The Desert Lands of Namibia – Part 1

Our second Nomad adventure tour began as we left Cape Town very early in the morning on the truck with 23 people that would become one big family. As we drove to the area known as Table View, the sun started to rise. We stepped out of the truck to snap a photo of Table Mountain as the colors of the sky changed. It is a little known vantage point for tourists, but well worth the 30-minute drive to get there.

After watching the sunrise at Table View, the beautiful scenery past through the truck window as we left Cape Town behind us. Our group stopped for a wine tasting at Spice Route Wine Farm located in Paarl, located about one hour east of Cape Town. It was a treat to get on last stop at a South African winery before continuing on the road to Namibia.  

We arrived just before sunset at a campground on an orange farm. We were excited (and a bit nervous) for our first night tent camping in Africa. The canvas tents are nice and we were given sleeping pads which is a huge bonus. The only problem was, it was extremely cold! We spent the whole night shivering and begged our guide to take us to buy blankets the next day.

A full day of driving brought us to the campground for our second night along the Orange River, on the South African side. We enjoyed a delicious dinner around the campfire before retiring to our tent. Sleeping that night was a much better experience since we were now equipped with extra blankets and a small pillow.

In the morning we joined part of our group for a canoe trip down the Orange River. Since the water is very cold there is not any large wildlife in the river such as crocodiles or hippos. We had a peaceful float while taking in the beautiful mountains along the South African and Namibian border. During our canoe trip we saw a lot of birds, including the African darter. 

After our canoe trip we went just around the corner to pass through Namibian immigration. Crossing the border on land was simple with no lengthy line to contend with. As we started our trip into Namibia, we had an all-day drive on bumpy roads that led us to Fish River Canyon. The group jumped out of the truck ready to walk the edge of the canyon as the sunset behind the ridge. Fish River Canyon is one of the largest canyons in the world, looking in some ways similar to the Grand Canyon. However, since Namibia’s climate is so dry, there is virtually no water in the “river” below. At the end our walk, we joined back up with our guides that had cooked a yummy dinner on the side of our truck. We ate at the picnic tables as the sun went down.

Rising early is a regular thing on an African adventure tour. The next morning was no exception. Our alarm went off at 4:30am and we had taken down our tents, eaten breakfast and gotten in the truck by 5:30am. Our destination was Dune 45 in the Naukluft National Park, part of the Namib Desert.

The landscape is nothing but reddish sand as far as one can see. We climbed the 80-meter-high Dune 45 as the bright orange sun started to peek above the horizon. Atop the dune was a perfect place to watch the colors change with the rising sun. We descended the dune and had breakfast in the desert along side of our truck.

A bit farther into the Naukluft National Park are the salt pans of Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. We were taken deeper into the desert on 4×4 trucks and then hiked in about a mile farther. Reaching the salt pans, we realized why it was such a special location. The white of the salt from the dried-up lakes that long ago where found in the area is a vast contrast to the red sand of the dunes. Left in the middle of the salt pans are dead trees that have remained standing for many years. The trees are now protected and no one is allowed to touch them. What an amazing place to see!

The desert lands of Namibia go on for miles and miles with nothing to see except for sand. Sometimes we would drive for hours and never see another car on the road.  We even got out of the truck to take pictures in the middle of the road. The terrain changes a little for sand to rock and then rough dried up dirt. The colors of the desert are beautiful and different from any place we have been.

Our long bumpy rides in the truck continued as we made out way to the Tropic of Capricorn.  We stopped to stretch our legs and snap a group picture. After a 30-minute break, we jumped back in the truck to complete our drive to city of Swakopmund, Namibia.

Our adventure will continue as we quad bike through the sand dunes…