Deadvlei

Namibia

By Kai Bernstein

February 18^th, 2018

PROLOGUE

Before we started our trip to Africa we had the rough idea of spending three months to explore this fascinating continent. After our exciting start in Tanzania hiking up the incredible Mt. Kilimanjaro we stayed a few days on the wonderfully sleepy island of Zanzibar to gather some new energy. At that moment we only had two things: a return flight to Dar-Es-Salaam and the intention to go from there to somewhere else.

After a bit of research and still on Zanzibar (photo below) we decided to make Namibia our next destination. No sooner said than done: There is enough time to plan out an idea you have on Friday afternoon until Monday morning, right? How difficult can it be to plan a four-week road trip within a weekend without having a route, a car or any accommodation... Fortunately, we found an awesome travel agent based in the Namibian city Swakopmund who helped us a lot.

And what can I say? Luck was on our side, so at 4 am on Monday morning we were on the plane to Windhoek and in our luggage we carried lots of booking confirmations, a nice travel route through Namibia and Botswana and a large portion of excitement!

This is the first post of a series of our one-month trip through Namibia and Botswana.

HITTING THE ROAD

We picked up our rental car in Windhoek and got a good hour of explanation regarding how to build up the roof tent, where to find the spare wheel, how to apply the car-jack, what to do in case of getting stuck and all the little details a 4x4 has. You really want to be as well prepared as possible because you never know how far the next possibility of assistance might be.

On the second half of the first day and after the introduction we bought a lot of groceries, firewood and other camping gear we needed. And then - finally - we left Windhoek and set off on our way to Sossusvlei at the unfamiliar left side of the road. It was a good asphalt road, which we learned to appreciate on our further traveling through the country.

After a whole day of preparations, there was very little time left so we decided to spend our first night camping outdoors on a campsite in Mariental, situated approximately 300 kilometers south of Windhoek. With a magnificent sunset, the scent of freshly mowed grass and the sound of unknown animals it was the perfect start for practicing everything around our new home for the next weeks. Fun fact: it took us 35 minutes to build up our tent for the first time and only 7 minutes at the end.

By the way, did you know that most campsites are situated next to comfortable but expensive lodges so that you almost always have the chance for an upgrade? We decided to keep the whole trip as cheap as possible and stayed 95% overnight in our roof tent. But nevertheless, you can always take advantage of all the luxury around the lodges such as swimming pool and restaurants.

From Mariental to Sossusvlei it's roughly 5-7 hours of driving depending on your intentional or unintentional stops and the varying conditions of the road. Not every gravel road is the same. Make sure to start your day trip early enough in order to arrive at the next campsite just in time and before it gets dark. From wild animals suddenly appearing to crazy cows crossing the lane - you never know what happens on the street. And also changing tires will soak up some time. The speed regulations in Namibia are pretty simple: You are allowed to drive 120 km/h on tarred roads and 80 km/h on gravel roads. Did you know that most of the rental cars are tracked by GPS so that the companies always know how fast you're driving? And of course - in case of abnormally speeding they will contact you immediately.

After driving the first hundred kilometers we experienced our first big change of the scenery and reached a beautiful valley full of colors. It was stunning!

During our first stop in the middle of nowhere and while stepping out of the car I suddenly remembered to take care of snakes and other animals. It always felt like there was some "silent danger" all around you.

Fortunately we arrived on time at our camp and had enough time to build up our tent and to have a quick dinner before it got completely dark. Especially when your camp is not really secured by fences you never know which animal come by at night to say "hello" (most of the animals out there are nocturnal).

We spent two nights at this campsite to have the chance to see the sunrise and sunset not just once during our arrival or respectively departure but also on the day in between.

Some more shots from the 'Sesriem Campsite'.

Before you can make your way to the dunes and all the miracles of the desert you have to pass two gates. For inside campers the second gate opens one hour before sunrise and for all the other day visitors only at sunrise. Therefore, if you have the chance to stay at the campsite which is situated directly in the National Park you are allowed to go through the gates much earlier than the others. And you definitely do not want to miss this stunning landscape at this particular time with all the spectacular colors! And after the second gate you still have to drive almost one hour to get to the parking lot and an additionally 15 minutes walk to arrive at the great 'Deadvlei'. I've made a map for you to understand:

THE NEXT MORNING

People hiking up the 'Dune 45' for sunrise.

Imagine every morning people wake up early to get on the dune for the sunrise. As our alarm rang we already heard some cars waiting in front of the entrance. We quickly wrapped our tent and drove through the meanwhile open gate. Our plan was to go to the 'Deadvlei' first and head to the 'Dune 45' for the sunset, because it's less crowded.

If you want a kind of shortcut, take the little way on the left.

On the left we saw the sunrise and on the right the moon was slowly hiding at the horizon.

We made it to the parking lot which is quite adventurous. For the last 5 km you definitely need a 4x4 because of very loose sand. Some people recommended us not to go there ourselves, but that way you aren't reliant on the shuttles and it's a calculable risk and also some fun!

After that we searched for a common path to the 'Deadvlei', but didn't find it at our first attempt and walked around for a few minutes while the sun slowly dyed the landscape red.

DEADVLEI

In the middle of the Namib Desert - the oldest desert in the world - is the 'Deadvlei'. It's a white clay pan in the Namib-Naukluft National Park surrounded by some of the highest sand dunes, for example the dune named 'Big Daddy' with a height of ~350m. The approximately 750 year old dead camel thorn trees are scorched and are contrasting the colorful rusty-red dunes and the blue sky. It's for sure one of the highlights in Namibia.

It must be awesome and scary at the same time to stay here over night. Unfortunately this isn't allowed as far as I know.

It takes around 1-2 hours to get to the top of the 'Big Daddy'. My tip: Start early! Bring water!

THE NOT SO FAMOUS VLEI

This is just next to the 'Deadvlei' and there are almost no people. I'm always so curious what's behind the next corner or hill. #neverstopexploring is my motto.