Day 16 ... travelling to the Namib Desert

October 4, 2024

An early start today as we had a long drive ahead of us as we head towards the dunes. We were both awake just after 6 so decided to get up and have a shower before we went to breakfast.

Breakfast was at The Barn, the small on-site restaurant/bistro at the hotel. For $10 we had choices of cereal, fruit, yoghurt, juice, freshly brewed coffee, toast and a breakfast cooked to order. I had a beautiful omelette (filled with sauted bacon, peppers, onion and mushrooms), whilst Ian opted for his usual fried eggs, bacon, sausages and mushrooms. Neither of us could finish ... but Ian was able to make an egg and bacon sandwich to take with him.

Breakfast done, suitcases packed, and the car loaded we headed off ... with me at the wheel! Our drive was about 520 kms ... with about 350 of that on sealed roads. So I drove for the first 2 and a half hours (nice ... paved road) and then Ian took over and had about 80 km of sealed road, and then the dirt roads began.

Because I was on the main road to Windhoek (the capital) I was able to travel at 120 km/h ... and had all the fun of overtaking the semi-trailers that can only manage about 80 km/h.

Just out of the town of Mariental I did have to slow down to allow a huge group of Chacma Baboons (called a troup) to dart across the highway and leap over the fence on the other side! A second group raced across in front of us about 10 minutes further down the road.

 

Pulling over to swap drivers  (with Ian happy to be back at the wheel and to hand the camera back to me) we drove to the tiny town of Maltahohe where we filled the petrol tank (we had read and been told to never by pass a petrol station as there are long gaps between them and you do not want to run out of petrol!), visited the toilets ($3 NAM to enter), grabbed a cool drink and then onto the C road we went.

This C road was a little rougher than previous roads with a fair amount of corrugation. So we had lots of opportunity to sample the free African massage it provides.  At times the road was worse but sometimes it was fine.

We travelled across the Namib-Naukluft region so crossed over mountains, through the Zarishoogte Pass (reputedly one of the "most dangerous roads" in the world). The road was fine and as we crossed the Zaris Mountains we were amazed at the scenery ... from grey green flat mountains to tumbled rocky outcrops.  I think Ian got a little tired at having to stop the car on the loose sliding gravel for me to take yet another photo.

And then the final leg through Hammerstein and on to Sesriem where we would be staying for the next 2 nights. We arrived at Sossusvlei Lodge and were checked in just before 2 pm.

We were able to head straight to our room … which was spectacular! We overlook the Namib Desert … and have the occasional oryx wander past our front window. After a long drove, and with nothing to do until later in the afternoon we took the time to relax, cool down, have some snacks and a quick nanna nap for Ian.

Then we headed down to the pool … which was way too cold for me. It may be 35+° … but I wasn’t going to do more than dangle my feet in the water! The pool is not covered so I took to the shade to protect my lily white skin … unlike the Europeans who dragged their loungers into the sun! I watched the Black Pie butterflies flitting about … I’ve never seen so many butterflies in one location.

 

Back to the room to get changed and ready for our Sundowner drive. We met Werner our driver, and our fellow travellers … 4 French, 2 British and us Aussies rounding out the group. The drive was on the lodge’s own grounds … 40,000 ha … and with Werner pointing out things along the way we were captivated by the landscape. We saw … African ground squirrel, black backed jackals, oryx, evidence of a Namib Sand snake and a porcupine and weaver birds and their nests. The drive meandered along until we parked between the gaps in a mountain range. Werner told us to enjoy the surrounds whilst he set up our sundowner snacks and bar.

He called us up to the top of the hill where he had set up the most incredible table filled with a massive ice bucket with sparkling wine, beers, ciders, soft drinks and waters. There was a platter of snacks including crumbed chicken, samosas, biltong, nuts, banana chips and dried fruit. Popping the wine bottle (called Papillion no less) he poured us a glass (Ian had a coke!) and encouraged us to enjoy the evening and made sure we ate and topped up our glasses as we needed to.

 

And so we watched the sun descend slowly over the sand dunes. It was a cloudy night so the sunset was much more moody than we had seen on previous nights. But it was beautiful. We all sat and enjoyed the quiet, the peace (can you feel the serenity) and watched the changing colours.

With the sun set and the picnic packed away we climbed back into the jeep for our return journey to the lodge. A quicker drive back … with the lights of the jeep showing the way. Back at the lodge we went straight to dinner which was another spectacular buffet which we enjoyed by “candle light” (electric fairy lights in a jar). The food was wonderful and we both enjoyed dinner after many days of being careful with what we ate.

Dinner done we headed back to our room. We sat on the verandah in the darkness looking skywards as the dark sky glittered with so many stars. We were blessed to see a falling star … I don’t recall seeing one before. The quiet of the night is amazing in the desert … and a little stargazing was a wonderful way to end a glorious day.