I woke up this morning feeling much better that yesterday, so I was good to go on the trip to Sossosvlei dunes and Deadvlei. We left early enough to see the sun rising and some hot-air balloons. The camp we are staying at has a private gate into the Namib Desert Park, which is broadly recognised to be the oldest desert in the world, having been dry for up to 80 Million years. It is characterised park by large sand dunes, some of which are 300 metres high. In the early morning light the dunes have clear lines defining their windward and leeward sides. The dunes are constantly moving as the sand blows away to be deposited in the Orange River, which then takes the sand into the Atlantic Ocean and in turn deposits the sand on the beaches. The wind then takes the beach sand and blows it back into the dunes, therefore keeping the dunes moving.
Our destination this morning is Deadvlei. This was once a lake, but the moving dunes cut off the water supply about 900 years ago, leaving the trees in the lake to die. It almost never rains here, so the dead trees are well-preserved. Beside Deadvlei is the ‘Big Daddy’ dune which many people climb, including some of our group. I decided I was quite recovered enough to take it on, so spent some time taking photos of the trees and the surrounding dunes.
We drove back to the camp for some lunch, which I was quite looking forward to as my appetite seems to be returning. The staff here at Kulala Desert Lodge were very attentive to my state and had cooked rice and vegetables for me yesterday while my stomach was fragile and nothing seemed to be too much trouble.
This afternoon we went on a nature drive in search of Hartmann’s Mountain Zebras. Unfortunately, they did not get the message, so we didn’t find any. They are not a social animal and are quite shy. Their colouring has adapted to better camouflage them against the rocky mountain outcrops, so the normal white stripes are more brown in colour. In this area there are no Lions because the local farmers hunted them all. There are now strict animal protection laws in Namibia that impose big fines for killing any of the native animals. We did come across some springboks, a black-backed jackal and a herd of oryx.
We visited and old bushmen’s cave that featured some rock art and our guide explained how the government prohibits many of their cultural practices, but provide free education and health care, in return. Some of the tribal elders are worried about the loss of traditions.
We arrived at our sunset vantage point and declared the zebra search over and had drinks. Our safari group was a great group made up of two other couples, both from the bay area in California, and our guide Steven was excellent. The scenery in this part of Namibia has been spectacular and unlike other places that we’ve been.
Lastly, for those who’ve seen my previous Astrophotography, Namibia is on of the darkest places. I was keen to try some shots out. Here’s a couple of the results – The Prawn Nebula and a section of the Milky Way.
Traveling day tomorrow so will have an update the day after.
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