At 55 million years, the Namib Desert is the world's oldest desert as well as being how Namibia derives its name. Synonymous with sand dunes and sun, Sossusvlei is where I'd explore today. I had difficulty sleeping last night but I was up early with my camping kettle boiling. By 6 AM it is very cold so a hot coffee is the perfect way to warm up your chilly hands. Fish River Canyon is officially out as three hikers were recently evacuated due to getting sick from (what little of) water in the canyon. I'll have to save it for next year when I go to Tristan da Cunha. Last night I dined on kudu steak for the first time, and it was delicious. With its combination of exotic meats and spices, the food in Southern Africa is vastly underrated.
After a hot shower I was ready for some colour.
As with many places, doing Sossusvlei without your own transport is tough but I wasn't going to let it stop me. There are a long list of reasons why I don't drive, but I'll write about that another time. When the gates opened at 7:30 AM I wasn't immediately picked up but I got a lift before long with a German couple. We stopped a few times for photos and a geocache before we ended up at Dune 45.
Whilst not as difficult as Dune 7 the other day, walking up is still tough, but the views are worth the effort.
I had to remove my Barmah hat before it was blown away. After many photos I decided to scramble down the side of the dune to get down, and I had fun doing so. A lady named Jasmin would get some photos of me with her GoPro.
Others would tell me that I needed to go further west where the views only get better, so that's what I did. A 4WD is required for the final six kilometres and it would have been a knee-jarring walk through sand but it's possible to arrange transport for a modest fee. Since I had no cash I was given a slip to pay at the restaurant when I returned. At 325 metres, Big Daddy Dune is the tallest dune in Sossusvlei. When I saw people way off in the distance I decided I wasn't going to be walking the whole thing, especially after the climbing I did earlier. Since I'm that likely only here once I walked as much as I could.
Perhaps the ultimate (and colourful) highlight of the area is Deadvlei: a colourful, majestic place with ancient trees.
After another tough walk up the sand dunes, it felt nice to put my feet on solid ground.
Although it's called Deadvlei and the trees are dead, the colour makes this place feel so full of life. If I were an artist I'd love to paint this picture.
Magical! These are camelthorn trees. I sure hope nobody carves their names into them. I couldn't stop snapping photos with all the colour.
My energy was nearly depleted by early afternoon but I had to muster up the strength to get to Big Mamma Dune.
Whilst I wasn't up for walking up another dune, Big Mamma is worthy of a look and photos, especially when an oryx runs by.
Sossusvlei is especially impressive. Last night I pitched my tent next to the petrol station, which also operates as a campground. They allowed me to store my bag there this morning so I set my tent up again and then rounded out the evening with a couple glasses of wine. What a day! What a beautiful day!
As if I haven't been to enough magical places already, I've officially added Sossusvlei to my ever-growing travel repertoire.
