But soon the gate opens, and suddenly it is a bit of a race to get to the Vlei... No one observes the 60km/hr speed limit, and some overtake recklessly. We almost make the same mistake, but then realise that the 60km drive, on an excellent tar road, is just as much a part of the experience as the destination waiting at the end. We slow down a bit and snap some pics of the amazing red dunes all around us and the sun rising in the East with two hot air balloons slowly ascending in front of it.
We reach Dune 45, which is on the 45th km of the 60km road. This is one of the most popular dunes to climb, and it is already crawling with ant people. We decide to give it a skip, so that we can get to Sossusvlei while the sun is still low, and still casting beautiful dark shadows on the curvy ridges of the dunes.
We reach km 60, and from here it is 5km of 4x4 only. We decide to brave it and pull over to deflate the tires. As we are doing so, a brave jackal walks almost right up to us, probably hoping for a food donation.
We hit the sand, and it is really thick! It is tough going and takes nerves of steel, as losing momentum would guarantee getting stuck. Those that raced past us and didn't deflate tires are now paying the price, digging themselves deeper and deeper into the sand. Some abandon their vehicles and catch the "4x4 taxis" that are there for those in 4x2.
We finally make it, phew, and park between the Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei. We can't decide what to do first, so we split up: Werner and I to tackle Big Mama dune over Sossusvlei, and the parents to visit the Dead Vlei and it's dune, big Daddy. We walk quite a distance to even get close to the dune, realising later that we could have driven right up to it. I am barefoot and the sand is cool and very soft between my toes. Werner has his hiking boots like most of the other tourists. We start climbing the dune, following the many footsteps up its ridge. There are a few tourists ahead of us but not that many, and we are glad we skipped Dune 45, as this dune is bigger and the view more impressive any way.
It is slow going, but it only takes us about 15 minutes to reach the summit. The views are awesome, and we can see the fascinating Sossusvlei below, the white cracked surface shaped like a heart. Apparently if there has really been a lot of rain (very rarely) the Vlei can be covered in water, with pelicans bathing in it, and grass waving on the nearby dunes. This is hard to imagine in the dry heat we are experiencing.
We head back down the most direct route - by running down the face of the dune. It's really exhilarating, and we are down in less than a minute!
We walk back to the cars to meet the parents, but they are nowhere to be found so we head out to find them. We figure they were so captivated by the dead Vlei that they couldn't tear themselves away... We walk quite a distance in the other direction, and decide to climb the dune here. From close to the top, we spot three little bugs resembling our parents. We call and amazingly they hear and see us!
We continue to the top and ask an old German lady to take our picture, big mistake as she can't figure out how to look through the viewfinder... But she points the camera in our general direction and snaps a few shots anyway. From the summit we check out the dead Vlei, more of an oval shape of white surface, with many dead trees dotted around it, giving the Vlei it's name, and making it a photographer's dream.
We run down the dune onto the Vlei, and I am immediately captivated by its beauty. The contrast of the white clay, red dunes, and amazing blue sky is something to behold. We spend a long time running around and taking photos, looking for the perfect tree and the perfect pose. It is such an awesome place and we soon forget that the parents are waiting for us.
Finally we tear ourselves away and head back to the cars. It's is now around 10:00 and we are hungry! The parents are waiting in the shade as it is getting pretty hot. I suggest that we head to Sossusvlei for our picnic. We drive onto the Vlei and are really lucky to find a picnic spot under a tree. Some other people arrive just after us, and stare jealously at either our spot or our amazing picnic... We unpack our enormous basket and see that the hotel have pulled out all the stops for this breakfast: there is fresh filter coffee and tea, two different fruit juices, two cereals, two different yogurts, fruit salad, a large selection of fresh fruit, different breads, jams, cheeses, hams... It is amazing and we try our best to do it justice, all feeling stuffed at the end.
We now drive back on the scary sand road, one wrong move and you can easily end up in the deep sand. It's really hard keeping up the momentum, as you often get stuck behind other vehicles going too slowly, and there are also vehicles coming the other way and driving in the wrong side of the "road". We get a little stuck but with a bit of help it's not an issue, and we soon get back to the tar. We debate whether we should still tackle dune 45, but by the time it's just too hot.
Instead, we head to the Sesriem Canyon, close to the gate and included in the permit, that we stop to buy at the reception (N$80). The canyon is deep, dark and cool. We work our way further and further in, admiring the sheer sand and pebble walls. Some parts are steep, and there are steps to help the older tourists. Luckily it is very quiet this time of day. As we get deeper, the coos of doves echo eerily through the chasm. We finally reach the end, which to our amazement is filled with brackish water. We head out and back to Sossusvlei lodge.
Back at the lodge we enjoy a dip in the icy swimming pool, just what we needed after a hot and energetic day! We pack up and continue our journey, destination Solitaire, about 84km north, so not a bad drive. We would have stayed longer at the lodge, but it was fully booked. The road north is decent and we again spot lots of game in the white gold grass on the way.
In Solitaire we take a left, and almost immediately find the entrance to the Solitaire Guest Farm Desert Ranch. We pull up at reception and admire the amazing cactus gardens, with beautiful flowers and lovely pool. We are greeted by "Spyker", his infant son, and a ton of friendly dogs, including a lazy bulldog, excitable Jack Russel and two beautiful sheepdogs. It seems the couches are reserved for the animals here, especially the fat cat. We are booked into the self catering house, set high up on a hill and quite removed from the rest of the lodge, which consists of chalets and camping.
We check out the house, it seems almost brand new, and the design is awesome - there is a very large open plan living area with leather couches, a huge fully equipped kitchen and a beautiful patio with a view to die for. Everything is modern but not always 100% practical. There are no cupboards, just alcoves under the massive central kitchen counter. We can't seem to find the crockery and glasses, and are embarrassed when they explain that they are hidden behind the kitchen bar chairs - we had looked there but had not seen them!
We settle in with a drink and watch the amazing sunset paint the sky with golds, then oranges, pinks and reds, the colour just gets deeper. We then use the new gas stove to cook up a delicious meal of fettuccine bolognese and spend the rest of the evening drinking, chatting and eating chocolate.
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Location:Sesriem, Namibia
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