Under African Skies

My memory of summer 2013 is a montage of African sunrises and sunsets, each magnificent and unique, and recorded in countless photographs and journal jottings.
Beginning an overland journey in Nairobi in the east, we followed the path of the sun across the vastly beautiful and constantly surprising continent towards the western shores. Finally dipping south after seven weeks on the road, our journey ended in Cape Town.
One evening in Namibia, we watched the sun disappear into the depths of the Sesriem Canyon, desert blurring into sky on a canvas of orange, our shadows stretching out across the sands before finally fading into the darkness. In the few hours before it emerged again to cast its ethereal glow across the Namib Desert, we slept.
Awaking before dawn to drive into the Sossusvlei region of the desert, weary eyelids drooped as we arrived at the foot of Dune 45. Beginning our climb up this veritable mountain of red sand, groups of travellers became a line of pilgrims seeking a communion with the rising sun.
Pinnacle breathlessly reached, stillness hung in the air. We were hundreds of travellers, surrounded by a vast, red emptiness, sitting united in wait for one everyday event. That’s the wonder of Africa; it casts a new light on the ordinary, transforming something that happens every day into something to be watched, marvelled at, revered.
The gradual shift of the sky from inky blue to burnt orange was just perceptible, the long shadows of dunes in the distance transforming the desert plain beneath us into a magnificent sundial that announced the arrival of another day. The first glints of light seemed to break right through the surface of the distant sands, burning into our retinas for a few seconds, and into our memories forever.
The otherworldly red sands of the Namib Desert are an integral wonder of the continent, yet oft overlooked. Setting up camp at Sesriem means having the red sand dunes of the Namib Desert and white clay pans of Sossusvlei and Deadvlei on your doorstep, ready to be discovered.
To experience Africa, overland tours are unrivalled in distance covered, variety of experience and value for money. Through the course of the journey, strangers become friends, pitching a tent every night becomes second nature and you realise that there’s no better way to experience Africa than lying under the stars.
Witnessing daybreak atop Dune 45 was a zenith amidst a summer of discovery, and a must for anyone wanting to see Africa in a new light.