Sand Dunes and Stargazing in Namibia

SAND DUNES AND STARGAZING IN NAMIBIA By Lily Heise With otherworldly desert landscapes, towering sand dunes and eerie ghost towns, ofbeat Namibia is ideal for an epic road trip in Africa. 92 he lush oasis labeled this ancient desert, considered hugging the banks the world’s oldest, before eventually of the Orange River being used as the name for the whole rapidly transformed country. More than 50 million years of into barren, rugged aridness have created a mesmerizingly mountainscape stunning setting, so unique that it as we drove. The has been used in a number of flms, sun’s scorching heat including Mad Max: Fury Road and The radiated of the large piles of rocks and Mummy. We weren’t counting on a bone-dry ravine beyond. To the left, Hollywood level of adventure, but we aT road sign announced: “Welcome to were eager for an unforgettable road the Republic of Namibia”—however, trip nonetheless. considering our desolate yet completely “Namibia is a great road-tripping awe-inspiring surroundings, it might as destination, because that’s the well have said: “Welcome to Mars.” only way to reach the right spots,” Every time I visit my sister in her says Lea Erasmus, co-founder of adoptive South Africa, her husband Ultimate Routes, a self-drive, self- takes us of to explore a diferent part guided trip planning service focused of his gorgeous homeland. When they on Southern Africa. “The country suggested that we shake things up on ofers a wide variety of experiences, this most recent visit with a road trip to bringing together history, wildlife and Namibia, I jumped at the chance to see landscapes, along with quirky towns a bit more of this intriguing continent. where you can pick up things like a freshly baked apple pie. What’s more, Although it’s one of Africa’s safest and the country ofers routes with varying most beautiful countries, Namibia is degrees of difculty, from easy drives a little-visited gem, which serves to to ones that aren’t for the fainthearted beneft those curious travelers who and are extremely remote.” venture there. It’s also the driest African country south of the Sahara due We were excited to experience all that to its own two deserts: the Kalahari Namibia had to ofer; however, since to the east, and the Namib, extending we only had eight days, we decided to along its western coast. Meaning “vast concentrate on the south and central dry plain” in the ethnic Khoekhoe regions, on the recommendation of language, the word “Namib” frst Adrian Jordaan of African Bush Wagons 93 Rentals. Having camped extensively in Southern Africa, Adrian now runs a company specializing in rental camper trailers and fully kitted 4x4 camper trucks with rooftop tents, like the Toyota Hilux that we jammed with way too much stuf as we set of on the N7 from Cape Town. The further north we drifted, the more desolate the landscape became. A verdant strip of greenery alerted us to our arrival at the Orange River, the border between the two countries. The customs procedures went of without a hitch (no advance visas are required for North Americans and Europeans), and we forged ahead on the B1. The jagged mountains close to the border soon descended into golden prairies Early the next morning, we veered Listed among the tallest dunes of swaying grass, often populated by a west along the C19, a well-maintained, on the planet, these breathtaking lone tree or a heap of rocks. Although mostly fat gravel road. Yesterday’s natural wonders are found within the we were on one of Namibia’s main felds transitioned into dustier plains 30,000-square-mile Namib-Naukluft roads, the paved two-lane highway dotted with small scrubland brush. We National Park, where we’d be spending had little trafc. In fact, these early spotted the occasional straight-horned the next two nights at Sesriem observations set the tone for the rest of gemsbok or cluster of ostriches taking Camping—a campground just inside our trip: few people and an abundance shelter from the searing sun under the park gate. The campground boasts of breathtaking vistas. the trees of roadside picnic areas. a shared pool and nice individual lots, As we forged ahead on the endless each with a tree for shade, and private Our frst night was spent in Mariental, road, rocky outcrops and low-lying ablutions. In addition to providing one of those typical quirky towns mountain plateaus began to appear, great facilities, staying within the park that Lea had mentioned. We didn’t giving us the feeling of driving was also the only way for us to access fnd any pies, but we did enjoy some through a waterless seabed. In fact, we the dunes for sunrise, when they are at delicious ice cream, which was a were inching into Namibia’s ancient their most spectacular. welcome refreshment given the 90-plus sand sea, and towards one of the degrees that the Hilux’s dashboard country’s star attractions: the soaring Our 4:30 a.m. alarm came all too thermometer had risen to. dunes of Sossusvlei. soon. In the faintest morning light, we 94 journeyed the 45 minutes out to Dune 45, arriving at the 278-foot mound shortly before dawn. We managed to scale roughly half of it (much harder than it looks, even in running shoes!) by the time the sun peeked over the horizon, bathing the undulating panorama of gold, peach and ochre dunes in its mellow morning light. This awesome sight defnitely jolted us out of the last remnants of slumber, and thanks to having a camper truck, we whipped up a quick breakfast and fresh cofee before moving on to the largest dune in the park: Big Daddy. We admired engulfed in sand. We cruised through yet had an expansive view over the rugged the 1,000-foot-tall mass as we trudged another quirky town, Lüderitz, in search plains, extending as far as the eye could through the sand toward Deadvlei, the of pies—sadly, they were sold out, but see. Silence reigned. A gentle gust of hidden valley behind the dune. Meaning a tasty lunch in a garden café with its wind whirled past. We felt completely “dead marsh” in Afrikaans, this white own resident turtles made up for it. We removed from everything, absorbing clay pan and its spindly skeleton trees rejoiced in the cool breeze of an empty, the stark, remote landscape illuminated are thought to have dried up hundreds wild Atlantic coast beach. We stared out by the golden light of the setting sun. of years ago. With towering Big Daddy at the splendor of the world’s second- Before long, the night sky took over, and the crisp blue skies as a backdrop, largest canyon, the Fish River Canyon, revealing its millions of twinkling stars. the setting is eerily beautiful—and well making a mental note to come back one One of those dots must have been Mars, worth the hour-long detour. After our day to do the fve-day hike through the but we didn’t need to seek it out. We’d trek, sufocating in the midday heat, stunning ravine. already found a remarkable, alien world we made our way back to the campsite, The trip was sensational to say the least, during our epic road trip. where we cooled down with the help of packed with unforgettable experiences. the pool and a crisp Windhoek lager. Lily Heise is a freelance writer and But the moment that has been forever author based in Paris when she’s As much as Sossusvlei’s majestic dunes etched in our memories was captured not exploring offbeat corners were a high point, the marvels of the in Aus. This remote town is best known of the world. Her writing has trip were far from over. We wandered for its feral horses, but it’s also home to through the ghost town of Kolmanskop, Klein-Aus Vista, a mountainside lodge been appeared in various travel a once-booming German mining town with camping and upmarket self-catering publications, and on her website whose abandoned buildings are now chalets. From this vantage point, we www.jetaimemeneither.com. 95.

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