloping edge of this grand work of nature is an inspiring experience.
Second, the area known as the Dead Pan. We had to switch to a 4×4 vehicle and travel some distance over very bumpy terrain to reach this area. Then there was quite a walk across deep sand before one reached this very special sight. Here there are camel-thorn trees which carbon dating suggests died 500-600 years ago because of a lack of water. They are black from the scorching of the sun and contrast eerily with the surrounding dried white clay to create a ghostly vista.
Third, the Sesriem Canyon. This is so-called because early settlers were dependent on the canyon’s rock pools as a source of water and they tied a bucket to six (ses) thongs (rieme). Carlos explained that the site is a case of continental upliftment and that it is not really a canyon but a gorge. It is about 1 km long and up to 30 metres deep and we walked some way down and through amazing rock formations.
It had been a tough morning. It is surprising how hard it is to climb across or up sand when each step presses deep into the red soil. As the morning went on, the heat became stronger, making our efforts even more energy-sapping. It was necessary to drink water at regular intervals.
Before going on this trip, I had thought that I might be the oldest in the group but hoped that I would be one of the fittest. In fact, there are as many members of the group older than me as younger than me and I am far from being the fittest. But all the effort was worth it for some spectacular sights.
When we left the park, we found somewhere to buy some lunch to take back with us and we returned to our camp at 1 pm, a full seven hours after leaving. The rest of the day was at leisure and we all needed the rest.