Read More...

Balloon Safaris, Big Daddy, Dead Vlei, Dune 45, Duwisib Castle, Elim Dune, Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namib Desert, NamibRand Nature Reserve, Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park, Sesriem, Solitaire, Sossusvlei

The Namib Desert

The greater Namib Desert stretches along the Atlantic coast for more than 1 200 miles (2 000 kms) from southern Angola, through Namibia, and into the northern parts of South Africa. With annual rainfall in most of its area averaging less than 1 inch per year, it is the only true desert in Southern Africa.

The Namib has experienced an arid or semi-arid climate for roughly 55-80 million years, making it quite likely the oldest desert on Earth (the Atacama Desert is South America is roughly the same age).

The "sand sea" (also called an "erg") of wind-swept dunes (with little to no vegetative cover) along Namibia's coast spans 425 miles (680 kms) from Swakopmund in the north to Luderitz in the south and inland for 90 miles (150 kms) in some places, including the Sossusvlei region. Areas to the north and south of the dunes, including Damaraland, are more defined by scattered mountains, rocky outcrops, inselbergs (from the German for 'island-mountain'), and gravel-strewn plains.

The Atlantic Ocean water along the coast of the Namib Desert is influenced by the frigid Benguela Current, flowing north from the Antarctic. When this cold water mixes with the hot, dry air of the desert, it creates a thick fog for up to 180 days per year. This has led to hundreds of shipwrecks, many of which are still visible along the coast. While disastrous for the mariners on these ships, the coastal fog is a vital source of moisture for desert plants and animals living in the Namib.

Other than some small settlements and the indigenous semi-nomadic, pastoral people (the Himba and Herero), the Namib is almost totally uninhabited by humans. Few animals can survive in this harsh environment, and in the dune-dominated regions, it is mostly arthropods and other small animals that survive on little water.

Large animals do survive in the Namib outside of the dune areas, including numerous antelopes, such as oryx and springbok. Other species here include desert-adapted elephant, lion, Hartmann's mountain zebra, black-backed jackal, brown hyena, red hartebeest, ostrich, meerkats, and others.

A large portion of the Namib Desert is now protected in national parks or nature reserves, including Skeleton Coast National Park, Dorob National Park, and Namib-Naukluft National Park.

Namib-Naukluft National Park

The Namib-Naukluft National Park protects a large portion of the Namib Desert. It is the largest national park in Africa and one of the largest in the world, covering 19 215 sq miles (49 768 sq kms). In 1907 the German Colonial Administration proclaimed a small reserve near Swakopmund called "Game Reserve No. 3" (the other two being Etosha and Omuramba). In 1941, the area around Sandwich Harbor was added by South Africa (who administered South West Africa after WWII).

In 1966, the reserve was renamed as Namib Desert Park and expanded further south to the Kusieb River valley north of Solitaire. In 1979, a vast tract of land previously set aside for diamond mining by De Beers (known as Sperrgebiet or Diamond Area No. 2), was incorporated into the park. This massive new area includes Sossusvlei and Sesriem and the park was joined to the existing Naukluft Park to form the Namib-Naukluft National Park.

In 1986, additional diamond mining land was added to the reserve, stretching its southern border all the way to the road leading to Luderitz and increasing its area to its present size, which is larger than the country of Switzerland.

Sossusvlei

Technically, Sossusvlei (sometimes written as Sossus Vlei) is one of many small, clay-encrusted pans surrounded by the towering, red dunes that typify the regions. The name "Sossusvlei" is also used to refer to the entire region surrounding the Tsauchab River, the tiny town of Sesriem, all the dunes, including "Big Daddy" and "Dune 54", and all the pans, including "Dead Vlei".

The Sossusvlei area is part of a 12 000-square-mile (32 000-sq-km) "sand sea" that characterizes this region. It is estimated that the sand in this region originated between three and five million years ago in the Kalahari Desert of northern South Africa. The sand was washed down the Orange River and into the Atlantic Ocean, where it was then carried north in the coastal water via the Benguela Current to be dumped onto Namibia's coast. Wind then swept the sand inland, forming the huge area of dunes.

Many of the dunes are orange or reddish in coloration, owing to the high iron content and resulting oxidation. The longer the oxidation has been taking place, the more red the color of the sand, so the oldest dunes are a deeper red, while the younger dunes appear more yellow. The vivid colors of the dunes are also affected by the angle of sunlight and throughout the day, the dune colors will shift between myriad shades of lilac, purple, rose, ochre, apricot, and deep red.

The dunes of Sossusvlei are simply spectacular to behold. Some tower over 1 000 feet (300+ meters) above the plain. The well-known Big Daddy dune at Deadvlei is about 1 066 ft (325 meters) high. Many of the oldest and tallest dunes around Sossusvlei are stabilized by some vegetation, which obtains moisture from the common morning fog that blows in from the Atlantic Ocean coast.

Several ephemeral rivers, which flow only on rare ocassions from the Naukluft Mountains lying inland, bring water into the dune field. The rivers terminate as endorheic pans (drainage basins with no outflows). These pans are almost always dry, with a hard, sand-and-clay-encrusted surface that is whitish in color due to the salts left behind from evaporation.

The Sossusvlei pan still receives water from the Tsauchab River on occasion, but sometimes several years may pass between floodings, as the Tsauchab is dry most of the time and even when it flows, it rarely reaches all the way to the pans.

