Sesriem and Sossusvlei

Big Dunes and Desert Beauty

Just over eighty dusty, dry kilometers (50 miles) down the bumpy road from Solitaire, we came to Sesriem and the entrance to the Naukluft Namib National Park, Namibia's largest nature reserve. Only a small area of the national park is actually accessible to the public due to its rugged, arid terrain. Sesriem is just a tiny little settlement and gets its name from early pioneers, who wanted to get water from the canyon. They had to tie six leather thongs to the handle of their buckets, in order to draw water from pools that were inaccessible to their livestock. These thongs were called 'leer riems' in Afrikaans, and 'ses' meaning six. The area became known as 'Ses Rieme' or Sesriem.

There's another “oasis” here in Sesriem including a gas station, convenience store and camping sites. Inside the gates to the park, there are more camping sites and thatch huts plus a restaurant and souvenir shop. We stopped to purchase our park permit and take a look around. We were amused by the sociable weavers in a large camelthorn tree next to a thatched roof hut. They were busily helping themselves to bits of the thatch roof to augment their already-huge nest complex.

The 60 km (36 mi) paved road from Sesriem to Sossusvlei was easy-going, as long as David could avoid the potholes. The broad expanse of desert was a myriad of colors ranging from golds and tans to bright rusty reds and it seemed to unfold infinitely before us. The road meandered between the grey-blue Naukluft mountains to the east and towering red sand dunes stretching to the west. Dead acacia trees provided the perfect vantage point for raptors searching for prey.

Oryx and springboks grazed on the sparse vegetation. Pied crows flew overhead, seeking shade in the  camelthorn trees.

We spotted a secretary bird, a most unusual-looking critter, purposefully strutting across the parched landscape with several ostrich making their way distractedly in the opposite direction.

Most of the dunes are quite a way off the road, but two in particular were close and had parking lots, beckoning people to climb them. Dune 45, at the 45 km marker, was pretty busy with tourists. We'd climbed this dune on our last visit and had no urge to mingle with the busloads of tourists who were attacking it now. We were content to watch their efforts from below.

The last 5km (3 mi) of the road is unpaved and not accessible to 2-wheel drive vehicles. Buses and sedans stopped here and there was a crowd of people waiting for a tractor-pulled cart to take them the rest of the way. We, of course, were driving Ian's Jeep and followed the rest of the 4x4s along the rutted, deep sandy road to Sossusvlei. The going was slow as we swerved and clawed our way forward. I enjoyed the ride, but would not have enjoyed the driving and maneuvering. David, on the other hand, was smiling through it all, thoroughly delighted with the experience.

At Sossusvlei, a crowd of people were shading themselves under a large camelthorn tree, which seemed to be alive with hundreds of tiny Cape sparrows that chirped loudly and flitted from branch to branch hoping for a handout of tourists' crumbs.

Sossusvlei (soss-us-flay) means 'the gathering place of water' in the local Nama language. Infrequent, seasonal rains from the Naukluft and Tsaris Mountains that succeed in reaching the vlei, create temporary lakes since the underlying clay soil does not absorb the water very quickly. There has been no water lately and thus, our view of the pan was that of parched, weather-beaten earth.

Sossusvlei is one of four pans in the area and we could have walked the 11 km round-trip to Deadvlei, but thought we, too, would have ended up “dead”, and gave it a pass.

We headed back down the deep sand road, dunes all around us, then rejoined the paved road back to Sesriem. We had a very late lunch at the park restaurant. It was mid-afternoon by the time we returned to the main gravel road heading south. We'd hoped to stay the night within the park, but nothing in our price range was available. Accommodation in the area is particularly expensive. Instead, we opted to drive another 60 km (36mi) to Hammerstein Lodge … and we're glad we did. Find out why tomorrow as our Namibia adventure continues.

A Solitary Night in Solitaire

Getting from here to there in Namibia takes a long time. After descending the Spreetshoogte Pass, we continued on and on and on via hard, bumpy, gravel roads, rarely meeting another car. When we did, swirls of dust blinded us momentarily. Oryx (gemsbok) seemed to be the most common residents in this part of the world. Sometimes they grazed peacefully, raising their heads as we passed. Other times, they crossed in front of us or raced alongside us. We never tired of seeing them.

Finally, we joined the main road, which was also gravel and saw a sign directing us towards Solitaire … another 20 km (12 miles).  The area was named Solitaire by the wife of the original homesteader, Willem Christoffel van Coller, who purchased the farm in 1948.  His wife chose the name Solitaire because of its double meaning: a single set diamond, as well as desolate or lonely place … a unique kind of place, for sure.

Once again, the dot on the map might have us believe that this was a sizable town, but it's not really a town at all … it's a desert oasis, the only stop between the coast at Walvis Bay and the world's tallest sand dunes at Sossusvlei. There's a gas station, a frequently used tire repair shop, a general store, the Solitaire Country Lodge with a bar and restaurant and, of all things, a bakery!

