Thre Three "S's" - Solitaire, Sesriem Canyon and Sossusvlei
The very congenial group was off in our large but comfortable safari truck into the Namib Desert on small desert roads that connect all of rural Namibia. Windhoek is in a mountain valley and we had to climb out over the Eros Mountains and then the Khomas Hochland Range. The oldest desert on earth, the Namib stretches along the entire coastline for hundreds of miles and consists of gravel plains and sand dunes. It also has some of the strangest flora and fauna on the African continent. For example, the rare brown hyena and one of a kind, Welwitschia plant that can live to be 400-1,000 years old!
Part of the Namib also includes the Northern Skeleton Coast. The "Skeleton Coast" was named for the many shipwrecks along this section of the Atlantic coast. If any sailor was lucky enough to survive the shipwreck, they would then die in the Namib Desert. Ship pieces still litter the sands but we weren't going to visit this far north. (The Skeleton Coast is usually included in a fly-in itinerary because of the distances.)
Over the mountain passes, dropping down into the grassy desert savanna and the second smallest town in Namibia, Solitaire. Solitaire resembled nothing more than a old Wild West movie set surrounded by nothingness. Literally in the middle of nowhere, it has the only gasoline pumps to service visitors who are heading to and from Sesriem Canyon and Sossusvlei sand dunes from Windhoek. It is also the only gasoline station between the Sossusvlei dunes and Walvis Bay. Solitaire is it...the only game in town. We stopped to grab some food and break up the long journey.
Inside was an eclectic selection of goods for sale. Food, souvenirs, old memorabilia...an interesting little place.
After this welcome break, we moved along to Sesriem Canyon (a narrow gorge about half-mile long) created by erosion over many centuries. Early explorers had to tie six ("ses") lengths of thongs ("riem") together to draw water from the pools in the canyon. We explored the small but picturesque canyon on foot. From there to tonight's guest farm accommodation.
The next day we drove into Sossusvlei to see some of the world's most spectacular sand dunes. Sossusvlei is a vast clay pan surrounded by dunes that can be over 900 feet high. It was a beautiful spot with sparse vegetation and designated hiking paths through the dunes. Without a sign designating a dune as a hiking path, it was off-limits to climb. I don't know if you've ever tried to climb up a dune but it's not as easy as it looks. The feet slide backwards...shoes fill with sand...you can get a third degree burn if you're wearing sandals...difficult but everyone took a shot at climbing. The apricot-colored dunes were magnificent in the everchanging light and different angular shapes. Sossusvlei itself made the trip to Namibia magical for us.
Both Sesriem and Sossusvlei are located in Namib Naukluft Park, the largest conservation area in Africa covering much of the central Namib Desert and the Naukluft Mountains. The park could only be visited between sunrise and sunset through the main entrance gate. There were quite a few camping sites and small lodges available in this area but our guest farm was located about an hour's drive away. Lots of driving to and from the park each day with never a Springbok or Ostrich in sight. An ideal location would have been the very luxurious (as well as very expensive) Sossusvlei Lodge, situated right by the dunes.
Last Minute Getaways
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