Archive for the ‘Namibia’ Category
January 6th, 2006 | 
Author: Our accommodation in Namibia was located close to the centre of Windhoek and was about a 30-40 minute drive from the airport.
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The drive back to Windhoek was supposed to be a little easier as we were going to go back by “C” roads. However, you know what happens when you make a plan! Before we drove down to Sessriem we purchased a road map which we used to navigate our way on the way down. This is where lucky Darren strikes again! We were going along quite happily until we got to a road and thought “hang on that can’t be right!” and guess what? it wasn’t. In a nutshell the map had an error which basically meant we were off course. As a result we had to take a detour via the dreaded “D” roads! Although this did take us out of our way we still managed to get back to Windhoek in less time than on the way down. This meant that we were able to take back the camping gear and drop the car off that afternoon. This meant less hassle the following morning when we would be catching our flight back to Johannesburg.
Having seen the sunrise at Dune 45 we made our way to the 2×2 car park near Sossusvlei. From here you can either pick up and pay for a 4×4 shuttle into Sossusvlei or you can walk the last few kilometres. Although it can be a little tiring walking in sand we decided to give it a go. We were both really glad that we did this as views of the dunes were quite stunning. As you continue to walk through the sand sea the geometry of the landscape constantly changes and gives you a continually changing perspective. Not being driven also gave us the opportunity of your choosing to explore off the path and also plenty of time to stop and take plenty of photo’s. Sossusvlei is basically a large ephemeral pan created by a large flat area with the dunes forming the periphery. Unfortunately you end up here thinking “are we there yet?”. Sossusvlei itself isn’t that interesting, in fact we both felt that the walk in was much better than Sossusvlei itself!
All in all we both felt that the trip was well worth it. However, I would recommend doing it at a more leisurely pace, say arrive one day, do two/three days doing dune stuff and drive back the following day. The other good thing about the campsite is that you can light your own fires and do your own BBQs. They even provide a brick halve to cook on, although some of these are in a better state of repair than others.
Another thing to do here is to see the sunrise from Dune 45. Now to be honest I was knackered from 8 hours driving and having just virtually climbed to the top of the dune, I wasn’t sure if I fancied getting up at 4.30 the following morning to climb it again just to see the sunrise.
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It was early afternoon when we reached the campsite but the cost of the accommodation and the entry permit for the dunes meant we needed more cash. There are no facilities here for wtihdrawing cash. Well to be fair we have found ATMs in some remote places, but in the middle of the desert, that would be taking things a bit far! Fortunately the Sossusvlei Lodge were able to give us a cash advance against a credit card, otherwise we would have been a bit stuck. Once we knew we had enough cash we paid for our accommodation and entry permit. By now with all the waiting around and trips to and from Sossusvlei Lodge we were up against time.
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This is where all of the dune action takes place. Sesriem itself is the gateway to the dunes and is the closest place to stay. It’s an oasis after 6 long hour’s drive if coming from Windhoek. First you pass Sossusvlei Lodge (pronounced Soss-Suss-Flay) on your right which is a swanky posh lodge for those with cash to burn (190 pounds per night for a double). Just a short distance after this you hit Sesriem campsite and the petrol station. The campsite itself controls the opening and closing of the gate which allows access to the dunes at Sossusvlei. Our guide book and other information did say that accommodation on the campsite had to be booked in advance however whether it was quite because of Christmas or it was just not peak season we didn’t have to book in advance. Read the rest of this entry »
Located on southern Africa’s West coast is Namibia, home to 32, 000 sq km of sand sea containing the world’s highest and oldest dunes. This was a real whistelstop tour for us. We arrived in Windhoek the capital city on a Sunday afternoon and had some quick planning and sorting out to do if we were going to get to see these spectacular sand dunes. Read the rest of this entry »