The places we chose to visit on our self-drive in Namibia all had some kind of significance. The place in the Kalahari Desert was chosen because of the cheetah sanctuary. We visited the Kulala Desert Lodge next because of the red dunes. Our son had seen them while he was doing a study abroad program in Botswana and told us we should see them.
Getting There
The drive from the Kalahari due west to the dunes was all on dirt or sand roads. Our GPS took us there, but there were times when we questioned whether we were going the right way. There was minimal signage to help us out until we were on top of it.
I knew from my research that the dunes were called the Sossusvlei Dunes, but we couldn’t really see them from the lodge, so it was hard to determine if we were in the right place. We arrived mid-afternoon, and the people in the kitchen were kind enough to feed us, so we must be in the right place.
Our Accommodation
This was the first time that we actually had a cabin with canvas sides. All of the cabins faced a wash, and we could see some of the dunes in the distance.
Our tent cabin at Kulala Desert Lodge was really nice, and we were quite comfortable. We were also served two wonderful dinners with South African wine. The biggest excitement of the evening was the appearance of a Jackal. At first, I thought it was some kind of fox, but the people at the lodge said it was a Jackal. We had a heck of a time just trying to get a picture of it that was in focus. It finally stopped to eat a grasshopper, and we got a picture.
Sossusvlei Sand Dunes
The next morning, we were treated to a spectacular sunrise over the sand dunes directly in front of the lodge. We even saw a hot air balloon lifting up over the dunes at dawn.
Shortly after sunrise, we were bundled up on a safari vehicle and driven to the actual Sossusvlei Dunes.
While we were looking at the trees and learning about the magnetic properties of the sand, we could see the people climbing up to the top of one of the dunes. Many chose to return by sliding straight down the face of the dune.
All of the dunes were made of deep red sand from the Kalahari Desert. There were beautiful dunes everywhere you looked. It is really magnificent scenery.
We were asked if we wanted to climb to the top of the dune or just take the trail to the base of the dune. We chose the lower hike. One interesting phenomenon of the area is a forest of dead trees. Apparently, as the water dried up, the trees died, but there isn’t any other organic matter to decompose the trees. So there is a forest of ancient dead trees called Deadvlei.
Severin Canyon
The other notable site to visit was the Severin Canyon. I was thinking it is a really big canyon like the one in Hawaii. But it turned out to be a small canyon about 30 feet deep that we walked down into. I’m sure it becomes a raging river when it rains. But that doesn’t happen very often in this area. A bit of a head fake, really.
The Staff, Our Guide, and a Spectacular Sundowner
Joas, our guide, did a great job telling us about this special landscape. He discussed the origins and properties of the sand and generally made our visit very fun.
In addition, the rest of the staff was exceptional, too. We had a low-pressure tire on our rental truck, and while we were out climbing around sand dunes, one of the staff members changed the tire for us. Then they called the nearest gas station and told them we would stop there to have the tire fixed on our way out. Fixing the tire took just a few minutes and cost us about $5. That’s what I call service.
Finally, the sundowner was really special. We were treated to a sunset over the dunes. That said, the “Golden Hour” before sunset made the dunes look like they were on fire. What a spectacular sight.
Swakopmund
When we left the Kulala Desert Lodge, we traveled to a small seaside town called Swakopmund, because it was too far to drive directly to the next safari camp. On the way, we stopped in Walvis Bay specifically to see the flamingos that live there. Unfortunately, the flamingos were pretty far away from the shore, and it was freezing cold, so I was a little disappointed. It was obvious that Swakopmund was just like Santa Cruz if you transplanted it into Germany. The town was colonized by German immigrants, so our choices for dinner were German food. Not my favorite, but we only stayed one night.
Would you go out of your way to see the red dunes in Namibia?
