Day 4 - The Namib Desert - Sossusvlei & Sesriem

A fantastic trip so far but today was definitely a high-light for Matt and I. We woke at 5am and were at the Sossusvlei park gate for opening at 6am keen to catch the desert colours at sunrise. It was not a disappointment or a wasted effort as we drove the 90km to the roads-end, deeper and deeper into the desert dunes. At 85 km the tarred road gave out and a sign welcomed Jeepy (and other brave 4x4’s) to venture on further into the sand/road. Matt was in Jeep-heaven as we skated over the sand to the final stop – Deadvlei, an area of immense dunes and dried up pans. It was breath-takingly beautiful and nothing like anything I had ever seen before. A bit how I would imagine the beginnings of the earth to look. Matt parked Jeepy under one of the few trees for shade...more like a twig really but anything was better than nothing as the temperatures were threatening to soar into the 40’s.

We set off with tripod and camera to a nearby towering dune. Matt ventured ahead, clambering up the side to reach the ridge. I was a bit tentative but soon discovered that the knack was to not be put off by the large landslide I was creating under my feet and to just keep going, and although it felt like I made no progress somehow I reached the top...very out of breath! The view was awesome, out across the pans and desert. MANY photos were taken and we spent a couple of hours just soaking it all up before heading back to the relative cool of our desert camp before we melted.

After a swim and rest we set off for an afternoon explore in the nearby Sesriem Canyon. Baboons were ready to greet us as we clambered down into the canyon depths before the heat got the better of us and we set off home. Matt was all up for pioneering new paths out of the gorge but I kept him on the straight and narrow much to his disappointment, voting for the man-made steps rather than negotiating the cliff faces in our flip-flops!

A final swim with a sundowner drink before a fun attempt at self-catering in our little outdoor kitchen...pasta alla tinned tomatoes. Yum?! Asleep by 9pm and ready for more adventures....