Kulala Desert Lodge Namib-Naukluft Park

... then blown ashore by the winds trying to balance the hot air in the dunes’ area with the cool air in the Atlantic Ocean. The dunes migrate up to 2 or 3 m. (7 to 10 ft.) per year, covering and uncovering whatever is in their path. They are red because of the iron content in them has been oxidized by time and the elements. They are truly sculptures of nature and have an jaw dropping quality about them.

Once our tour with Yuri is over, we have a ...

... Sundowner . . . .the boys are never leaving!

Before dinner we join Frank (Paul we will have to introduce you) the Visiting Astronomer (also Documentary Producer/editor) . . for an amazing lesson and view of the southern stars and planets. Then back to the terrace for a fabulous ostrich dinner.

This place is so incredible we have not noticed that we only have one set of clothing and only what we carried on the plane (except for John's ...

... are part of the 20,000 sq-mile sand sea that covers much of Western Namibia, was a sombre experience. The dunes, which reach as high as 1,000 feet, are part of one of the oldest and driest ecosystems on earth. However, the landscape is constantly changing-winds forever alters the shape of each dune, while colors shift as the sun moves across the sky. I think the pictures tell the story best.

The following day we headed down the skeleton coast. Passing the place where Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had stayed when she gave birth to her daughter in Namibia. Along the way we saw some of the many shipwrecks that this area of coastline is famous for. Once we'd turned inland we stopped for lunch in again what seemed in the middle of nowhere and as we headed further south we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn and stopped for the ...

... behind the counter, makes some of the best bread and apple strudel around (in Africa according to some claims). A few shoots, a few bites, a little gas (the car, not me), and away we went. In Sesriem, the NWR (Namibia Wildlife Resorts) have a campsite right at the gates to the park that allows you to be racing towards the dunes at about 6:00 am. These sites have to be booked in Windhoek, and normally far in advance. The same had been true in Etosha, but we had ...

... Set off the next evening on a very long, hot and tiring 22 hour bus trip from Windhoek to Cape Town. We had traded our intended flight to Cape Town for microlight flights over Victoria Falls, so we had to go for the cheaper bus option to Cape Town to stay within our strict budget. Quite a forfeit, as the sleep-liner was fully booked, so we got the ...

... then behind us, across a flat plain we could see distant mountains changing colours from orange to purple as the full white moon rose from behind them into the clear blue sky above. we were collected again when darkness fell and we returned to camp for dinner. the moon was completely full and it was like a spotlight on the campsite. midnight toilet runs were so bright that the moonlight would cast a shadow of me in the sand as jackels and their shadows ...

... it is composed of 5 million year old sand that was brought by the Orange River from the Kalahari Desert. There are a lot of similar dunes in the same area. Dune 45 stands out and has become a tourist attraction. It is easy to climb and very photogenic. Especially in the early morning, before sunrise, groups of tourists arrive and climb the dune so that they ...

We only had one day left until we had to return the car, but we were determined to get maximum value out of it. So we attempted what most people around us were calling 'the impossible' - driving down to the Sousessvlei sand dunes and back in one day. We were told it would be a 4.5 hour drive each way - easily done! We thought... So off we set at 5am ...

... Hot, dry and sand EVERYWHERE! It was truly a unique place to be. I especially enjoyed the return walk to our 4x4 trucks from the peak of a fresh dune. No tracks to follow here. With each second sand blew across the crest and with each slow footstep I was reminded that there ...