Sossusvlei Dunes

Glowing… literally! Sossusvlei is an area in Namibia that probably tops the list – the sand dunes are massive! They are a very rich burnt orange color (due to Sands being carried from the Kalahari Desert down the Orange River, into the ocean, and then recirculated over far too many years to count backwards into what now forms Sossusvlei. This spot touched my soul. Hiking up to the top of the Elin’s Dune for sunset, followed by an early morning climb up to the top of Dune 45 for sunrise were ultimately the best thing I had a chance to experience in this region. Climbing the dunes barefoot, and the cool sand on the morning, in contrast to the very warm sand of the night before. The little desert gekkos, beetles, and sharp tufts of grass that you find here and there during your journey. THE GLOW… I don’t even think the following description will do a justice to what it’s like to actually be there… after sunrise, the sun takes on its full effect lighting up the east side of every sand dune…leaving the west side (or backside in this case) black in appearance – so you have what looks like orange & black sand dunes! We spent the entire morning in the dunes and 4-wheeled our way (on the hood of the vehicle for a few of us!) into the Dead Vlei (the ‘bowl area’ that has no living trees and a white limestone pan bottom) vicinity. A very animated local, Frans, gave us the scoop on what each of the creatures were running around the place, how the bigger animals survive, how we should attempt to survive (and he gave us 2 days or less as a realistic time frame for human survival without supplies… I ALMOST felt like challenging that… and I’m sure I would have changed my mind at 1, 2 or 3pm!) The appearance of the dunes has a couple other fascinating aspects – the white sand found below the red sand in areas is from the internal local desert and is heavier – which is why it is found below… along with some black strands of sand – which are actually iron! (just carry a magnet along to check this one out!) Also, the little ripples you see in the dunes can actually be used as a compass! – as the wind blows east to west in the winter and west to east in the summer… so as long as you don’t confuse your seasons with the northern hemisphere (me, especially!) you’re good to go!

If anyone wants to hike the dunes, let me know – I certainly hope to revisit this someday. And if you want 7 days of it… well you can trek the 55km of dunes that work their way from the heart of Sossusvlei out to the Atlantic Ocean!

Namib-Naukluft National Park

Working our way up through this part of the desert led me to feel like we were approaching wildlife, bigger mountains, and better things… I didn’t see anything other than massive bird’s nests that end up consuming a tree to it’s crumble, more never-ending dirt roads, tighter mountains, and next to no wildlife… it’s out there – SOMEWHERE! I enjoyed the feeling that I MIGHT see something… and stared off into the empty space as the sunshine filtered in.

Bethanie - NAMIBIA

It only took a brief stop in the very small town of Bethanie to make friends with some of the local kids. The locals were super-friendly here and invited us into their shops and bakeries... and actually allowed us to use the toilet facilities (doesn't happen like that everywhere!) The main street was quiet enough that we could walk along it without dodging traffic... the only thing that prompts you to move a bit faster from one place to another is the hot, desert sun!

The energy and smiles of these sweet girls.... simply inspiring!!!

Fish River Canyon

Beginning a short canyon rim hike from the top of the trail that leads down into the canyon – yet, is unusable any longer due to 58+degree (Celcius, mind you) temps that were literally killing people – we enjoyed a beautiful jaunt along the edge of this very deep canyon – and yes, there are NO GUARD RAILS… gotta love being outside the U.S.! – so if you venture too close, you’d better hope your wings can help you to fly! We ate dinner post-sunset at the main point overlooking the horseshoe curve of the canyon… I found the vast slience of the place, and the play-flight of the birds swooping from the edge to wind drifts above extremely inspiring to watch.

Orange/Gariep River

Camping just above the banks of the Orange River offered us fantastic views of Namibia on the other side, and easy access to swimming there! Though none of us ventured on shore in Namibia, we did all end up swimming in the country at some point during our ploy to try and balance on the river rocks while withstanding the ‘backwards’ (because the wind was blowing the river in what appeared to be a false direction) current. Chilling on the floating dock at sunset was most certainly fantastic!

I think this was the 1st night we settled into the amazing star cover in the sky… it’s at times like this that you wonder why you don’t camp every night or live further away from the city lights!

Citrusdal & the Cederberg Mountain Range

Florida & California are not the only homes to fine citrus… South Africa has its own groves to brag about! Up in Citrusdal (fitting name, ya think?!) a couple hours North of Cape Town, lies a quiet community filled with local people and a deep sense of relaxation. Bordered by the towering peaks of the Cederberg Mtn Range, the river running through afforded a nice water hole for sunbathing afloat innertubes. The sand of the riverbed is deep and lush – making for a bit of private beach action alongside the grove where we would be camping for the night.

Speaking of camping – there is quite an art to setting up an African tent. They are super-heavy (to ward off mosquitoes and lions, I suppose) and have metal poles (that somehow you manage to bend!) With the heat of the end of summer and the cover of the stars in the sky, the windows would never find a ‘closed’ position on our tent!

Shortly before sunset (well, about 2 hours before) we ventured up into the foothills behind to find gekkos (the African way of spelling it,) turtles, scorpions, and luckily no spitting cobras! Skop, the local guy who led our venture, was quite a hoot with some of his stories and remedy ideas! We worked our way back shortly before sunset.

Table View

There is a new, seemingly growing town just across Table Bay from the epicenter of Cape Town, called Table View – and namely so, as it has the most impressive views of Table Mtn & Lion’s Head from across the bay. The sand of the beaches lining the coast here would rival those of a remote island – simply spectacular.