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Published: February 6th 2021
Kuisep Pass
with KarpfenkliffTaking Route C14 we commenced our drive towards the remotest point of our Namibia journey, actually of our entire journey in Africa. Sossusvlei is a salt and clay pan surrounded by high red dunes, located in the southern part of the Namib Desert, in the Namib-Naukluft National Park. The name "Sossusvlei" is often used in an extended meaning to refer to the surrounding area, including other neighboring vleis such as Deadvlei and other high dunes, which is one of the major visitor attractions of Namibia. The name Sossusvlei is of mixed origin and roughly means "dead-end marsh". Vlei is the Afrikaans word for "marsh" or "field", while "Sossus" is Khoisan spoken by the nama tribe here, and means "no return" or "dead end". Sossusvlei owes this name to the fact that it is an endorheic drainage basin, a drainage basin without outflows, for the Tsauchab River. Millenia's ago the river was flowing into the Atlantic ocean. Wind has shifted sand into his path in such great proportions that the dunes became an obstacle too big for the river to overcome. So the Tsauchab was stuck in the middle of nowhere. As a consequence of its fascinating and surrealistic landscapes, Sossusvlei is
one of the most photographed places in Sub-Saharan Africa. Many commercials, music videos, and movies have been made there, for example 'The Cell', "The Fall" and "Steel Dawn". So what are we waiting for? Nenad step on the gas !!!
Soon the yellowish sandy dunes along the Atlantic coast gave way to mountains with black and dark grey rock formations of volcanic origin. Crossing Kuiseb Pass we stopped to admire the views of the Kuiseb Canyon and the Karpfenkliff. After hours of dust and gravel we reached Solitaire. Solitaire is a small settlement about 100km away of the Namib-Naukluft National Park and our Lodge. It features the only gasoline station, bakery with a coffee shop, and the only general dealer between the dunes at Sossusvlei and the coast at Walvis Bay. There is no Pub, that distinguishes it from such remote settlements in Australia !!! The dealership is run by a Portuguese couple. He was born in Angola when it still was a Portuguese colony and fled the war of Angolan independence to South Africa. Having worked in the skiing resort Laax, Switzerland for years, where he also met his wife, (we are always fascinated by how destiny works),
he decided the remoteness and heat suited him better than the glaciers and the stress in Swiss gastronomy, so he bought this business. 1948 Willem Christoffel van Coller bought 33,000 hectares of land from the Government of Namibia for the purpose of farming Karakul sheep. The name of the farm was given by his wife Sophia. The word "Solitaire" has two meanings; it can mean a single set diamond and Solitaire can also mean solitude or loneliness. For someone running out of gas with his car it could well look like a diamond, but generally we would side with the second interpretation. As the settlement is the only one in a large perimeter, everybody stops there. Thus it has also become an important news exchange and information source for the local community and tourists. We of course stopped, ate and drank something and chatted with whoever was around. Refreshed, we drove the last part to the Lodge, where a quad buggy outing was awaiting us to check out the vicinity of the camp and have some fun in the sand.
The accommodation had a lovely desert view but was of mediocre quality. The camp hosted dinner on a large
verandah during a colorful sunset. Again there were very few guests and not all facilities were in operation. Nenad did not know if he should pity the staff (as in South Africa they rely for their income on tips given by the guests), or be upset that not all what is advertised is also available. He decided not to worry about 'luxury problems' and enjoy what he has and enjoy the interaction with the local people.
Next early morning, under a wonderful rising sun, we set for our desert activities. If you want to play in the sand you better start early before the temperature gauge climbs to 40 and before the dry hot wind picks up, making the sand so hot that you barely can walk on it and definitively not touch it. On the safari jeep our adventure spirit woke up and we wanted to know all about Namib. The heart of the dune landscape starts 60km inside the National Park, which is of course a UNESCO Heritage. Every dune has a number and some have nick names. We are focused on Big Daddy (dune no 65), the most famous one and Big Mama, dune no 66.
