Despite the fact that we have 4x4 cars, we decided to take a tour with Uwe from the farm to Sossusvlei. This way we can get there without stress and don't have to worry about the last bit of sand or a picnic. As it turns out, it was a very good decision. Sossusvlei is a beige salt-clay pan (“vlei”) in the Namib Desert surrounded by Namib sand dunes, which only has water in very rare good rainy years. Then a lake a few centimeters to several meters deep even forms for a short time at the end of the vlei. “Sossus” means “blind river” in the Nama language (blind because the Tsauchab then ends in nothing). It is part of the Namib-Naukluft National Park.
Namibia Slideshow 2: Sossusvlei from Joerg on Video.
After a leisurely breakfast with lots of homemade jams, salami and zebra and pork jelly, as well as smoked zebra meat, we set off. We can all take a seat in the 4×4 VW bus and express our drink preferences beforehand. On the journey, Uwe explains his country to us and we realize how vast Namibia is. In total, the land of Ababis covers the area of Munich and the surrounding farms are no smaller. This gives the term "neighborhood" a different meaning, since you don't necessarily run into each other, but you depend on each other. A bush fire, for example, can only be fought as a community and in an emergency you have to be able to rely on your neighbors.
We see plenty of wild animals on the way: mountain zebras, springboks, ostriches, oryx antelopes and even a vulture. Because of these sightings, we don't make much progress at first, but Uwe takes us to the Sesriem Canyon around midday. There is even water in the canyon, as it has rained more than usual in recent years. In one of the pools, a few catfish swim; they bury themselves in the mud when it is dry and survive years of drought in this way.
From the canyon we then head to the largest dunes in the world, the Sossusvlei. The orange dunes are among the highest in the world, with a height difference of up to 380 m compared to the pan. The highest of these is Big Daddy, also known as Crazy Dune. We admire the currently relatively large lake in the vlei and after the picnic we climb one of the adjacent dunes. The way back is shortened quite quickly by taking the direct route, so we do it while rolling. Down by the lake we are able to observe two flamingos and discover two oryxes just 40 m away from us.
On the way back we finally have our sundowner on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere: a glass of wine (from the glass!), the setting sun and a few picturesque clouds – that’s how we like it.
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