TRAVEL | THE NAMIB DESERT

Namibia, the land God made in anger. And with its inhospitable Skeleton Coast, also home to many shipwrecks, this is not far off the mark. However, you can still find beauty in its dramatic and harsh scenery and the sprawling Namib desert, surrounding the Skeleton Coast can certainly vouch for that.

Imagine lunar landscapes, towering burnt-orange sand dunes, fairy like circles, 900 year old skeleton trees and you’re transported to the Namib Desert, one of the oldest and largest deserts spanning Namibia, Angola and South Africa. This was the last destination on our Southern African honeymoon.

Our flight from Swakopmund to Sossussvlei airstrip gave us a fleeting introduction to the Namib Desert’s beauty as we flew over martian-esque landscapes. Desert Homestead, a charming lodge surrounded by the Nubib, Tsaris and Naukluft mountains was our base for visiting Sossusvlei’s iconic towering sand dunes and Deadvlei, a famous salt pan known for its skeleton trees.

Having acclimatised to the early morning starts, we headed to Namib-Naukluft National Park, home to Sossusvlei and Deadvlei.

Rising high from the salt pan are the red dunes whose sculpted shape continuously change with the wind. With its vast landscape and only the whistling breeze playing in the background, you can enjoy the peaceful solitude, and without the crowds that usually descend these beauty spots.

Formed over millions of years, their red sand was swept from the Kalahari’s Orange River into the Atlantic Ocean and subsequently carried back onto land by the Benguela Current’s surf, before the wind continued the sand’s journey inland to form the dunes over time.

Big Daddy and Dune 45 are the main stars with Big Daddy dwarfing the other dunes at 325m and Dune 45 (170m tall) being one of the most photographed dunes in the world. Both can be climbed, we opted for Dune’s 45.

Arriving first thing made the ascent easier without the scorching desert sun to battle too and we trudged our way up the powdery sand. It was surreal climbing a very narrow, curved ridge, and passing by others without much leeway was a little daunting. However, the summit’s breath taking views were spectacular and against a bright blue, cloudless sky, it’s obvious why these dunes are a photographer’s dream.

After a 40 minute climb, the descent took just 5 minutes and with the heat picking up, we stopped for brunch before continuing our tour. Deadvlei, also known as ‘dead marsh’ was once occupied by water but with a change in climate, it was transformed into a salt pan. Despite the name, it’s one of the most amazing lifeless places I’ve seen.

Eerily beautiful, Deadvlei is encircled by dunes with statuesque skeleton trees scorched by the sun rising from the floor. Almost like being at an art installation, each tree’s unique shape catches your eye. I took endless photos of their haunting beauty against the orange backdrop.

Big Daddy

Dune 45

The last couple of days were spent at Wolwedans, a camp located in the heart of the NamibRand Nature Reserve, a two hour drive from Sossusvlei. At the end of a busy adventure, this was where we chose to unwind.

Driving through you’re engulfed in a tapestry of colours with only the odd tree and grazing zebra or gazelle distracting from the reserve’s vastness. This is not the place for wildlife but about appreciating the solitude of desert life.

We jumped at the chance to take a hot air balloon at sunrise. With some trepidation, we took off and waltzed over the lunar landscape and the mysterious fairy circles. These circles have created an amazing pattern which can only be seen from above with competing theories for their existence from termite activity to poisoning by indigenous plants and the latest one being that they act as reservoirs for the surrounding desert grass.

Our final evening was spent with sun downers overlooking a beautiful crater with the colours magically changing as the sun disappeared and the glistening stars in yet another clear Namibian night sky appeared.