Sesriem

The urban face of Sesriem

From a Western perspective, the capital can appear as a medium-sized town, informal, with wide avenues and few palaces. A mix of colonial and modern styles, where large shopping malls offer goods and services of all kinds. And it is in one of these that we enter to do our grocery shopping for the next few days, when we will begin our independent experience. Spar will prove to be a well-stocked supermarket, also found in other cities, often catering to the need to find wild game to grill on the BBQ and good South African wine. Once the onboard refrigerator is filled and the vehicle is loaded with everything needed for a pleasant vacation, we head south on the road leading to Rehoboth, on an asphalted road in good condition with acceptable traffic. From here, we continue south-west. on unpaved roads, wide but not always smooth. It is quite common for these main roads to have annoying transverse grooves that create continuous jolts even at moderate speeds. Unfortunately, the rural highways of Namibia quickly demonstrate their danger: while we are heading towards Sesriem, a minibus traveling in the opposite direction at high speed throws a stone in our direction, breaking the windshield on the lower part. This is a powerful impact, leaving a dent that extends several centimeters on each side. We expect to have to replace the glass, but now we can only continue towards Sesriem Camp and continue our p

We enter the Namib Naukluft National Park to access the campsite, which will allow us to avoid having to leave the park before sunset and therefore access it again early the next morning to see the sunrise from the dunes. After finding the designated spot at the shade of a large tree, we continue by off-road vehicle towards the Elim Dune, which is located not far from the campsite. There's no one there except a few people. morning spent time seeking shelter in the rare shady areas: this animal has developed a particular system for cooling its blood through its nostrils, allowing it to live where others cannot. Red and ochre sand dunes rise above the surrounding plain, and we climb up a 150-meter elevation difference to reach their summit, from which we can see... panoramic views of 360 degrees The vegetation consists of tall grass stalks fragrant plants that take root in the sand and it's amazing how they manage to survive in such an arid environment. The desert is also home to small insects and lizards They disappear into the sand as soon as they detect even the slightest noise, leaving only faint linear tracks. We quickly descend, remove our shoes, and head towards Sossusvlei. stopping at kilometer 45 at the location of Duna 45 Okay. There are a few more people here, but the term "crowded" would be entirely inappropriate. We ascend for just under 150 meters while observing the sun setting far to the west; however, some cloud layers on the horizon... a sunset worthy of the place where we are. The long journey designed with one side in shadow and the other in sunlight, it offers a unique spectacle on its own. We are at the heart of the dune desert (a peculiarity within the overall context of the Namib), in a valley, a strip several hundred meters wide to a couple of kilometers deep, along which the road runs. A gorge that extends all the way to Sossusvlei, 72 km long. Even without skis on my feet, I attempt a slalom along the slope to continue a tradition started in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and continued at Dunhuang in China. Now that the sun has set and we have reached the parking lot, it's just a matter of returning by driving back 45 km. excellent asphalt. Preparing the tents and dinner for the first time, especially in the dark, requires some attention but we manage well. We eat at 8:15 pm, and then prepare to spend our night.