Deadvlei is another pan situated at the end of the Tsauchab river. Over time during a period of healthy rains in the Naukluft Mountains, camelthorn trees (Acacia erioloba) grew at Deadvlei, but at some point, the river course was slightly altered and as the pan grew more and more dry, the trees all died. Today the surreal scene at Deadvlei is one of the most impressive sights in the region, with the 'skeletons' of the long-dead trees casting shadows on the baked, white surface of the pan and surrounded by the spectacular red colors of the massive dunes all around.

Sossusvlei is a special place. Devote at least three nights of your itinerary to the region and plan to take lots of photos. Arrive at the park gates early (they open an hour before sunrise), so you can beat any crowds, see the dunes with no footprints, and experience the early morning colors.

Notable Dunes

Some of the biggest and most impressive dunes in the area have been given names and are popular for their size, shape, beauty and for climbing by those who want to take that challenge. Be warned that climbing any of the big dunes around Sossusvlei means a long and exhausting trudge through fine, loose, ankle- or sometimes knee-deep sand. Climbing in the early morning is best, as once the sun is up, you can add heat to the equation!

Big Daddy: Located at the back end of Dead Vlei, "Big Daddy" is surely the best-known and most popular dune to climb. Views from the top are superb and gives a bird's-eye view over the surreal, white pan and skeletal camelthorn trees below. Big Daddy stands 1 181 feet (360 meters) tall and hiking to the top can take up to one hour.

Dune 45: So named for its location, 45 kms along the road from Sesriem, "Dune 45" is perhaps the most photographed dune in the region. Its spectacular shape, massive size, and setting with grassland and some bushes at its base, make it a standout even in all the surrounding beauty. The colors and shading on Dune 45 seem to shift by the minute, as the angle of sunlight shifts throughout the day. Dune 45 stands 560 feet (170 meters) high and the climb to the top is much easier than Big Daddy, due to its more moderate slope.

Elim Dune: The majestic and rather secluded "Elim Dune" sits at the eastern edge of the sand dune sea and is the closest (3mi/5km) dune to Sesriem. Its summit is a very popular place for watching the sunset and provides stunning views of the surrounding desert, mountains, and plains. The name comes from a nearby farm that existed prior to the establishment of the national park. Elim Dune is roughly 325 feet (100 meters) tall and the climb takes about one hour.

NamibRand Nature Reserve

Located just south of Sesriem and bordering the Namib-Naukluft National Park, the NamibRand Nature Reserve is comprised of a number of former sheep farms that have converted to wildlife and nature conservation. The reserve covers 810 square miles (2 100 sq kms) of desert grassland, rocky outcrops, bouldered hills, rock-strewn plains, dunes, valleys, and dramatic mountains. It is one of Africa's largest privately-owned reserves.

The NamibRand is one of the best places in the Sossusvlei region to see wildlife. Species living in the reserve is mostly the same as that in the western side of the Namib-Naukluft, and includes oryx, springbok, Hartmann's mountain zebra, red hartebeest, greater kudu, klipspringer, bat-eared fox, Cape fox, spotted hyena, leopard, chacma baboon, black-backed jackal, and more.

Several safari operators offer accommodation and a wide range of expertly-guided activities in the NamibRand and this is an excellent place from which to base a visit to the area.

Sesriem & Sesriem Canyon

Sesriem is the small gateway town for the Sossusvlei area. The name means "six thongs" and refers to the number of leather hide straps (called reims) that had to be tied together to lower buckets to the bottom of the Tsauchab river gorge in order to fetch water.

The Sesriem Canyon has been carved out by the Tsauchab river over roughly 15 million years and is one of the few places in the region that has water most of the year. The canyon is about 100 feet (30 meters) deep and runs for about 2 miles (3 kms). The canyon is accessed via a stairway cut into the rock that leads to two trails through the interesting rock formations.

Solitaire

The lonely and appropriately-named town of Solitaire is nothing more than a few building in the middle of the desert, about 50 miles north of Sesriem. There are some good lodges in the area that are based around the ephemeral Tsondab river and the Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park.

Balloon Safaris

One of the best ways to view the vast sand dune sea is to take a sunrise excursion on a hot-air balloon. Floating over the area in the early morning light is simply breathtaking and gives a better appreciation for the immensity of this desert. Pickups are usually 30 minutes before sunrise and can be arranged ahead of time as part of your stay at most lodges.

Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park

The Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park is located near the little town of Solitaire and on the eastern border of the Namib-Naukluft National Park. The park is not often visited and the only accommodations inside the park are camping sites. There are several well-marked hiking trails that run along or near the Tsondab River, which runs through the park.

Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park was originally created as a sanctuary for its population of Hartmann's mountain zebras.

Duwisib Castle

Built in 1909 by Baron Captain Hans Heinrich von Wolf, this medieval-looking castle is located in the middle of the desert, far from pretty much everything. Von Wolf and his wife lived in the house until WWI broke out and the Baron was killed at the Battle of the Somme. The castle is now a tourist stop.

Read More...

Balloon Safaris, Big Daddy, Dead Vlei, Dune 45, Duwisib Castle, Elim Dune, Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namib Desert, NamibRand Nature Reserve, Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park, Sesriem, Solitaire, Sossusvlei