As well on dune 40 (Matterhorn of Namibia) and 45, what they call the most photographed dune in the world. Photogenic are all and one can not stop clicking. Sossesvlei and Deathvlei are our destinations. We also want to climb Big Daddy, an ascent of more than 360 meters in a sandy structure, where you constantly slip back as you apply pressure to step forward; one step forward, half back, filling your sneakers thoroughly with sand. Barefooted is not an option, as we said, the sand is simply too hot. Whilst the ascent is a bit tedious, the reward is spectacular views and selfies. We must keep up with the young folks somehow. We were lucky. In the beginning the sky was overcast, and the heat very bearable. Right before the top the clouds withdrew, allowing the sun to give us the light intensity needed to see and photograph these famous reddish colored sandy dunes. Big Daddy is only 55 km linear distance to the Atlantic. We wanted the explanation as to why the sand has two colors, greyish yellow and reddish. The constant wind in the Namib shifts sand of different geologic origin. The red sand is heavier as
it contains much iron. We could test this with a magnet in our hand, quite fascinating to see the dust particles drop off whilst the iron red sand stuck in your hand where one held the magnet. It comes from the Kalahari desert, more than 800km East of the Namib. The yellowish sand originates from the beaches of the Atlantic. On the dunes the wind removes all traces and within hours no footprints are visible. We were amazed that all our footprint we left in the morning around our jeep were no more four hours later. But what is a dune actually? A dune can be regarded simply as a hill of sand that is constantly changing shape and position and is fed by winds transporting particles themselves. Between the dunes one can find pans, flat surfaces of dried clay and salt left behind from the evaporated water. The ground of the pan is hard like concrete.
An unusual spectacle for us was the descent from Big Daddy. Walk, run, slide, (you can also roll down) in a straight line the steep dune for a 360m altitude descent. It seems it is never ending, this feeling of lightness, as
if in a semi-flight. At the bottom we entered the famous Deadvlei. This section, is also called a pan, came about when the Tsauchab river flooded, creating temporary shallow pools where the abundance of water allowed camel thorn trees to grow. When the climate changed, drought hit the area, and sand dunes encroached on the pan, which blocked the river from the area. The camel thorn trees died and their remaining skeletons, which are believed to be 600 years old, are now black, because the intense sun has scorched them. Though not petrified, because the wood does not decompose. It is simply too dry for the insects and microbes to do their job.
But the Namib is not only sand and dead trees. Oryxes, called also king of the desert, we encountered in numerous groups in the Namib, and were wondering from what are they living off in this nothingness. This large antelope with its striking appearance of long horns and distinct coloration is the national animal of Namibia. The Oryx was chosen due to its courage, elegance and pride and incorporated in the national coat of arms. It can lose a horn in fighting, which will not grow
back, making the animal more vulnerable in the fight for survival. Nevertheless the instinct tells it to fight. Acacia tree are strewn as little dots in between the dunes. They are the only tree that can survive here, because it has the ability to grow root systems as deep as 5 meters in search for water. On the way out of the Park, we encountered mysterious circles in the sand. They are not yet scientifically understood. Savanah grass can grow outside of these circles but not within. Similar circle phenomena have only been located in the Atacama desert in South America. And the strangest is the wind does not cover them !!! Aliens at work ?
As so often during our trip, being in Dubrovnik, in Krueger or here, we were literally alone as visitors. In normal tourist years the locals told us you have to wait to take a picture with the scorched trees of the Deadvlei, so many crowd the pan. And busses of mainly Asian tourists are queuing for kilometers at the entrance check point to the National Park. We felt so lucky; thank you Covid. Back to the Lodge, Nenad had only two wishes, beer
sand, tent and desert queen
will she bring rain here as well ? and a splash in the pool. But first he had to chase away the gnus who were grazing in the garden, drinking from the pool water. Dinner, oh yes, same menu as the day before. Well, it is hard to run a business with no customers and no cashflow, maintaining a standard these international, spoiled guests expect.
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