Sossusvlei and those red dunes
Trip Start
Jul 12, 2006
1
14
18
Trip End
Jul 30, 2006
Sesriem,
Namibia
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Sesriem is the gateway to the dunes and you need to stop here to get the all important permit for the park and it is always advisable to fill up on petrol. There is also a small shop with a selection of snacks and cold drinks. It is worth a stop at Sesriem Canyon about 4km down the road. It is a narrow fissure in the sandstone that can be up to 30m deep in places. It was created by the Tsauchab River but in the dry season there was no water to be seen although flash floods can be a problem in the wet season.
Another view of Dune 45
There is a 65km of tar road - recently done and then the road turns to the normal sandy one. Our next stop was 'Dune 45' probably the most photographed dune as it is so photogenic. The colour of the dunes is remarkable and caused by the iron in the sand that has been oxidised over time. The dunes themselves are incredibly old and incredibly high - supposedly the highest in the world. To miss these on a trip to Namibia would be a crime indeed as they are a spectacular sight to behold. The colours are constantly changing depending on the time of day.
Andy and I attempted to climb the dune but it is incredibly hard work and we watched as the boys made short work of it and rolled back down - to be young again!! I was happy enough to take some photos from good old 'terra firma'.
You then drive onto the car park - travel from here can only be done using a 4X4 so you need to deflate your tyres to give yourself a little more surface area across the sand. Be warned, however it is very easy to over do the deflation and end up having to pump up the tyre again. This is fine if your pump works - ours didn't so we ended up borrowing a pump from one of the guides in the park. If you haven't a 4X4 you can take the shuttle bus
Dead Acacia Trees
.On the left of the car park is Hidden Vlei which is worth a visit as the scenery is punctuated with dead acacia trees that give it a very surreal feel. 'Vlei' is the Afrikaans word for a shallow depression filled with water although most of the vleis are dry. Dead Vlei is more accessible and probably even more beautiful. It is an old pan and here you will find the remains of trees, some over 500 years old that have long since died after the river changed its course.
The 4X4 track wasn't as difficult to drive as we had expected - somehow I had imagined the driving to be similar to the drive we had in Swakopmund on the Living Desert Tour. This was a walk in the park in comparison. Sossousvlei was huge and in front of it the pan still contained some water although much of it had dried into a crazy paving of deep cracks. There was even a couple of wading birds that had taken up residence and were dive bombing anyone who ventured near their young.
The journey back was incredible as the setting sun cast shadows on the dunes and mountains probably creating some of the most beautiful scenery I had ever seen.
