The incredible dunes of Sossusvlei

We had an extra early start today – we had to say goodbye to the wonderful staff at Greenfire, pack up our things and drive to our location before twilight.

You know that Namibia is a special place when scenes like this are literally at the side of the road!

The Oryx (also know as the Gemsbock) is Namibia’s national animal.  One of the larger and more attractive antelope species, the oryx in Namibia have adapted to survive in the dry and unforgiving environment.

The sociable weaver is a sparrow sized bird, endemic to southern Africa.  These little guys build communal nests with the largest containing more than 100 nesting chambers!  As we arrived at the gates to Sossusvlei, we were greeted by 3 large weaver nests, the lower one being the largest that I’ve ever seen!  PS – if you ever go to Namibia, your guide will likely tell you these are ostrich nests.  So always remember – Ostrich can’t fly or use a ladder!

And a close up of the big nest, a little weaver standing on his porch…

Located in the Namib-Naukluft National Park, Sossusvlei is home to some of the highest dunes in the world.  These beautiful red dunes have been sculpted by the winds here to have beautifully sharp edges.  When combined with that magical Namibian light, Sossusvlei really is a photographers paradise.

The way the light was hitting this next dune combined with the wind blown sand made the bottom look like a tornado…

Some of the dunes have the most amazing lines…

The dunes along the north side of the road don’t get the same light on them.  As a result, they look much lighter than the ones on the south side, even though they are all the same sand!

Needless to say it can get windy here, and when the wind blows, so does the sand…

We stayed at the Sossus Dune lodge, just inside the Sesriem gate of the park.  Each of these buildings is a room – lovely, spacious permanent tents (think glamping).

Problem is, it’s still a tent.  With the wind blowing like crazy, it sounded like it was going to be lifted right off the platform.  The sheets feel a little gritty, but that’s ok.  Then you wake in the morning with sand everywhere and your sheets and sink look like this…

As the wind picked up again, we continued on, capturing the blowing sand in the morning light before it was once again time to move on…