The Namibian desert
On this International Women’s Day, I can say that I have one thing in common with First Lady Jill Biden: we arrived at Namibia’s Hosea Kutako International Airport on the same day, Feb. 22. While the First Lady spent her time sharing pleasantries with Namibia’s First Lady, Monica Geingos, and laying a wreath at the Heroes’ Acre, Namibia’s official war memorial, Dominic and I rented a four-wheel-drive truck and made our way to the Namibian desert.
Jill Biden’s airplane landed in Namibia before we did, which was probably a good thing.
The drive from the capital of Windhoek to Sesriem took about four or five hours, the first half on paved roads and the remaining on dirt roads. Along the way, we stopped at a town, Rehoboth, to photograph Sacred Heart Church and a pack of baboons on the outskirts of town.
After a bumpy and dusty trek, one in which Google Maps would have us taking a right turn where there was no road, we arrived at our destination: Desert Quiver Camp. The camp features around 30 cottages, an outdoor bar and swimming pool, and is about five kilometers from the entrance of Sossusvlei, home of Namib-Naukluft National Park and the great Namibian sand dunes.
Dominic stands outside of our tent-shaped cottage at Desert Quiver Camp.
As fate/fortune would have it, our visit, in the middle of summer, featured mid-day temperatures averaging 95 degrees. Not bad, when Green Bay was in the middle of its worst snowstorm of the winter. Desert Quiver Camp was one of a few tourist outposts, which attract quite a few folks from Germany and other European countries.
On our first full day in Sesriem, we awoke early and drove to the national park entrance — along with many other tourists itching to climb the “Big Daddy” sand dune (measured at 1,066 feet high) and view the charcoal-black skeleton trees, reportedly 1,000 years old, scattered along the white sands at Deadvlei. The last mile or so on the drive requires four-wheel drive vehicles to maneuver through the sand.
A view from our outpost at Desert Quiver Camp.
We stopped at numerous sites along the way for photos of the sunrise, hot air balloons and local wildlife, which included the black-faced Impala and ostriches. By the time we arrived at the parking area leading to Big Daddy and Deadvlei, the heat was already a factor. Rather than attempt the long, uphill dune climb, we chose the shorter and flatter walk to photograph the trees at Deadvlei.
Our remaining time in Sesriem included a visit to the Sesriem Canyon, with its labyrinth-like trails and mountains formed by round rocks. After a grueling hike, we returned to the Sossusvlei lodge, not far from our Desert Quiver Camp, for well-deserved beverages and lunch.
Our return on Saturday, Feb. 25, to Windhoek, gave us an opportunity to shop, enjoy a meal at Joe’s Beer House and a beverage at the Hilton Hotel’s rooftop lounge to view the sunset. The Hilton was where Jill Biden and her entourage stayed just days earlier.
At left, enjoying the sunset over Windhoek atop the Hilton Hotel. At right, boarding our South African Airlines jet to Johannesburg.
We attended Mass on Sunday morning at St. Mary Cathedral and then met our rental car host, who drove us back to the airport some 30 minutes from Windhoek. We arrived back in Johannesburg after a two-hour flight on South Africa Airlines. Namibia’s arid climate was in stark contrast to the lush foliage we witnessed in parts of South Africa.
Enjoy the photo slideshow below, with images of the Namibian desert, as well as a short video taken at the gates of Sossusvlei.