We had reservations for a room at the lodge for the night and lugged our single duffel and backpack to our room and sighed in relief. It had been a long, tiring day even though we'd just been driving, and it felt good to stretch our legs and wander around a bit. The grounds were littered with strategically placed old, rusting, dilapidated cars and trucks. I doubt they'd been hauled here … they probably just expired somewhere nearby in the desert and were now used to add to the rustic, isolated, desert atmosphere.

The single-level lodge was pleasant with nice enough rooms, a swimming pool, which we didn't use, and a good hot shower which we used twice each. We gravitated towards the bar (how unusual) and sipped a beer outside in the cool evening and watched the last of the day fade away. Dinner was included with the room. It was buffet style and though my options were limited to veggies and a chicken patty, David indulged in springbok meatballs and a gemsbok steak. Both were okay, he said, but he'd had enough “game” for the week.

After a restful night's sleep, we were up early for breakfast … also included with the room. It wasn't anything special and catered to European guests … yogurt with muesli, scrambled eggs with toast and an anemic assortment of cold sliced meat and yellow cheese. We gassed up and headed over to Moose's Desert Bakery. Percy “Moose” McGregor, settled in the area about 20+ years ago and, with his partner, opened a bakery and rest stop for weary travelers along the desert road to the sand dunes. The business grew as did the legend of Moose McGregor's famous apple pie. Moose died last year, unfortunately, and perhaps much of the allure of the bakery died with him. We checked out the desserts, including the apple pie, but ended up only purchasing some bread for the next leg of the trip. In the book Namibia Space by Julienne Du Toit, Moose is quoted as saying that he settled in the remote outpost of Solitaire because he “liked the barking geckos and the stars … It’s like nature switches on a Christmas tree here every night”. Sorry, we never had the chance to meet Moose.

On the road again … en route to Sossusvlei. Bring plenty of water with you and join us tomorrow as we explore the world's highest sand dunes in the world's oldest desert.

Farewell, Doris and Over the Pass

With lots of hugs, kisses and mutual thank yous, we bade farewell to Doris at Windhoek's  tiny, compact Hosea Kutako International Airport . Saying goodbye to new “old” friends is always a bit sad. Chances are we'll never see her again though we'll surely keep in touch. The airport is about 40km (24 miles) outside of the city and there were several unexpected pleasures en route … starting with wart hogs and baboons crossing the highway.

On the way to the airport, I had noticed a sign for Taxidermy/Souvenirs with a “stack” of sculptured animals advertising the shop reminding me of the Bremen Town Musicians. We stopped to take a photo on the way back and drove around the shop grounds, which were pretty bizarre, but the shop was unfortunately closed.

Around the same time as the city of Windhoek was founded, Windhoek's three castles, Heinitzburg, Sanderburg and Schwerinsburg were built by Wilhelm Sander. Originally built as private residences, the castles still stand today … one is a hotel, one is a private residence and one, Schwerinsburg, sits proudly on a hill overlooking the city and is the residence of the Italian ambassador to Namibia. Nice digs, Ambassador!

It didn't take long to get back to the city and once we left the main highway, the paved road abruptly ended and we were back to gravel roads again.

The road was hot and dusty, but never boring. We saw troops of baboons walking along side. A steenbok darted out in front of us and a pair of kudu jumped effortlessly over a cattle fence when we startled them.

A grey lourie patiently posed in a tree long enough for me to snap his picture.

An unfortunate Hartman Mountain Zebra found its end near a dry river crossing. Its bones were mostly picked clean, but enough remained of its hide to identify it.

We were heading to the Namib Naukluft National Park to the east. Windhoek sits on the Khomas Hockland plateau and the only short route to the west coast is via a mountain pass. There are three well-known, frequently used passes and since we got a rather late start, we decided on the shortest route, the Spreetshoogte Pass, which also happens to be the steepest pass. Our route would take us 230 km (140 miles) over gravel roads, over the pass to a tiny dot on the map known as Solitaire. We figured on 5-6 hours since we were limited to traveling between 50-60 km/hour  (30-40/mph) on steep, rough roads. A goshawk stood sentry on top of a road sign pointing to the pass and he gave us the eye as we passed. We wondered if he knew something that we didn't.

As it turned out, maneuvering the pass was a piece of cake. We were anticipating Colorado 4x4 roads and, in actuality, though some parts of the road were rough, in general they were in good condition. The  steepest parts had been paved. The view from the top was outstanding.

The descent was more thrilling than the ascent with switch-backed hairpin turns and more hills and dips than a roller coaster.

On the other side of the pass, the gravel road continued, and we neared our destination. We watched the sun begin to dip behind the horizon,  grazing gemsboks silhouetted on the hillside. It was a very fine day to be on the road in Africa.