March 15, 2023
We were up early for our 3:30 a.m. trip to the Cape Town airport. We flew to Windhoek, Namibia where we boarded a small plane for our journey over the Namib Desert to the unique Sand Sea of the Namib-Naukluft Park. The Namib Dessert is believed to be the oldest desert on Earth, having been a desert for between 55 and 80 million years. We will be visiting a special part of this desert known as the Namib Sand Sea, the only coastal desert in which millions of hectares of dunes have formed under the influence of fog, which is the main source of water for this portion of the desert.
Brent got to sit in the cockpit of the airplane when we took off from Windhoek.
After taking of from Windhoek, we flew over miles and miles of desert with very little evidence of civilization, for the most part there were just small clusters of homes or individual buildings. There was only one more extensive settlement or town that we flew over. The landscape itself was beautiful. At first, there were many trees and vegetation interspersed throughout the dessert, but as we got closer to the Sossuvlei, the greenery gave way to vast expanses of sand, hills and dunes. The rolling waves of sand really did appear to be a sea as we flew overhead.
We landed at the small Geluk airstrip near Soussevlei. The airstrip was clear of the oryx and sprinbok that sometimes graze along it, so we had a clear and smooth landing. Had they been there, the plane would have done a low buzz across the strip first to chase them away.
Brent found a small Namib Desert beetle crawling in the gravel. This little beetle inspired Deckard Sorensen to use nanotechnology to invent a self-filling water bottle. Although the Namib Desert gets only half an inch of rain a year, the beetle is able to get water to drink everyday, by crawling to the top of a sand dune and facing it's back to the wind. When the wind hits the little beetle's back, small droplets of water are attracted a part of its back that is hydrophilic (water-loving). They collect their until there is enough to overflow the ridge and land on the hydrophobic (water-hating) part of its back which then funnels all the water down for the beetle to drink. (Here is a link if you want to learn more: https://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=12-P13-00046&segmentID=8 )
Here are the breathtaking views of the desert from the airstrip:
Soon we were met by our guides, Gabriel and Emmanuel. They drove us to Little Kulala Lodge as we enjoyed the scenery and kept our eye out for wildlife in the desert.
Our first sign of animal life was the Southern fiscal. It is also sometimes known as a "butcher bird" as it will stick its prey on a thorn so it can come back and eat it later.
Soon after we saw a herd of springbok with some calves, one of which we saw nursing. The word springbok means "jumping antelope" because it can jump up to 4 meters. It is the national animal of South Africa and their popular national rugby team is named for them because of their agility.
We saw Namibia's national animal, the gemsbok oryx, next. The first was a male alone in the desert sands. The next two were at a waterhole and salt lick. One had a bent horn, likely from a fight with another male oryx. Oryx are specially made to survive in the desert. Not only can they go long periods of time without water like the camel, but they have a special way to cool their blood in the high desert temperatures. When they breathe in, capillaries in their nose cool down their blood before it reaches their brain.
Next we saw a black-backed jackal. They and hyenas are the primary predators this far into the Namib Desert. It is too dry and barren for the larger predators like lions.
We didn't cross over the bridge as the river was dry. They save wear and tear on the bridge by only using it when needed. Instead we drove through the river bed.
Soon the kulalas (from the Oshiwambo word "to sleep") of the Little Kulala Lodge were in view.
The lodge fit in perfectly with its desert surroundings. Like the South African lodges we stayed at, there is one main lodge where we gather together for tours and eat our meals. It also has a library and a small gift shop.
There were several great sparrows that flew in and out of the lodge looking for crumbs to eat.
Our rooms are all separate huts (kulalas) surrounded by high fences to block the desert winds and keep out blowing sand. There is even a plunge pool for cooling off and a bed outside for stargazing and sleeping under the stars.
Outside the main lodge is a waterhole and salt lick for the oryx and springbok, and even the occasional hyena (although the latter didn't make an appearance during our stay). Along the riverbed are several trees, many of them no longer alive and growing. Still, they are beautiful with their pale limbs standing out among the reds and browns of the desert. The views from the front and back of the lodge are stunning.
That evening we went on a sundowner drive to explore the beauty of the desert.
We saw a pair of oryx resting in the shade of some camelthorn trees. Their pods are a treat for the oryx.
The pods of the camelthorn were also used by the indigenous people of the Namib Desert. They would sometimes dry them out and use them as a rattle for their babies. Our guide's father taught him many of the traditional ways of the desert and he shared some of that information with us.
It is amazing how these and other plants and trees are able to live in the desert with so little water each year.
Gabriel was our guide this evening. His sharp eyes spotted an owl in the trees ahead. We were able to get out of the vehicle and walk to the tree for a closer view. It was a spotted eagle owl. It was getting near dusk, so it was probably waiting for it to get a bit darker before beginning to hunt.
The desert hills were beautiful with their wavy grooves carved in them by the wind and blowing sands.
The double-banded courser was foraging for ants and beetles along the rocky ground in the late afternoon.
We saw ostriches in the distance with a backdrop of rolling dessert hills.
A lone ATV rider rode across the desert.
We startled some Namaqua sandgrouse. They gather together in larger groups to rest at night and split up into smaller groups to feed. This small group was probably flying off to join others as dusk was approaching.
As dusk approached, we drove to the top of a craggy hillside with a beautiful view for our sundowner. As the sun set we enjoyed beverages and snacks of nuts, biltong, and dried fruit.
The view was spectacular as we enjoyed our snacks and watched the sun set.
On the way home, our headlights caught a rock kestrel on the road in front of us which seemed unusual for a bird that spends most of its time in flight and on perches. Perhaps we disturbed a meal of tasty beetles that were on the road?
Back at the lodge, the dead tree by the waterhole was beautiful against the night sky.
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