This part of Namibia — called Sossusvlei, part of the larger Namib-Naukluft Park — ranks high among the most fascinating landscapes I’ve seen in the world. In fact I’d describe it as other-worldly; we might as well be on the surface of Mars for how remote and desolate this area is. It features a collection of sand dunes the size of sky scrapers and dead lakes that dried up centuries ago, leaving behind tree trunks that look like scorched skeletons. Some of the dunes in this park are so old (over 1 billion years) that they are considered petrified, having solidified from sand to rock over the millennia.
So today and tomorrow I’ll recap the highlights of Sossusvlei — this post features the dead lakes at Deadvlei, and tomorrow’s will feature towering sand dunes at sunrise.
On our way towards Deadvlei, we glimpse Dune 45 — this is the sand dune we’ll climb tomorrow morning at sunrise:
Our overland truck can only take us so far before the road turns to sand and we must switch to 4WD vehicles run by the park. Our group splits into two different vehicles and the drivers race (irresponsibly) through the sand en route to the Deadvlei drop-off — it’s actually terrifying as we bounce around in the back without any seat belts or doors. After a minute or so I yell to the driver to stop. He slams on the breaks, turns around looking for a fight, and asks if I like black people. WHAT? He repeats the question, I say I don’t want to get hurt, and he glares some more before turning back and driving at a more reasonable speed. But my fellow passengers and I look at each other like what was THAT about?! It was ugly and uncalled for. Later on we heard from our Acacia Africa guides that the driver may have been drinking, based on his behavior back at the parking lot after he dropped us off. At our guides’ urging, we file a complaint with a manager at the park office upon our return. But in the meantime, I feel sort of unsettled during our walk to Deadvlei after we get out of the 4WD vehicle.
This is what the terrain looks like:
We aren’t given clear instructions, just a “head in that direction” as our reckless driver speeds away. We have one hour to get to Deadvlei and back — considering what I know now about the impressive scope of Deadvlei, I wish we had an extra 15 minutes.
Off we go!
See what I mean about this area resembling the surface of Mars?
The sand patterns are exquisite. Mother nature is quite an artist.
We climb over the crest of a dune and spot Deadvlei — the name means “dead valley.” Even at a distance, it’s a sight to behold.
The white sand is where the lake used to be. Those acacia trees are 900 years old — the wood will not decompose because it’s too dry. Instead the sun has burned the brittle trucks and branches black.
Can you spot my fellow tour mates in the photos above and below? That gives a better impression of scale — this lake used to be quite large.
One more wide shot from the top of the dune, before I descend to take photos on the floor of the former lake. (Forgive the over-saturation.)
At this point our time is dwindling down but there are still so many photos I still want to take. I hightail it down to the white sand.
This L-shaped trunk is gorgeous.
One last look:
Now that you’ve seen my photos, check out three from Google Images — I don’t like to upstage my own photos, but these next few are remarkable. Deadvlei is a big draw for photographers and I wish I wasn’t on a tour schedule so that I could spend hours here observing the shifts in sunlight and shadows. In fact, the most intriguing images I’ve seen of this area were taken in partial shadow, so that the backdrop looks almost painted against the trees in the foreground.
Doesn’t this look like a painting? It’s completely real. The foreground is simply shadowed while the sand dunes behind glow in the sun.
[image via – photographed by Franz Lanting]
These next two night photography images are equally stunning:
[image via – photographed by Wolfgang Steiner]
[image via – photographed by Erez Marom]
So apparently hardcore nature photographers camp out all night to get spectacular images. Timing and lighting are everything.
Our ride back to the drop-off area is smoother, thankfully. Views of the surrounding dunes — all part of the Sossusvlei area — continue to impress.
The spine of this dune is staggeringly cool — how did nature do that? And the wind changes its shape every day; these dunes are an ever-evolving work of art.
Back in our overland truck, we continue to admire the dunes as we drive towards our campsite.
One final look at Dune 45 — we’ll be back at 6am to climb you.
More tomorrow from Dune 45…
I visited Namibia on a 12-day tour from Windhoek to Cape Town with Acacia Africa. They discounted my tour in exchange for blogging and photography; opinions are my own.
