Sossusvlei
Another hour drive from the Sesriem campsite will bring us to Sossusvlei. This is where the huge massive and spectacular red dunes are, standing as high as 300m. This is one of the icons of Namibia and should never be missed by any traveler to the country. This is what attracts me to come for this Southern Africa trip. Due to the soft sand, the last 4km to the vlei can only be accessed by 4WD vehicles. The dunes are most dramatic during early morning when the low angled sun creates a symphony of light and shadows. The dunes seen later in the morning or evening may be spoiled by scars of footsteps created by visitors. The sight will even be more sensational during the raining seasons when the plain is flooded with water showing the reflection of the dunes. Occasionally, oryxs or springboks are seen crossing the crest of the dunes. It is amazing that the dessert actually supports a wide variety of lifeforms and they have been biological altered to adapt themselves to the harsh environment. Water comes in the form of mist created from winds blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. I was totally disappointed when I was there the first time. I had woken up before dawn and trekked part of the last 4km before a kind gentleman offered us a lift into Sossusvlie. We managed to get there by sunrise but the sky was white and I was unable to find a photogenic vantage point that I'd seen in photographs before. I walked around dispotently trying to located a lone tree against the shadow of the dune for a classic photograph but found none. The sun was rising fast and soon the magic of the morning sun was gone. We returned to Sesreim when the bulk of visitors began to arrive. Unable to accept the fact that I had no pictures from the main inspiration of my whole trip, I gave up the opportunity to visit Drankensberg in South Africa and returned again, with the understanding, though unwillingly, from Woon. We engaged Sossus on Foot to show us around. Though the day was overcasted we had a good tour of the Dead Vlie and climbed some of the high and soft dunes. I realised that some of the most photogenic places were not in Sossusvlie itself but along the 65km road. The morning was misty and the top of the dunes were covered with a layer of fog. These offered an unique lighting condition, especially when a ray of light pierced through the thick fog, illuminating part of the dune. The rain also altered the texture of some dunes from its usual smooth surface. The reward from the 2nd trip was definately worth the time, effort and sacrifice of Drankensberg!
[ Sesriem | Wildlife | Man ] |
