Day 101 Rest day in Sesriem

by Henry

Rest day in Sesriem, but we had to be ready by 6 AM for our field trip to see the sunrise over the sand dunes in the Namib Desert.

Because our campsite was inside the Namib-Nauklift National Park, we were allowed to drive to the dunes before sunrise. Others outside the national park would have to queue up at the gates, and would not be allowed into the park until after sunrise.

Too many pictures were taken today of the dramatic landscape, and I will only share a few.

We were driven 45 km to Dune 45, which we would ascend to view the sunrise. Although morning light has already occurred, we still had time to hike to the top of the dune before the sun peaked over the horizon.

 

A human chain like what might be seen on Mount Everest, without all the gear and oxygen deprivation.

 

The golden orb peeking over the horizon to illuminate the ancient dry Tsauchab riverbed and surrounding sand dunes.

 

The sand dune spines are artfully sculpted by the desert winds all day and night.

 

Rather than return via the same path, we all raced down the side of the sand dune and imagined we were all little kids again.

 

Our drivers then deposited us at Deadvlei (“dead marsh”), supposedly the most photographed site in Namibia. 

 

To reach Deadvlei, we had a choice of hiking a flatter route, versus climbing “Big Daddy” at 325 m. It’s not hard to guess which one we chose . . .

 

Deadvlei from the summit of Big Daddy. Fantastic descent, but it completely filled my socks and shoes with sand.

The dried marsh with its field of ancient desiccated trees is beautiful, but each tree stands on its own as a timeless work of art.

We returned to our campsite at 12:15 PM, earlier than projected. It was blazing hot. The high temperature was projected to be 36°C, but it felt much hotter. After lunch, Linda and I trekked over to neighboring Sossusvlei Lodge to cool off in their pool. We spent the afternoon relaxing poolside.

At 5 PM, we headed back to our campsite to clean and lubricate our bicycle drivetrains, which were coated with a layer of fine sand. We did a limited amount of laundry, and the clothes dried almost instantly when hung up. We rode over to the convenience store to get an ice cream cone. Dinner was at the national park restaurant where I tried oryx.

Tomorrow we resume riding in the desert heat.