Today was a day where we packed an awful lot into a single day, and had a fantastic, if not slightly tiring, time while doing it. It also happened to be Christmas Day, not that it really felt like it due to the heat and the activity packed day.
We drove from Lake Oanob Resort to Sesriem via the Spreetshoogte Pass. Once we were at Sesriem we first explored the canyon, before returning to the campsite for an early dinner and then heading out to the dunes for some photography and then to climb Dune 45 for sunset
- Start: Lake Oanob Resort
- Destination: Sesriem
- Distance: 260km
- Duration (planned): 4 hours (to Sesriem)
- Duration (actual): 5.5 hours (to Sesriem)
- Animals seen: Southern Masked Weaver, Sociable Weaver, Baboons, Pale Chanting Goshawk, Ostrich (wild), Gemsbok
Lake Oanob
We woke up fairly early knowing that we had a long drive ahead of us, while also wanting to make the most of the day when we arrived. Our day stated off wonderfully watching two Southern Masked Weavers building a nest, while sat eating our breakfast overlooking Lake Oanob.
Breakfast and packing up the truck was not the quickest affair, given that it was the first time we were getting used to everything, but we were on the road by 7:30.
The journey to Sesriem via the Spreetshoogte Pass
The travel on the previous day had been on tarmac until the last short section before the resort, today was the polar opposite with 98% of the day being on gravel roads, we quickly got used to the constant vibrations! The journey took us through some wonderful scenery, where we were able to admire the huge nests which Sociable Weavers build for the first time, it really is quite remarkable how they stay in the trees, we saw Baboons and drove over a large pass which gave really wonderful views.
As we were travelling on Christmas Day, most of the usual stops were shut, so we just pressed on, but eventually we arrived at Solitaire, with a rest stop which is apparently known for its apple pie. Thankfully the rest stop was open, so we stopped for an obligatory pie and a coffee, before completing the last hour of the drive to Sesriem.
Sesriem Canyon
After we had arrived at Sesriem, paid our park entrance fees, and checked into the campsite it was the heat of the day, so we decided to head to the Sesriem Canyon as apparently this was a good way to escape the heat of the sun. While most of the roads we had driven down to get to Sesriem were dirt, they were relatively good, however the road down to the canyon was really awful and it felt like we were being shaken to pieces while driving down the road.
Whilst escaping the heat may have been true in places, it was not true everywhere, and it was certainly not true when we descended into the baking sun at the start. We made our way to the end of the canyon where we found a tribe of Baboons, mostly hiding from the sun, however some were playing and having great fun sliding down the rock. It was great to see them in a truly natural environment, without any impact from humans.
On our way out of the canyon we explored the top a bit, and saw some more baboons and looked down into the fairly deep canyon from above, although it wasn’t photographically very impressive.
Sossusvlei
After getting back to the campsite, we had a quick late lunch/early dinner, before heading out on the road. The plan was to take some photos of the dunes, before heading up Dune 45 for sunset. Dune 45 is so called because it is 45km from the park gate in Sesriem.
The initial section of the drive is definitely not the highlight of the trip, but it was made more interesting for us as we saw Gemsbok, Ostrich and a massive dust devil which funnelled a lot of dust up into the atmosphere. However we were shortly amongst the dunes and could take in the sight, words or photos cannot really describe the feeling of looking up at these towering structures of sand, which are constantly evolving. After a lot of photo stops, most of which I immediately discarded due to heat haze, I eventually took some decent photos of Dune 39 before we arrived at our planned ascent of Dune 45.
Dune 45 for sunset
The ascent of the dune was certainly harder than it looked, although the golden hour light was making it all worthwhile. Every step up involved half of a step backwards in the very soft sand, However the view from the top made the effort, which was made worse by the very hot weather, very worthwhile. The golden hour light illuminating the ridges was really special, and it just got better as the sunset. We ended up leaving the ridge just before the sun actually set, as we had to be back at the inner gate 45mins after sunset. This also meant that I was able to capture the fun descent down the soft sand well in the very golden light. The decent was much quicker and easier then the ascent, and we were soon back at the car with just about enough time to get back for the deadline.
Comments