In a process stretching back millions of years, Old Man Orange River has been sweeping vast quantities of sand into the Atlantic Ocean where the Benguela Current carries it northwards and duly dumps it back along the lengthy Namibian coastline. The wind then kicks in and in a relay blowing sand from one dune onto the next, sets in motion the ongoing and ever changing abstract work of art that is the Namib Desert. Nowhere is this sandscape more spectacular than in Sossusvlei, a day’s drive south west from Windhoek.
Here in the Namib Naukluft Park, the largest conservation area in Africa, the breeze sculpted dunes reach skyward to world record heights - with pride of place going to ‘Big Daddy’ stretching over 300 metres. Strong winds play an ongoing role in continually re-shaping the patterns of these impressive sentinels, and sand striking the windward slopes eventually topples leeward - ensuring that this is always the steepest side.
Much of Sossusvlei spreads over underlying clay pans covered by towering sand dunes. Nature and history have combined to produce two vastly differing phenomena - each providing a dramatically different display. On very rare occasions heavy rainfall causes the Tsauchab to flow, miraculously filling up the Nara Vlei in the North creating a beautiful turquoise lake. With an exceptionally good flow this can last up to 15 months.
In stark contrast, Doodvlei - or ‘Dead Pan’, was not so lucky. Some 500 years ago the river’s course running through the pan was blocked by sand dunes, drying it out forever, and causing the death of the Kameeldoring trees existing at the time. Burned black by the sun and preserved by a complete absence of the moisture so necessary for decomposition, they form a striking contrast to the white solar bleached clay. The result is a surreal and hauntingly dramatic tableau, with the skeletons from bygone centuries pointing skywards – a Salvador Dalian landscape, minus the melting watches.
The Namib Naukluft Park is a photographer’s
dream, with breathtaking vistas created by curved
slopes, steep ridges and undulating plains.
This subtle symmetry is accentuated by dramatic shadows and hues that deepen from orange to a crimson glow at sunrise and sunset. The intensity of the colour is the result of unusually high concentrations of iron oxide, and the shades at any given moment are determined by the angle of refraction from the sun’s rays. Obviously the most spectacular views are going to be in the golden light of late dawn and early twilight.
Interspersed with this are the craggy granite mountains that provide a dramatic counterpoint. There are few sights more beautiful than the desert at sunrise, and there is simply no better vantage point from which to soak in the view than the famed hot air balloon rides that take off at daybreak. For years this has been at the top of my ‘bucket list’, and so with a great sense of anticipation I climbed into the huge wicker basket with twelve other aspirant balloonists, under the massive billowing canopy that was already full of hot air from the burners. In command was Paul Vecray – a charismatic ‘Crocodile Dundee’ look-alike.
The tethering ropes were released, followed by a sharp and fairly prolonged burst of flame that sent us drifting majestically skywards. As we climbed, the vista increased in range until we reached a height that was nearly a kilometer from terra firma. There in sepulchral silence, we gazed in trancelike awe at a spectacular tableau leading to severe Thesaurus failure. I’ve checked it out: magnificent/ inspiring/ overwhelming/glorious/ incredible/ amazing/ astounding and astonishing. None of these is going to do the job. Drifting serenely above the earth, there are just no words to adequately convey the sense of wonder and tranquility induced by the passing panorama below.
After an exhilarating hour Paul Vecray reduced his dependence on the burners and we started our descent. With the skill acquired from years of ballooning we cleared a treacherous looking mountain with only a few metres to spare as we followed its contours to a large grassy plain. Using short spasmodic bursts of flame he maneuvered the balloon to a position a few feet above a waiting truck, and with strong arms having taken hold of the trailing guide ropes on the ground, the craft was gently lowered onto the steel flat bed.
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